I don't really have a lot to say before I read everybody's blog..but I found this quote today.  I read it while looking out onto lake Ontario from the 2nd level cafe of the harbourfront center just south of downtown Toronto.  The sun was shinning so brightly that the dancing beams off the water were burning my eyes.  It snowed for the first time last night and so there was snow on the ground out on the toronto islands in the distance underneath the hibernating grey trees and blue expanse.

"The process of mastering skills through work embodies what is important in creative alchemy from a tantric perspective.  Whatever the task, however, it  must challenge the creative forces within us so that we begin to master them whether it is learning to play the violin or becoming a carpenter, in principle, the process is the same.  When we engage in the learning process, it challenges us to overcome them.  We can back down when it gets tough and go to something else, but no benefit is gained when we overcome our infantile emotional reactions to the challenges a task sets us, mastery becomes a possibility.  We can then channel the unruly creative forces that are released from the darkness.  With self-discipline and perseverance we gain strength and refinements in whatever tasks we undertake."    -Rob Preece from the book The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra