“A glimpse of a greater interconnectedness of all of nature……” excerpt from our upcoming eBook

An excerpt from our upcoming eBook, Tai Chi Ch’uan, the lost Yang-style Tai Chi Ch’uan form, brought to the U.S. in the 1960’s by Kuo Lien Ying:

Donald studied with Kuo Lien Ying, at his studio in Portsmouth Square park, San Francisco, for many years beginning in 1976. Early one morning while practicing out in the park, Donald was shown a glimpse of a greater interconnectedness of all of nature that convinced him there is more to what we perceive of as reality than he had ever previously imagined.

One of the standing meditation practices that Sifu Kuo taught is Universal Post, from  Yi Chuan (from the Xingyiquan tradition); the practitioner literally stands like a post, with arms upraised and rounded, as if hugging a tree. The goal of this practice is to settle your mind, and develop an awareness of the internal systems of your body and of your connection with the external energies around you, and ultimately the wisdom to direct them flows from this awareness. Sifu Kuo did not speak English and couldn’t explain to his students who spoke only English the purpose of this exercise. Donald noticed the other students, after they had completed their physical practices, going to stand under the trees, so he did the same.

We were encouraged, by the older students, to stand like this for as long as possible, and to stand for a longer period each time. For the beginner, this was an extremely difficult thing to do – your arms would start to burn, your legs would start to shake, and your monkey mind would be screaming, “How much longer do I have to stand like this? What is the point of this? I can’t take another second!”

The Universe Expands

Early one morning, while Donald was standing next to a tree after an hours-long rigorous practice of Shao Lin Chuan, Sifu Kuo walked up to him and reached out to touch him. Kuo adjusted Donald’s hand positions, bringing the left hand slightly forward and the right fingers pointing to the center of the left palm. As Sifu Kuo adjusted his hands – which had an immediate effect of also correcting his posture, Donald felt the energy from his teacher flow into his own body, and in that moment Donald experienced something almost beyond words, he felt the universe in complete alignment and perfect harmony; he could see the truth in all things and he felt connected, on a deep and profound level, to the universal order. Then Sifu Kuo released his hands and walked away chuckling, and that expansive, all-pervading wisdom disappeared, and Donald returned back to his normal, suddenly narrowed, perception.

Having felt this connection, this all-encompassing power and exquisite beauty, even for so brief a moment, Donald knew he could find it again. This set him on his life-long quest for what he refers to as the Holy Grail of Tai Chi Ch’uan and Qigong: living in the seemingly elusive state of being that is the total integration of inner and outer reality, where all of the senses are in a heightened state and the doors of perception are cleansed, not by psychotropic substances, but by resting in the natural state of the mind.

Donald knew that if he could experience this connection and flow, then every person has the     potential to experience it as well, and decades ago he determined to find a way to transmit this ability to others who are ready, who have open hearts and receptive minds, and show them how to expand their consciousness and transcend the limitations of everyday existence.

Fast forward to September, 2014. Donald received a phone call from a former student. Donald had not talked with Richard for 20 years, and he told Donald how much he valued the teachings he received from him, 20 years ago, and he practiced daily the Qigong that Donald had taught him. Every day he would do Donald’s Long Life exercises, he stood in Wuji meditation, and he did the dissolving technique. He said that he had gone for a physical recently, and was given an excellent bill of health by his doctors. He was calling because he couldn’t calm his monkey mind, he had ADD and he felt he wasn’t accomplishing all that he could accomplish in his life, his monkey mind seemed to be in control.

Time and space are not obstacles in the Universe, the power of a highly-trained mind is limitless. Donald gave Richard a teaching and sent a transmission to his mind over the phone.

We received an email from Richard a couple of days later:

“Thank you for giving me that teaching on the phone the other day, and for emailing me those life-changing affirmations. I had a profound experience the first time I uttered them. When I said, “I am one with the One,” I was instantly overwhelmed by a feeling of pure love and absolute compassion. I felt that I was in touch with the chi that animates the universe and gives consciousness and is a consciousness. I felt every plant and animal tuned to it, in my perception even flies have awareness. I was part of this vast web of an endless cycle of birth death and regeneration that the stars and planets are a part of and I felt everything pulsing in and out.

Although I am a scientific realist about extra-terrestrials [I’m waiting for empirical evidence] I was aware of countless sentient beings experiencing the same thing. My eyes were closed and I saw total blackness with no racing thoughts for the first time. Yet the darkness was moving rapidly in all directions at once with a slight phosphorescent blue tint to it. I wasn’t afraid and embraced it and the only way to describe it was just total love and compassion. I tried to absorb that into my body and it was so warm. After that, it was over. This was as intense as any psychedelic experience I’ve ever had.           I realized that the efficiency I was requesting was just a small part of the balance of the universe. I felt the relationship of predator to play, of plants and their environment, and I felt the stars spinning in harmony with each other. My needs were miniscule and yet so easily granted. Thank you so much.”

We know that anyone can have this life-changing experience as well. Diligent and continual practice is the key; as the I Ching states, ‘Perseverance furthers.’

(c) Donald and Cheryl Lynne Rubbo

1975: The Killer Elite, featuring Sifu Kuo Lien Ying

In 1975 Sam Peckinpah brought his film crew to San Francisco, and filmed part of The Killer Elite in Portsmouth Square. Peckinpah hired Kuo Lien Ying and many of his students for the scenes of a martial arts school in San Francisco.

My brother Paul ‘Owl’ Pickens and I were hired as extras on the movie. Portsmouth Square and Kuo’s studio were transformed into a movie set for two weeks, which created a lot of excitement for all of us. Craft services set up long tables of food and beverages bright and early each day on Brenham Place, and we all crowded around and helped ourselves to this unbelievable feast while we watched the film crew set up and shoot scenes.

We recently found a trailer for The Killer Elite on Youtube, with Kuo teaching James Caan’s character Tai Chi Ch’uan fighting techniques. At 0:59 watch for Sifu Kuo’s closeup, it brings back so many wonderful memories of studying with him, and the many years we spent practicing at Portsmouth Square.

Back then, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to be studying with one of the greatest martial artists of our time, and that I was learning forms that were rare, unique and extraordinarily powerful and effective. Sifu Kuo changed my life; I owe my career, by chosen profession, and everything I have learned about martial, internal, healing and meditation arts to a phenomenal elderly Chinese man from a different time and a different land.

And I am extraordinarily fortunate, and infinitely grateful, that I met my husband, Donald Rubbo, at Sifu Kuo Lien Ying’s, in 1976. Together, Donald and I are tremendous forces for good in this world, and it is thanks to Sifu Kuo Lien Ying.

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Tai Chi Ch’uan – The Lost Yang Style

When we started going to Kuo Lien Ying’s martial arts classes in Portsmouth Square Park in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the early nineteen seventies, arriving every single morning in the pre-dawn hour of 5:00 am, we were young teenagers. We both began as Shao Lin Chuan students. Shao Lin Chuan is a dynamic, fluid, powerful system of martial arts practiced by Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple in China. We were among the best of Kuo’s Shao Lin students, and frequently were called upon to demonstrate the Shao Lin form at demonstrations. At that time, martial arts were still predominately practiced and taught by men, and Cheryl Lynne is proud of the fact that she was among the first women in the United States to become a martial artist.

We watched with interest as the older students practiced Kuo’s Tai Chi Ch’uan, Guang Ping Yang style, form although we didn’t realize at the time how fortunate we were to be studying with one of the greatest martial artists of our time, and learning forms that were rare, unique and extraordinarily powerful and effective.

Kuo’s form, Tai Chi Ch’uan – Guang Ping Yang Style, has become known as the “lost” Yang-style tai chi ch’uan form. Yang Pan-Hou, the son of Yang Luchan, adapted his father’s Guang Ping form for the Imperial court of the Manchus, and as they were aristocrats and not athletes or fighters, he taught them a very elegant, middle-to-small frame form. This is the Yang-style tai chi ch’uan style that has come to be known as the Beijing Yang-style. Yang Pan-Hou secretly taught his father’s form (the Guang Ping style) only to select students who were not his family, who then taught it to only a few of their students. The Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi Ch’uan form was subsequently lost to the Yang family.

Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi Ch’uan combines all the positive aspects of Beijing Yang Style with qualities that added strength and versatility.

Guang Ping’s stances are lower and wider than Yang Style but not as pronounced as the original Chen style. A stronger, more balanced foundation gives the student more power and greater flexibility. Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi Chuan also combines elements from Hsing Yi Chuan and Baguazhang, which can be seen in Guang Ping’s spiral force energy and projecting force energy theories.

How can your body and mind not be the embodiment of the Five Elements?

It seems that our article, “Tai Chi Ch’uan Inner Practices  – Embodying the Five Elements” which was adapted from our latest eBook, The Art and Mastery of Bio Energetic Healing, and posted on the Into Mountains, Over Streams online Taoist journal, has stirred up some controversy.

Peter Gilligan, a Tai Chi and Qigong teacher in Scotland, asked, “Your descriptions of your ‘felt sense’ of the wu xing does not correspond with any Chinese description that I am aware of. Have you made any attempt to correlate your experiential research with that of Chinese tradition and practitioners?”

Richard Ellis, a Tai Chi and Qigong teacher in Milan, Italy, wrote, “The article referred to (“Tai Chi Ch’uan Inner Practices – Embodying the Five Elements”) has an interesting take on the 13 postures, but originally, the 13 postures referred to the 8 techniques (Ward-off, Rollback, Press, Push, Shoulder, Elbow, Separate, Pulldown) and the 5 directions (forward, backward, right, left and the middle). Because these 8 techniques and 5 directions are the essence of all styles of Taijiquan, the term “13 Postures” is synonymous with ‘Taijiquan.’”

We appreciate the opportunity to dialogue with these esteemed teachers, and delighted to present a further clarification on our understanding of these profound truths from our decades of immersion, research, and experience in the Taoist arts.

How can your body and mind not be the Five Elements, and every movement in the Tai Chi Ch’uan form not incorporate the directions of the Five Elements? For those of the highest advanced levels, one realizes that there is more than one element (in fact all) being expressed in every single movement.

Let’s first examine Mr. Ellis’ statement. The 5 directions correspond to the Five Elements, you are always in the middle no matter where you are, middle (Center) is the Earth Element. Forward is in front, which, according to the Chinese compass, is North and the Water Element. Backward is behind you, South, the Fire Element, right is East, the Wood Element and left is West, the Metal Element.

The eight techniques, Ward Off, Roll Back, Press, Push, Shoulder, Elbow, Separate, Pull Down, upon close examination, all refer to the Five Elements and directions, and therefore have all of the qualities and embodied movements inherent in the Five Elements.

Tai Chi Ch’uan incorporates the theory of Yin Yang, after Wu Ji (emptiness) opposing movements are born (the two, Taiji) as I move down I also move up, as I move forward I also move back. And from the two comes ten thousand things, the Five Elements and the Eight Directions and everything that is within them.

Sifu Kuo Lien Ying taught us, “Be the movement, penetrate the movement. There is no movement before the one you are doing, and no movement to come after the movement you are doing.” So therefore, the movements within the form of Tai Chi Ch’uan are actually more than ‘felt-sensations,’ it is a beingness.

Mr. Gilligan, you are right, our descriptions of the felt sense of the wu xing might not correspond with any Chinese description that you are aware of. That, of course, does not invalidate the truth that we are not separate from the Five Elements. And as we are thinking, feeling beings, how can we not have a ‘felt-sense’ of what we are not separate from?

Let us direct your attention the chapter on A Mnemonic of Thirteen Tai-Chi Chuan Movements, in Tai-Chi Chuan in Theory and Practice, by Kuo Lien-Ying, North Atlantic Books, page 19, line 9:

“Remember to be mindful of every single movement by trying to feel its meaning.”

Page 20, lines 16 and 17:

“Carefully observe and investigate and convince yourself that

Your way of bending or straightening, your closing-in or throwing-open should never be as you will them to be, but as Nature wills.”

As when a particular philosophy, art, science or way of being from another country is planted in new soil (for example the internal arts of China brought to the United States many decades ago) the knowledge and skill grow in the minds of the new adherents and they become the future-forward advocates of this wisdom.

The information that was made available to the sages of ancient China, as they pondered the mysteries of man, the earth and the cosmos, is, wouldn’t you agree, still available to anyone who takes the time to enter into a state of all-encompassing awareness and connect to the same Source to which the ancient Chinese sages connected.

Donald has been studying and applying all of the knowledge that is available in the Classics to those who know how to search, and we have both studied extensively with pre-Cultural Revolution Chinese masters of the internal arts.

The deeper we delve, with open hearts and receptive minds, into the mysteries of the Tao, the more profound our knowingness of fundamental truths become an inseparable part of our bodies, minds and spirits.

As we have said for decades, from stillness comes awareness, from awareness comes sensitivity, and from stillness, awareness and sensitivity, arises wisdom.

Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children

We are excited to announce that PDP II Research Foundation has been invited to teach a Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children program at St. Vincent’s School for Boys. We’ve developed a six-week pilot program that will start up in two weeks, offering a three-times a week class.

One of our long-time students, John Heenan, works at the School, and last year he was asked by one of the boys to bring in a Tai Chi teacher, he had seen a television program on Tai Chi and was eager to learn it. John called us, and asked us to put together a program for the boys.

Many of you may recall our popular Five Tigers Martial Arts Summer Day Camp, which we ran for five years. We had so much fun working with our Tigers, we mixed forms work, meditation, arts and crafts and field trips (hiking and practicing Shao Lin Chuan in the restorative, breathtaking nature found in Marin County).  Our kids came from all socio-economic levels of Marin, many on scholarship, and they all took away self-confidence, inner strength and cooperation from those magical summer weeks.

We have had the pleasure and honor of mentoring many exceptional young people, who are now phenomenal adults making a positive difference on this planet.

Tai Chi Chuan is the foundation of our Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children program because this profound Asian internal art is a holistic approach to health, fitness, healing, personal improvement and growth.

As we teach it, the practice of Tai Chi Chuan involves the development of the complete person, the practitioner can attain the highest physical and mental condition possible. In this context, although Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art we won’t be teaching it as a competitive sport, the emphasis is on the practitioner advancing in skill by personal reflection and practice.

For at-risk youth, practicing Tai Chi Chuan can give benefits that are far-reaching and life-changing. Daily practice will improve balance, build self-confidence, and boost health, fitness, self-awareness, concentration, discipline and motivation. This Chinese internal art also helps to direct and focus the practitioner’s mental and physical energies, and develop those forces and potentials which are already within us. From our own experience, the discipline carries over to into everyday life, we have found that we can accomplish any task with ease, simply by using positive energy and concentration.

We’ve developed The Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan with four elements:

• Warm-ups
• Stretching
• Form work
• Standing or sitting meditation

Within each of these elements are fundamentals of mind-body awareness:

• Relaxed abdominal breathing
• Body alignment and stances
• Mindfulness and relaxation practices

The three-times weekly classes incorporate strengthening and toning the body, reducing the symptoms of stress, developing patience and a sense of personal achievement through gradual progress.   The practice will assist the students in increasing their rhythm and coordination, balance, cardiovascular health, flexibility, strength, and endurance.

We put a lot of thought into selecting the right person for this important work, someone who would best serve the children and impart the values of the Paul D. Pickens II Research Foundation: integrity, excellence and honesty.  

We are proud to announce that we have chosen Robert Bergman as Program Director for our Mind-Body Integration through Tai Chi Chuan for At-Risk Children program. Robert, the founder of Spirit Boxing Association, is a dedicated martial artist with 40 years experience, and teaches mind-body integration classes at youth centers, clean and sober schools, Youth Gang Task Force facilities, adult treatment facilities and abused women’s facilities. He has been working with people in recovery, teaching healing and self-empowerment meditation and movement exercises, and has committed his life to helping people find strength, self-respect, self-confidence and compassion. He inspires and motivates adults and children alike with his humor, integrity, and focus on loving-discipline, showing by example how to live an authentic life and help others.  

We know, with certainty, that the boys will have fun, and learn life skills that will serve them all their lives.

What do the Five Elements have to do with Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong?

In Taoism and in traditional Chinese medical theory, the system of the Five Elements describes the interactions and relationships between phenomena.  All of nature and the universe can be defined by the elements and all aspects of nature contain the principles of the five elements.

Tai Chi Ch’uan, all forms and all styles, is based on the Thirteen Movements, and the practitioner, over time and with the right teacher, learns to incorporate the limitless qualities of all of nature within every set, and by practicing your Tai Chi Chuan sets this way, you become one with the limitless characteristics of all of nature in every thing you do, whether it’s cooking, walking, working, interacting with others, and especially being an activist for positive change in our world.

The Thirteen Movements are the Eight Directions and the Five Elements. The Eight Directions are the four cardinal directions, East, South, West and North, and the intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest. 

The Five Elements correspond to the Eight Directions: East, wood, green, springtime. South, fire, red, summer. West, metal, white, autumn. North, water, blue, winter. The diagonal, or intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest correspond to earth, yellow, the later stage of the four seasons.    

Five Element Star

When we were writing our Primordial Qigong book we designed a directional star to illustrate our understanding of the five elements and the eight directions. You’ll notice that the Five Element Star is different from the Western compass, as East (green, wood) is represented at the top of the star. East represents the beginning of all things, the sun rises in the East and the day begins. We recommend to our students to begin their Tai Chi Chuan sets facing East, and in Primordial Qigong  the form always begins with the practitioner facing East.

While we were in Europe this past summer, Donald taught his inner-door students the deeper meaning of this design.

In fact, Donald and I have taken the essence of the martial, internal, healing and meditation arts that we have been studying for almost forty years (we started as young teenagers in the late ’60’s and early ’70’s, a time when the martial and internal arts were relatively unknown to most Americans) and have been teaching our close students how to achieve a deeper connection to the mystical, spiritual and limitless potentials of universal energies, going beyond the limitations of physical form itself.

We decided the time is right for the public to learn ‘Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements.’  We are opening it up to practitioners of every style and form, as we believe this vital information is not limited to any one style and should be shared for the benefit of many.  In this unique day-long workshop we will be revealing how to develop a felt sensation of all of the Five Elements and deepen one’s understanding of Taoist principles, in nature, and within ourselves. 

• The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things.  Tao Te Ching

This workshop will inform and empower practitioners of Tai Chi Ch’uan (regardless of style or form), Qigong, Hsing Yi, Bagua, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, tuina, and all other internal martial and healing arts, and take you to higher levels of accomplishment.

We are a microcosm of the universe, not separate from nature, and all the elements and their corresponding qualities are deep within us, in our DNA. We want you to learn how to embody the Five Elements to deepen your connection to nature, enhance your practice and positively influence these exquisite universal energies.

We believe that anyone can integrate and express the Five Elements within themselves to bring about lasting inner and outer harmony through the Five Forms, the Five Tastes, the Five Colors, the Five Sounds, the Five Seasons, the Five Directions, the Five Expressions, the Five Yin and the Five Yang Organs and the Five Remedies to the Negative Emotions.

Check out our webpage, and if you’d like to learn the Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements, on November 14, 2010, please feel free to register!

If you act soon, the first 11 people who refer five others who pay will attend the workshop for free. Have your friends register and pay, and tell them they must mention your name when they pay. They can register online here, or call 415.459.9098 to pay with a credit card.

The World Takes a Breath Day! 10.10.10 at 10:10 am

One Breath can Change the World

On October 10, 2010, join us as we breathe as one world.

At 10:10 a.m. in your time zone, you can help us create a moment of peace, joy and acceptance that ripples out around the world!

Simple, easy and profound, you can participate wherever you happen to be in the world, just take several Extraordinary Breaths with the intention of bringing joy to yourself, your loved ones, and to the entire world.

An extraordinary breath is when our intention and our breath are one; with every long, deep and even breath we consciously balance mind, body and spirit.

Learn how to take Extraordinary Breaths with our FREE Extraordinary Breath eBook Taken from the popular book, Extraordinary Breath, Making the Power of Deep Breathing Work for You, this short, easy to follow eBook is available as a free download.

Free digital eBook Extraordinary Breath

Donald Rubbo selected 10.10.10 at 10:10 am, to begin in the earliest time zone and spread westward, for several reasons. These numbers align every one hundred years. From our eBook Primordial Qigong, the chapter on the mystical aspect of numbers in the Taoist philosophy, 10 is a Yin even number, reducing to 1; 1 is a Yang odd number, and represents the Tao. Within the Tao, One, and the Trinity (Heaven, Earth and Humanity), Three, is contained everything: from the one comeEarth and Humanity), Three, is contained everything: from the one comes the two, from the two comes the ten thousand things.

The World Takes a Breath Day

We will soon post a video on Youtube for this event! Join our Youtube channel to stay informed.

 

 

 

 

Let’s breathe peace, joy, love, acceptance, abundance and harmony for the children of Haiti, for the women and children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the people of North Korea, Afganistan, Iran, Iraq, America, Greece, Romania, for all people suffering at the hands of others.

And especially for those causing suffering: let’s breathe forgiveness to them, and imagine that they receive wisdom, maturity, compassion, empathy, generosity and self-awareness, and the desire to help rebuild trust, love, joy and community.   

For the people struggling with natural and man-made disasters, in Pakistan, Mexico, China, the Gulf of Mexico, New Zealand and America.

• If one nation, one country, one continent, one ocean, one waterway, one forest, one person, one being suffers, we all suffer together; if just one is honored, all rejoice together.

“If one suffers we all suffer. Togetherness is strength. Courage. Hold on, hold on.” ~ Jean-Bertrand Aristide (Democratically elected Haitian President, living in Exile)

Extraordinary food, from seed to plate – Rubbo Roasted Almonds

Preparing the Almonds

Here is our recipe for Rubbo Roasted Almonds

Raw, organic almonds
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Rubbo Salt of the Earth, to taste
Boiling water for blanching

Preheat the oven to 200°

The Awareness:
Being mindful of the process from the past to this moment and profoundly grateful to all beings involved in bringing the fruit to me: From the intention of the almond farmer before the almond seedling is planted, to the insects in the soil that are killed when the trees are planted, to bees that are needed to pollinate the trees, to the ‘pests’ that are killed to keep the tree and fruit healthy, to all the workers involved in harvesting, processing, storing and bagging the almonds for us to eat, this unbroken chain from seed to plate.

Almond Orchard

Pollinating the Almond Tree

In sauce pan, bring water to boil and put in the almonds. Let boil for about one minute, you’ll notice that the almonds plump up. Remove the almonds from the water with a slotted spoon, and let them cool in a bowl for a few moments.

With thumb and forefinger, pinch the loosened skin off the almonds, one at a time, and place them on a cookie sheet. This shucking process is a very good meditative practice, projecting your love and joy into the almonds:

INTENTION: I am preparing these delicious almonds for my loved ones with gratitude for all that went into bringing it to my kitchen.

The skins can be put into your compost bucket.

Drizzle olive oil over the almonds.

Grind Rubbo Salt of the Earth in a mortar and pestle with mindfulness, projecting love and joy into the salt, and sprinkle over the almonds. Shake the cookie sheet a bit to distribute the oil and salt.

Almonds ready for the oven

Place cookie sheet on top shelf of oven. Roast for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden.

Periodically take the cookie sheet out of the oven, and stir the almonds with a wooden spoon:

INTENTION: I am preparing these delicious almonds for my loved ones with gratitude for all that went into bringing it to my kitchen.

When the almonds are a beautiful golden color, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Store in a glass jar.

The first time I tasted these almonds was in Madrid, Spain, and I fell in love with them. The first time I made them was for Chun Yu’s book signing party, for her first book, ‘Little Green: Growing up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution,’ that we hosted in our home. Spanish-style roasted almonds were, unknown to me, a favorite of Chun’s!

Rubbo Roasted Almonds

Healing Ceremony for Man-made and Natural Disasters at EarthRising Retreat Center at IONS

Mother Earth is crying out for us to heal her. Donald and I believe that we are all spiritual beings, every one of us have deep connections with our Mother Earth, and we must gather together to heal her wounds and stop the bleeding. 

We have shared our love for our planet in many ways over the years, leading healing ceremonies during times of natural disasters and catastrophic events, to offer comfort, healing and hope.  

Our world is a sacred place, and the only one we have. A couple of years ago, while he was in a deep meditation, Donald had visions of our Earth asking him to let people know how much she needs their healing prayers, now more than ever.

The Earth gives us everything we need to survive: our food, our shelter, our clothing, our transportation, our communication devices (there would be no technology without nature!), rain, wind, sun, mountains, flowers and, especially, each other. We would not exist without a healthy planet.

We are a microcosm of the universe, all that is without is also within. The Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine describes the interactions and relationships between phenomena; all of nature and the universe can be defined by the elements and all aspects of nature contain the principles of the five elements. When the elements are out of balance on our world  – as we see with the oil spill in the Gulf, the earthquakes in many regions, the tornadoes, the floods, and with all the wars and conflicts –  we are out of balance. 

Donald Rubbo gathering Universal Energies for Healing

To join with many other spiritual leaders who are conducting healing ceremonies and prayers, we will lead a healing ceremony for our precious planet, and all of the beings who are suffering from these catastrophic disasters worldwide at the conclusion of the Primordial Qigong workshop, on the morning of Sunday, June 27th.

From our hearts to yours, and out to the world, please join us at our Primordial Qigong workshop at the exquisite EarthRising Retreat Center at IONS, as we focus thoughts, prayers and healing intention to our beloved Mother Earth.

1-Corinthians 12:26: And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. King James Version.

 Bless us all, Mother Earth.

Primordial Qigong at the Institute of Noetic Sciences – June 2010

Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self requires strength; He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present. Tao Te Ching

We are delighted to be invited to present this profound, ancient, transformative system at the Institute of Noetic Sciences.

Our philosophy, vision and mission at Rubbo Art of Energy closely parallels the Institute’s: “….to support a shift in consciousness that transforms present global conditions into a world grounded in freedom, wisdom, and love. We serve an emerging movement of globally conscious citizens dedicated to manifesting our highest capacities.”

The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS):

• Explores the frontiers of consciousness
• Builds bridges between science and spirit
• Researches subtle energies and the powers of healing
• Inquires into the science of love, forgiveness, and gratitude
• Studies the effects of conscious and compassionate intention
• Seeks to understand the basis of prevailing worldviews
• Practices freedom of thought and freedom of spirit

Their Mission: Advancing the science of consciousness and human experience to serve individual and collective transformation.

We have dedicated our lives to teaching people how to shift their personal paradigm of healing and self-awareness to be more present in their own lives and to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We encourage every person to live their authentic self in every moment – with every breath – with mindfulness, compassion and generosity. By getting beyond gaining factual knowledge alone to instead become changed by what one learns in some meaningful way – questioning assumptions, beliefs and values, and considering multiple points of view, Rubbo Art of Energy graduates are changing the world.

The beautiful, rustic outdoor setting of the retreat land at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, in Petaluma, CA, is perfect for learning Primordial Qigong. By observing and integrating the elements of nature, our students will increase their sensitivity, deepen their intuition, gain a profound awareness of the world around us and develop extraordinary abilities that lead to re-aligning oneself with the natural order of the universe.

In its simplicity, Primordial Qigong covers the full range of Taoist theory and philosophy. One begins the form with emptiness, and from that emptiness is born yin and yang, and then from the two comes all things. Practicing this form brings harmony to Heaven, Earth and Humanity as you are moving through all of the directions of the Ba Gua, balancing the five elements, and reversing the seasons. After this journey, the practitioner returns back to the beginning–to a primordial state of being. The experience is that of a mystical rebirth, a perpetual renewing and continuation of the cycle of life.

Primordial Qigong, sometimes referred to as Tai Chi Enlightenment, Enlightenment Qi Gong, WuJi Gong, is one of the oldest forms of qigong; the mythical Taoist sage Zhang Sanfeng, said to be the father of Tai Chi Chuan, is credited with creating Wu Ji Gung (Primordial Qigong.) Master Zhu Hui, the lineage holder of Primordial Qigong, taught this system to Donald Rubbo.

For those interested in learning this ancient, exquisite Taoist alchemical system, visit the Institute of Noetic Science’s website to register!

We wrote our book, Primordial Qigong, as a digital eBook; it’s our belief that publishing eBooks online helps to preserve our precious resources, our forests, waterways and earth for future generations. To enhance the experience at the workshop, the eBook can be purchased and downloaded on our website, CultivateChi.com.