TU GU NA XIN: Spitting out the old, Taking in the New.

"Sunrise 6 (Sunrise 5, part 2)" - Vernal Equinox. Acrylic and colored pencil on paper.

Today is the first day of spring, the day of the vernal equinox. The sun positions itself directly above the earth's equator and Night and Day are equal in length. From this day forward until September 22, the light will take a larger share of our days than the dark.

This morning I finished the sunrise painting that I began yesterday. The sun rose more colorfully this morning, casting a clear golden light on the surrounding hills. It reflected more brightly in the still water and seemed to dispel some of the lake's mystery.

I am intending to maintain a daily qi gong practice to accompany my 49 days of sunrise paintings. Today, on this first day of spring, I find it particularly appropriate to practice the Tu Gu Na Xin (Spit out the old, take in the New) 4 direction meditation passed on to me by a dear teacher Master Zhongxian Wu. Starting with the East, the direction of spring wood, I breathe in the energy from each of the four directions and also from the earth's center. I breathe out any stagnant, unneeded energy from the various systems of my body. And I am ready for spring.