TNR Happenings, March 2, 2026
Tao of TNR Is On Saturday, March 21st
Society tells us that academics, logical thought, and computers are the keepers of wisdom. Nothing could be further from the truth. Data, info, and stats have their place, but they are the minors, rather than the majors. Imagine going to school to play golf like a pro. You would learn about clubs, grips, and handicaps, and yet you still would not be able to play golf professionally. You could converse about it while playing your video games, but you still can’t do it well. Like many of our college teachers who are doctors, they know very little about healing and being ultra-successful. This is better than nothing, perhaps, but woefully incomplete, and you will never get what you need. There is nothing mysterious about the Tao. It’s an insight not born of Western culture, and the ignorance of it does not excuse one from its benefit or consequence. It teaches a better, more efficient way to practice that puts the practice member first and foremost: people before people. Call to reserve your spot today.
Kenny Smoker Will Be At The Grief Retreat On May 15th & 16th
A hidden gem in TNR is the Grief Retreat. Outside of our group, this concept is not valued. Being able to do something about all the acquired grief is something few will ever be privy to. Listening to Kenny's wisdom in a small-group format for two days is something very few will ever experience. My favorite part of visiting the reservation every year is the recap from Kenny after each visit, when the usually shy Kenny steps up to the mike and blows everyone away with his quiet, peaceful wisdom and insight. He makes all of us feel recognized for being a part of Love Has No Color. For those of you who remember visiting Dr. Guy’s (now deceased) Paintbrush Ranch in Colorado, it was a similar feeling. I feel like a nervous student experiencing greatness live, not on a computer. We are releasing the first tickets for the Grief Retreat to members, and then we will offer companion tickets that allow members to refer people to the event at a discounted rate. Guests can be invited to introduce them to our group. They are usually doctors; however, we have also seen shining examples of non-doctors. Others are invited because they are experiencing dire circumstances, and the member wants to introduce the person to me and solutions. One word of caution: skeptical, closed-minded people don’t make great Grief Retreat participants. The wholeness of the group is paramount. Everyone has to feel like they are a part of it. People who will attempt to disrupt or force their opinions and nonsense on the group are not welcome. As a parallel, over two decades of traveling to the reservation, we have had only two invited guests disrupt our group. I trust our members to carefully consider this when inviting people to the Grief Retreat.
From the Mind of Miyagi
As I write this, Beau, my son Derrick’s baby boy, is making his debut into the world. As it is written in the sands of time, another era dawns, another human taking its place in this world. Whenever you are doing something sacred, you will experience resistance and pain. Being close to any birthing situation, you will experience a facet of femininity that is glossed over or whispered in hushed tones. The pain experienced to bring forth something so sacred is without equal. Yet, in the technology, drug, and surgery world, the very messenger of the sacred is the enemy. Pain is something to be conquered, dominated, destroyed, blocked out, or gotten rid of at all costs. Whether you know it, believe it, or don’t care, it’s the messenger of the sacred.
Going back a few decades, when I witnessed my wife for the first time in labor, my breath was taken away. I had no idea. I was brought up in a bubble. The pain she was in (back labor) was immense, and other than being there to support, I was of limited value. I wanted to take her pain away, to remove the wings of the angel of sacredness. I was brought up to think pain was the enemy, the signal of something bad or ominous, something to be destroyed or to declare war on. And yet, it was a veil to be pierced to introduce the presence of God. The strength and determination of my wife were my introduction to that dimension of the female. I couldn’t put it into words then, and I still can’t put it into words now. It was a depth of beauty, power, and knowingness I had not witnessed before, and my wife possessed it in spades.
My daughter, Randi Jo, has had two home births. She, too, had to call upon a dimension of strength and spirit that she had not yet experienced. And yet, it will protect and guide her for the rest of her life. In difficult circumstances, she, and all mothers, can call upon it. It is not of this world. In our world, most of the focus is on superficial appearance and youth. Both are fleeting and ephemeral. If you are present and open-minded enough during a birthing, your relationship will be cemented with respect, awe, and love previously untapped. I witnessed my wife step up and take her place among the sacred. I saw in her for the first time a sacredness, a person who doesn’t give up, a person who is to be respected simply because she represents the sacred dimension of femininity. No matter what age she becomes, she is a part of it, and it is a part of her.
Miracle Training
In the frigid, shark-infested waters of life-and-death circumstances, pain, suffering, and symptoms are actually invitations to enter a sacred dimension of healing. It certainly doesn’t appear or feel that way to the person who finds themselves in the dark night of the soul. They want to get rid of the problem or symptoms at all costs: cut it out, drug it out, use chemo or radiation, and just get rid of it. After a Miracle Training client graduates and looks back, they finally agree with a previously absurd concept: they were actually on the hero’s journey. The illness was attempting to bring them some sort of gift or wisdom that they preciously couldn’t see.
A 22-year-old female Miracle Training client was unable to leave her room for over a year. After being gang raped at College, she dropped out. She had lost her will to live and was barely hanging on. The answer for her was incessant drugs, inpatient confinement, or staying in her room. Inside of her was a terrified adolescent who had failed to mature into adulthood. This dimension had to emerge before she could resume her life. No other doctor considered this dimension. Bringing this dimension to the forefront allowed her not only to regain her life but also to renew her confidence. She ditched all of the chemical solutions given to her by MDs. Some of you heard her sing (a dark, melancholic, minor key) to our group, driving herself for the first time to one of our trainings.
DCME Confidential
Question 1: My DCME won’t shut up. I’m not kidding you; she chatters on and on about nonsense. She texts me almost every day. She talks the whole time during treatment about politics, Bigfoot, conspiracies, religion, war, etc. How do I get her to stop?
Answer: Who is the leader here? Incessant chatter is usually a sign of nervousness that can morph into a lifelong habit. There is probably nothing left to correct with her. FYI: to heal, she has to listen, and from what you have said, she isn’t coming in to hear what you say.
Question 2: My DCME is starting to skip appointments and is giving excuses that sound important: her dog died, her aunt died, her car broke down, the water heater broke, etc. Tell me the truth about what’s really going on.
Answer: The thrill is gone.
Marley & Sunny
