A long time ago I set out to discuss some of the spiritual books that over the years have had the highest impact in my life. Here’s the follow up. It is about a book that I have had in my possession for over three years now in the original Dutch. Recently, an updated English edition has become available and this merits the following review.

The book is called "The Temple of High Magic" and it is written by Ina Cxfcsters-Van Bergen, Magus of the Hermetic Order of the Temple of Starlight. Indeed, my teacher and inspiration on this path, as I wrote some time ago. And it is mainly because of this book that I decided to start following lessons with her and becoming a member of the Temple of Starlight. I call that a major life-change and I hope the following book review will shed some light as to why this happened. You may also find this review on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and , in an abbreviated form on bol.com.

A readable and enjoyable introduction to Qabalah..and so much more

"I have the original Dutch version of this book and I am thrilled that it is now also available on the international market. Finally, there is now a book about the complex world of the mystical Qabalah that teaches you the basics and its function as a ‘road map’ in the Western Mystery Tradition, and so much more on top! I have been involved in the study of the Qabalah for a long time and most texts on Qabalah are either written in a rather old-fashioned language, are totally obscure and incomprehensible in their complexity to new people on the mystery path, or are so superficial to be almost useless for serious students.

Not so "The Temple of High Magic". Author Ina Cxfcsters-van Bergen possesses a profound, extensive and intimate knowledge of the vast and complex subject of all aspects of the Hermetic Western Mysteries. She also possesses the considerable talent to present her knowledge in a very attractive and compelling way. She writes in a deceptively simple, down-to-earth and beautiful language style that made her book a real ‘page-turner’ when I read it for the first time. "The Temple of High Magic" is not all about Qabalah, though. Ancient civilizations and their wisdom, secret teachings hidden in the world’s mythological stories, spiritual alchemy, hermetic concepts and ideas and transformations: all these aspects and many more are discussed and presented in this book.

The true value of "The Temple of High Magic" to me is, that it provides a more practical introduction to Hermetism, High Magic and application of concepts of the Qabalistic Tree of Life. The book contains many magical exercises and pathworkings that will help the reader to delve further and deeper into the material and to catch a glimpse of what high magic can really do in one’s life. These exercises and pathworkings are as beautifully written as the more theoretical chapters and I’d highly recommend anyone who’s interested in these things to try them out for yourself and see what happens!

The style of working as described in this book appealed to me immensely. Previously, I had read many books about Ritual and High Magic that left me with a rather forbidding image about the entire topic: too vast, too much, too ‘high’ and too complicated and not really for me on a practical level. What Ina’s book taught me was that High Magic is also beautiful, practical in everyday life, totally enjoyable and to be tackled within my own limits and at my own pace. And this teaching has been proven time and again since I actually started my formal training in The Temple of High Magic. Thus, this book has been a real life-changer to me.

Finally, I think this is an important book for those of us who are seekers of spirituality, but who are getting frustrated with the shallowness and empty promises of too many contemporary spiritual ideas. "The Temple of High Magic" describes a time-honored tradition with its roots in the ancient world, yet wonderfully contemporary and very much of today. If you’re looking for something real, this may be it. Read it, and judge for yourself! "

So I just got back from Scotland where I enjoyed an absolutely wonderful vacation. In spite of sometimes x91horrendousx92 weather we have had a memorable experience yet again in this most beautiful of countries. Herex92s what we did, travel brochure style!

Day 1  Fly with KLM to Scotlandx92s bustling cultural capital, Glasgow! Enjoy a city trip to explore this interesting cityx92s hidden treasures. Stay at the magnificent Radisson SAS hotel in the heart of Glasgow.

Day 2 Enjoy a day trip with Rabbiex92s Trail Burners to visit awesome Stirling Castle, followed by a relaxing tour of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Enjoy lunch in picturesque Aberfoyle and finish this fun day with a x91wee dram’ or two at Glengoyne Distillery.

Day 3  Free day in Glasgow, to explore its many museums, the University District and St. Mungox92s Cathedral. As dusk falls, the City of the Dead, Glasgowx92s Necropolis beckons you with its sinister mysteries.

Day 4  Leave Glasgow in a NE direction to enjoy a beautiful drive along the Campsie Fells towards the x91bonnie banks of Loch Lomondx92. Have lunch in the pretty village of Luss, and then proceed to Inveraray within the realm of Argyll. Learn about acient prison life in Inveraray Jail Museum. Stay overnight in the rustic Portsonachan Hotel on the shores of Loch Awe.

Day 5  A long day southbound to Kilmartin Glen, where mainland Scotlandx92s most magnificent archeological monuments are located. Donx92t miss the Kilmartin House Museum. Take a stroll along the Kilmartin Burn to visit the Largie Cairns, Nether Largie Stones, Temple Wood stone circles, and the Ballymeanoch Standing stone and Henge. Drive back to Portsonachan along Argyllx92s spectacular coast line, with sights of the Isle of Jura.

Day 6 Leave Portsonachan for a beautiful drive to Fort William, passing through the desolate landscape of the Rannoch Moor and through the awe-inspiring and historic Pass of Glen Coe. In Fort William, visit the Glen Nevis and its waterfalls, with Britainx92s highest mountain, the Ben Nevis, looming over you. You stay in the historic Alexandra Hotel.

Day 7  The Road to the Isles! Drive up to the busy port of Mallaig along some of the most breathtaking scenery imaginable. Stop at Glenfinnan for a bit of Jacobite and Harry Potter history. Lunch on some splendid seafood in Mallaig and donx92t forget to pay Nessiex92s smaller sister a visit at Loch Morar. On the way back to Fort William, marvel at the Treasures of the Earth museum and admire the technological cunning of Neptunex92s Staircase!

Day 8  On the way to Scotlandx92s largest loch! Drive from Fort Augustus along the loch to Drumnadrochit, home of the Loch Ness Experience. Roam the ruins of Urquhart Castle and take a short drive to Glen Affric and the Corrimony Cairn. Stay overnight in B&B Aslaich in the quiet village of Lewiston.

Day 9  On to Inverness where you stay in homely Dunhallin House. Take time to explore this x93Highland Capitalx94. Enjoy the award winning Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, reminisce at Invernessx92s little gem of a cathedral, spend some time shopping.

Day 10 Free day in Inverness.

Day 11 Take a trip up North, to the fairy-tale castle of Dunrobin near Golspie. Spend a wonderful day there, roaming the castle inside and out and donx92t miss the falconry shows, these are extraordinary. On your way back to Inverness, visit the distillery of the world famous Glenmorangie in Tain.

Day 12 A beautiful drive along the Cairngorms and the Grampians to the Pitlochry area. Underway, spend a few hours or more at Newtonmorex92s Highland Folk Museum, set in a breathtaking landscape. When approaching Pitlochry, have your camerax92s ready for the awesome Killicrankie Pass. Youx92re staying in Cuil-An-Dairich guesthouse in nearby Logierait.

Day 13 Therex92s a lot to do in and around Pitlochry. Start the day with a tour of Scotlandx92s smallest distillery, Edradour. Take a short detour to visit the Danex92s Stone near the hamlet of Moulin and then go on to nearby Blair Atholl for one of Scotlandx92s finest and most popular castles, Blair Castle. When your done with Blair, make sure to stop at the Killicrankie Visitor Centre and take a stroll into the gorge to see Soldierx92s Leap point and more!

Day 14 Back to Glasgow! Take the Tourist Route to Stirling for some scenery that you will not likely forget! If desired you can visit Stirling Castle again before going back to Glasgow for your last night in the Radissonx92s.

Day 15 Flight back to Amsterdam.

Vandaag was het zulk mooi weer dat ik me niet kon beheersen om weer eens in de Natuurtuin Rijswijk rond te struinen. Natuurlijk weet ik wel dat je dat beter niet op een zondag en met mooi weer moet doen, want dan is het park eromheen x96 en dus de tuin zelf- aardig druk met recreanten en van rustig communiceren met de natuur komt niet zoveel. Ik moest er echter in de buurt zijn, dus dacht: xb4he kom op, misschien valt het meexb4. Wel, dat deed het dus niet, het was in het park xb4gezelligxb4druk zoals men dat noemt. Omdat ik voordat ik de Natuurtuin inga altijd eerst een rondje er buitenom loop (kloksgewijs, zoals dat hoort!), zie ik meteen of een bezoekje de moeite waard is of dat het er te druk is met xb4recreerende mensenxb4. Dat was dus het geval, en aangezien ik er een hekel aan heb om mijn mijmeringen en meditaties te verstoren door over het mooie weer neuzelende wandelaars, liet ik de tuin fijn aan hen en ben in het omringende Wilhelminapark gaan lopen. Ook heel mooi, overigens.

Ik bedacht me echter wel dat ik me zorgen maak over de toekomst van dit park en de natuurtuin erin. Want de gemeente Rijswijk heeft grootse plannen op het gebied van woningbouw. Men wil in de randgebieden ettelijke duizenden woningen gaan neerzetten, waarmee men al het nog openliggende groen gaat xb4benuttenxb4. Men heeft echter daarvoor plekken nodig waar overtollig water in geval van nood opgeslagen kan worden. En laat het Wilhelminapark nu de gelukkige zijn! Wat men gaat doen is het vergroten van het in dat park aanwezige wateroppervlak. Wat dus ten koste gaat van het land. En men gaat dat al binnenkort doen, en midden in het nestel- en broedseizoen van de vogels dus bomen kappen en oeverbegroeiing verwijderen. Tja, de gemeente die tot voor kort zo trots was op haar xb4groenexb4uitstraling zorgt prima voor al dat groen! Inmiddels heeft men het ook niet meer over xb4groenxb4 maar is men trots op de ‘parken’. Heel terecht, want over een paar jaar is er behalve in de parken geen groen meer binnen de gemeentegrenzen, en is alles volgebouwd.

Dit zal de nu al aanzienlijke recreatiedruk op de Rijswijkse parken en landgoederen alleen nog maar doen toenemen. En met een verkleind Wilhelminapark maak ik me ernstig zorgen of de Natuurtuin dan haar unieke karakter zal weten te behouden. En dat zou echt verschrikkelijk jammer zijn!

One of my favorite Youtube items involves the so-called x93Highland Sessionsx94, a series of BCC TV shows to celebrate the links betwene Irish and Scottish music. Aired in 2006, many of the exquisite performances are currently only available through Youtube.

Many of the performing artists from this show have become my favorites recently. I already wrote (in Dutch) on this blog about my first discovery, James Graham, a young traditional Gaelic singer from Lochinver. In 2004 he won the BBC Young Traditional Musician Award and he currently has two albums on the market: his first called Siubhal ("Wandering") and the second is called Greisean Grxe8ine. James has a very powerful and beautiful voice and his pronunciation of the Gaelic is very clear. His beautiful website features exerpts from both albums for everyone to enjoy!

In the Highland Sessions, James is seen singing a Puirt-Beul with Mary Ann Kennedy, who is a is a Scottish musician, singer, composer, radio and television presenter, and music producer. One would actually wish this lady would devote more time to singing, because she has a very fine and beautiful voice indeed! Not to be confused with an American country singer by the same name, she has gathered a group of young Gaelic singers into the group Na Seoid (x93The Heroesx94), consisting of James Graham (again!), Gillebride Macmillan, Norman Macarthur, Calum Alex Macmillan, Griogair Lawrie, Norrie Maciver and Angus Macphail. Together with Mary Ann this group has made one of the most beautiful Gaelic albums I’ve ever heard. Their close harmony is superb and these guys perform some really memorable songs. Tune in to their Myspace site to listen to some of their material.

One song on Na Seoid’s album closes the circle. It is called x93Theid ‘s gun teid a leamx94 (‘He will go, he will go with me’) and in The Highland Sessions this is performed by Margaret Stewart, who hails from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and was awarded Gaelic Singer of the Year. Margaret recently issued her first solo album, ‘Togaidh Mi Mo Sheoltax94′. I really love her very distinctive and almost ‘fragile’ way of singing which renders her music immensely emotionally powerful and which brings me back to the ‘days of yore’. Margaret Stewart’s music is also available from her Myspace as well as her website!

There’s more to relish in these Highland Sessions and I do so much hope that one of these days these shows will be available on DVD. I’d be the first to buy it!

And here’s the fourth and final part of my 1st Dan examination paper.

At a first glance it seems impossible to compare the seemingly different martial arts systems of Goju Karate and Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan. As a first clue to their similarities I would like to point out that both share a common ancestor, namely the original Shaolin Kung Fu art whose major tenets spread throughout the Far
East. In the case of Karate, and more specifically Goju Karate, many traditional Okinawan elements were placed over this Shaolin basis. In the case of Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan, it was the conversion into an internal martial art that greatly shaped it into what it is today. But both systems still share many ideas and concepts that
were obtained from the original Shaolin style.

I have already indicated that Shaolin founder Bodhidharma received his inspiration from the natural world of animals. As a consequence, many Goju and Tx92ai Chi terms still reflect this origin. As an example, consider Karate terms like the x93Tiger Clawx94 strike and the x93Statue of the Cranex94 kata or x93Stork Cools its
Wingsx94 and x93Carry Tiger to the Mountainx94 as examples of Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan movements.

And itx92s not only these picturesque names, but many of the motions and postures are actually reminiscent of the animals in question. At the basis of both martial arts stands the concept of the kata, which is termed x93the essence of karatex94 . Everything a karate-ka needs to know is somehow, somewhere placed or hidden inside a kata. To extract all the lessons that are embodied in a kata is said to take a life-time of practice, study and experience. In contemporary Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan, the kata is all there is. Often termed x93formx94 in the West, the Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan kata consists of a large (or sometimes, not so large) number of consecutive movements that are derived from stylized and internalized attacks and defenses. In karate, this x93visualized combatx94 element is noticeably more pronounced than in Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan.

An important difference between these two martial arts is their outer versus inner nature. The term x93innerx94 and x93outerx94 pertains to the use of the Chi which is generated during the Karate or Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan practice. In karate, this Chi force is used to influence a process outside the practitionerx92s own body: for instance defending against an opponent, breaking a wooden board. This becomes very apparent in Goju Katas such as Tensho or Sanchin, in which Chi is generated by a series of arm and hand movements accompanied by a special breathing technique. Within the kata This Chi is not stored but subsequently released into a series of fast, powerful and outward moves. In the practice of T’ai Chi Ch’uan, however, substantial amounts of Chi are generated as well, but these are manipulated and sent back inward into the body to promote health, relaxation and wellness.

This health and wellness aspect is also very important in karate. As emphasized by Peter Urban, the purpose of Karate is to turn the body into an effective combat tool, and an important part of this development is the acquirement of excellent physical fitness. The difference with T’ai Chi Ch’uan, however, is that the latter system is in essence a low-impact exercise in contrast with the high impact that karate training requires. As a result, T’ai Chi Ch’uan is more suitable than karate for people with handicaps or the elderly. Even though T’ai Chi Ch’uan is a martial art by origin, few practitioners will consciously realize this which also makes it an attractive for of exercise for those who feel adversity against the practice of a x91fighting sportx92.

A further difference between Karate and T’ai Chi Ch’uan is the level of hard- and softness employed in the movements. Even though Goju Karate x96 as its name suggests- possesses hard and soft elements in its repertoire, it is still a hard style compared with the soft and relaxed nature of the T’ai Chi Ch’uan movements. This does not mean that T’ai Chi Ch’uan when performed as an outer martial art is not effective: experiences with so-called T’ai Chi sparring1 prove otherwise. If Karate is a relatively hard style and T’ai Chi Ch’uan a relatively soft style, it is possible to see both as complementary from the viewpoint of Yin and Yang. Karate is then Yang: active, outward, whereas T’ai Chi Ch’uan is Yin: soft, passive and inward.

Recalling the symbolism of the well-known Ying-Yang symbol, this means that the practice of Karate in conjunction with T’ai Chi Ch’uan (and vice versa) will mutually benefit the development of both styles, because the combination of both martial arts creates a completeness and dynamic balance of Yin and Yang.
T’ai Chi Ch’uan will provide a better understanding and control of Chi whereas Karate will provide a better understanding of the principles and movements of the T’ai Chi Ch’uan forms employed. And, as T’ai Chi Ch’uan master Wu discovered, performing T’ai Chi Ch’uan feels great after a strenuous Karate training!

It is therefore my conclusion from this discussion that the simultaneous study of karate and T’ai Chi Ch’uan possesses many benefits, because their combination will provide the practitioner with a complete system in terms of Yin and Yang. It is therefore my intention, after achieving my 1st Dan grade, to further improve my knowledge and mastering of karate but also to complement this with the study of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

Here’s a thought I got when perusing one of my Facebook fan groups. This one is the number one Navajo Nation newspaper Navajo Times. A great resource to learn what life is like inside the nation (lots of snow and associated problems right now).

On their website there is a wonderful article about a badger and a coyote seen together near Chaco Canyon (NM) and apparently cooperating in their quest for food. The article then proceeds to recall Navajo mythological stories about Badger and Coyote working together for mutual benefit, even though they are not really friends. The story concludes by drawing a parallel with the real world of the Nation’s politics.

What triggered me were some of the reactions to this story:"Don’t compare the politicians to these noble animals, as they are more respectable! At least these animals know how to work together, as a team!" and "No matter what they represent in Dinxe9 (i.e., Navajo) mythology, these animals are smart and sacred as are all living creatures. They have my utmost respect which is something I can’t say for the NN Government. Animals are not evil, only mankind is evil."

What these and similar reactions seem to convey is a genuine respect and love for the natural world and the archetypes it contains. Any connections with mundane human affairs should echo this respect, so that the archetypes -and their mundane representatives in the mundane world- are not tainted by human vices which may ‘rub off’ and thus become part of the archetype’s thought form and contaminate it from within. This reminded me with something I have stumbled upon recently.

In my magical training we work extensively with the Egyptian pantheon, a very complex assembly of spiritual energies. The Egyptian gods represent, among other things, a world of archetypes, that with proper introduction is still accessible to us today.

But now it becomes interesting! I also happen to be a fan of the SciFi TV series "Stargate". And in that series, the various Egyptian gods are not gods at al, but alien symbiotic ‘worms’ called the Goa’uld that only pose as gods in order to enslave other species. So you see characters like Ra, Anubis, Sokar, Hathor and Sekhmet running around creating havoc and one by one being exposed as x91false godsx92.

And it does not stop just with the Egyptian gods. Another alien race in x93Stargatex94 is called the Asgard, and they are your everyday Roswell-like alien. They have names taken from the Nordic pantheon, such as Thor, Loki and Heimdall. They are the good guys, but still, their appearance and personality bears little resembles with the Aesir of old.

Third example: remember the Disney movie Hercules? Remember x93villainx94 Hades with his hair on fire? Little or nothing to do with the stern ruler of the underworld and abductor of Kore/Persephone!

Now, how does this imagery influence the actual archetype that we call Anubis or Hathor, Thor or Hades? Millions are watching these shows worldwide and are told that these are x91false godsx92, small cute aliens or funny jokers. While in fact they are ancient and respectable energies, not only important from a cultural but also from a spiritual point of view.

Personally, I know that this type of x93corruptionx94 affects my perception of these gods. In fact, in order to get to know them properly it is necessary to first shed these x93pop culture preconceptionsx94, in very much the same way one needs to get rid of the x93Buffy The Vampyre Slayerx94 idea about x91wiccax92 if one really wants to start following that path. It is however a shell, nothing more than that and with a bit of effort, easily peeled off. But what would happen if no one takes that effort anymore and the x91peelx92 becomes a part of the actual archetype itself?

Open questions to which I have no answer. But I wonder if x93pop culturex94 could not be a bit more respectful to our human cultural and spiritual heritage, much in the way the responses to the Badger and Coyote stories seem to advocate. Entertaining the masses by ridiculing the gods of old: I think we could and maybe should do a bit better. I still love x93Stargatex94, though!

Some time ago I wrote about a very important step I took at that time: to start taking lessons with the Temple of  Starlight . Now, about one and a half years later, the time may have come to share some of the things Ix92ve learned since then.

To give you an idea of what it is I am doing: I started with the Correspondence Course, nowadays more appropriately called Solo Magical Training, because that in fact is what it is. After half a year of that I decided to add practical ritual magic work to this curriculum, and I joined the North-Holland group x93Andromedax94 for x93The Procession Road to the Godsx94, a series of hands-on lessons in basic magic and ritual drama.

Nowadays, the bulk of my studies is still the Solo Magical training but I am now following the practical Temple Training curriculum as well, still with the x93Amsterdamx94 group with whom I feel a deep and wonderful connection. Now what has all this given me so far?

First of all, Work! Letx92s not beat about the bush: what I am doing and how Ix92m doing it means work! Most of the times it doesnx92t feel like work at all, however; the material you are working with is interesting, beautiful and emotionally very uplifting. And the written material is excellent, and a delight to read and explore. But therex92s no denying one has to make an almost daily commitment, and that may at certain times be quite a challenge.

Thatx92s why it also gave me a sense of Discipline, which one desperately needs because without this it is impossible to establish a regular study regimen. A discipline to set aside at least one half hour per day to work on myself and to learn, study and perform the exercises.

Next, it gave me a Beginning! One and a half year of study is absolutely nothing when compared with the depth and vastness x96in a real sense of the word infinitely vast- of the knowledge and experience available, which requires multiple lifetimes of devoted study to master. So just a beginning, but a beginning is better than nothing!

Third, it gave me a Purpose. As I originally started on this road, it was out of a wish to learn more, predominantly about the Qabalah. A theoretical knowledge of Qabalah (both Mystical and Judaic) has been with me since I was a young student and somehow stubled upon my first book on the topic in the library. I wanted to know more about it and I especially wanted to know how I could integrate and apply this knowledge to my life. This is still a major purpose as well as a source of energy and determination.

But I have also gradually gained a more global perspective on what I am doing: this Work is important, no only for me but for humanity as a whole, as well as for our world. There is no denying that our world and our societies have become ultramaterialistic. Even our communication has become dependent on the possession of gadgets, which also provide us with an unparalleled information and sensory overload, leading to all sorts of problems. In our world, this mental and spiritual training and work is thus very important to provide a counterpoint to the general shallowness, materialism and consumptiveness that characterize every day life here in the x91civilizedx92 West. It may also provide some healing to the inevitable damage that this lifestyle is causing ourselves and our planet. This realization is both humbling and uplifting at the same time: humbling because of the level of responsibility this knowledge brings and uplifting because this is actually something useful one can do to help x91turn the tidesx92!

This brings me to the next gift: A stronger connection to Myself. Note the capital letter! This is not a stronger development of what I call x91little mex92, the ego that participates in everyday life, but my own inner core that defines who I am. Establishing that connection , exploring it and strengthening it is a major goal and benefit of this training. As a result, I feel more x91wholex92 and x91completex92 than ever before in my life. More at peace as well, since daily meditation does that for you.

This training also gives me a substantially Wider View on spirituality and esoterics in general. I entered this path from a strong pagan-wiccan perspective and one of the interesting effects of this training has been that I gradually have developed an appreciation of other perspectives and other religions. It may come as a surprise x96it certainly did to me- to find out that a new appreciation of Christian mystical ideas is among the new found treasures.

And finally : Beauty! And from this Beauty come many, many strong emotions. This path is filled with beautiful imagery, beautiful ideas and realizations and with beautiful people. There are times when you are completely immersed and at One with the Universe and its Creator, and this is a feeling of unsurpassed beauty. In the beginning this is rare, far between and volatile in the extreme. But even these glimpses are infinitely rewarding!

And letx92s be honest: I donx92t know where this path is taking me. All the way up, or just a little further? Walking it, though, is a joy in itself and at every step and every turn therex92s a new vista to enjoy and explore. And maybe thatx92s just the whole point. As long as I remember the motto I chose and the motto I live by: x93Ab Terra, Ad Astrax94, otherwise phrased as x91Feet firmly on the Earth, but Let my Head roam the Heavens!’

As was discussed before, the basic philosophy of Karate contains elements derived from Zen Buddhism as well as the native Japanese Shinto religion. Especially the Zen Buddhism soon became a very important element in the life of the Japanese warrior caste, the samurai, which in those days had a leading role in
Japanese society. They found that the austere ideology of Zen Buddhism coupled with a strong emphasis on learning through experience fit in beautifully with the practice of martial arts.

Traditionally, there was not much spoken communication inside the dojo and students were encouraged to seek answers to their questions within and in their rigorous training, rather than simply ask them and being answered. A typical Zen influence is the tradition of many sayings that are handed down from the past and
that are used to teach important lessons or to highlight important concepts: x93block soft, hit hardx94 is one of these pertaining to the Goju system and x93there is no first attack in karatex94 (karate ni ente nashi) is another.

In his book: "Zen in the martial arts" Joe Hyams tells a collection of twentyseven short stories and anecdotes , all illustrating a specific aspect of the principles of Zen in the martial arts. This is a proper way to introduce the principles of Zen because Zen does not have an inner theory. Hyams describes
Zen as "an inner knowing for which there is no clearly stated dogma". The role of Zen in the martial arts is to remove the emphasis on intellectual powers and place it onto the more intuitive actions and ideas. The Zen principles are able to open up hidden resources and the ‘inner strength’. Most of the items address this inner strength, physically as well as psychologically.

What lies at the basis however of bother karate and Tx92ai Chi is the concept of the universal life force known as x91Chix92 or x93Qix94. It is this Chi that is addressed psychologically and spiritually through Zen and physically by the application of appropriate techniques and adequate training. x93The word x91Chix92, x94 asserts Peter Urban, x93lacks an exact equivalent in Englishx94. Terms like x91focusx92 or x91intrinsicx92 strengthx92 may be used to represent the idea. Practically, it consists of directing all the physical, mental and spiritual energies of a person onto one point using all the concentration a person is capable of. We all possess this inner strength but most of us rarely use it, save in stressful situations with immediate dangers to our person.

Both Karate and Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan are ultimately about the development of onex92s Chi , a slow and tedious process that requires hard work. This is not because Chi is not there; it flows through us for anyone to use, but we have to break our own inhibitions x96physical as well as psychological- in order to reach it and tap from the source. Since this life force flows through us on the unconscious level, most of karate and Tx92ai Chi training aims at bringing this force into the realm of the consciousness , so that it can be directed, applied or withdrawn when necessary and in general starts serving as a tool.

Tradition tells us that the Chi x96force enters the body in the pelvic or abdominal region known as the plexus solaris. This is why breathing exercises and breathing techniques are of extraordinary importance in both martial arts. Breathing, especially when allowed to commence in the abdomen stimulates and x91unlocksx92 the Chi source which lies behind the plexus solaris. The release and manipulation of Chi is the domain of the special Tx92ai Chi discipline known as Qi Gong, translated as x93Chi workingx94 .

What is the source of Chi? In Zen this is thought to be the result of the interaction of the Yin and Yang aspects of nature. In Yin and Yang we find all pairs of opposites assigned to either Yin or Yang. Both aspects taken together are known as the x91Tx92ai Chix92 or x93Grand Terminus, Grand Cosmosx94. It is the activity of Yang working on the receptiveness of Yin and the reaction of Yin back to Yang (remember that elements of Yin are to be found in Yang and vice versa) that is the source of Chi, the source of Life.

It is for this reason that a complete system to develop Chi should contain both Yin and Yang elements. A Karate system that is only aggressive, directed outward, explosive and active (in other words: predominantly Yang) is as incomplete as another system that is only receptive, soft and directed inward
(predominantly Yin). It is for this reason that I consider karate styles that only emphasize fighting, combat and kumite competition to be incomplete and sometimes actually missing the point what karate is all about.

For the same reason, a Tx92ai Chi practice that is all about relaxation and x91wellnessx92 x96as commonly taught here in Europe- is also unbalanced but more towards the Yin side. It is because of this unbalance that in both cases a practitioner will never be able to reap full benefits from the concepts discussed above; he simply misses half of the equipment required.

Next: COMPARISON OF GOJU KARATE AND Tx92AI CHI CHx92UAN

Traditionally, it is believed that the Oriental martial arts originate in India with a monk called Bodhidharma and were brought into China and Japan by propagation of Zen Buddhism. There does not exist any unequivocal evidence for this, though, and according to Peter Urban, x93It cannot realistically be
determined when any of the martial arts began and by whomx94.

The story, however, tells us that Buddhist monk Bodhidharma at one time undertook a journey into the East in order to found a Buddhist monastery and also to unite the various Taoist and Buddhist schools of thought that had sprung up in China. He eventually founded what would become the x93Shaolinx94
monastery and started teaching a form of physical discipline which originated in the hardships he had suffered during his travels. This discipline encompassed not only body conditioning but also weaponless combat and mental concentration.

Bodhidharmax92s inspiration was the animal world, especially the big cats, whence he deduced the principle of the exploding life force, the Chi (or Qi). It is this basic philosophy that lies at the heart of all the oriental martial arts systems. The story[7] of the Goju school of karate began sometime during the 1870x92s in Okinawa. At that time, the islanders were forced by their Japanese rulers to adopt the laws, language and national identity of the Japanese mainland.

At that time also, the Okinawans practiced many local varieties of a combat system known simply as x93tex94, with a prefix denoting its origin. The earliest master on Okinawawho can be credited as the founder of what was to become the Goju style was Kanryo Higaonna (1852-1915). Master Higaonna was a master in the Naha Te martial arts style and he combined this native system with elements from Chinese boxing, ChiChi which he learned as a young man on the Chinese Mainland in the city of Fuzhou.

Higaonnax92s successor was master Chojun Miyagi (1888-1952) who also studied ChiChi in Fuzhou and further refined the art form of Higaonna. Around the 1930x92s Miyagi named his version Goju Ryu Karate Do. The element Goju is a synthesis of two words: Go, meaning x93hardx94 and Ju, meaning x93softx94 to reflect the
two Yin and Yang type characteristic elements in his style. x93Ryux94 is a word meaning x93stylex94 and Karate-Do literally means : x93the way of the empty handx94 .

It was master Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989), nicknamed x93The Catx94 who further perfected Miyagix92s Goju style and is credited for introducing x93jiyu kumitex94 (free sparring) into the martial arts. Furthermore, Yamaguchi further perfected the Goju system by introducing elements of Zen, Shinto yoga and breathing
techniques into it. Yamaguchi also systemized the instruction and ranking methods of the Goju style by adopting the traditional Japanese method for this, thus effectively removing Goju Ryu from its ancestral roots in Okinawa.

It was by the influence of World War II that karate eventually came to the United States. During the war, many US military personnel were stationed on the islands of Okinawa and thus became acquainted with its martial arts heritage . Many were trained by the Okinawan karate men themselves. Upon returning to the USA, many began teaching the martial arts, sometimes only after receiving only minimal training. When the Japanese and Okinawan masters finally arrived in the United States, they found that karate was already practiced there.

One of the first American expert teachers was Peter G. Urban who had studied Goju Ryu karate with
Gogen Yamaguchi in Japan. Urban opened his first school in what was to become the Urban Fight Network in 1959 in the New York City area. Urbanx92s style is known nowadays as U.S. Goju Karate or Urban Goju-Do U.S.A.[8].

Above I spoke about Bodhidharma as the founder of the Shaolin Monastery. The style of fighting he taught his followers eventually became known as Shaolin Chx92uan or Shaolin Chx92uan Fa, which is nowadays known as Kung Fu. Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan is simply the inner part of this ancient Shaolin Kung Fu fighting style.

Its origin is commonly ascribed to the 13th century teacher Cheng San Feng during the reign of the Sung dynasty. In those days, unique fighting techniques were guarded as military secrets and Cheng only taught a handful of carefully selected students in this art, which is and indication how valuable the system was
considered in his time. It took a few centuries before the masters started to teach larger classes, and as a result of this development many martial arts, including Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan gained in popularity.

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the development of modern Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan started with master Chen Cheng Hsing (1777-1835) who created one of the main forms still practiced today, the so-called Chen style. Characteristic of the Chen style is the combination of slow and fast movements. His family however kept this style a closely guarded secret for generations until the secret was discovered by Yang Lu-chan who posed as a servant only to learn this Chen family secret. His mastering of the style was so impressive that he was taught after being discovered by the old master himself.

Yangx92s grandson Yang Chin-pu (1883-1936) developed later in his life the most popular style studied nowadays, the so-called Yang style of Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan. In comparison with the Chen style, the Yang style is more fluent, softer and slower with less pronounced stances and more supple movements.

A third main style was developed by Master Wu Chien-chuan (1834-1902) who was a practitioner of the x91outerx92 martial art of kung fu. His father taught him Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan mainly to remedy his muscle stiffness which was a result of his kung fu training, which Wu later developed into his own style. The Wu-style
emphasizes low stances and widely spread arms and it uses more muscle tone than the Yang style.

Later developments in Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan primarily involve the development of various x91formsx92 of different lengths and complexity (the Tx92ai Chi term meaning the same as x93katax94 in Karate) always starting from the traditional x91longx92 forms.

It is obvious from this account that both Karate and Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan share a common ancestry which traditionally lies at the Shaolin monastery and its development of x93Kung Fux94. In the case of Tx92ai Chi, its basic ideas were internalized and developed into an internal and soft martial arts style. In the case of karate, its basics were x91transportedx92 overseas and blended with original and traditional fighting deas from Japan and Okinawa. It is through this common ancestry that many similarities are found when comparing both systems. The differences will therefore be found in the subsequent developments and influences.

Next: THE PHILOSOPHY OF KARATE AND Tx92AI CHI CHx92UAN

I was cleaning up my hard drive when I found my original paper which I had to prepare in order to achieve my First Dan Degree in U.S. Urban Goju and Shaolin Kenpo, back in 2005. It deals with a comparison of said martial arts styles with the art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan, and such a paper is a required item in  the long and complex testing procedure towards the ‘First Degree Black Belt’ within our system. I will publish this study here in parts, the first part explaining what is the meaning of "Karate" and "T’ai Chi Ch’uan".

Enjoy!

x93Karatex94 is a Japanese word that literally means x93empty handx94, thus referring to a system of martial arts that uses no weapons in its defense or attacks. x93Tex94 is actually a generic term used originally in Okinawa to denote the traditional Okinawan fighting system. Different regions developed separate styles,
each with its own emphasis and distinguished by the names of these regions: Naha-te, Tomari-te, Shuri-te, etc. [1]

Interestingly, the word x93karatex94 has an alternative meaning, x93China handx94 or x93Chinese Fightingx94, clearly referring to the origin of this martial art in China. It depends on the actual kanji used in writing the word x93karax94 which meaning is indicated, x93emptyx94 or x93Chinax94. Nowadays, everyone will associate the word
x93karatex94 with the x93empty handx94, writing it with the appropriate kanji pertaining to this meaning and this was first introduced in the work by highly respected master Chomo Hanashiro, "Karate Kumite x93, from 1905, a convention which was later taken up by the highly influential Master Funakoshi, the Father of Shotokan karate. [2]

Karate has been defined by many writers, but the most concise definition I have come across is the one written by Peter Urban [3]:

x94Karate, x91translated as x93empty hand,x94 deals primarily in developing the body so as to bring about a practiced control of the limbs and in developing certain mental energies so as to make the body into a highly effective tool of the mind: the body becomes in effect a weaponless weapon.x94

Of course, this definition would apply to most of the so-called martial arts including the other system Ix92d like to discuss: Tx92ai Chi Chuan. It is the actual methodology, philosophy and history by which this goal is achieved that make a martial art x93Karatex94 and not something else. I will return to these aspects in due time.

Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan is known in a bewildering number of alternative spellings: tx92ai chi chx92uan, tai-chi chx92xfcan, Taiji Quan (the latter is the official pinyin-transcription of the actual Chinese characters) and many combinations and alterations of these elements. I will adopt the spelling Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan throughout.

x93Tx92ai Chi Chx92uanx94 translates as x93big ultimate fistx94 or x93grand ultimate boxingx94 and "quan" is the short form for "quan fa" which means "fist techniques" The term Tx92ai Chi (x93Grand Ultimatex94 "the cosmos", or x93Grand Terminusx94, as it is translated by Master Chao [4]) refers to a subtle system of Chinese philosophy about the nature of all things created in the universe. The Grand Terminus is said to encompass both the Yin (inactivity, receptiveness, female) and the Yang (activity, protectiveness, male). If the well-known Ying-Yang sign is considered, the Grand Terminus is the complete picture.

Chx92uan (short for chx92uan fa, literally x93fist techniquesx94[5]) refers to boxing or pugilism, which is defined by Master Chao as x93the movement of hands, shoulders, elbows, fists, palms, and fingers as to form various postures systematically following one anotherx94 [4] Naturally, the combination Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan translates as Grand Terminus Boxing and it is described as an 

x93outer form of sparring which is based on the theories pertaining to the concept of the Grand Terminusx94.

These philosophical theories translate into a martial arts style which is both hard and soft, depending on whether the Yin or the Yang aspect of the Universal Chi (the Terminus or Ultimate) is used which is dictated by necessity[6]. It is interesting to note that the basic philosophy that underlies the Tx92ai Chi Chx92uan system is explicitly incorporated in its name.

Next: The origins and history of the Oriental martial arts

References:

[1] Robin Rielly. Karate Basics, Tuttle Publishing, Boston, Rutland VT,Tokyo, 2003.
[2] Maurey Levitz. What’s In A Name? How the meaning of the term karate has changed
[3] Peter Urban. The Karate Dojo, Tuttle Publishing, 1967, ISBN 0-8048-1703-0
[4] H.C. Chao. Tai-Chi Chx92uan, Its effects and practical applications, Unitrade Company, Republic of China 1981
[5] Website Shaolin Wahnam Canada,http://www.shaolinwahnamcanada.com/taijiquan.html