Michael Moschen: Juggling Rhythm and Motion

Hi Folks:  I’ve been a fan of Michael Moschen for a long time, and it’s definitely not just because we share the same first name.  There’s a common misconception that the words ‘kung fu’ relate specifically to the martial arts; actually, ‘fung fu’ is a term relating to anyone who has taken what they do and elevated it to an art form, achieving a mastery of their craft.  With that definition, Michael Moschen is definitely a kung fu master when it comes to juggling.  When you listen to him speak of his art, he goes far beyond the basic dynamics of moving the balls around and he speaks of positive and negative space, of movement, of rhythm, of balance…

Michael’s website has some information about Michael and his work.  There are also images and some videos of Michael under the ‘Press’ section.  Here’s an image I ‘borrowed’ from his site:

Michael Moschen in action

Michael Moschen in action

There’s a longer video (37 minutes) of Michael doing some demonstrations and explaining a little about his work during the 2002 TED Conference.  It’s well worth seeing.

And Michael, my hat’s off to you!

Your fan,
Mike.

Poetry Corner

This past May I had the honour and privilege of attending a personal week of retreat at Queenswood here in Victoria, BC, Canada. What an amazing opportunity and experience! In the quiet and beauty of this secluded area, I spent the majority of time in meditation – walking, reading, writing – listening and feeling. Even meals were a time of silence if I chose the earliest sitting.

I found myself drawn to the library (open 24 hours) late one evening and discovered a new author, Wendy Morton. She is a local woman, from Sooke, BC here on Vancouver Island. Her book “Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast” practically fell into my hands from an upper shelf display as I walked by. Through this book and her shared story and writings, Wendy has inspired me to perform spontaneous, playful ‘Random Acts of Poetry’.

In Wendy’s book (definitely a worth read!!!!!), she describes a style of poetry I’d never heard of before – Pantoum. It is a French form of poetry with ‘an intricate pattern of line repetition’.

Since that day, I’ve found myself using the Pantoum style any time I want to delve deeper into a concept. I’ve used it to expand ideas, to open myself up when blocked about something, to more fully explore a fabulous emotional response to a person or situation. Basically, when I want to understand my own self better, I take a thought or idea and ‘pantoum’ it!
Continue Reading →