What follows are some selections from the Compendium of Great Formulas for Women 《婦人大全良方》(1237 CE, by Chén Zìmíng 陳自明).

The key that is allowing me to make peace with the suffering in the world, to continue breathing and functioning and being present in spite of it all or because of it all, and to transform this suffering into healing in my little corner of the universe, has been to extend my mama love to the rest of the world! Given the horrendous state of the world right now and all the awful heart-breaking news coming at us, in the form of wars, protests, climate disasters, threats and news of violence, death, greed, and destruction no matter where we turn and what side we are on, maybe we don’t need a “mother’s day” but a “mothering eternity”! Could we turn all the tears and love of all the mothers in the world into a tidal wave of peace and healing, and use that powerful force to turn things around? Isn’t it time that we listened to the mothering instinct in each of us, whether we are male or female or in between, human or animal or plant or whatever? What would the world look like if it were run by people who were fully in touch with their mothering instincts and able to express this mothering energy in their actions?

Here is your ultimate guide to Chinese dramas! This is a piece that I asked Kristy Garry, one of the students in my Triple Crown Classical Chinese program, to compile, based on her voracious consumption of Chinese dramas…

A quote from the Classic of Childbirth: In all cases, during pregnancy, align the heart properly and sit up straight, and become pure and empty, resembling Oneness.

When sitting, your mat must be properly aligned; when standing, do not lean to the side; when walking, stay in the center of the path; when sleeping, do not lie crosswise; when raising the eyes, do not look at perverse sights; when lifting the ears, do not listen to perverse sounds!

Do not speak recklessly; avoid joy and anger and grief and rage; make your thoughts harmonious!

This is how you end up giving birth to a sagely child and avoid breech birth and other complications during delivery.

…This is the image that I want to leave you with today for this point in time, as we welcome the Year of the Dragon and the Moon of the Tiger in the auspicious alignment of a new cycle of the sun and the moon. This dynamic interplay between the two most powerful animals of the Chinese zodiac, the earthly tiger and the heavenly dragon. Fire and Water, Yang and Yin, down and up, tiger’s dense material elemental presence and dragon’s ephemeral intangible soaring above the clouds. Both of them roaring symbols of the unpredictable and uncontrollable force of nature…

Another update on the Happy Goat Expansion….You may have noticed that I have been less proactive about publicizing the auction, and the related GoFundMe campaign, than I should have been lately. I owe you all an explanation. This update is going to be short, however, because I am thick in the midst of trying to make my Happy Goat Expansion actually happen. It’s one of those days!

Here is a guest post by Claudine Paille, who is an Imperial Tutor member and sent the following message to Leo Lok and myself, in response to our latest podcast episodes, “Eating for Old Age” for the public Pebble in the Cosmic Pond, and “Nurturing and Discerning” for the Imperial Tutorial.

On this sweet quiet Sunday morning, I am reading Astra Lincoln’s essay “Lessons on Vanishing” from the latest Authors Guild Bulletin. Here is a simple student’s quote from that piece that went straight to my heart just now, describing the effect of experiencing the fraying edge of the Juneau glacier:

“A river stone is round as a way of carrying everything that happens to it.”

It’s been two days since I shared my dream for the next stage at Happy Goat Productions with the general public in the form of this GOFUNDME crowdfunding project. And it’s hard to believe but it’s been less than a month since my life got turned upside down when I took the dog for a stroll and happened to walk on the other side of the street.

Let me share my vision with you….

Suwen 2 on winter: Don’t mess with your Yang, sleep a lot, lay low, and pull out the wool socks….

What can I personally do right now, in this moment, to be a force for goodness and peace in the world?

In some iteration, this question has been with me since October 7, and before that since last year’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Most days, I wake up with it and go to sleep with it. I scribble in my notebook. I contemplate it while walking the dog. I discuss it with friends and neighbors, near and far. Every once in a while, I hit on something small but useful, like a fundraiser last year for herbs and needles for my Polish friends treating Ukrainian refugees. Or that healing soundbath I recorded for Brenda.

In honor of 重陽節 (“Double Ninth Festival” chóng yang jié), which is celebrated today, on the ninth day of the ninth month, according to the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, here are some bits of information on the medicinal effects of chrysanthemum.

…I need to ask myself critically not just HOW to teach busy practitioners the art of reading the Chinese medicine classics but, more importantly: WHY SHOULD WE ALL SPEND OUR TIME READING THE CHINESE MEDICINE CLASSICS IN THE FIRST PLACE?