In Taoism and in traditional Chinese medical theory, the system of the Five Elements describes the interactions and relationships between phenomena. All of nature and the universe can be defined by the elements and all aspects of nature contain the principles of the five elements.
Tai Chi Ch’uan, all forms and all styles, is based on the Thirteen Movements, and the practitioner, over time and with the right teacher, learns to incorporate the limitless qualities of all of nature within every set, and by practicing your Tai Chi Chuan sets this way, you become one with the limitless characteristics of all of nature in every thing you do, whether it’s cooking, walking, working, interacting with others, and especially being an activist for positive change in our world.
The Thirteen Movements are the Eight Directions and the Five Elements. The Eight Directions are the four cardinal directions, East, South, West and North, and the intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest.
The Five Elements correspond to the Eight Directions: East, wood, green, springtime. South, fire, red, summer. West, metal, white, autumn. North, water, blue, winter. The diagonal, or intercardinal directions, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest and Northwest correspond to earth, yellow, the later stage of the four seasons.
Five Element Star
While we were in Europe this past summer, Donald taught his inner-door students the deeper meaning of this design.
In fact, Donald and I have taken the essence of the martial, internal, healing and meditation arts that we have been studying for almost forty years (we started as young teenagers in the late ’60′s and early ’70′s, a time when the martial and internal arts were relatively unknown to most Americans) and have been teaching our close students how to achieve a deeper connection to the mystical, spiritual and limitless potentials of universal energies, going beyond the limitations of physical form itself.
We decided the time is right for the public to learn ’Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements.’ We are opening it up to practitioners of every style and form, as we believe this vital information is not limited to any one style and should be shared for the benefit of many. In this unique day-long workshop we will be revealing how to develop a felt sensation of all of the Five Elements and deepen one’s understanding of Taoist principles, in nature, and within ourselves.
- The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Tao Te Ching
This workshop will inform and empower practitioners of Tai Chi Ch’uan (regardless of style or form), Qigong, Hsing Yi, Bagua, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, tuina, and all other internal martial and healing arts, and take you to higher levels of accomplishment.
We believe that anyone can integrate and express the Five Elements within themselves to bring about lasting inner and outer harmony through the Five Forms, the Five Tastes, the Five Colors, the Five Sounds, the Five Seasons, the Five Directions, the Five Expressions, the Five Yin and the Five Yang Organs and the Five Remedies to the Negative Emotions.
Check out our webpage, and if you’d like to learn the Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements, on November 14, 2010, please feel free to register!
If you act soon, the first 11 people who refer five others who pay will attend the workshop for free. Have your friends register and pay, and tell them they must mention your name when they pay. They can register online here, or call 415.459.9098 to pay with a credit card.
