Peacocks and Wildflowers

Starvation Reservoir shimmered, reflecting billowing clouds overhead. On a distant hill, two horses lifted their heads and pricked their ears as we walked along the road, photographing wildflowers. Sweet peas, purple lupine, white-and yellow-popcorn flowers, lavender penstemons, yellow mule’s ears, desert marigolds, and red paintbrush bloomed near the reservoir. I took a deep breath and let it go. It was good to be home even though I enjoyed Austin, Texas, where I’d participated in intensive Sheng Zhen training.
Sheng Zhen, a series of qigong forms, was developed by Master Li Jun Feng in the 1990s. My doctor introduced me to it nearly twenty-five years ago when I was diagnosed with Lupus. Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s similar to tai qi and helps a person physically, mentally, and emotionally, which is why I started to practice in the first place, but Sheng Zhen goes deeper than the traditional qigong or tai qi because the name means unconditional love.
Master Li, who still enjoys star status in China, spent 15 years as the head coach of the Beijing Wushu Team of the People’s Republic of China—a martial arts team—which earned a number of gold medals in the Olympics. He also starred in five martial arts movies, directed other movies, and coached Jet Li. That all changed when he decided to “serve love,” as he put it. Even though he spoke and understood only Mandarin, he and his family moved to Manila in 1992 where he taught Sheng Zhen. He eventually immigrated to the United States and began teaching medical qigong and Sheng Zhen at the University of Texas at Austin. Our paths intersected when my doctor hosted him once a year in Moab for weekend workshops.
After being away from his homeland for decades, Master Li finally returned to China in 2020 where he’s been teaching Sheng Zhen in person and to an international community over Zoom. Now he’s 85, he said in a Zoom meeting, this trip to Austin might be his last to the United States, so we gathered to see him in person, perhaps one last time, some even coming from Israel and Germany.
As a rich cultural contrast, our gathering place was at Radha Madhav Dham, a Hindu ashram, established in the late 1880’s and located on 230 acres of land in southern Austin. Women wore the traditional colorful dresses, and we literally had a taste of the Indian culture since they prepared our meals according to their strict vegetarian guidelines. The woman who gave us a tour of their beautiful temple said Krishna was considered the Hindus’ supreme god, so many temples were dedicated to him, but this one was dedicated to Radha, his wife, with only one other in the world established for her. Outside on the temple walls, vivid murals displayed Radha and Krishna together. Busloads of visitors paid their respects, all dressed in the traditional clothing, including the children.
During our breaks, I walked the grounds, which the founders had oriented according to India’s geography. The land itself was breathtaking with tall, lush grasses, fields of wildflowers, a small river, and crystal-clear pools, one of which was called the pool of divine nectar. Probably most enchanting were the peacocks, India’s national bird, and since it was mating season, the males often strutted in full glory even as the peahens walked off, seemingly unimpressed. However, I was impressed and even more so when one day a male bowed down, his feathers spread out against the ground.
We practiced long hours, starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m., but with generous breaks, lectures, and meditations woven throughout. Master Li is concerned about the earth, which he says is a living body, and the impact we’re having on her. His solution? Unconditional love for all peoples, animals, plants, and the earth herself. Forgiveness, he said, is key and understanding how fortunate we are to live on this planet. It’s very important, he emphasized over and over, for humans to open our hearts.
Because we stayed busy, time went faster than I’d feared, but I missed my hubby, so I was happy when it was time to pack up and fly home. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed because of a cracked windshield. I finally made it home on Saturday, May 13th, and walked through the door to find Mother’s Day flowers decorating the table.
“You’ll be amazed at the wildflowers,” my hubby told me, so even before I unpacked, we grabbed a couple of Subway sandwiches and set out to see their beauty with Kenidee snuggled on my lap. As we drove up the mountain road, I was, indeed, amazed by the vivid colors of the flowers. Overlaying the blooming landscape, like a transparency, was the image of the miraculous snow which had cloaked our land.
After we drove as high as we could, we turned around and checked on the other reservoirs. Third Reservoir was full, the Fourth still filling. Our last stop was Recapture with the island nearly submerged and water running down the overflow. Runoff from Bulldog and Johnson’s Creek still fed the lake.
From an ashram in Austin to a small town in southeastern Utah, the living earth is decked out in vibrant colors. The divine has responded to the prayers of many from all walks of life and all cultures. “Almost heaven, San Juan County,” I sang off key to Ted and Kenidee as we headed toward Blanding, “country roads, take me home.”