“The number 69 signifies family, home, harmony, idealism, health, and compassion.”—BS Srinivasan
Cecile and I feel so grateful to have celebrated my 69th birthday hosted by my son-in-law Kyle's mother, Kim and husband Al Chien in the comfort of their entertainment center in the back yard of their beautiful home. Once again, they delivered a 5-star barbecue of Tri-tip and salmon and some great tasting vegetarian side dishes that were out of this world. We loved your matching aprons (photo). From their flattering ecard invitation (photo) and treating us so royally, Cecile and I feel so blessed to have them in our lives. It was indeed a pleasure to share this special day with our son Jason and his partners Alex, our daughter Michelle and Kyle and of course our little angel of a granddaughter, Lyla. Thank you for all the love and thank you, everyone, for all the wonderful gifts.
Being a student of Qi gong, a holistic system of coordinated body posture, movement, breathing and meditation used for health, spirituality and martial arts training with roots in Chinese medicine and philosophy, I had a chance to think about the number 69 earlier today.
For many years, the number 69 has unfairly gotten a blemished reputation in the West due to the perception of separation between a man and a woman, focusing on their differences. Also, people perceive 69 in a more sexual connotation. At this point, I can hear my children saying, “Dad, TMI" (too much information.😅 But, I would like to expand the conversation to include the idea that the number 69 is about giving and receiving as symbolized by the Taoist Yin Yang symbol or balance between two partners in all our interactions including physical love-making with our partner. In other words, physical intimacy goes far deeper than just the physical parts.
In the West, the Asian philosophy of Yin Yang is referred to as Yin AND Yang,” which infers polar opposites or contrary forces that are interconnected in the natural world and how they give rise to one another. However, in Chinese medicine, Yin Yang does not represent opposing forces, but rather complementary opposites that interact within a greater whole—a more dynamic system if you will. In Asian or Taoist philosophy good/bad and other moralistic distinctions are set aside in favor of the idea of balance between the two. Females and males become one. Becoming aware that we are one allows us to let go of the concepts we grew up within the West that perceives us as being separate and focusing our attention on the deeper connection between partners or couples.
