I had a great tai chi practice this morning — so much so that I’m running late, and can’t stay to type. Stay warm everyone, and safe on the roads during any upcoming bad weather.
I’m on semi-retreat this weekend; there may or may not be entries on Saturday and Sunday, as time permits and wifi access allows.
Hello Andrew! I hope you’re enjoying your semi-retreat.
Thank you so much for going to the trouble of putting the Tai Chi poem all in one place. I have decided to return once more unto the breach, and give learning Tai Chi via your poetry another go. The thought of tackling it again is a bit daunting, honestly. The problem is that, me with a literal total of maybe three hours of tai chi instruction in my life– none of which were the form you presented– I have zero confidence that the movements I make are correct when trying to follow text instructions. A little bit of real life example goes a long way.
Luckily, I have found a possible way to continue forward. I have a close friend here who practices Tai Chi. He’s not a Tai Chi instructor, but he’s practiced on and off for 30 years. I told him about your poem, and he was quite excited by the thought of it. Even though he doesn’t speak English! (He can read a little, though.) He says that many great Chinese teachers have taught Tai Chi through poetry– that when it comes to writing, poetry is probably the very best way to teach it. The fact that you’re a Druid was actually a selling point for him. 🙂
He looked at the start of the Tai Chi poem, and said that he could understand it fine so far– probably, having a real world physical point of reference, despite the lack of any nuanced English comprehension, he understands it better than I do!
Anyway. We’re going to start attempting to work through the poem together soon. I’ll keep you posted with any progress.
Changing the subject: as you probably recall, I have some special issues with tidying up. Your recent comment to the effect that you’re *not* someone who hoards to the point of leaving just a narrow path to walk for yourself… well, let’s just say I’m happy for you. Anyway, I saw your recent references to Marie Kondo’s “Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” book, and it really piqued my interest. It appears that she was a shrine miko for several years, and it looks like the Shinto/animist worldview really shines through in her method. It’s right up my alley, and exactly what I’ve been looking for, I think. Already ordered a copy, will hopefully be here in about 3 weeks.
I’m very happy to have discovered it through your blog. I feel like there is a meaningful message in that very fact, as well.