Peace

Most of us are familiar with the song: “Let There Be Peace on Earth” by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson, popular in the 1960s. This title could be our theme as T’ai Chi Chih teachers and students. The following words are “and let it begin with me.” Justin often commented that if everyone in the world practiced TCC, there would be peace. Our world has been anything but peaceful with tensions between warring nations; many natural disasters, such as tornados, earthquakes, fires; and most recently Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast. Our hearts mourn once again in the wake of yet another massacre of young children in Newtown, Connecticut. There will always be these tensions in our world and in ourselves.

We know that the faithful practice of the TCC form begins its work of transformation on all levels of one’s being – body, mind and spirit. This includes the cellular level, with every “cell singing with joy.” And the grooves in the brain, produced by vashanas – habit energies – begin to heal, so that one begins to move from the center, core of one’s being, rather than by a thoughtless reaction. The psyche also comes into balance as the anima (in Jungian psychology, the feminine aspect of a man’s personality – early 20th century Latin meaning: breath, soul, spirit) and animus (in Jungian psychology, the masculine aspect of a woman’s personality – 19th century Latin meaning: mind, spirit)begin to emerge in new ways. These also refer to the true inner self as opposed to the outer persona. In reflecting on this aspect of ourselves and the inner change that evolves, I wonder how central this may be to Justin’s understanding of the “uncarved block?”

How truly amazing all of this is in considering that it is accomplished by “the effort of no effort” and of “letting go,” whether that is of ego, or as simply stepping aside to allow the opponent to pass by unharmed.

Inner peace seems to be a basic benefit or gift of the practice. So many have expressed this in one way or another over the years. The inmates of Folsom Prison and other facilities experience an inner peace that gives strength to allow them to remain calm in very stressful situations.

This peace is experienced at the core of our being, where we feel centered and grounded. It gives a sense of certainty, “knowing who and what you are.” This sense of knowing, based in Chih, extends from our deepest inner integrity to the outer limits of the most distant constellations in that embrace of the universal energy. At its core is the mystery of Chi, circulating and balancing, resulting in a deep sense of well-being and wholeness in the never-ending invitation to “become.” We enter into the flow… the presence … the awareness, and it is as if we have just begun to know, when the discovery of our deepest selves takes on another level of consciousness.

It is the inner peace that is experienced after a practice while sitting in silence, allowing ourselves to “receive.” “No thinking, no technique, no mantra repetition, no watching the breath, but just sitting quietly in a chair.” Justin would say, “You may receive more than you bargained for.”

The gift of practice presents us with the joy of recognizing peace as we perceive it in our daily lives. We come to a deeper appreciation of that inner stillness and find ourselves being grateful for everything.

“I don’t remember what I was like before T’ai Chi Chih.” Change, evolution, enlightenment, certainty, joy, peace. May each of you experience new levels of each in the New Year.

Pyramid Poems

i

listen

in the rest

to the music

of stillness

without 

form

– Sandy McAlister

breathe

yin yang

intention

to be here now:

beyond me,

my, mine,

ah

– Alice Holden 

sigh

yawning

 relaxing

soles of the feet

surrender

be here

now

– Diana Wright

wife

sharing

T’ai Chi Chih

one more piece in

the puzzle

of one-

ness

– Tony Johansen

i

must lose

ownership

of the outcome

to be here

in the

now

– Jocelyn Samson