TCC & The Aramaic Lord’s Prayer

While this may seem an unlikely combination at first glance, the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic was designed to be embodied and intoned. It was a way to come into the vibration, sound and light of One Being and Sacred Unity, the Breathing Life of all. Sound familiar? As we practice T’ai Chi Chih we “come into rhythm with the cosmos.” TCC is a way to have “knowledge of the Supreme Ultimate,” as Justin put it, and to learn “who and what we are.”

I first studied the prayer in 2010 and found it inspiring but certainly not a quick read. As I practiced it the first time with the TCC movements it opened my heart to a deeper level.

Here are some thoughts of how the prayer brought a deeper meaning of T’ai Chi Chih for me.

Rocking Motion: The words of this old hymn seem to resonate with the purpose of TCC: “Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith, on heaven’s tableland. A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Bird Flaps Its Wings: In Christianity wings are Truth and Love, in Buddhism they are Wisdom and Compassion. For me it is Gratitude and Grace, or maybe Self-Effort and Grace.

Around the Platter: I feel that my small “I Am” is circling the platter – coming into rhythm with the cosmos and all of the ever-changing creative forces of life.

Around the Platter Variation: As we pick up the little ball of energy (our individual “I am”) it starts around the circle and then releases and unites with all of life (family, friends, community, nature, planet, universe, galaxy). At last, for me, the variation movements made sense. I feel myself coming into rhythm with the divine rhythm, merging.

Bass Drum: As we circle down and around we are like a steam shovel digging the earth to make space and room for a precious new plant and the new growth it will bring. We are making space in our busy, often superficial lives, for the divine to enter in.

Daughter on the Mountain Top – Daughter in the Valley: We have made a holy space within and affirmed our I-am-ness – now. We are asking the Lord to come quickly and to enter us. Give us divine inspiration and purpose. Daughter on the Mountaintop gathers the Chi, the essence of the divine from the heavens and brings it down the front of the body. Daughter in the Valley pulls the Chi, the essence of the divine, up from the earth and releases it outward to the world. We are gathering and circulating love and imploring the One Being to work though us.

Carry the Ball to the Side: We circulate and gather the Chi in circles and then we press it down, grounding it. This line re-affirms our “I can-ness.” Let heaven and earth connect through me. May my inspiration, life’s purpose and actions be in sync and in rhythm with the divine, with the creative forces of the cosmos. When we are in rhythm we live in delight and great joy… Feel it.

Push Pull: We need to let go and remove the clutter before we can receive. We ask for what we need, our nourishment and understanding, so that we can hear within us for just this one illuminated moment in time. We do not need to hoard the wisdom – we receive and let go and receive and release – and trust. Grounded in being here now.

Pulling in the Energy: Here we ask the divine to soften the rigid places within us so with each breath, each heartbeat we can return to the source – to the beginning of the beginning – starting fresh with each new moment – loosening the ties that bind us. This means welcoming all the varied voices within and inviting them to dine around the table – with love – not judgment. Making peace with all the voices within ourselves, bringing them into harmony, brings peace to our world.

We repeat the first feelings and intuitions of the prayer as we continue through the TCC movements and move to the last two lines of the prayer.

Joyous Breath: When we do things that are out of rhythm, not at the right time, let us come back into right action, right timing, being present and grounded in our lives and with our actions. May we be in tune with the divine.

Passing Clouds: This line affirms that we will nurture this holy place within and take the vision that has been given to us to accomplish what we came here to do and to return to the divine light, sound and harmonious song of the universe – from gathering to gathering. This is what I stand for and this is where my new growth will come. It is a promise, an affirmation.

This is a very brief summary of the expansive meanings of the prayer as I personally feel them with the movements. I hope you find your own connection with the divine as you ground yourself in the movements as an embodied being. As Justin says, the purpose of our practice is to learn a little more each day about “who and what we are.”