William Martin's Blog, page 2

Identity

We are not who we think we are. We are the one noticing the thinking, not the thinker of the thoughts. Thoughts think themselves and we mistake them for identity. Thoughts are simply “occurrences” like the motion of air molecules. We call the movement of air, “wind.” We call the movement of thoughts, “us.” When…

Utopia?

  The Tao is empty of agenda, therefore full of possibilities. It is not a limited reservoir of energy, doled out in parcels to supplicants. It is an infinite field. From Chapter 4 of The Activist’s Tao Te Ching. Did you know that Lao Tzu’s wonderful and timeless book, written over 2500 years ago is…

Not Fooled

“When a nation values wealth and status, its citizens are easily controlled by their desires and their fears. When we learn to value simple things and are not enticed by power, we can open the hearts of people to the joy of ordinary life. We will not be fooled by clever words designed to keep…

Relax

“Therefore the people act, but do not force; they teach without agenda and let freedom emerge without conscious effort.”                 From The Activist’s Tao Te Ching, Chapter 2 Can you sense how desperately our species is searching for a way to regain “control” of things? The unknown future frightens us to the core. For millennia…

Activist’s Tao – Chapter 1

Hello, friends. As I sink into my life with Nancy and our “hermit” existence on our “Three Acre Wood,” I am discovering some interesting things about myself. I have been rereading my book, The Activist’s Tao Te Ching – Ancient Advice for a Modern Revolution. Like most authors, I seldom read my own books –…

One

“The Tao that can be spoken of is not the Eternal Tao.” Two “theologies” have intertwined with human culture for the past two thousand years. On the one end is the materialistic nihilistic position; that the Cosmos is a random occurrence, operating on mechanistic principles with no possibility of Divine presence. In this view, even…

Qigong – Important!

Hello Friends, Yet another post from Bill. In these times I feel it is important to share everything I can to be of benefit. My own life over the decades has been enlivened by the practice of Qigong – “Energy Work.” My teacher over the past ten years in this practice has been Lee Holden,…

A Letter From Jean Houston

Nancy is taking an on-line class from Jean Houston. Jean recently sent this letter to her students. Nancy posted it on her site, Earth Centered Living After 60  I am sharing Jean’s letter here because it so eloquently expresses our hope. Let’s keep encouraging each other as much as we possibly can. Dear Friends, Like…

Hermit

  Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? The Tao Te Ching, Chapter 15 – trans. Stephen Mitchell The governor of California has asked all people over the age of 65 to remain at home…

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Nancy and I have been married thirty years today. What an adventure we have been on!! 30 years ago Nancy was a Methodist Minister and I was a Pastoral Counselor in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona. We met when we were asked to be leaders at an ecumenical retreat. Yes – love at first sight.…