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Warrior Work
Week 50
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The Tao of Twilight
By Peter Hill
“Do not be overly concerned with form or the way in which form manifests; pay attention to the energy and INTENT”
Tai Chi Classics
My favorite time of the day to walk is when the sun has gone down but all the oranges, reds and yellows blend and create an ever
changing canvas of hues across the sky while the blues above start to slowly darken in shades and wash out the colors of the day. As I
look up at this sky of twilight, I know the stars are there even though I cannot see them. The sun fades and the shades of blue get darker
and darker, lights start appearing here and there throughout the sky until darkness abounds around and the sky is filled with the glistening
of the stars that were invisible when I started upon this path.
Walking the path of the tai chi player is much the same. As one starts, everything appears solid: the sets, the exercises, range of motion,
the naturalness of the breath; even the forms appear to be a common routine that all the players who have been around know. And yet, as
the training path continues, things that were always there start coming to light – the spiraling connectedness between the tendons and
ligaments in our ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows and wrists starts shouting out where we need to spend more time and
breath, and the breath – it starts shifting into different rhythms and patterns, expanding, contracting, speeding, slowing following the
meridian rivers that were not even in our consciousness a short time ago…………our awareness grows inward and we start seeing a
world inside that was always there but hidden by our outward focus and as it becomes more real and alive then the world outside of us,
our relationship with that world and those in it starts softening and blending into new patterns of comings and goings. It isn’t always
smooth sailing as we navigate into and through the twilight - there can be some chaotic shifting while one world collapses and others form
– and yet the more we cultivate the silence of the night and the stillness within our being, the power of that silence quiets the mind, cuts
through the illusions that hide what we could not see before and illuminates a world that peace and harmony reign within. The abstract
concepts of “indomitable spirit” and “inner peace” start coming to life within us and the tai chi is no longer something out there but
something in here – not something we learn but something we are becoming…….and the twilight is not something separate from us but
something we harmonize and meld with as we walk through the various twilights of our life and the lives of those around us.
“Can you maintain your center as the gate of heaven opens and closes? Can you produce without possessing? Can you empower
without domineering? This is called mysterious power.”
Lao Tzu
“When I, nature’s servant, stand alone at night and gaze upon the stars that reign down over the darkness of this small planet; I marvel at
how small am I, nature’s servant.”
Unknown
For another insight into working in the twilight, check out:
www.thetwilightbrigade.com
By Peter Hill, Copyright 2004
www.getittogether.net
www.worldtaichi.com
Warrior Week Home >>
Week 50
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tao of Twilight
By Peter Hill
“Do not be overly concerned with form or the way in which form manifests; pay attention to the energy and INTENT”
Tai Chi Classics
My favorite time of the day to walk is when the sun has gone down but all the oranges, reds and yellows blend and create an ever
changing canvas of hues across the sky while the blues above start to slowly darken in shades and wash out the colors of the day. As I
look up at this sky of twilight, I know the stars are there even though I cannot see them. The sun fades and the shades of blue get darker
and darker, lights start appearing here and there throughout the sky until darkness abounds around and the sky is filled with the glistening
of the stars that were invisible when I started upon this path.
Walking the path of the tai chi player is much the same. As one starts, everything appears solid: the sets, the exercises, range of motion,
the naturalness of the breath; even the forms appear to be a common routine that all the players who have been around know. And yet, as
the training path continues, things that were always there start coming to light – the spiraling connectedness between the tendons and
ligaments in our ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows and wrists starts shouting out where we need to spend more time and
breath, and the breath – it starts shifting into different rhythms and patterns, expanding, contracting, speeding, slowing following the
meridian rivers that were not even in our consciousness a short time ago…………our awareness grows inward and we start seeing a
world inside that was always there but hidden by our outward focus and as it becomes more real and alive then the world outside of us,
our relationship with that world and those in it starts softening and blending into new patterns of comings and goings. It isn’t always
smooth sailing as we navigate into and through the twilight - there can be some chaotic shifting while one world collapses and others form
– and yet the more we cultivate the silence of the night and the stillness within our being, the power of that silence quiets the mind, cuts
through the illusions that hide what we could not see before and illuminates a world that peace and harmony reign within. The abstract
concepts of “indomitable spirit” and “inner peace” start coming to life within us and the tai chi is no longer something out there but
something in here – not something we learn but something we are becoming…….and the twilight is not something separate from us but
something we harmonize and meld with as we walk through the various twilights of our life and the lives of those around us.
“Can you maintain your center as the gate of heaven opens and closes? Can you produce without possessing? Can you empower
without domineering? This is called mysterious power.”
Lao Tzu
“When I, nature’s servant, stand alone at night and gaze upon the stars that reign down over the darkness of this small planet; I marvel at
how small am I, nature’s servant.”
Unknown
For another insight into working in the twilight, check out:
www.thetwilightbrigade.com
By Peter Hill, Copyright 2004
www.getittogether.net
www.worldtaichi.com
Warrior Week Home >>