Question: You have said that the New Forest Way is a “Bodymind Philosophy.” You’ve also said that it is a mystic tradition. Could you please go into more detail? What are your philosophic goals? I am currently studying philosophy in college and am intrigued by your perspective. I am very interested. –M.G. Boston, Mass.
Philosophy, Love, Truth
Philosophy, in my view, is the love of wisdom and knowledge. It is not, however, the act of possessing wisdom or owning knowledge. And it is never about controlling it. The New Forest Way, as a philosophy, deliberately strives to engineer a state in which the force, power and energy of authentic ideas --that is, truth—completely penetrates our bodymind; soaks into our very existence. Thus infused, we are elevated by it.
Being a bodymind philosophy means, by definition, that we use our flesh, bones, blood, as well as, our will, thought and imagination as our primary tools of investigation. We physically move, breathe, dance and gesture our way into the world of experience. But we are not searching for concepts. A conceptualized idea can never be assimilated into the totality of our deeper self; it can never nourish our soul. That is the function of real ideas, alone. Pythagoras, for example, who gave us the word “philosophy,” did not see numbers as concepts. They were, instead, profound ideas that served as guides to self-inquiry. They were not abstract notions to be ruminated over or employed merely to organize other things. He felt that numbers could be used to directly transform one’s fundamental experience of being.
In that same light, a New Forest Cultivator uses their bodymind to engineer a new way of knowing and experiencing. It is an altogether contemporary paradigm that is based in the ancient idea of knowing the cosmos by knowing oneself. This, of course, depends upon developing new powers of perception with which to touch the cosmos. To that end we employ techniques that expand our instruments of perception; the bodymind. The intellect is only useful after perception takes place. Then it can organize the ideas and discoveries that result from our new way of experiencing life. This entire process fosters an intimate contact with the universe unheard of in ordinary quarters and, as a result, the Cultivator is changed forever. A bodymind exploring the consensual realm through the process of New Forest will encounter flashes of intuition and an amplification of the senses. The sensory input and intuitive insights simultaneously interact with the uniqueness of the cultivator’s personality and life-experiences. What is produced can only be described as cascades of wisdom, sensation and knowledge coming from thoroughly non-ordinary quarters. This is an event in which miracles are revealed as ideas and ideas as miracles. Once encountered, all that remains is for the Cultivator to manage the experience through meditation and reflection. We do not rush to certitude, nor do we hasten to fashion answers. We, literally, play with the ideas and symbols we discover allowing each to take us to the center of our experience and not the periphery. Simply put, we allow the miracles to open our eyes. Then, quite unlike most philosophic investigators, the New Forest Cultivator directly implements this new vision and brings it to bear in his everyday life. At this point, the world, de-sanctified by solitary intellectualism, once again becomes sacred.
The Mystical Foundation
I often describe the New Forest Way as a spiritual technology. Indeed, it is a modern mystic tradition with very ancient roots. Early Chinese mystics took for granted something that modern science is only now beginning to accept. Namely, that there is a fundamental unity between an observer and what is being observed. Said another way, we are an integral part of any moment in spacetime that we experience. At its simplest, cultivating the New Forest is the act of mindfully choosing to observe one moment in spacetime. When we approach that moment via the art and craft of the New Forest Way, a mystical joining is engineered. During this process, we are able to glimpse aspects of reality previously hidden from normal perception. Conventional assumptions about time, matter, space and energy, quite literally, vanish. We are able to look deeply into the moment and see elegant connections to past and future events. More importantly, we are also able to look deeply into our own selves and see holographic connections to hidden talents, profound wisdom and sophisticated knowledge. When a Cultivator, initiated and trained in the New Forest Way, makes contact with a given moment in spacetime he knows that he is not merely observing a pre-existing snapshot of reality. Rather, by mystically observing it, he is actually creating an interactive motion picture of reality that relates to him specifically and his place in the universe. This kind of authentic investigation is an act of personal registration in which the New Forest Cultivator is able to access the continuous flux and flow of the energy and potential from which all things arise.
This, at the very least, should be the goal of any philosophy that is worthy of the name.
Sifu John Bright-Fey
Friday, February 1, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Of New Forest And Number Shapes
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions concerning the use of numbers and number shapes as a basic structure for bodymind movement in New Forest Tai Chi. Some of the questions are rather convoluted, but they all can be boiled down, simply, as “Why do you use number shapes?’ Before I begin with my answer, I thought I’d let you see one of my favorite quotes:
“…the universe stands completely open to our gaze, but it cannot be understood unless one first learns to comprehend the language and interpret the characters in which it is written. It is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures, without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it; without these, one is wandering about in a dark labyrinth.” –Galileo
Numbers And Mankind
Mathematics, whether we are aware of it or not, infuse every facet of our environment and our lives. Numbers, the building blocks of mathematics, are themselves symbolic of profound human ideas and concepts that stretch back to the dawn of history. The symbolism of numerals and the implications of numeral usage are even ingrained in our living cell structure! We, quite literally, cannot get away from it. Throughout the world’s great cultures, numerals and numeral usage has evolved into a universal art, science, language and a way of thinking. It is because of this universal significance and symbolism that I chose numerals to be the basic structure of movement in the New Forest Way.
On the outset, I’d like to say that numeral shapes are not the only patterns for physical movement employed in my paradigm. For example, in the New Forest style of Tai Chi we begin by using the standard number shapes of the numerals 1 through 10 as a basic structure. Then, we expand our movement possibilities by employing other sets of ancient Chinese number shapes, including a system of counting used in Taoist ritual calligraphy. We also use Chinese characters themselves as direct inspiration for physical movement. We shape them with our arms and legs and draw them on an invisible canvas of air as we move through our routines. In point of fact, the principles of movement in New Forest Tai Chi are exactly the same as the rules of Chinese calligraphy. In keeping with the concept of universality, New Forest players even employ number and character shapes from the 11th Century Hindu Devanagari writing system. This varied assortment of shape and form provides a thoroughly rich field from which physical movement can inspired, extracted and developed.
Numbers And Memory
I first began using number shapes as a child to help me remember the complex physical movements of various styles of Tai Chi and Kung-Fu. I drew these shapes vertically, horizontally and diagonally, as well as, in a variety of sizes. In these shapes that we all learned in school, I found horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines, curves and circles of all variety. I visualized them normally and as mirror images. I placed them on their sides and even upside down. Eventually, I bent and twisted strings of number shapes and successfully translated the wondrously complex and beautiful physicality of an Eastern movement art into an easily remembered and instantly accessible form for a Westerner. I also created an array of rhyming mnemonics based on numerals and geometric shapes to aid in memorizing various aspects of Chinese history, philosophy, traditional medicine, astrology, Feng Shui and the like. If data was presented to me and designated to be of vital importance, then I created a memory-peg system to help me absorb it quickly and remember it easily. I was overjoyed to find out that my Chinese predecessors had done exactly the same thing! I was introduced to a variety of Chinese “moving memory-pegs.” One routine was a Tai Chi-like series of movements that preserved something called “Chu’s Diagram.” This physical routine demonstrates the principle of binomial coefficients as discovered by the Chinese mystic and mathematician Chu Shih-Chieh in the late 1200’s c.e. (Chu refused to claim authorship of the idea and pointed to an eleventh century Taoist mystic as the inventor. Whatever the story, a Chinese mystic beat the French mathematician Pascal to the discovery of binomial coefficients by more than 500 years!) I learned similar routines that were infused with numbers and numeral usage. Within precisely choreographed gesture and stepping patterns were the secrets of the Mystic Cube of Pao Ch’i-Shou and the world’s oldest magic square, the Lo Shu. In ancient China, fascination with mathematics tended toward two balanced goals; mysticism and practicality. Numbers, both sacred and useful, were considered magical. Today, this idea is honored in the New Forest paradigm.
Meaning And Magic
In the New Forest Way, the numbers 1 through 10 have their own unique symbolism, meaning and usage. This is detailed quite well in my books in the Morning Cup series. I will not repeat myself here and leave it to the reader to investigate further. However, I think it would be useful to take a brief look at the symbolism behind the number shapes strictly from a non-Chinese perspective. Here’s a look at the symbolism of numerals from the European, Greek, Arab and Egyptian traditions. It is these traditions, after all, that form the backbone of our culture in the West.
1 – The number of purpose and definitive action; the straightness of an arrow; the Alpha; a definitive and ritualized beginning; Complete Unity
2 – The number of balance and extremes, light and dark, night and day, etc.; equilibrium; poise and precision; contrasts of colors, forces and ideas; walking and standing; stillness and motion
3 – The number of flexibility and versatility; Pythagoras considered it the most adaptable and useful of numbers; growth; nourishment; Supreme Unity representing past, present and future united as One
4 – The number of endurance; steadiness, focus and force; compass points; the four elements of earth, air, fire and water; considered the oldest number in existence; a coming together; a primitive state
5 – The number of adventure, travel and experiences; reaching for the ultimate; striving toward a goal; unpredictability; the keystone; attaining the ultimate reality
6 – The number of harmony with your surroundings; one with nature; dependability; social convention and obligations; the six colors of the rainbow; perfection
7 – The number of hidden things; mystery; the unknown and the unseen; intuition and intuitive knowledge; notes of the major scale in music; days of the week
8 – The number of success in life’s endeavors; material gain; earthly achievement; meeting the forces of life and nature; moving towards a completion; a moving solidity of action and firm resolve
9 – The number of Universal and spiritual achievement; vibrant mental powers; strength and full development of personality and will
10 – The number of completion (especially in the presence of other numbers); the journey of life; holistic and integrated; intuition realized; surrendering to higher powers
Magic And Meaning
The numeral shapes we employ in New Forest graphically contain everything needed to create or describe any kind of physical movement a human being can perform, no matter how complex. More importantly to us, however, is where that movement comes from. What does it mean? What does it symbolize and express? How should we interact with it? What do we learn from that interaction? It is a fact of our human existence that when we decide that a place or a thing is sacred or magical, we behave as if it really is. Our relationship to that place or thing changes us profoundly. It even changes our biological and emotional functions. Players of New Forest Tai Chi, for example, imagine a great many things when they draw their number shapes and play their routines. Some of those things are listed above. Mostly, however, they open themselves up to the vast cultural memory that lay within each of us. They use shape and symbolism to communicate with their deepest self and, having spoken to their very own soul, they await a reply. What follows is intimacy personified in a dance of will, thought and imagination that is nothing less than breathtaking. To us –like our ancient counterparts—numbers are magical, indeed. When we play the New Forest Way we get to experience that magic “up close and personal.” And it’s great fun!
So, the question is this, “Why do you use number shapes?”
My answer is simple; Why wouldn’t we use number shapes?
Sifu John Bright-Fey
“…the universe stands completely open to our gaze, but it cannot be understood unless one first learns to comprehend the language and interpret the characters in which it is written. It is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures, without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it; without these, one is wandering about in a dark labyrinth.” –Galileo
Numbers And Mankind
Mathematics, whether we are aware of it or not, infuse every facet of our environment and our lives. Numbers, the building blocks of mathematics, are themselves symbolic of profound human ideas and concepts that stretch back to the dawn of history. The symbolism of numerals and the implications of numeral usage are even ingrained in our living cell structure! We, quite literally, cannot get away from it. Throughout the world’s great cultures, numerals and numeral usage has evolved into a universal art, science, language and a way of thinking. It is because of this universal significance and symbolism that I chose numerals to be the basic structure of movement in the New Forest Way.
On the outset, I’d like to say that numeral shapes are not the only patterns for physical movement employed in my paradigm. For example, in the New Forest style of Tai Chi we begin by using the standard number shapes of the numerals 1 through 10 as a basic structure. Then, we expand our movement possibilities by employing other sets of ancient Chinese number shapes, including a system of counting used in Taoist ritual calligraphy. We also use Chinese characters themselves as direct inspiration for physical movement. We shape them with our arms and legs and draw them on an invisible canvas of air as we move through our routines. In point of fact, the principles of movement in New Forest Tai Chi are exactly the same as the rules of Chinese calligraphy. In keeping with the concept of universality, New Forest players even employ number and character shapes from the 11th Century Hindu Devanagari writing system. This varied assortment of shape and form provides a thoroughly rich field from which physical movement can inspired, extracted and developed.
Numbers And Memory
I first began using number shapes as a child to help me remember the complex physical movements of various styles of Tai Chi and Kung-Fu. I drew these shapes vertically, horizontally and diagonally, as well as, in a variety of sizes. In these shapes that we all learned in school, I found horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines, curves and circles of all variety. I visualized them normally and as mirror images. I placed them on their sides and even upside down. Eventually, I bent and twisted strings of number shapes and successfully translated the wondrously complex and beautiful physicality of an Eastern movement art into an easily remembered and instantly accessible form for a Westerner. I also created an array of rhyming mnemonics based on numerals and geometric shapes to aid in memorizing various aspects of Chinese history, philosophy, traditional medicine, astrology, Feng Shui and the like. If data was presented to me and designated to be of vital importance, then I created a memory-peg system to help me absorb it quickly and remember it easily. I was overjoyed to find out that my Chinese predecessors had done exactly the same thing! I was introduced to a variety of Chinese “moving memory-pegs.” One routine was a Tai Chi-like series of movements that preserved something called “Chu’s Diagram.” This physical routine demonstrates the principle of binomial coefficients as discovered by the Chinese mystic and mathematician Chu Shih-Chieh in the late 1200’s c.e. (Chu refused to claim authorship of the idea and pointed to an eleventh century Taoist mystic as the inventor. Whatever the story, a Chinese mystic beat the French mathematician Pascal to the discovery of binomial coefficients by more than 500 years!) I learned similar routines that were infused with numbers and numeral usage. Within precisely choreographed gesture and stepping patterns were the secrets of the Mystic Cube of Pao Ch’i-Shou and the world’s oldest magic square, the Lo Shu. In ancient China, fascination with mathematics tended toward two balanced goals; mysticism and practicality. Numbers, both sacred and useful, were considered magical. Today, this idea is honored in the New Forest paradigm.
Meaning And Magic
In the New Forest Way, the numbers 1 through 10 have their own unique symbolism, meaning and usage. This is detailed quite well in my books in the Morning Cup series. I will not repeat myself here and leave it to the reader to investigate further. However, I think it would be useful to take a brief look at the symbolism behind the number shapes strictly from a non-Chinese perspective. Here’s a look at the symbolism of numerals from the European, Greek, Arab and Egyptian traditions. It is these traditions, after all, that form the backbone of our culture in the West.
1 – The number of purpose and definitive action; the straightness of an arrow; the Alpha; a definitive and ritualized beginning; Complete Unity
2 – The number of balance and extremes, light and dark, night and day, etc.; equilibrium; poise and precision; contrasts of colors, forces and ideas; walking and standing; stillness and motion
3 – The number of flexibility and versatility; Pythagoras considered it the most adaptable and useful of numbers; growth; nourishment; Supreme Unity representing past, present and future united as One
4 – The number of endurance; steadiness, focus and force; compass points; the four elements of earth, air, fire and water; considered the oldest number in existence; a coming together; a primitive state
5 – The number of adventure, travel and experiences; reaching for the ultimate; striving toward a goal; unpredictability; the keystone; attaining the ultimate reality
6 – The number of harmony with your surroundings; one with nature; dependability; social convention and obligations; the six colors of the rainbow; perfection
7 – The number of hidden things; mystery; the unknown and the unseen; intuition and intuitive knowledge; notes of the major scale in music; days of the week
8 – The number of success in life’s endeavors; material gain; earthly achievement; meeting the forces of life and nature; moving towards a completion; a moving solidity of action and firm resolve
9 – The number of Universal and spiritual achievement; vibrant mental powers; strength and full development of personality and will
10 – The number of completion (especially in the presence of other numbers); the journey of life; holistic and integrated; intuition realized; surrendering to higher powers
Magic And Meaning
The numeral shapes we employ in New Forest graphically contain everything needed to create or describe any kind of physical movement a human being can perform, no matter how complex. More importantly to us, however, is where that movement comes from. What does it mean? What does it symbolize and express? How should we interact with it? What do we learn from that interaction? It is a fact of our human existence that when we decide that a place or a thing is sacred or magical, we behave as if it really is. Our relationship to that place or thing changes us profoundly. It even changes our biological and emotional functions. Players of New Forest Tai Chi, for example, imagine a great many things when they draw their number shapes and play their routines. Some of those things are listed above. Mostly, however, they open themselves up to the vast cultural memory that lay within each of us. They use shape and symbolism to communicate with their deepest self and, having spoken to their very own soul, they await a reply. What follows is intimacy personified in a dance of will, thought and imagination that is nothing less than breathtaking. To us –like our ancient counterparts—numbers are magical, indeed. When we play the New Forest Way we get to experience that magic “up close and personal.” And it’s great fun!
So, the question is this, “Why do you use number shapes?”
My answer is simple; Why wouldn’t we use number shapes?
Sifu John Bright-Fey
Monday, January 21, 2008
New Forest Tai Chi Principles
Question: "I have been a dedicated Wu Style Tai Chi practitioner for many years. When I was first made aware of New Forest Tai Chi I wrote it off as a paint-by-number game that had very little value. But several people I know of who perform it regularly have been receiving a lot of noticeable benefits from it. That puzzled me. Then I read your translation of the Tao Te Ching and now I’m intrigued. What is the philosophical basis of your style of Tai Chi? To put it bluntly, what does your style do?" --C.T. in Phoenix, Arizona
Answer: Wow! That’s a big question, and one that --I think-- is deserving of a big answer. So, here goes.
New Forest Tai Chi Principles:
Doctrines Of The Way
There are many different interwoven wisdom threads and philosophical frequencies that make up the rich tapestry of the New Forest style of Tai Chi. Each represents a basic metaphysical tenet upon which New Forest Tai Chi is built. In keeping with the Taoist oral tradition, I call them Doctrines of The Way. Of these many threads or doctrines, the following five are, in my view, among the most important:
The Doctrine of Eternity
The Doctrine of Unity
The Doctrine of Evolution
The Doctrine of Duality
The Doctrine of the Mean
The Doctrine of Eternity
Plainly stated, the New Forest Doctrine of Eternity revolves around the idea that our experience of time and its’ passage is eternal. Yet, at the same instant it implies that, in reality, there is no past or future, only a “present ever.” It is our habitual conditioning that tricks us into believing that the past is gone and the future yet to be. In ancient Chinese this is called the Wu-Chi (lit: “the beginning of everything and the beginning of nothing”). It is the formless, unconditioned and limitless Void from which everything comes and to which everything returns.
In the Taoist tradition a plain circle is meant to graphically represent this idea of the eternal void because, as a shape, it has no beginning and no ending. By comparison, triangles and squares as shapes symbolize boundaries and limits. They are, artistically speaking, temporal forms. The circle, however, is symbolic of the non-temporal. It suggests no boundaries or limits and to the ancient Chinese philosophers, it represented eternity itself. The circle is elegant in its simplicity; a single continuous line that neither begins nor ends. It is transcendental in nature and can encompass the smallest grain of sand or the entire universe. It is continuous and ongoing. Chinese astrologers, for example, refer to the yearly cycle as a “turning of the great wheel.” The image and intent of a circle is evoked throughout the Chinese classic known as the I Ching as a means of explaining the continuous nature of change as well as its timeless origin and ever shifting dynamic. The circular motions employed in New Forest Tai Chi serve as an introduction to the Doctrine Of Eternity. This doctrine also implies that a personal shift in perception that fully embraces the eternal void can move your bodymind from the time-bound to the boundless. Engineering this shift in perception is one of the primary goals of New Forest Tai Chi.
The Doctrine of Unity
The Doctrine of Unity begins with the notion that the world we live in --in fact, the entire Universe—is a living thing. Furthermore, it states that we are a vital part of the Universe or Tao. Said another way, this doctrine recognizes the indivisibility of all that exists; specifically, that heaven, earth, and man are one inseparable and integrated whole. Man is seen as being stretched between celestial and terrestrial forces. As such, mankind defines the breadth, depth, and scope of change by the very fact of his existence. In fact, humanity directly exerts the force of existence within the living Tao. When these three aspects of the universe are in balance, then all of creation unfolds in all its many varieties. The New Forest player integrates and balances these three aspects of the Tao through the ancient Taoist science of Harmonizing The Eight Trigrams (or Eight Images) known as the Pa Kua.
They accomplish this by performing archaic meditations and ancient ritual movements that are shamanic by design and can only be thought of as presentations of physical and mental archetypes. This presentation is specifically designed to grant access to primordial energies that lay deep within the bodymind. New Forest Tai Chi players blend these primordial energies with everyday affairs and activities as a means of profoundly affecting their bodymind and altering their consciousness. In the process, they discover a deeper meaning of who and what they are. These meditations and movements are fully explained throughout the course of training in the New Forest Way. It is primarily through these ancient methods that the New Forest player fulfills the Doctrine of Unity. Properly implementing this doctrine during the course of playing New Forest Tai Chi engenders a penetrating aura of serenity and contentment that engineers profound feelings of integration and wholeness. At this point, the player of New Forest Tai Chi begins to operate from that ground of being of which they are a vital part; the Great Tao.
The Doctrine Of Evolution
New Forest Tai Chi is a wonderful tool for learning how to best navigate the currents of life. All things have a natural process of evolution. Cultivators of the New Forest Way refer to this cycle as the Fourfold Phases that reveal the dynamics of change. Specifically, these phases are Yüan or Birth, Heng or Growth, Li or Maturation, and Chen or Declining. New Forest Tai Chi players come to a deep understanding of life’s evolution through a precise study of the inner dynamics of the I Ching, known as the Book Of Changes. In fact, they learn how to use their bodymind as a living Rosetta stone to unlock the secrets of this ancient philosophical text.
All events, people, places, and things move through the Fourfold Phases in a perennial cycle. If one is to understand change and successfully navigate it, then one must be sensitive to ones place within the cycle. Is the energy of a situation just beginning or about to end? Is the force of change in a given situation as yet mature, or is it still expanding in growth, gathering itself to eventually exert mature consequences? The lines of each hexagram in the I Ching, ascending from the bottom to the top, graphically represent the evolution of a changing situation. This wisdom is called Alchemic Wisdom because it speaks to the very substance of change and evolution. Studying the Alchemic wisdom of each hexagram line reveals the dynamic contours of change and allows the New Forest Cultivator to alter and shape his behavior accordingly. In doing so, he is able to make the best use of a changing and evolving event occurring in space and time. New Forest Tai Chi players also learn how to alter and shape their Tai Chi form to reflect the inner workings of a given moment, thereby allowing them closer contact with its intimacies. In doing so, they also learn how to mindfully construct the activities of their life so that each action they take blends seamlessly with the moment. Their day-to-day tasks begin to resonate harmoniously with the contours of individual instants in spacetime and progressively move through each of the four phases of evolution. In doing so, the New Forest Cultivator is drawn so deeply into ordinary activities that each becomes a marvelous vehicle of transcendence. This transcendent state informs the physical movements of the player’s Tai Chi routines.
The Doctrine Of Duality
The New Forest Doctrine of Duality dictates that the universe is composed of two opposing yet complimentary forces locked in continuous oscillation. This idea of cosmic duality is represented by a now universally recognizable symbol; a circle divided by two arcs of opposing centers known as the Yin and Yang.
The Yin and Yang symbol represents the philosophical world conception of the ancient Chinese people. It is the Ovum Mundi or “Egg Of The World” that reduces the multiplicity of all things to a unified synthesis of One. This synthesized One is a perfect interplay of the two great parts of nature known as the Yang and the Yin. In fact, it is from the interplay of these two cosmic breaths that all phenomena originate. This cosmic breath, also known as life-force energy, is called Qi. The symbol is called the Tai Chi Tu or “Grand Origin Diagram”; also referred to simply as “The Diagram” or “Terminus”. (In the graphic language of the I Ching a solid line is used to indicate expressive energy or Yang Qi, while a broken line is used to represent receptive energy or Yin Qi.)
The Yin and Yang represent the extremes of change. All the phenomena and substance of the universe is composed of various combinations of Yin and Yang Qi in flux. Eventually, when a thing reaches its extreme, it becomes its opposite, or, to use a colloquial phrase, “Yin produces Yang, and Yang produces Yin.” Playing New Forest Tai Chi is an act of measuring the dynamic interplay of energy and potential that exists within the moment. The New Forest player learns how to adjusts his own Qi to match the Qi of any given instant in spacetime. The New Forest style is unique among all other styles of Tai Chi because it employs a kind of spiritual intuition that directs the player to improvise within the actual Tai Chi postures and routines. When the Doctrine of Duality is successfully grasped, the New Forest player, employing ancient Taoist contemplative techniques, actually begins to feel the vibratory nature of all the life he encounters. He begins to viscerally regard everything as alive and interacts with it on an energetic level. Living things take on new dimensions and even solid objects appear to dance and move as the player begins to feel the shifts of Yin and Yang Qi within his own bodymind.
The Doctrine Of The Mean
A short verse about the I Ching preserved in the Taoist oral tradition states;
To
This center place
Begins and ends
All
Of that which stands
As the foundation
Of the world.
The I Ching stresses the Doctrine of the Mean, or the Central Course. To academics this doctrine is essentially an ethical teaching that warns us to protect ourselves by not overextending our individual strengths, nor becoming overconfident regarding our weaknesses. But to New Forest Tai Chi players –as well as, authentic Cultivators of the I Ching-- it is so much more than that.
Classical Western science asserts that reality is a phenomenon that exists independently of the person observing it. The Eastern view, however, is quite different. New Forest philosophy holds that each of us is central to the creation of our world. This is an extension of the pre-Taoist worldview that man himself is the creative force of on the face of the planet. Simply put, the universe itself cannot exist unless humanity with all its enterprising resourcefulness is present to complete it. Furthermore, the New Forest Cultivators viewpoint holds that reality can only be created and completed by a living system possessed of a precise equilibrium of energy, intent and consciousness. The Doctrine of the Mean, in this context, is a philosophy of psycho-physical balance.
In practice, the New Forest Tai Chi player gathers his energy, intent and consciousness as directed by the changing dynamics of the moment and balances them one against the other. Identifying each physical activity as an inward focusing or outward strengthening, he stands poised in the threshold between the non-physical world of the Tao and the physical world of consensual experience. At the same time, he exists at the center of each. Thus poised and centered, he invites influence, awaits its appearance and moves accordingly. It’s as if the Cultivator --an agent of the Tao-- asks of himself a profound question and does so with every fiber of his being. He then surrenders completely to the Tao and waits for a response. I say ‘profound’ question because only by engaging the great questions in life can we usher in new ways of knowing and being. Playing Tai Chi would be useless without a bodymind balanced and poised to receive life-changing wisdom from the universe. This wisdom can take the form of empirical understanding driven by reason or mystical knowing driven by intuition. In point of fact, to the authentic New Forest Cultivator they are the same thing.
When not playing Tai Chi routines, the Cultivator actualizes this doctrine during daily activity by being mindfully aware of mental, physical and spiritual balance. For example, every action begins from or passes through a point of central equilibrium where the facets of a given situation may be assessed and a prudent course of action formulated. The stability and control of a bodymind adhering to the Doctrine of the Mean manifests itself in the tone, timbre, and execution of the physical movement, intellectual reasoning and emotional responsiveness. Eventually, New Forest Tai Chi players begin to feel as if it’s possible to dive deeply into any experience they might choose. At this point, they experience the earth itself as a complex living being of which they are a vital part. Employing the methods taught in a New Forest Tai Chi class will physically manifest this doctrine.
New Forest: A Cocoon Of Change
These New Forest doctrines concern themselves with the rhythm, breadth and depth, dynamics, extremes, and foundations of change within the flux and flow of the universe. Viewing each of them as interweaving threads, each with its own language, symbolism, as well as a pace, purpose and style of physical movement, a philosophical cocoon is created that fully encloses the New Forest Tai Chi player. Furthermore, each doctrine is actualized by the demonstrable art and craft of our Tai Chi. We move through our Tai Chi routines guided by elevated levels of intuition and awash in creative potential. As we do, we consult the Tao with our gestures, create moments and physically express the laws of flux with the very substance of our bodymind. Indeed, we create a cocoon of change out of the warp and woof of the universe itself; and it is a sacred space.
According to Taoist oral tradition, these and other esoteric principles are revealed to adepts while in profound dream states. Indeed, New Forest Tai Chi was revealed to me in such a waking dream state. When played within this dream state it literally hums with mystic force. While in the waking dream of the New Forest style of Tai Chi, the Cultivator carefully brings its many doctrines together within a sacred space and weaves a tapestry of intent and expression. And, speaking to all the worlds of heaven and earth he, quite literally, creates a living and dynamic poem of change.
That’s what my Tai Chi does. Does yours?
Sifu John Bright-Fey
Answer: Wow! That’s a big question, and one that --I think-- is deserving of a big answer. So, here goes.
New Forest Tai Chi Principles:
Doctrines Of The Way
There are many different interwoven wisdom threads and philosophical frequencies that make up the rich tapestry of the New Forest style of Tai Chi. Each represents a basic metaphysical tenet upon which New Forest Tai Chi is built. In keeping with the Taoist oral tradition, I call them Doctrines of The Way. Of these many threads or doctrines, the following five are, in my view, among the most important:
The Doctrine of Eternity
The Doctrine of Unity
The Doctrine of Evolution
The Doctrine of Duality
The Doctrine of the Mean
The Doctrine of Eternity
Plainly stated, the New Forest Doctrine of Eternity revolves around the idea that our experience of time and its’ passage is eternal. Yet, at the same instant it implies that, in reality, there is no past or future, only a “present ever.” It is our habitual conditioning that tricks us into believing that the past is gone and the future yet to be. In ancient Chinese this is called the Wu-Chi (lit: “the beginning of everything and the beginning of nothing”). It is the formless, unconditioned and limitless Void from which everything comes and to which everything returns.
In the Taoist tradition a plain circle is meant to graphically represent this idea of the eternal void because, as a shape, it has no beginning and no ending. By comparison, triangles and squares as shapes symbolize boundaries and limits. They are, artistically speaking, temporal forms. The circle, however, is symbolic of the non-temporal. It suggests no boundaries or limits and to the ancient Chinese philosophers, it represented eternity itself. The circle is elegant in its simplicity; a single continuous line that neither begins nor ends. It is transcendental in nature and can encompass the smallest grain of sand or the entire universe. It is continuous and ongoing. Chinese astrologers, for example, refer to the yearly cycle as a “turning of the great wheel.” The image and intent of a circle is evoked throughout the Chinese classic known as the I Ching as a means of explaining the continuous nature of change as well as its timeless origin and ever shifting dynamic. The circular motions employed in New Forest Tai Chi serve as an introduction to the Doctrine Of Eternity. This doctrine also implies that a personal shift in perception that fully embraces the eternal void can move your bodymind from the time-bound to the boundless. Engineering this shift in perception is one of the primary goals of New Forest Tai Chi.
The Doctrine of Unity
The Doctrine of Unity begins with the notion that the world we live in --in fact, the entire Universe—is a living thing. Furthermore, it states that we are a vital part of the Universe or Tao. Said another way, this doctrine recognizes the indivisibility of all that exists; specifically, that heaven, earth, and man are one inseparable and integrated whole. Man is seen as being stretched between celestial and terrestrial forces. As such, mankind defines the breadth, depth, and scope of change by the very fact of his existence. In fact, humanity directly exerts the force of existence within the living Tao. When these three aspects of the universe are in balance, then all of creation unfolds in all its many varieties. The New Forest player integrates and balances these three aspects of the Tao through the ancient Taoist science of Harmonizing The Eight Trigrams (or Eight Images) known as the Pa Kua.
They accomplish this by performing archaic meditations and ancient ritual movements that are shamanic by design and can only be thought of as presentations of physical and mental archetypes. This presentation is specifically designed to grant access to primordial energies that lay deep within the bodymind. New Forest Tai Chi players blend these primordial energies with everyday affairs and activities as a means of profoundly affecting their bodymind and altering their consciousness. In the process, they discover a deeper meaning of who and what they are. These meditations and movements are fully explained throughout the course of training in the New Forest Way. It is primarily through these ancient methods that the New Forest player fulfills the Doctrine of Unity. Properly implementing this doctrine during the course of playing New Forest Tai Chi engenders a penetrating aura of serenity and contentment that engineers profound feelings of integration and wholeness. At this point, the player of New Forest Tai Chi begins to operate from that ground of being of which they are a vital part; the Great Tao.
The Doctrine Of Evolution
New Forest Tai Chi is a wonderful tool for learning how to best navigate the currents of life. All things have a natural process of evolution. Cultivators of the New Forest Way refer to this cycle as the Fourfold Phases that reveal the dynamics of change. Specifically, these phases are Yüan or Birth, Heng or Growth, Li or Maturation, and Chen or Declining. New Forest Tai Chi players come to a deep understanding of life’s evolution through a precise study of the inner dynamics of the I Ching, known as the Book Of Changes. In fact, they learn how to use their bodymind as a living Rosetta stone to unlock the secrets of this ancient philosophical text.
All events, people, places, and things move through the Fourfold Phases in a perennial cycle. If one is to understand change and successfully navigate it, then one must be sensitive to ones place within the cycle. Is the energy of a situation just beginning or about to end? Is the force of change in a given situation as yet mature, or is it still expanding in growth, gathering itself to eventually exert mature consequences? The lines of each hexagram in the I Ching, ascending from the bottom to the top, graphically represent the evolution of a changing situation. This wisdom is called Alchemic Wisdom because it speaks to the very substance of change and evolution. Studying the Alchemic wisdom of each hexagram line reveals the dynamic contours of change and allows the New Forest Cultivator to alter and shape his behavior accordingly. In doing so, he is able to make the best use of a changing and evolving event occurring in space and time. New Forest Tai Chi players also learn how to alter and shape their Tai Chi form to reflect the inner workings of a given moment, thereby allowing them closer contact with its intimacies. In doing so, they also learn how to mindfully construct the activities of their life so that each action they take blends seamlessly with the moment. Their day-to-day tasks begin to resonate harmoniously with the contours of individual instants in spacetime and progressively move through each of the four phases of evolution. In doing so, the New Forest Cultivator is drawn so deeply into ordinary activities that each becomes a marvelous vehicle of transcendence. This transcendent state informs the physical movements of the player’s Tai Chi routines.
The Doctrine Of Duality
The New Forest Doctrine of Duality dictates that the universe is composed of two opposing yet complimentary forces locked in continuous oscillation. This idea of cosmic duality is represented by a now universally recognizable symbol; a circle divided by two arcs of opposing centers known as the Yin and Yang.
The Yin and Yang symbol represents the philosophical world conception of the ancient Chinese people. It is the Ovum Mundi or “Egg Of The World” that reduces the multiplicity of all things to a unified synthesis of One. This synthesized One is a perfect interplay of the two great parts of nature known as the Yang and the Yin. In fact, it is from the interplay of these two cosmic breaths that all phenomena originate. This cosmic breath, also known as life-force energy, is called Qi. The symbol is called the Tai Chi Tu or “Grand Origin Diagram”; also referred to simply as “The Diagram” or “Terminus”. (In the graphic language of the I Ching a solid line is used to indicate expressive energy or Yang Qi, while a broken line is used to represent receptive energy or Yin Qi.)
The Yin and Yang represent the extremes of change. All the phenomena and substance of the universe is composed of various combinations of Yin and Yang Qi in flux. Eventually, when a thing reaches its extreme, it becomes its opposite, or, to use a colloquial phrase, “Yin produces Yang, and Yang produces Yin.” Playing New Forest Tai Chi is an act of measuring the dynamic interplay of energy and potential that exists within the moment. The New Forest player learns how to adjusts his own Qi to match the Qi of any given instant in spacetime. The New Forest style is unique among all other styles of Tai Chi because it employs a kind of spiritual intuition that directs the player to improvise within the actual Tai Chi postures and routines. When the Doctrine of Duality is successfully grasped, the New Forest player, employing ancient Taoist contemplative techniques, actually begins to feel the vibratory nature of all the life he encounters. He begins to viscerally regard everything as alive and interacts with it on an energetic level. Living things take on new dimensions and even solid objects appear to dance and move as the player begins to feel the shifts of Yin and Yang Qi within his own bodymind.
The Doctrine Of The Mean
A short verse about the I Ching preserved in the Taoist oral tradition states;
To
This center place
Begins and ends
All
Of that which stands
As the foundation
Of the world.
The I Ching stresses the Doctrine of the Mean, or the Central Course. To academics this doctrine is essentially an ethical teaching that warns us to protect ourselves by not overextending our individual strengths, nor becoming overconfident regarding our weaknesses. But to New Forest Tai Chi players –as well as, authentic Cultivators of the I Ching-- it is so much more than that.
Classical Western science asserts that reality is a phenomenon that exists independently of the person observing it. The Eastern view, however, is quite different. New Forest philosophy holds that each of us is central to the creation of our world. This is an extension of the pre-Taoist worldview that man himself is the creative force of on the face of the planet. Simply put, the universe itself cannot exist unless humanity with all its enterprising resourcefulness is present to complete it. Furthermore, the New Forest Cultivators viewpoint holds that reality can only be created and completed by a living system possessed of a precise equilibrium of energy, intent and consciousness. The Doctrine of the Mean, in this context, is a philosophy of psycho-physical balance.
In practice, the New Forest Tai Chi player gathers his energy, intent and consciousness as directed by the changing dynamics of the moment and balances them one against the other. Identifying each physical activity as an inward focusing or outward strengthening, he stands poised in the threshold between the non-physical world of the Tao and the physical world of consensual experience. At the same time, he exists at the center of each. Thus poised and centered, he invites influence, awaits its appearance and moves accordingly. It’s as if the Cultivator --an agent of the Tao-- asks of himself a profound question and does so with every fiber of his being. He then surrenders completely to the Tao and waits for a response. I say ‘profound’ question because only by engaging the great questions in life can we usher in new ways of knowing and being. Playing Tai Chi would be useless without a bodymind balanced and poised to receive life-changing wisdom from the universe. This wisdom can take the form of empirical understanding driven by reason or mystical knowing driven by intuition. In point of fact, to the authentic New Forest Cultivator they are the same thing.
When not playing Tai Chi routines, the Cultivator actualizes this doctrine during daily activity by being mindfully aware of mental, physical and spiritual balance. For example, every action begins from or passes through a point of central equilibrium where the facets of a given situation may be assessed and a prudent course of action formulated. The stability and control of a bodymind adhering to the Doctrine of the Mean manifests itself in the tone, timbre, and execution of the physical movement, intellectual reasoning and emotional responsiveness. Eventually, New Forest Tai Chi players begin to feel as if it’s possible to dive deeply into any experience they might choose. At this point, they experience the earth itself as a complex living being of which they are a vital part. Employing the methods taught in a New Forest Tai Chi class will physically manifest this doctrine.
New Forest: A Cocoon Of Change
These New Forest doctrines concern themselves with the rhythm, breadth and depth, dynamics, extremes, and foundations of change within the flux and flow of the universe. Viewing each of them as interweaving threads, each with its own language, symbolism, as well as a pace, purpose and style of physical movement, a philosophical cocoon is created that fully encloses the New Forest Tai Chi player. Furthermore, each doctrine is actualized by the demonstrable art and craft of our Tai Chi. We move through our Tai Chi routines guided by elevated levels of intuition and awash in creative potential. As we do, we consult the Tao with our gestures, create moments and physically express the laws of flux with the very substance of our bodymind. Indeed, we create a cocoon of change out of the warp and woof of the universe itself; and it is a sacred space.
According to Taoist oral tradition, these and other esoteric principles are revealed to adepts while in profound dream states. Indeed, New Forest Tai Chi was revealed to me in such a waking dream state. When played within this dream state it literally hums with mystic force. While in the waking dream of the New Forest style of Tai Chi, the Cultivator carefully brings its many doctrines together within a sacred space and weaves a tapestry of intent and expression. And, speaking to all the worlds of heaven and earth he, quite literally, creates a living and dynamic poem of change.
That’s what my Tai Chi does. Does yours?
Sifu John Bright-Fey
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