Monday, February 28, 2022

MMTCA Newsletter 2022

 



"I know many forms, I only need one."

-Master Tan

Happy March! March on! March 4th/forth! March madness! Mad as a March Hare! I'm ready for March if you can tell...

The above quote about forms is a great teaching. Indeed, a good form can be used and mined for many treasures of healing and martial arts. I would say, I know many forms, but I only need three. No wait, can I make it four? A solo form, a solo weapon, a two-person form, and a two-person weapon.

I will be teaching two seminars in Delaware at the end of March and the beginning of April. I will be at Simu Diane Cannon's Ming Tao Tai-Chi on Saturday March 26th for a one day Workshop. I will be at Sifu Bryan Davis' Twin Willows Tai-Chi April 1, 2, and 3 for a three day seminar. I will leave their contact information below and if you're interested either in attending or seeing if there is a possible zoom option you can contact them directly.

https://www.mingtaotaichi.com/

https://twinwillowstaichi.com/

I'm giving a shameless plug here for Wild Rice Retreat Center in Bayfield,Wisconsin. I've been able to get away, recharge and refresh myself there a few times this past year. If you want to get out of the cities, get away from it all, eat good food and hike nice trails, and end with a sauna, check out the contact information below.

https://www.wildriceretreat.com/

Don't let the title fool you, this month's book suggestion has much more to do with communication than it has with Freemasonry.

Book suggestion= A Practical Handbook to Masonic Communication by R. Jones.

https://www.lulu.com/en/au/shop/r-jones/a-practical-handbook-to-masonic-communication/paperback/product-1mwzdpkz.html?page=1&pageSize=4


We still continue to hold in person classes Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday in addition to our Wednesday zoom class. Julie is also offering in person and zoom classes. If you have any questions about these classes or other classes around the Twin Cities feel free to reach out and contact me.


February was an amazing month for my online presence! I reached my goal of 64 patrons and ended February with 71 patrons! I have over 450 YouTube subscribers and I'm on my way to my spring goal of 500 subscribers. If you know anyone who is interested in my teaching, my books, and my arts, please suggest to them to join my pages. And don't forget to read my blog! Did I tell you I'm now on Twitter? I am! Look for Ray Hayward 1988, follow me, retweet, and I will follow you. Thank you all!

I don't want to jinx the good news that's coming out, but it seems that a certain little pesky virus may be running out of steam. I know I'm not alone with all this virus fatigue. I truly hope to be back face-to-face with all of you, wrist to wrist and sword to sword, practicing this amazing art. Stay safe, stay hopeful, and have you noticed the light is growing stronger! Thank you all for your support and appreciation. I'm sending you a big gratitude attitude!


I bow to the floor to you,

-Sifu Ray

"Stress is responsible for an extremely high percentage of illness in the modern world. Relaxation and inner ease have become so unfamiliar to us that when we are not "doing" anything we feel restless and bored."

-Diana Richardson


Contact info

my phone- 1-218-341-9894

 

email= skrayhayward@gmail.com

 

blog= rayhayward.com

 

website=  mindfulmotiontaichi.com

 

facebook= Mindful Motion Tai-Chi Academy

 

                Ray Hayward Enterprises

 

YouTube= Ray Hayward, the Inspired Teacher

 

                 Mindful Motion Tai-Chi Academy


Twitter- Ray Hayward 1988

 

my books at Lulu= lulu.com/spotlight/Ray_Hayward

 

my books on Amazon= amazon.com/author/rayhayward

 

my Patreon page= patreon.com/rayhayward

 

Instagram= Ray Hayward, or, ataoistsufitemplardruidviking

 

Business address,

P. O. Box 28295

Oakdale, MN 55128


And my residence,

1076 Mary St N

Maplewood, MN 55119



Thursday, February 24, 2022

Let's talk about sex, part 2.




"Fire and ice
 You come on like a flame
 Then you turn a cold shoulder"
 -Pat Benatar 

 When I wrote nuts and bolts to describe part 2, I meant no pun or joke, but I'm glad many of you got a laugh out of it! I'm thinking about the working parts, more specifically the working theories that lie at the foundation of Taoist love making, and the understanding of men and women. Here goes! 

 The Taoist feel that men are mainly the fire element and women are mainly water element. There are many teachings about fire and water, but they are metaphors for men and women. Here is one: fire is quick to ignite and quick to extinguish, water is slow to boil and slow to cool. And another, if you put the fire directly into the water it will go out, put the fire under the water and it will boil. 

 In modern terms it's simply the difference in arousal time. Knowing who is turned on fast or slow can be a key to understanding each other's need and wants. The idea that you have to "come together" as a sign of your love and compatibility, or that if you not always up for a quickie there is something wrong, is addressed with the fire and water idea. 

 Think about a husband and wife getting ready to go out for a fancy dinner and may be live theater. He’s excited, jumps in the shower, gets out and shaves, quickly puts on his clothes and he’s ready to go! She then gets in the shower, gets out, dries her hair, does makeup and nails, etc. dress, and puts a lot of time and energy into this amazing evening to come. Meanwhile he’s pacing and she’s starting to get stressed.

You know you’ve seen this scene in sitcoms and romcoms. Sure, it’s funny to laugh at from the outside but many of us have been there on the inside and it is no fun, especially when the night gets ruined before it even begins. I say put her in the shower first but that’s just me. 

 So this fire and water idea is all over the place. The knowledge and understanding can be applied in so many situations like getting ready to go out, problem-solving, oh yeah and lovemaking. You’ve heard it from so many other people and I’m gonna say it here as well, it’s all about balance! Knowing how to balance fire and water, get them to work together, then sit back and watch the steam run the great engine. 

 I heard that men give love to get sex and women give sex to get love. Is this also the difference in the elements? Or, men give foreplay to get to sex, and women give sex to get to the afterplay. If we understand this, we can address when to lead, when to follow, and when to mutually act. I’ve heard men say that their first orgasm is the most pleasurable and that subsequent orgasms lessen in intensity. I’ve also heard women say that each orgasm increases in intensity and gets better the more times it occurs. I see a timing strategy in here, you follow me? 

 This by no means even comes close to exhausting all the possibilities of fire and water. I do try to simplify so that it’s easy to understand, but there is so much more depth to this subject. How to put fire under water? How to keep the lamp full so the flame doesn’t go out? How to give the water adequate time to bring it to boil and then to let it slowly cool down? I have the answers to these questions and will either publish them in the book or seminar or both!

 If you have any questions or comments or concerns feel free to reach out and message me. I am taking a lighthearted approach to this subject but I know that it can be very complicated and painful and I may be of some assistance. Until my next installment, talk about sex, think about sex, read about sex, and love yourself unconditionally. Peace. 

 Part three, a guest blogger.