May Your Spirit Soar

Have you ever dreamt of flying?

Every now and then I dream that I am so heavy and move so slowly but then suddenly find I am able to fly. I can leap over the landscape, soaring high and low. It feels like a fun escape into a super hero-type fantasy, as I exercise my flying powers that I always knew I had. 

Oh, to be able to leap over obstacles! How wonderful to get a bird-eye-view big picture of life, and to be light of spirit.

I completely understand why children love to wear costume wings and become butterflies or fairies. 

The bird who turns into a woman, a woman who can fly, a woman who brings hope and blessings – this is powerful image that has manifested in many forms in mythologies around the world. This image is also central to my teacher Master Chunyin Lin’s surprisingly optimistic reading of the energy of 2025. 

I am adopting the red bird and flying woman as one of the theme images of my year, along with some intentions I set at the solstice. This is a gut level reaction to this image. These images are already strongly a part of my dance practice. I will be spending the year discovering even more layers of meaning. 

Here’s a story about the process of discovering insight - I share it to emphasize both the process and the discovery.

Part of the magic of firmly holding a particular intention is that suddenly you notice all the little things that might feed it. For example, today I noticed a book on my shelf that I’ve ignored since I bought it: Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies. Today the words “Red Bird Flies” leapt off the shelf and I had to flip through the book until I found why that was part of the title.

In this case, the red bird is a phoenix, in a continual cycle of arising and dissolving to ashes, just like the seasons that move between dormancy and verdant abundance. The red bird is a master of this cycle, with ease and fearlessness. The spirit of the phoenix is within the wonderfully ordinary cardinals that move through my backyard. The cardinal/phoenix reminds us that coming into deeper alignment with the seasons and the elements creates a type of freedom that is akin to flying.

I wish for your spirit to be able to fly as free as a bird – and I believe it’s possible! In fact, our world is hungry for all the blessings you will bring as your spirit flies with ease. Cultivating this freedom is what qigong is all about.

Local folks, join me in playfully activating this image of the red bird at the Winter Water Blessing which also happens to be on the eve of Chinese New Year. We will have many red bird lanterns in the woods, in addition to singing and dancing. 

I look forward to sharing with you more about what I learn from the red bird image and I’m also very curious to hear how the red bird and flying image resonate with you throughout the year.

Love,

Emily

New Video:

Middle of the Night Qigong

Being awake in the night can be so frustrating! In this latest video I share some of the qigong techniques I use to get back to sleep - all while staying in bed!