The Vital Force Archive

Justin Stone writes that beauty cannot be defined but opens to anyone, from the early riser at dawn to a Dutch doctor who hired symphony players for a string quartet, and argues that only those who accept death can be grateful for life.

William Nielsen recalls an evening with Dr. Gay Luce, whose remark that "without a practice we tend to get small" frames his case for TCC as a bridge between East and West.

Faye Mohr writes to family and friends about the Saskatoon retreat where teacher trainer Pam Towne announced that Faye, Byron and Rhonda, deferred at Edmonton teacher training in 2002, were now fully accredited.

Catherine Millman recounts hosting the 2004 St. Louis conference, from the leaderless committee structure and the T-shirt auction and quilt raffle that funded scholarships to the Seijaku practice by the fountain.

Eight short pyramid poems and haiku from students of Sharon Sirkis and Sandy McAlister, plus Debbie Cole and Lisa Thorburn, on birds, fall breeze, rocking away pain and chi flowing soft within.

Pam Towne congratulates Faye Mohr and Byron and Rhonda Gill on completing full accreditation two years after being deferred at the Edmonton Teacher Training, and invites other deferred teachers to contact her.

Sr. Antonia Cooper's opening and closing remarks at the St. Louis conference define flowing from the center as mental focus on the t'an t'ien, full weight shift and continuity, with a family joke about "Ho Chi Minh."

Justin Stone's short poem watches the stars fade at daybreak and turns to time as the great key, warning that whoever lacks love for others finds only Self.

Donna Aldous reports on a September retreat for twenty-nine Canadian participants led by teacher-trainer Pam Towne, themed "Attending to the Intent," where three deferred Edmonton candidates received full accreditation.