Since tomorrow is All Hallow’s Eve, or Halloween, I went looking for a little know fact about the holiday that I could relate to tai chi. Well guess what, I found one. Pumpkins, yep, why do you imagine we carve pumpkins for Halloween? When the tradition started in Europe, they were using turnips and gourds, so what gives. I’ll return to the discussion of this curious phenomenon in just a moment.
I was recently reading a novel where the main character was describing a good friend doing tai chi. To set the scene I’ll tell you this friend is described as a 5′ nothing tall slender woman, who happens to be a cop with considerable martial experience and who can be brutal if the need arises. Harry, that’s the main character I referred to a moment ago, said something to the effect of “Most people watching her graceful and fluid movements wouldn’t realize that these movements were actually brutally effective, bone-crushing defensive and offensive applications.”
I shared this aside because most people, unlike you folks reading this blog, really aren’t aware of the martial side of tai chi. If you’ve been reading my rantings for even a little while you’ve probably heard me discuss this topic before, and you’re probably getting an inkling of where I’m going with the pumpkin phenomenon.
When learning tai chi beginning students often think they just need to move roughly like their teacher. Often times they’re a bit overwhelmed by the details of the movement and really can’t do more than simply mimic the forms in a roughly similar manner. That’s OK in the beginning. It’s important though that this not become a habit. While tai chi can help take your mind off of daily life and can help you relax, it’s important to pay attention to the details as much as you’re capable of in the moment. Don’t worry if you’re not very good at first, no one is.
True tai chi is quite precise because it’s using the principles of body mechanics for some very specific reasons related to both yours and your imaginary opponent’s body mechanics. Even if you never learn to actually use these applications, understanding them changes how and where you focus. Chi, or life energy, flows toward the area of focus whether you can feel it or not. The looser you remain while holding the proper posture, the better the energy flows and the more you’ll feel it.
There’s a reason and a story behind everything you do in tai chi. Pay attention and you’ll begin to understand. Some things will even begin to become clear without you hearing the story… if you pay attention. Just remember there are reasons for everything. In the beginning accept that this is the case and once you have a better understanding you can start making modifications if, and only if, you find it necessary. Just realize you aren’t going to under stand very much after 6 months or a year. Let the understandings come before you start playing around with things too much or you’ll probably end up missing something important.
OK, back to pumpkins and jack-o-lantern lore. Fall being the time of year that days become shorter and nights grow longer, the ancient Celts used to fear that spirits could gain the upper hand during those long cold winter nights. Nighttime being the time when the door to the other world would open, allowing allow spirits to roam the earth.
To set the record straight about who was in control, for the benefit of the spirit world of course, raging bond fires were lit during the fall season. After the introduction of Christianity the practice continued, but as people began to gather in towns bond fires weren’t all that practical. People began carving holes in hollowed out turnips and gourds to contain the fire while allowing it’s light to escape, thereby effectively warding off evil spirits. Turnips and gourds were readily available, inexpensive and a safe containers for housing fire.
Europeans brought this practice to the New World but turnips and gourds were in short supply. Another vegetable with a suitably thick shell was abundant however, pumpkins. Over time the holes carved in pumpkins were transformed into the images of the spirits they were intended to dispel.
So now you also know why you carve jack-o-lanterns for Halloween and you have a better idea of why tai chi movements are so precise. Now, off to the farm, roadside stand, or grocery store for a couple of pumpkins and some candles to keep the nasties away, and practice your tai chi with as much precision as you can to help ward off any ills you might be exposed to. The more precise and relaxed your practice, the more physical benefits you receive from playing tai chi.
Your thoughts?
John
P.S. I found this story on LiveScience.com and you can read it here: http://www.livescience.com/history/091029-pumpkin-origins.html
I found the Jack-o-lantern here: http://blog.timesunion.com/homedecor/tastefully-ghastly/361/
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Mike Bancroft (2 comments)
816 days ago
glad to see you quoting The Dresden Files; it’s good to see that info flows both ways, I’ve been quoting your Tai Chi for ages
John Crewdson (479 comments)
815 days ago
Mike,
Glad you like this one. I’ve been enjoying those books like a fine wine, sipping them slowly.
John