The Vital Force Archive
Eighteen years of The Vital Force (2007-2025), the journal of the T’ai Chi Chih community. Search for a word, a teacher, a movement or a place, or browse by category and topic.
May 2012 (Memorial Issue)
The May 2012 Memorial Issue is devoted to Justin Stone, who died that year, pairing excerpts from his books with tributes from across the community. KG remembers him as the love of her life, Antonia Cooper and Sandy McAlister share their memories, and Albuquerque students including Amy Tyksinski recount his final days and last quiet breath.
Justin Stone explains mantras, one-pointed mind and a Shinran verse, followed by memories from Pam Towne of her 1984 Santa Barbara accreditation and Donna McElhose of corrections on Daughter in the Valley and Joyous Breath.
Passages from Justin Stone on intuitive living, sentience in plants and rocks and the drone beneath Indian music, followed by memorial tributes from Alice Holden, Terry Slaney, Rose Alvarez-Diosdado and May Swanson.
Teachers and students from Alberta to Hawaii send memorial tributes to Justin Stone, including Julie Heryet's account of bringing news of his death to her T'ai Chi Chih class inside Folsom Prison.
Justin Stone's advice to move as if slowly swimming through heavy air opens a page of memorial notes from Margot Fish, James Hecker, Patricia Strand, Christeen McLain, Linda Watson and Judith Schwartz.
Justin Stone, drawing on Professor Wen-Shan Huang, distinguishes the chi you are born with from the chi accumulated in this life and stored below the navel or in the bones, followed by tributes from teachers in North Carolina, Houston, New York and Ontario.
A memorial page marking Justin Stone's dates of birth and death, with his words on gratitude, a verse from Climb the Joyous Mountain, and his three requests: cremation, his ashes spread in New Mexico by attorney Steve Vogel, and no memorial service.
Short tributes gathered after Justin Stone's death, with Mary J Case quoting Guru Nanak on death as a gateway, Amy Hackenberg recalling his advice that she would teach well once she settled down, and Sr Francis Kay tracing TCC groups from Minnesota to Harare.
KG remembers Justin Stone as the love of her life, whose unconditional encouragement always pushed her toward practice, meditation and Awareness, and pledges that Good Karma Publishing and The Vital Force will keep his words alive.
Justin Stone's words on renunciation and the joy of the Now are joined by memorial notes from Pete Gregory, Jerry Granok's Pyramid Poem, Jerry Bumbalough's call to teach Alzheimer's and homebound students, Neal Roy and David White.
Beverly Weil's poem "A Luminescence" honors a bare winter tree rooted against a luminous sky and dances with it in flowing Chi, followed by Elena Terenzoni's thanks from Italy.
Passages from the Lotus Sutra, a Nasrudin joke, the story of the old woman breaking her broom over Hakuin's head, and Hakuin's Song of Enlightenment, followed by memorial notes to Justin Stone from teachers across the country.
Carmen Brocklehurst sets Justin Stone's words on the windless candle and the joy at our center alongside Paul Reps urging Justin to leave his brokerage firm, and an account of Justin's peaceful last breath.
Short tributes from teachers and students worldwide, including Pete Gregory's elevator encounter with Justin at the 2005 Albuquerque conference and Sharon Sirkis turning conference "umm's" into "OM's".
Justin Stone names the t'an t'ien as the storehouse of chi and seat of intuition, followed by remembrances from Hannah Hedrick, Sharon Cushman, Becky Watkins and Steve Wornoff.
Short farewells to Justin Stone from Lucy Hocking, who visited his Carmel home to see his paintings and hear him play jazz piano, plus haiku from Eric Imbody and a Gandhi quotation from Tony Risos.
Passages from Justin Stone on gratitude, impermanence and freeing oneself from conditions, followed by memories from Steve Ridley, David Schulberg, Linda Robinson and Mark Harrell of his blunt corrections and lasting teaching.
A Zen poster verse on gratitude and desire, followed by remembrances of Justin Stone from Dee Burton, Sandra Freda and Barbara Lippert written just after his passing.
Justin Stone on the teacher-pupil relationship, softness that cannot be forced, the nothing-empty emptiness, integrity as teh, and his insistence that a teacher teach T'ai Chi Chih and nothing else.
Zen verses on chanting and enlightenment are followed by remembrances from Beth Preston, who practised seated after breaking her foot, Dina Ajlenberg in Israel, Deborah Massey and Anita Vestal.
Antonia Cooper recalls Justin Stone's quip about organized religion and his 2003 invitation to become Guide of T'ai Chi Chih, while Sandy McAlister remembers a silent look that took twenty years to understand.
Sheryl Adair gathers 43 four-leaf clovers on a walk after Justin's death and offers two Pyramid Poems, while Caroline Guillot recounts being told "You are leaning, dear" across a teacher practice circle in Albuquerque.
Albuquerque students remember Justin Stone: Amy Tyksinski was present for his final quiet, effortless breath, Judy Hendricks recounts his last days under hospice care, and Mary White, Guy Kent, Kathy Grassel and others add memories, poems and thanks.
Minnesota teachers including Judy George, Deb Bertelsen, Leslie Keith, Laurie Jacobi, Ron Barker and Sue Bitney recall Justin Stone's corrections to their wrists and waist, and quote lines from Spiritual Odyssey.
Justin Stone's welcome from his instructional DVD, on flowing softly through heavy air, concentration in the Bubbling Spring of the soles and storing chi below the navel, followed by tributes from Corine Reeber, Pete Gregory and Catherine Boillot.