Know the active, the masculine Yet keep to the passive, the feminine, Being the entrance of the world You embrace harmony And become as a newborn.   Tao Te Ching, Chapter 28 __________________________________________________________   (38) Heat and Energy At the beginning of June, seven months after my heart attack, I finished the last drawing -- the twenty-seventh -– in this series of images I had felt compelled do draw following the heart attack. Through that process of drawing, I had found emotional release and comfort. I re-discovered the world of alchemy, which now seemed as if it had some important previously forgotten wisdom to convey. Similarly, the Tao Te Ching, an ancient Chinese book of wisdom, also connected and resonated with me on a much deeper level than before. The snow had melted in Fairbanks, the trees were green, and the outside world was beckoning. It was time to plant flowers, to fix up the cave, to walk the labyrinth. The process was far from over, but now I was fueled by both masculine and feminine energy, working together. I had reached a new inner level, hinting at the promise of balance and harmony.   March 23, 2007