Hi all,
Flow. Practice. Interesting words!
I like the comparison of movement, prayer, athletics, etc. Very nice, Kate.
We have a variety of movement practices in qigong movement. Tai Chi is actually qigong in its more flowery form, and of course has its roots in the very old qigong practices of say maybe 5,000 years ago or more. I tend to refer to the movement and dance of Chinese Shaman from that period as qigong, because it is exactly that - and was around thousands of years before Taoism, Buddhism or any organized concept of religion or energy practice existed.
And for that reason, the shamanic ways of China are my favorite parts of this art of Chinese medicine, although sadly often forgotten.
The shaman danced and stomped and moved and stretched and leaped and sang - to nature. And with nature also. Engaging the energies of nature, burning herbs and using fire, rock, wood - elements of nature, the shaman was a performer, magician, doctor and friend to all in his or her own rite. Even in the ancient books of Taoism you encounter some amazing stuff on shamanism,
my favorite being taken from the Ch'u culture - from the "Ch'u Tzu" (or "Song of the Land of Ch'u"). The "nine songs" are by far my absolute favorite. They are quite powerful and were sung and danced in sacred context, with the shaman courting the love of nature and invoking spirits in passionate longing. The shaman courted nature - and often a shamaness responded with her own heart singing out for the one she loved.
Ah, nature. Energies of all that is around us! Do we need a formal system to "practice" if we are aware... or does it all just neatly (or not so neatly) fall into place? I think if you have respect and love for nature and all around you that in itself is a good practice. Taoists call it good "Tao Te" (the "way of virtue") and Buddhists talk about "karma." Does it matter? Not too much really. Just different languages.
One might invoke the Volleyball-God standing on a rainy beach during a game and lo and behold the clouds part if this is done with the correct mind and heart, perhaps... is there really a "Volleyball-God?" Maybe.
My view is that he is a collection of energies, of like minded thought, by like minded people who speak the same language. Just as Zhen Wu is the famous thunder god of the Wudang Mountains, and connected with for various reasons to this day by devout Taoists, or Jesus is to Catholics, the Volleyball-God is to volleyball players. Sounds a bit simplistic but really, it is very simple. Why the need for complication?
Where your mind goes, the energy follows, and in Chinese tradition and healing we say to have the heart and mind together, as one.
Symbols, mantras, songs, movements, and thoughts - all are designed to either move energy in the body or in the natural world around us. When we say "om," we are in harmony with that vibration of thousands of years of others who held a certain thought while saying that sound, and those who say it now, even. When we say loving things, we create and engage with loving things. When we say hurtful things, same thing.
So practice... is good. Just every day normal stuff.
When I go out to the woods to do healing work with trees, it's thousands of years old tradition that is loving, peaceful and very powerful, a gift from my forefathers of healing. When I connect to their art I can feel at one with them, and then come back to the normal world, go to the beach, and watch a game of volleyball (or at this time of year indoor) and bring my art to this place, as well! When I cheer for my favorite player, I think of the Volleyball-God, connect to his powerful presence and say "win," as many others have done for many years. I am linking to that collective qi of the moment as well as the lineage of volleyball energy.
Indeed.
Some modern Buddhists in China acknowledge this and have all sorts of "mini Buddhists" in their temples, such as the local tailor from 1000 years ago who supported the local nunnery. I, not aware of that, once spent three years trying to decipher a "special Buddha" that I photographed in China because the nuns told me he was special. He turned out to be one of these, and indeed he was special to them! He sewed all of their garments.
Often times a person in life carves out a space that is very special, as a teacher, and often it is unexpected. Is a tailor or an athlete less than a high monk?
It is all relative, depending on the context of the moment we are in.
The unexpected shaman looks pretty normal. He's maybe about 40ish and has pretty eyes. He showed up one day when I was writing a book on Shamanism, and because of the great insights I have received, I had to start the whole book over. I call him unexpected because he was. I was looking in the woods and in nature with my familiar territory. I did not expect to find a shaman where he came from, and he did not speak or act like one. He showed me many sides to spirituality that I had not explored, the most difficult and most powerful of all - everyday living.
It's pretty easy to live on a mountain, with clean air and quiet. Come down, though and walk in the world and it's much different.
Practice.
No longer do I view spiritual practice as a fluffy angels and light art, or as something to be put in a category, although I have deep respect for all arts of healing and religions. I myself, continue to be a practicing Taoist. In meeting the Unexpected Shaman, I have learned to touch nature with unafraid hands, and maybe most more importantly - a powerfully open heart that comes from seeing things exactly as they are. I see in his everyday life the real reflection of the oldest arts of all of Chinese Healing, the shamanism of the natural world.
The shaman sings and bends in dance to nature. The Volleyball-God has his thunder spike.
And I have my smile, knowing it's all "good practice."
