The Vital Force Archive

Alice Holden's account of the 40th anniversary conference at Kean University, where 102 participants heard Sandy McAlister refine the movements, Pam Towne present Seijaku, and Neal Roy's raffle raise over $2000 for scholarships.

An advance notice of the 2015 T'ai Chi Chih conference, set for August 6-9 at Black Mountain in the Southern Appalachian Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, with details online.

Teachers at the 2014 conference wrote single words describing T'ai Chi Chih and pinned them to the "Grounded in Growth" tree, from Rootedness and Flow to TEH and Surrender.

Justin Stone's teaching keys for Pulling in the Energy and all four Pulling Taffy variations, correcting flat feet, horizontal palms, waist turns and weight shifts timed to the pulling hand.

Carmen Brocklehurst's introduction to a DVD of Justin Stone's 2005 conference talk, recalling his piano playing in Hong Kong, his favorite word teh (inner sincerity), and the message of gratitude he left for teachers two weeks before he died.

Susan Quinn, with no teacher nearby in Florida, prepared for accreditation through Skype lessons with Karen Goran, retreat feedback from Pam Towne and Antonia, twice-daily practice, and coaching from her husband Jerry.

Carol Spicer registered over 60 people for the Saturday community practice, half of them newcomers drawn by newspaper and online outreach, who followed Sandy's lead with harp music and little verbal instruction.

April Leffler rereads Justin Stone's letters to her after accreditation and feels the loving chi in them, while Jim Kaib describes auditing accreditations to keep a beginner's mind.

Carol Spicer answers the question of what to do with the knees, hips and ankles with a single instruction, let them be, describing grounding through the soles of the feet and strength arising from softness.

After a fall left her with a fractured ankle and an Aircast boot, Margery Erickson practised seated Seijaku and TCC from a stool, feeling energy gather at the t'an t'ien.

Linda Braga traces definitions of cosmic consciousness from Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke's 1894 paper to Dr. Stanley Dean's ten manifestations, drawing on Ruth-Inge Heinze's book The Light In the Dark.

Cleo Royal links the give and take of Pulling In The Energy to the American Indian Potlatch tradition, and suggests TCC teachers host their own giving events.

Fran Kaib describes how years of T'ai Chi Chih widened her narrow emotional range at age 63, bringing jealousy, tears, anger and unexpected fun, and making conscious what was unconscious.

Sandy McAlister reports the conference session on T'ai Chi Chih's future: teacher training fees rising to $525 in 2015, new scholarships for teachers who fully audit, and talks on attracting men, younger students and greater diversity.

Daniel Pienciak traces his own knee pain from figure skating and its easing through practice, then advises smaller steps, softening rather than gripping, and letting the knee lead the weight shift.

A primer on the five independent organizations behind T'ai Chi Chih, with details from Dora Wiemann, Guy Kent, Carmen Brocklehurst and Sandy McAlister on each group's history, services, revenue and volunteer boards.

Mary Frances Reis describes how a three-month stay at an eco-spirituality center led her to match the nineteen movements to Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry's universe story, from Rocking Motion as the flaring forth onward.

In a letter shared by Dan Pienciak, Fran Alexander describes breaking her ankle in three places, healing far faster than predicted with added bone density at nearly 70, and teaching elderly relatives in Florida.

Maja Sofie Kristiansen recounts failing at candle meditation, mindfulness CDs and yoga before an ad in Seal Beach led her to Suzanne Roady-Ross's class, where her mind finally quieted.

Lisa M. Otero argues that Justin Stone deliberately left no hierarchy to govern TCC after his death, recalling his warning that organizing a spiritual movement corrupts it, and resolving to take individual responsibility for the practice's integrity.

Justin Stone recounts the Hua-Yen candle and mirrors demonstration, the gilded lion, sayings of Confucius, Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, a Zen master living under a Kyoto bridge, and Tat Tvam Asi.