September 17, 2023

Jingshen Through Storm and Stillness

Hi Reader,

How are you?

I’ve been immersed in “studying” identity, surrender, and Gongjing (true respect and humility). Studying is in quotes because it’s not the same kind of bookish study I immersed myself in for decades. At any rate, this process has led me to query my commitment to Jingshen.

Let’s try an analogy of Jingshen as a family. Shen is the parent communicating through a full body hug to heart and consciousness.

A healthy Jingshen is fully unified – Shen, heart, and consciousness as one - the full body hug. A healthy Jingshen operates according to Dao (laws of the Universe).

But most of us are not operating fully in accordance with Dao. We are instead filtering that information through unhealthy patterns, closing our hearts, and depleting our Qi. In other words, we are blocking the communication from Shen to heart and consciousness.

Instead of a full body hug, Shen is now connected to heart and consciousness with barely touching pinky fingers and the children (heart and consciousness) are not receiving the message as Shen intended. Heart and consciousness are now playing with unhealthy patterns and ignoring the parental call to come home.

(If I’ve lost you here, you may find foundational information on patterns in the eight short recordings from the Uplifting Patterns to Uplift Life series online in our Facebook community Wisdom for an Awakening World.)

Caring for Jingshen

How much time do we spend on taking care of Jingshen - the part that is truly us? Yes, we need to take care of our body and Qi as they support our Jingshen in this life. Qi helps the communications pathway from Shen after all. But here is something else that is helpful to remember. Jingshen contains heart and consciousness and therefore also carries those patterns with us life after life. What patterns do we actually want to keep around for that long?

Part of my commitment to caring for Jingshen is Yuan Qigong practice – both “practice time” and Ming Yuan which is all day, all night, all the time. Ming Yuan works through Jue Cha which is a special awareness coming from Shen.

To be really honest, I’m not Jue Cha-ing to the best of my ability. Jue Cha was operating more as true Jue Cha – awareness from Shen vs my mind – when I was consistently practising a long Zhong Yuan (fifth method of Yuan Qigong) every morning. After all, it’s all connected in a complete system for uplifting the whole of life. I de-prioritised this particular practice when I moved back to BC from Quebec and needed to spend 4-8 hours a day finding the next place for my family to sleep. Zhong Yuan got put to the side with Ming Yuan and heart cultivation front and center.

So, knowing what I know about the effectiveness of my own Jue Cha, I have recently recommitted to my morning Zhong Yuan practice.

Nourishing Jingshen is about my state and a pure devotion to caring for this deep aspect of me all the time. Jue Cha helps me be aware of my state and my patterns. How am I doing?

Storm and Stillness

I had a recent test with the “simple” matter of ordering a new phone sim card. The online system wasn’t accepting my city and province in the address section. I needed to phone the “help desk” at which point the phone company thought I should pay them extra money because I was setting up the account via phone instead of online (which wasn’t accepting my province and not letting me set up the account…). Well, I disagreed and politely asked for the supervisor. I got to spend ninety minutes on this ten minute project.

And I was very triggered. It wasn’t really about the time, money or lack of humanness in another institution. The speed and intensity of my internal reaction meant I was touching on a deep childhood pattern – probably moving into a “why am I not being taken care of?” kind of pattern. As a child, this question is fundamentally connected to survival – ultimate perceived safety! This is much closer to the real cause of my sharp and furious internal reaction.

Knowing I was quite active in a pattern, I closed my eyes and repeated to myself “the only thing that matters is Jingshen.” I was able to calm down and also bring myself to a unified and lovely state. This replacement pattern was working for me which gives me an indication that I was coming from my heart in caring for Jingshen. Not entirely of course otherwise I’d be there all the time, but making progress. At least I was able to call upon the real supervisor – Shen.

The Universe gave me another few hours with a new set of telecommunications people the next day and the day after just so I could check in on myself and see how I was coming along with this pattern. It was less triggering each day in case you were wondering.

My Dao includes writing. I’m beginning a writing gong which for me is both an internal and external commitment. The writing is an external act requiring me to sit at my desk at 10 am every morning. But to do it well, I need to be in a proper state which is an internal commitment.

A gong is a rock solid commitment to 100 days of something that holds meaning. I believe it comes from traditional martial arts. In its pure form, missing a day means going back to the beginning and starting at day one again. It’s often thought of as an external commitment like a formal moving Qigong practice. It can also be a commitment to fortifying an internal aspect like a heart quality or an internal boundary with maintaining a relaxed, calm, and natural state. Connecting to your heart every time you wash your hands would be using an external activity as a reminder for an internal activity.

How are you doing those external activities? With presence and awareness? Connected to your heart? In a rush to be done with it?

How are you doing with your internal boundaries maintaining your state?

This is where I leave you with an invitation to query your own commitment to the part of you that continues life after life. Are you willing to nourish Jingshen? How? What is the effect if you don’t? If you do?

Tomorrow in Wisdom for An Awakening World I’ll spend a little time talking about Jingshen and offer some gong ideas to help the process.

For now, I’ll leave you with a few words I’ve found helpful. They’re from my unfinished poem Storm and Stillness. These words float between the stanzas. They’re like a refrain that whispers through me as I travel through my day.

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Be calm. Be still. Anchor inside.

Be calm. Be still. Till the storm subsides.

Be calm. Be still. Unify with Shen.

Be calm. Be still. Now the storm ends.

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Wu Xin,

Steph

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PS Qi Writers begins next Tuesday. There are still some spots available if you’d like to join. The theme this session is love as it pertains to self and the unconditionality of connecting through love to everyone, everything, and all in between.

*Wu Xin= the 5 heart qualities, my way of sending you trust, openness, love, gratitude, and Gongjing (True Respect)

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Stephanie Ross BSc. (she/her) is a dedicated guide and spiritual mentor for individuals seeking connection with their True Self and embarking on a journey of personal growth and healing. As a Yuan Qigong Master, senior Ren Xue teacher, and internationally published author, she uses her extensive training, trauma sensitive approach, and over a decade of embodied experience to compassionately guide people inward towards their innate wisdom.

Stephanie leads global practices, teaches online workshops, facilitates wisdom circles, and mentors individuals seeking guidance and support on their quest for life transformation and higher levels of consciousness.

Her step-by-step approach is designed to enhance the whole life - physical, Qi, emotional, consciousness, heart, spiritual, and daily life wellbeing – natural outcomes while moving steadily towards higher levels of realization and wisdom.

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