Author: Spacious Vision

This may seem a little out of the ordinary here. However, this work came up as part of my work in music ministry. Here is my public reading from the Book of Genesis, chapters 2 and 3.

From the translation by Dr. Wilda Gafney. https://www.wilgafney.com/

The pastor of my church appreciates my interest in poetry and public readings. So she asked me to read this for our first Lenten service of 2023. I had to practice it, as the cadences and words are certainly not the King James version!

The story takes on some fresh mythological resonance in this translation. We all have heard it, in one version or another–the temptation of Eve, the Fall of Man, the knowledge of good and evil. In this rendering of the myth, I do like that trees are more present in the foreground of the story. And I’ve often thought that the serpent’s advice was more misguided than malevolent. Can we really blame Eve (and Adam) for following their God-given curiosity? But myths are certainly not logical, consistent, or ethically coherent.

As for the Garden of Eden, here’s one illustration from the Web for which I have no attribution for the artist.

Each February I publish a gallery of my favorite personal photos from the prior year. The photos are ones I’ve gone back to look at several times over the year. Most were shot when I was moving solo, so not many people are in evidence…

So here’s 2022’s 12 Days of Photos (previously shared on Facebook over Christmas).

(Please do comment if you particularly like one or more of these. It helps me know someone is looking at them.)

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2022

Gerald reads  “Ring out, wild bells”

IN MEMORIAM (1850)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand,
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Christmas Day has come and gone, and I feel compelled to leave a few digital artifacts here before turning the corner into the New Year.

Increasingly my energy and focus are directed to work for Parks and Recreation. Yet other projects are always simmering and occasionally bubbling up. As I reflect on the past few months, I feel satisfied with what I have been able to do. My creative work now seems to be slowly transitioning to a hobby and away from a half-time job (though some gigs are still paid). There is a constant pull to want to do more, to go bigger, and to be better. That’s my professional conditioning, of course, which can either motivate me or make me feel unfulfilled. Artists of all stripes often find themselves in this sort of bind. We tie ourselves up in knots, and then spend hours meditating or working to untie them.

A big step forward this season was to rejoin the ranks of those who sing Handel’s MESSIAH as an annual ritual. I jumped into this as a volunteer to investigate a question–how does extended singing in a concert setting feel? It’s been a long road back from summer Covid. My energy flagged a bit in hour 3–MESSIAH is a long song!  Yet I was pleased to discover that much of it remains in muscle memory. Admittedly, the more vocally challenging chorus numbers were not always effortless. But overall it felt fine, and occasionally even joyful. The Harmonia Orchestra and Chorus is a fine ensemble full of high-caliber singers and players.

I’m the leftmost singer in this photo.

Church music work remains a small but steady source of income. The hours I spend now in churches (and a Buddhist temple) have me living in mental landscapes of agnosticism and openness to surprise. Most of my work hours are spent with a progressive, undogmatic Baptist congregation that allows everyone to simply be present and open to possibility. My other haunts are two Episcopal churches that occasionally request my voice and skills when a regular staff member is unavailable.

A few samples from Advent and Christmas services.

Reading Isaiah 7:2-9

The center of my work for Parks and Recreation has been Tai Chi/Qigong teaching with a focus on wellness. Many folks that come to my classes keep coming back. Clearly, we all are reaping benefits from a developing practice. And I now have a range of administrative responsibilities that add professional weight to my role as a Recreation Leader. (In the photo below, I am modeling a shirt with the new logo for Long White Cloud Qigong.)

(In 2022, I also acknowledge friends and teachers who aren’t featured or mentioned on this page. Grateful for them!)

And there is this when all else feels like too much or too little. (Green Lake). On January 1, 2022, I walked here for several miles. Barring terrible weather, I will do so again on January 1, 2023. And count every step as a piece of good luck.

LO ZAMPOGNARO (The Bagpipers)
(Free English translation by G. Seminatore)

Gianni Francesco Rodari (Italia 1920-80)

An Italian writer and journalist who wrote popular works of children’s literature. He received the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1970.

Gerald reads “Lo Zampognaro”

(The link will open in a new window so you can follow along with the translation here if you wish.)

Se comandasse lo zampognaro che scende per il viale,
Sai che cosa direbbe il giorno di Natale?

If the bagpipers piping down the avenue ruled,
What would they say on Christmas Day?

Voglio che in ogni casa spunti dal pavimento
un albero fiorito di stelle d’oro e d’argento.

I want, in every house, growing from the floor,
A flowering tree of gold and silver stars.

Se comandasse il passero che sulla neve zampetta,
Sai che cosa direbbe con la voce che cinguetta?

If the sparrow pawing on the snow commanded it,
What it would say with its chirping voice?

Voglio che i bimbi trovino, quando il lume sarà acceso,
Tutti i doni sognati, più uno, per buon peso.

I want the children to find, when daylight appears,
All the gifts they dreamed of, plus one more for good measure.

Se comandasse il pastore dal presepe di cartone,
Sai che legge farebbe firmandola col lungo bastone?

If the shepherd in the cardboard nativity scene were a king,
What law he would make and sign with his staff?

Voglio che oggi non pianga nel mondo un solo bambino,
Che abbiano lo stesso sorriso il bianco, il moro, il giallino.

I command that not a single child in all the world will cry,
For they all have the same smile —white, dark brown, yellow.

Sapete che cosa vi dico io che non comando niente?
Tutte queste belle cose accadranno facilmente;

You know what I tell you?
All these beautiful things will happen easily, though I do not command anything.

Se ci diamo la mano i miracoli si fanno
E il giorno di Natale durerà tutto l’anno.

If we only shake hands, miracles are performed,
And Christmas day lasts all year.

As we move through the fall, work is settling into a variable but somewhat comfortable rhythm. There are no big projects or looming concerns needing to be unpacked.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are experiencing weeks of what was called “Indian Summer” during my New England boyhood. Bright blue skies and moderate temperatures make it easy to be out and about. In the past few weeks, the air quality has often been poor, and the smell of smoke is ever more present. This serves as a reminder that fortune is fickle and perfection is fleeting.

Work with Parks and Recreation continues in a variety of capacities. Perhaps most satisfying is the retention of participants in my Taiji/Qigong classes, and the prospect of new classes on the horizon. Regular practice will be essential for my mood as winter darkness creeps into the late afternoon hours. The dojo is back in full swing for group training, and there I can be a student confronted with how much I don’t yet know how to do.

Recreation day trip group at Cedar River Watershed, North Bend, WA

The church continues to ask for my (paid) presence and voice as choir membership gradually returns to its pre-pandemic numbers. I say gradually because they may never get everyone back. My only regret is that I now have had some singing opportunities that I had to pass on due to scheduling conflicts. Among other events, a Fauré Requiem with chamber choir will be the highlight of October.

As the days grow shorter, the hours of work grow longer. That is both wished for and disorienting. All good.

September sunset, Beal’s Cove, Harpswell, ME

We have been waiting for the pandemic to end. Yet it stubbornly continues to sabotage our plans and goals in large and small ways. But continue on we must!

I have now successfully translated my volunteer work as a Qigong instructor into regular, paid community classes. And my teaching experience is now informing new responsibilities as a professional recreation leader. In this capacity, I am supporting a number of outdoor, indoor, and online programs targeting 55-plus adults.

Freelance singing work continues, though it feels constrained by Covid protocols. Yet we persevere, and wait for the day when masks can be set aside. (Indeed, many venues and groups had already done so. But with the BA5 variant, singing groups are again battening down the hatches.)

There are some grant applications and further job opportunities hinging on decisions by others this Fall. My motto–file the applications and then forget them, at least until the decision cycles have reached their end.

With everything happening in the world, one might easily feel discouraged. For now, good health, productive and useful work, and aspirations for future (funded) creative projects are all in balance. Let’s see what comes next.

Each year, groups around the world observe international Tai Chi and Qigong Day on the first Sunday of April. This is a way of signaling support to others around the globe that individual and group practices resonate beyond local and national boundaries.

It was a rainy morning in Seattle, but folks from the Embrace the Moon Studio gathered in Volunteer Park for group practice. I participated, and also took photographs until raindrops began to land on the camera lens. Here are a few photos of Luohan 18 Hand Qigong, one of the more athletic Qigong styles.

If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about, you can check out an earlier post on this topic, A Brief Overview of Tai Chi and Qigong.

One of life’s basic lessons is that we cannot halt the natural progression of aging. However, we can gift ourselves with opportunities for regular movement and exercise. Tai Chi and Qigong are two ways of promoting wellness. They are low cost, require no special equipment, and can be as easy (or as challenging) to learn as you might wish. And they can be meaningful social experiences. Which means we might very well stick with them for awhile!

Let’s start with Qigong, the older of the two practices. The Mandarin Chinese characters for Qigong are pronounced “Chee” as in “cheese” and “gong” like a metal disc struck to make a sound. (Alternate spellings include “Qi gong” and “Chi Kung.”) Possible English translations include “Life Energy cultivation” or “working with Life Energy.” Modern teachers of Qigong develop sets of exercises that range from simple to challenging. On one hand, picture an older person with limited mobility, breathing and moving with ease and grace. Or imagine a Shaolin monk demonstrating superb physical and mental control during martial arts training. Those are two ends of a spectrum–Qigong is adaptable to the person and the situation. Most Americans start Qigong later in life, beginning with simple sets of movements that promote muscle tone, balance, and focused attention. There is no winning or losing, just practice.

Generally speaking, a session includes some dynamic exercises to enhance breathing, circulation, and ease of movement in the joints and spine. Self-massage targets acupressure points and easing of muscular tensions. Flowing movements offer gentle exercise of various muscle groups. The meditative and centering quality of Qigong can be especially appealing.

In Tai Chi, we learn a prescribed series of movements over a period of months, and through repetition, the experience of movement and attention deepens. Typically, Tai Chi involves movement in a larger space than needed for Qigong, and more footwork. A longer study of Tai Chi may lead to martial arts training. Yet as with Qigong, simpler Tai Chi forms are easy to learn and enjoy. Some modern teachers are developing new styles that attempt a fusion of Tai Chi and Qigong principles. (A popular style in this category is the Shibashi 18 set, which actually is six different sets of movements fusing Tai Chi and Qigon principles.)

Within a larger framework of Integrative Medicine and wellness care, current research points to a range of benefits from both Tai Chi and Qigong.  Peer-reviewed studies (e.g., National Institutes of Health, the New England Journal of Medicine) suggest that regular practice can offer improvements in joint and bone health, muscular strength and balance, blood pressure, and relief from symptoms of stress and chronic pain.  If you are challenged by physical or mobility issues, Qigong might be especially helpful, as exercises can be adapted or modified for particular needs.

Several published books and online resources for Qigong and Tai Chi are available. These can be recommended as an introduction. However, the best way to learn about Qigong and Tai Chi is with a qualified instructor, in the company of others who can support you in your exploration and practice. GenPride currently offers online sessions, while Seattle Parks and Recreation offers in-person opportunities. Instructors may also offer small group or individual lessons upon request.

To read more about the wellness benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong, visit:

Mayo Clinic–Healthy Lifestyle and Stress Management

Long White Cloud Qigong home page–what are the benefits?

Gerald is a certified Level 2 instructor of Long White Cloud Qigong. He currently teaches Tai Chi and Qigong for Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Lifelong Programs division. This is one assignment in a portfolio of responsibilities as a staff Recreation Leader.

Gerald is also enrolled as a continuing student in Chen style Tai Chi at Seattle’s Embrace the Moon studio, where he studies with Sifu Kimberly Ivy.

This week, Seattle’s Blue Heron Zen Community presents an online art and performance showcase by members. For the occasion, I recorded a video of June M. Jordan’s whimsical etude “Notes on the Peanut.”

Please do take a listen! And if you enjoy this reading, there are more available–by 20 poets– in the 2022 edition of the Dog Days Poetry Gallery.