The Dragon's Head Blog

The Portland branch celebrated Awareness Day by participating in the Oregon Walkways event in the Lents neighborhood.  Demos, info and even a little instruction were presented to interested passers-by.

All Souls Festival is being observed at D’Arcy St Temple in Toronto with Taoist and Confucian chanting.  Volunteers and staff have been working for weeks to support the festival and those who wish to offer paper money and other gifts to the dead. Many members of the local Chinese community come to D’Arcy St over […]

(Le français suit plus bas.) It is 6:00 am and all Lok Hup week participants take the bus to Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square for the second International Awareness Day in two weeks.   As usual there was the dragon who danced to the rhythm of the drums and cymbals, hundreds of participants who did numerous sets […]

  (Le français suit plus bas) During the night, the full moon brightens the surroundings like a celestial lamppost. In the morning of the 2nd day, the radiant sun replaces the dismal and rain of the day before. The early risers gather at the temple. With great joy, we practise Taoist chanting. This practice wakes […]

(English below)   La semaine de Lok Hup s’est amorcée au Centre international sous une pluie fine et dans une atmosphère apaisée par le chanting matinal.  La première journée a été une occasion d’arrêter la charrette et demander la direction. En fait, il s’agit ici du nom du premier des 66 mouvements du Lok Hup […]

Arrêter la charrette et demander la direction (English below) La semaine de Lok Hup s’est amorcée au Centre international sous une pluie fine et dans une atmosphère apaisée par le chanting matinal. La première journée a été une occasion d’arrêter la charrette et demander la direction. En fait, il s’agit ici du nom du premier […]

The last set of the week feels more together. Still time to play tai chi with Golden Cock Stands on One Leg, and then it’s time to close.  Come back next year!  

  Brief the dragon legs Prepare the temple and start chanting Chanters and public offerings Enliven the dragon, bring on the confetti Speeches from distinguished guests All join in the sutra Presentation of photo contest winners Tidy up, cards displayed, walking tour

This is working together … It’s not a question of ‘What did you do? What did you prepare?’ It’s always a ‘We did it together. We got the time right together.’ My biggest lesson has been that there are always problems, but that there are always five solutions for each problem. You just have to […]

You are getting into a rhythm. Talking to people from all over the world, practising together, session of Taoist Tai Chi® practice, the meals, the meetings where you are given the opportunity to learn how we do things in the society. It’s basically the whole package. What happens is that your body starts to loosen […]

On an overcast day in Canada’s most multicultural city participants from the Bathurst location of the Toronto branch, ably abetted by fellow participants from other Toronto locations, came together to parade the nine-person dragon at two events on July 22, 2017.  First we gathered at the Bathurst location and walked to a nearby park, Wychwood […]

When we were in a group and practicing a dan-yu, we worked together and helped me very much. It helps with the move when the whole group has the same timing and go together. For me, when Tony was working with me it was interesting the way he asked questions, explaining the changing and the […]

Participants from Dunedin joined the Dunedin Blue Jays this past Saturday, in a charity event for Ronald McDonald House. There were two lanes of bowling, lots of fun, toryus, donyus, as well as a delicious Italian buffet!  Ronald McDonald was there with the Ace, the Blue Jays mascot, to round out the fun with the whole […]

It’s like home, coming back home, and it’s very fun to meet again many people from all over the world who have come to the workshop. This year I feel more the family aspect of the society. Really like everybody is together. It’s easy to speak to everybody and to work together. When the directors […]

It is nice that you can actually do something practical for a loved one who is no longer around; that you are still able to communicate, to have a connection with that person. Participating together makes the festival really special; you build that connection as a group in order to help loved ones that have […]

One focus of Fung Loy Kok Week, held this year at the International Centre in Orangeville, is to cultivate stillness – to deepen our practice, to carry it into the world, and to help others. Another is to prepare us for the All Souls Festival at the end of the week. The program for the […]

  Last Thursday participants from the Québec City branch went to the Tall Ships Regatta to enjoy the festivities and do a few demos. Demos at the harbour may well become a summer tradition as the tall ships visited the area last year and we were there. After the demos we visited some of the […]

This is meditation … Being in the kitchen gives you the chance to stop the busy thinking and go into the moment. You need to be aware ­– keeping yourself open and focused at the same time. After ten days, you start to become a little bit of everyone else, not being so much in […]

The All Souls Festival is a major event in the tradition of Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi® practice, and took place at the International Centre  at the end of a week of chanting and quiet contemplation. Each year the gate of the realm of the dead is opened for the first half of the […]

The International Centre looked stunning today as participants took part in the All Souls Festival, welcomed visitors to an Open House, and continued preparations for CIT Week, the 10th Anniversary of the Grand Opening of the Three Religions Temple, and International Awareness Day. It was the penultimate day of the International Centre Anniversary Photo Contest […]