Part 1.
Gentle Path Walker:
I had some Great Mystery for breakfast this morning, the resulting internal shower created space for that balance you speak of with Tai Chi. The spark of life, that thing that sometimes leads to a blaze of creative yang insight or into the depths of the yin.
What is the energy of this and of that? I feel like its this question which lies at the core of Tea & the energetic arts.
My Qigung teacher said "The more relaxed you are the more energy you have." Well, most people know that the simplicity of sitting with Tea in general will often induce some level of relaxation. Turn that into a simple, wild Puerh and combine it with a basic Zhan Zhuang standing posture for example and suddenly the potential for tapping into & harmonizing with the apparent energy is amplified tremendously.
Through our commitment to practice & developing our own unique relationship with our own energy and that of Tea we become a clear channel for Tea & the Tao to flow through.
A lifetime of seasoning our own unique vessel in furthering the wisdom of nature, "the energies of this and that" or in other words the subtle nuances of change in the ebb & flow of life.
Erick:
I never did much Taichi, though often found it easier to say Taichi than take the time to explain the style I did practice. There is also the added benefit, that if you’re in a bar anywhere in Asia and say you do Taichi or Qigung this is relatively safe. Mentioning even casually Kung fu almost guarantees that by the end of the night you’ll have to practice on someone.
Though Taichi can be a venerable and advanced fighting system, it is much more commonly associated with elderly people in parks, valiantly trying to stave off death for another year. I respect Taichi, but my interest is primarily in the goal of Taichi.
This goal is shared with all internal styles of martial art, with meditation, and Yoga. Simply put it is the union with the divine, the Tao, or the Great Ultimate in the case of Taichi. My personal favourite name for this state of being is credited to Zen and translates as ‘that thing’. That thing is what we’re after, it justifies the massive commitment required for the attainment of it.