Creating Space

Workshop with Antonia Cooper in Omaha, NE; March 30-31, 2008

By Rita Otis, Host

Meister Eckhart, a 12th century mystic, tells us the divine is not found by a process of addition but by a process of subtraction. This process could also be called “creating space.” When I teach a class I am especially aware of creating a space for students to explore their bodies with movement. When we create sacred space those that need to show up will show up, and what needs to happen will happen.

Last November Lorraine Lepine suggested that we have a workshop in either Kansas City or Omaha the end of March since Sister Antonia would be close by. Opening to the idea, I decided to just let this workshop be another opportunity to create space. The response was incredible; it was very much like “build it and they will come.” Forty people signed up for the workshop – some came from far away; some were teachers and others were students; some were friends of students and others came to T’ai Chi Chih for the first time. They all gathered in Omaha.

Of course, I did some preparation for the workshop – planning a schedule, buying supplies, rearranging furniture at the church. But the main thing I did was hosting. Hosting is creating non-threatening space for people to be comfortable. People need to know what is going to happen, and they need to know they can be who they really are without being judged. Once those things are in place, each person’s individual story (including my own) will play out the way it is supposed to.

Creating space also means you will be surprised. Something will show up that you did not expect. In fact, if you are not surprised, you may not have opened the space enough; perhaps there’s too much holding and thinking. The surprise may be feeling joy or seeing things in a different light. Not all surprises will be subtle; some may be very dramatic. During our workshop as we gently moved, one of the double pane windows shattered. The glass stayed in the frame, but the cracks and shapes showed the intensity of our energy. What a visible sign of the Chi!

When we practice TCC individually, we also are create space. We first set aside a time for practice. We take time apart from the busyness of the day, and we take a mental break as well as a physical one. We then practice the form with awareness not judgment. From there it is all about getting out of the way.

As Lao Tsu says in Chapter Eleven of the Tao Te Ching:

“Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub; it is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel; it is the space within that makes it useful.

Cut doors and windows for a room; it is the holes which make it useful.

Therefore profit comes from what is there; usefulness from what is not there.”

Comments from Workshop Participants

“TCC has become a daily activity since my first workshop. It goes hand in hand with my Zen meditation practice. I’ve also started reading Spiritual Odyssey and Meditation for Healing, both by Justin Stone. One can really see how much Justin is rooted in Zen. I would especially recommend Spiritual Journey to anyone. It is a treasure for daily spiritual reading at any stage of training or practice.” – M. Fa Jian Melchizedek, OHY

“I am practicing TCC and it is really improving my balance. I also experienced some rather stunning medical improvements after the first class. I am reading the [photo text] book, listening to [Justin Stone Speaks on TCC], and working with the [instructional] video. I knew that I needed this; it just took a long time to get hooked up.” – Dan Hirsch

“Wow, what an awesome and inspiring time. Between the vibrations of the bells and our vibrations, the intensity of the practice and Chi broke through. It had to be liberated, moved, set about in motion; it was very powerful for me. I actually saw a flash of light just as it hit, which I don’t care to analyze. I am just enjoying it. Today I’m noticing that my metabolism is different, and my face looks different too. I feel very different.” – MaryAnn Calta