PREVIEW TALK: YEAR OF THE FIRE FOWL

Saturday evening, January 21st, from 6:30 to 8:30, with some additional time afterwards for those who wish to stay for questions.

Sanford’s Martial Arts, 4626 Soquel Dr., Soquel Village (through the red door next to Aldo’s Bakery, and upstairs to the second floor.)

Cost is $25 at the door (cash or check)

Once again this year, my good friends at Sanford’s Martial Arts in Soquel Village have offered to host me in giving a Preview Talk about the coming year in the Chinese calendar. This time, of course, it’s the Year of the Fire Fowl, which begins with the new moon on January 28th.

If you’re near the Santa Cruz area, I’m hoping you can join us in person for the event. If not, I’ll be making a recording of the talk, to be made available for download at Ming Li Tong Shu Online, hopefully by the 25th or 26th of January.

As the Fire Monkey is making its exit, the Fire Fowl will offer new opportunities for clearer thinking, deeper insight, and the discovery of unrecognized pathways to practicality and resolution. The Monkey’s impertinent acrobatics, teeter-tottering between giddy hopes and frantic fears, have left many feeling exhausted, confused, and a bit sick at the stomach. Even if you’re one of the lucky ones who can look back with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, it may be hard to have confidence in the ground on which you find yourself standing, given the Monkey’s penchant for magical illusion and showmanship-over-substance.

If the Monkey has treated you roughly, the Fowl has the power to help redeem your losses, and if not fully to comfort you, then at least to bring you proper value in recompense for what you’ve been through. If you’re caught in the puzzle of juggling the various oddly-shaped blessings which the Monkey has dropped into your hands, and you (perhaps) find yourself gradually losing confidence in your ability to keep the Monkey’s Magical Machine twinkling forward, then the Fowl’s calm clarity of gaze (and laser-like exactitude of aim…!) can help to bring you a more sober view of your true and natural capacities, and help you to discriminate between those actions ahead of you which will only lead to more “acting,” and those which can lead in fact to “actuality.”

To start off the Preview Talk, I’ll be discussing the year at large, with special attention to several periods of problems and potentials, and handing out a list of dates through the year when taking or avoiding action are advisable.

I’ll finish up with my analysis of the year for those born in each of the Twelve Animal Years, with some watchwords for avoiding pitfalls and recognizing opportunities. If you don’t know your Chinese Animal, don’t worry: we’ll look it up for you!

You don’t need to register for the event, but if you have special questions or requests, please give us a call:

Sanford’s Martial Arts (831) 475-9676

Robert’s iPhone (408) 963-9988