I am presently in Sechelt, British Columbia. The view from the home I am staying in is no less than spectacular.

Sechelt Inlet

The the journey to get here provided me with another 1st time experience in my life. I don’t have many more first time expereinces given all the amazing expereinces life has already given me. However to get to this spectacular place, I had to take a sea plane.

Iflew to Vancouver, BC and then took a taxi to the Sea Air Terminal.

Harbour Air Terminal

From here I boarder the plane and rode shot gun (in the co-pilot seat) to Sechelt, BC which is a 20 minute plane ride from Vancouver.

Boarding the plane

Here are some of the additional pictures of this pleasant trip.

WOW!… is all I can say about the Great Wall of China. Even great wall is an understatement. I wasn’t expecting to be as moved by the experience as I was. It was overwhelming in its greatness. There was a power to the wall that was palpable. It was as though it exuded an energy of strength…. But it wasn’t military strength or power. It was more like the power of earthiness, mother earth, being of the earth. It was very inspiring. I was taken there by the CEO of the counseling center (http://psychcn.com/ )that brings me here and the vice president of the center. When we were there, the CEO told me that many great companies in China bring their entire staff to the wall because it is believed that when the company visits here, they will become very successful simply because of the power inherent in the wall. This was a beautiful gesture on his part because he believes so much in TRE and its potential here in China. They see TRE as an Eastern modality that was brought here through a western mind. They equate it with the inherent power of the Tao (道 ) which is a concept found in Taoism, Confucianism, and more generally in ancient Chinese philosophy. The character itself translates as “way,” “path,” or “route”. Their experience of the bodily tremors reminds them of a way back into the nature of their bodies. It is so organic and natural that they feel it speaks of the true essence of the body’s potential.

After the Great Wall we had the idea to go to the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences or the academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We met the vice president of the hospital and explained TRE to him. He was very interested and very excited. He invited us back to teach TRE to a group of 20 TCM students. He wants them to have the experience and then try to articulate what they believe is happening in their bodies from a traditional Chinese perspective. While we were there I could not pass up the opportunity to have acupuncture once again. I was interviewed by an amazing young doctor that had both the skill and confidence of a master. He immediately won over the trust of the entire group of counseling staff and several of the staff members who had never received acupuncture agreed to experience with this unusually competent doctor. He also will be among the people whom we hope to recruit to help explain the bodily tremors of TRE from an eastern medical perspective.

Tomorrow we meet with one of the most famous news broadcasters in China. She has supported the work of this counseling center since its inception. She has heard about TRE and wants to meet me while I am in Beijing. After our meeting with her we will be traveling to the earthquake zone once again to provide workshops for the teachers and students of the earthquake zone.

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Click here to see all 13 pictures.

I am finally finding time to send a few pictures of my trip. It has been a real delight being here during the Chinese New Years celebrations. It is the year of the OX.

People born in the Year of the Ox (1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997) are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. They tend, however, to be eccentric, and bigoted, and they anger easily. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent. Ox people are mentally and physically alert. Generally easy-going, they can be remarkably stubborn, and they hate to fail or be opposed. They are most compatible with Snake, Rooster, and Rat people.

Predictions for the year of the OX are: Year Ahead:  “The OX year is a conservative year, one of traditions and values. This is not a year to be outrageous. A slow but steady year. This OX year will bring stability and growth where patience and diligence pays off. This is a year of Harvest – when we reap what we have sown. Take care of business this year, do not let things slide. “

Since this is a 10 day holiday, I have had the wonderful opportunity to see a bit of China that I did not do last time I was here. Instead of going straight to work, they decided to show me the sites of Beijing.

First we went to the Olympic Square to see the Bird’s Nest and the ice Cube. They were as wonderful as we saw on TV. Then we went to the Forbidden City. It was amazing as most of the Chinese architecture and rich history has demonstrated.

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.

Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 square metres (7,800,000 square feet). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. It consists of beautiful names such as: Gate of Supreme Harmony,  Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central harmony, Hall of Preserving Harmony, Hall of Heavenly Peace & Hall of Terrestrial Peace. I just loved walking around in such an imense place that was at one time considered holy and sacred. I still believe there is strong spiritual energy there.

I also had the wonderful pleasure of being taken to traditional Chinese restaurants. They wore clothing that was reflective of a rich heritage and provided performances that were once performed in front of Chinese royalty. At one point, I was obliged to be part of the performance of a juggler. Some men stuffed me inside a giant metal flower pot, then a group of men hoisted me up onto the powerful legs of a woman who juggled me around in the pot. It was both humiliating and humbling but I could only laugh at how much the Chinese people seemed to enjoy watching.

Tomorrow it is off to the GREAT WALL OF CHINA! I can’t wait.

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Click here to see all 29 photographs.

Hello all,

I have been working from 7:AM to 10:PM for the last week. That’s why I
haven’t been able to update the blog. Tomorrow is Sunday and I will have a
day of rest. Hopefully, I will be able to write a bit more and send some
pictures and a short video.

The 25 participants of my first workshop loved their experience in
bodywork. They worked hard and had some amazing breakthroughs in their
bodies. The first workshop in one of the most damaged areas of the
earthquakes is over. It was a huge success and the participants all want
to be certified to teach this technique to others.

The most common feelings that surfaced were loneliness and emptiness. I
can only wonder if this isn’t a collective experience of a traumatized
culture. Did the earthquake cause these emotions? Possibly, but I am not
sure yet. If these feelings continue to surface in other workshops with
other participants, I think it might be the most prevalent feeling of this
traumatized culture.

The people I have worked with so far seem very integrated and healthy
despite the horrible tragedy they have just endured. The infrastructure is
being rebuilt at remarkable speed. Shortly after the earthquake huge tent
cities were built to house those who were displaced. Many of these people
are already moving into new housing that was built at reduce prices by the
government. The temporary schools are actually quite beautiful. The are
aluminum housing shelters that have cement floors, air conditioning,
electricity and all the creature comforts. They don’t replace the
beautiful school buildings that were destroyed but they are excellent for
temporary school buildings.

The buildings that collapsed during the earthquakes have already been
leveled and plowed. However, there is a large number of building that are
still standing but are structurally unsound. All of these will have to be
demolished and rebuilt. This is a huge undertaking but the government has
a goal of rebuilding all the schools that were destroyed within three
years. It is quite a feat but from what I have seen so far, they will
achieve this goal.

I will write more later.

Love to all,
Dave

Another 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck at 1630 local time (0730 GMT) close to Panzhihua town in Sichuan province, near the border with Yunnan. Xinhua news agency said rescue teams carrying tents, quilts and rice to the area were being hampered by heavy rain. Both provinces were severely affected by a devastating earthquake in May which left almost 70,000 people dead.

I was talking with the people from China yesterday. They said the devistation is quite severe. After talking about the severity of the suffering of the people, I also had another reflection from a purely geological perspective. How amazing it will be to stand on the ground where the plates of the planet are shifting so powerfully right now. The whole planet is shifting and I am going to be standing on the very place that these shifts are most powerful. I wonder what it will be like? Is there a certain energy that one can feel? It will be such an interesting experience from so many different perspectives.

I will be flying to ChengDu in Sichuan Province’s capital. This city, of some 11 million people is located 60 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. Another interesting piece of information is that Phoenix and Chengdu became official sister cities in 1987. Since then, hundreds of cultural, social, educational, and economic exchanges have occurred and many friendships have been forged.

ChegDu is approximately 7,439 miles from Phoenix, AZ. It is also along the same latitude line as Tucson, AZ (32 degrees).

For those of you who are interested in travel routes, I thought I would fill you in on my route. You can find both ShangHai and Chengdu on the map below.

I leave Phoenix for San Francisco. After a two hour layover I leave for ShangHai. This is a 19 hour flight. After a two hour layover in ShangHai, I leave on a 3 hour flight for ChengDu.  At ChengDu I will meet Dr. Helena Guo who is the person who has organized this trip. We will travel together for one hour over land to  the area that was devastated by the earthquake.

I want to thank Tara Hitchcock of the TV3 staff who was so gracious to invite me for an interview for my new book, TRE and my trip to China. She has a special show called “Tara on Tuesdays” that is always very interesting for those of you who are local to Phoenix area. For more information about Tara go to:

http://www.azfamily.com/3tv/3tvbios/stories/KTVK3TVBiosHitchcock.1119fd44d.html

I will try to update the blog with pictures and video during my time in China.