Readings by the River

05/14/2026

So many people are mired in worry. It is easy to just focus on the now. That’s when inspiration can strike.

04/29/2026

This is absolutely beautiful. And it explains the rampant division in our world today. Which world do you wish to live in? The one of fear or the one of trust?

04/25/2026

I find this quite interesting!

Not everything that feels good is actually good for you.

Some things don’t solve your emptiness… they just distract you from it.

What looks like pleasure can often be loneliness wearing a mask.
What feels like fun can quietly be an escape from what you don’t want to face.
What promises peace can simply numb you, not heal you.

Endless scrolling feels like rest, but your mind never truly slows down.
Quick comfort food feels satisfying, but it drains your energy over time.
Luxury can look like purpose, yet still leave a strange emptiness inside.

Habits like smoking or constant notifications don’t relax you—
they train your mind to depend, to react, to stay restless.

And social media? It can look like connection…
but often it’s just seeking validation in a room where no one really knows you.

The deeper truth is simple:
real peace isn’t loud, addictive, or instant.

It’s built slowly—through awareness, discipline, and honest living.

Don’t keep feeding your soul with things that only fill moments.
Feed it with what actually nourishes you.

Because what you consume… eventually becomes who you are.

04/25/2026

We had a group of 25 at our World Tai Chi and Qigong Day celebration, sending healing energy out to the world. 😊

04/23/2026

Simple and true.

No one wants to accept these truths...

04/12/2026

I just love this!

Think about it...

04/10/2026

I thought this was so cute!

Sometimes the experience is what heals you...

04/03/2026

This is so wise, and it’s something I struggle with. It’s really just my own need to control at issue. Turn inward …

A young monk once asked the Buddha,
“Blessed One, how do I remain pure when I am surrounded by negativity, anger, and ignorance?”

The Buddha led him to a quiet pond.
The water was dark, thick with mud.
Yet from that mud rose a single lotus—clean, untouched, radiant.

For a moment, the Buddha said nothing.
Then he asked softly,
“Does the lotus fight the mud?”

The monk looked closely.
“No, Blessed One.”

“Does it complain about the water that sustains it?”

“No.”

“Does it waste its energy trying to change what surrounds it?”

Again, no.

The Buddha smiled.

“The lotus understands what most humans forget,” he said.
“It does not rise despite the mud—it rises because of it.”

Then he continued:

“The mud is not the enemy. Resistance is.
The lotus does not argue with darkness—it grows toward the light.
It does not absorb the dirt—it transforms it.”

“On this path,” the Buddha said,
“I do not teach you to escape the world.
I teach you not to let the world take root within you.”

People will gossip.
Situations will be unfair.
Life will return you to muddy waters again and again.

You have two choices:
• Sink into it
• Or grow through it

The lotus does not ask, “Why is the pond so dirty?”
It asks, “How high can I rise?”

Be like the lotus.

Focus on your practice, your integrity, your inner clarity.
Rise quietly. Bloom without permission.
Let your peace become so deep that the mud cannot reach you.

Not everything around you deserves your reaction.
Some things only deserve your transcendence.

03/29/2026

Realizing this can be the start of healing.

12/06/2025

I find this scale very interesting, and I can see deficits and excesses in myself. What do you think? Is it a good tool for reflection?

👀COMMENTARY: In times when virtue is obscure, here is a 2007 illustration by graphic designer Jim Lancet depicting Aristotle’s ethical framework from the Nicomachean Ethics called the "Golden Mean." The infographic below depicts the “golden mean” principle, where virtue is the balanced midpoint between two extremes of vice—one of deficiency and one of excess.

The virtuous action or character trait, relative to the individual and the circumstance, is the appropriate "balanced midpoint" that fits a specific situation, determined by practical reason and applies primarily to emotions and actions.

📜Mario Lotmore, Lynnwood Times

09/10/2025

I will be reading tarot at Cork Wine Bar with some other readers. Please mark your calendars for Friday, Sept. 19th. From 6-9 p.m.