TWELVE
1 imagine a soft light of blue-green imagine a strong red light imagine a rich yellow light imagine a bright white light
now imagine the black absence of color
2 if you look at these lights singly you will know what they are
3 if you allow them into your eyes all at once then you will not be able to distinguish one from
the other
4 the twelve musical notes can be arranged
magically to create a
joyful noise
5 the twelve musical notes can also be thrown
together without
method
like stones in a hole
that becomes an ordinary activity that denies
the hole its usefulness
6 attempt to
eat something sour eat something bitter eat something sweet eat something pungent eat something salty
all at the same time and the once pleasant tastes
are likely to
nauseate you
7 ordinary people exceed the basic goodness of the things of this
world
in searching for new ways to exceed themselves
8 the momentum of exceeding unbalances the
heartmind
and generates insecurity and a loose footing that
denies the true self
9 for these reasons
the sound person speaks to the unconscious heartmind requesting instructions on how to nourish the true self
10 when gently asked
the unconscious teaches appreciation for those
things that are
within us
11 all
12 when gently asked
the unconscious teaches circumspection for those
things that are
without us
13 all
1 HAND and MIND: Taoists employ visualization as a primary tool for cultivation. Much of this visualization involves a self-directed investigation into the inner workings of the bodymind. Cultivators discovered that fixing the imagination on specific colors balances the life-force energy, or qi, of the various internal body organs. This led to the Five Element Theory of correspondences that has been applied to all phases of Chinese art, science, and culture.
2 HAND and MIND: The idea of experiencing life even one's own-as a balance of five specific energies involves cultivating an intimate relationship with each.
3 MIND: An intimate relationship with the different energies/qi of the bodymind is impossible without the aility to isolate one kind of energy from another.
4 MIND: Music is a powerful force. The twelve notes relate directly to the twelve different kinds of qi that blend together to form the qi of the Universal. The gi of the Universal, in turn, forms all matter and energy in the universe. While most Taoist music is pentatonic (five notes) in nature, Cultivators employ twelve different notes as objects of Taoist meditation.
5 MIND and BODY: Cultivating an authentic life requires a specific method. Spontaneity/ tzu-jan can occur only within a limiting structure. Limits yield intensity. The image of music created "without method" becomes a Taoist metaphor for a misspent life; to wit, a life created without method reduces it to something as common as rocks and stone.
6 HAND and MIND: Attempting to experience life indiscriminately, without method, all at once, and without patience can make one spiritually sick.
7 BODY: Exceeding in this case invokes a state of inevitable dissatisfaction brought on by attempting to do too much too soon.
8 HEART: The dissonant energy created by exceeding interferes with your connection to the Tao Source of Life. This leads to feelings of dread and insecurity that, if left unchecked, eventually result in a rejection of the Tao Way of Life altogether.
9-13 HEART: Listening to the soul and the wisdom it imparts is vital to the Taoist. The "heartmind," or yi, is the way to speak to the soul and ultimately to the Tao itself. This method of speaking is expressed practically as a wave of loving compassion and understanding exiended to the deepest parts of one's own self