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Many
Tai Chi postures have associated 'visualizations'
to act as memory aids and assist you in 'picturing'
the nature or character of these many and varied postures.
These are only intended as a start point for your own imagination
and creative thought to set flight.
 The
visualization given for 'Beginning', the first posture in
motion is: "the lifting of the arms imitate the motion
of the Sun rising slowly over the horizon". If this works
for you then that's good, but its only good if you really
do 'experience' the nature and character of the posture. The
visualization given is no more than a glimpse of an endless
vista and the further you go the deeper it gets. None the
less, its simple. The Sun comes up, the Sun goes down. The
Moon comes up and the Moon goes down. That's it. The Sun does
not come up to make the Moon go down!
The
Ancient Taoist's of China called this "Wu Wei",
mutual arising, no victor and no vanquished. Other translations
and interpretations of Wu Wei suggest that this process operates
on the micro and macro levels alike and can easily be personally
experienced, acted upon and practiced in everyday life as
"the action of non action". Like Tai Chi, this is
done correctly when done 'effortlessly' and without expectation
of gain.
The
Ancients also suggested that the sequence of postures and
the associated visualizations of any and all Tai Chi Form
should never be written down, and even verbal or aural instructions
avoided and be used only as a last resort. It was the common
practice and accepted system of education (in Ancient Taoist
Culture) that the student or apprentice absorb learning and
understanding through the personal experience of repetition
and the copying of acknowledged masters. The student of art
for instance, is shown a recognized masterpiece and the only
instruction given is - copy this a thousand times! This process
is seen reproduced in many religiously monastic and scholarly
academic communities worldwide wherein text are copied or
recited over and over, day in and day out. Thus I am inclined
to urge students of Tai Chi: "Do this a thousand times
and it will be yours".
The
'spirit' of Tai Chi that exists far beyond words and closer
to visions. Tai Chi is riddled with 'visualizations'; there
are thousands of them, but the only one that will work is
yours. Try to not confuse the issue with words that mean nothing.
Form begins where words and concepts end.
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