We have all walked on their backs and felt their immense energy underfoot and in the atmosphere around us. When we draw near them even the most distracted of us will become still and sense their fire in all our spaces. They dwell in the in between places, where the elements meet; where night meets the day; where sky meets earth; where ocean meets land. They are, the Wild Dragons.
These junctures where different powerful signature energies meet are described in the Taoist tradition as Dragon Points. They are the point at which one form of Chi (vital life force) meets another. In nature for example it is where two rivers merge into one or the mountain peaks scrape the sky. They are where ocean meets land or when the light emerges into the darkness at dawn.
These areas and moments in nature are considered to be extremely powerful and if we recall those moments in the wilderness when we have been truly moved, and our consciousness spontaneously altered, when we have had a glimpse of the majesty and the mystery, I am willing to wager that you were dwelling in a Dragon Point. In most ancient cultures, the most sacred of sites are either on or near a natural Dragon Point like most ancient world temples, or they are created to be part of the dynamic, like the pyramids and stone circles.
“Intersections in the natural world are doorways between realms. They are sacred portals that open us to times past and times future. They awaken the mythic imagination and can be catalysts for making changes in our life.”
Ted Andrews
The ancient myths of dragons hold many clues to the nature and affects of Wild Dragons. In all cultures they are wise and ancient. When engaged with respect they bring protection and revelation. They combine the elemental forces and they sleep atop mountains of treasure. Here is Asia we are surrounded by beautiful dragons in the temples and festivals across many cultures and countries. They herald good tidings and drive away negativity.
The human mind/body/energy system is a grid of Dragon Points and this is why we are so responsive when we near a Wild Dragon in the wilderness. The human system is where heavenly Chi (very subtle form of life force) flows into the body and meets the terrestrial Chi (bioenergetics field) of the Earth body, in other words where Spirit meets Form, Unmanifest meets Manifest, Invisible meets Visible, Wave meets Particle, Inner meets Outer, Energy Meets Matter, Will meets Action, Being meets Ego and Dream meets Reality. When we still the mind and nervous system and rotate our awareness inwards through meditation and inner practice we can find them in every micro-system, the pause between heart beats, the space between inhalation and exhalation, the window between sound and silence, between inspiration and thought, between volition and action – the in between places.
It is a universal experience that when we dwell within Wild Dragon Points, our inner Dragon Points activate. Our breath softens and slows, our heart space expands, our senses sharpen and we sense Oneness. Dragon points, whether found in the wilderness or within, are gateways to universal consciousness and universal consciousness reaches through these gateways and finds itself.
The inspiration for this blog came when I was viewing pictures for the areas where my summer travels will take me. In July I travelled to the ancient and beautiful Lake Como in Italy and then two weeks later I entered Vision Quest in Peru. As I was organising my itinerary and showing my kids the lands where their mummy was walking, it struck me – I have unwittingly reached for the same clan of Wild Dragons. Both environments are marked and known for ancient mountains meeting deep ancient land-bound lakes, Como and Lake Titicaca are recognised as the planet’s oldest and deepest lakes, flanked by some of the planet’s oldest mountain ranges.
My intention for my travels this summer was to earth and merge the deep moving currents of creativity within, with structure, expression and language and the signature energies of these Wild Dragons have held this process. It’s just too delicious!
The Art of Dragon Hunting is an art of stillness, a felt art. Be still. Access the Dragons within, between the breath, between the processes of being and doing and lie flat on the Wild Dragon’s back and dwell there. Be mindful of the landscapes that host you and simply allow the gateways to open.
“The rounded world is fair to see,
Nine times folded in mystery:
Though baffled seers cannot impart
The secret of its labouring heart,
Throb thine with Nature’s throbbing breast,
And all is clear from east to west.
Spirit that lurks each form within
Beckons the spirit of its kin;
Self-kindled every atom glows
And hints the future which it owes.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Love
Dani
© 2017 Dani Van de Velde. All Rights Reserved.
Originally published at themeditationteacher.net