Showing posts with label tai chi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tai chi. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

First Sprouts

The Taoist Druid is about the passions in my life, Taoism and its expression in Tai Chi Chuan, and Druidism, as an expression of Celtic culture.

Originally I began to study Tai Chi Chuan as a way to improve my massage skills. Over time though, I discovered that what I had learned in massage school actually informed much of my Tai Chi training. That sense of touch, to be able to "feel" my opponent, I discovered I had developed over the years of massaging hundreds of people; it was a skill in short supply among my fellow students. Over time, as i incorporated the natural breathing and relaxation Tai Chi is famous for, I felt this "other", as something I was pushing against, as something I was in, and something I could let flow through me. Again, what I had learned in massage school, was developed and refined in Tai Chi.

In massage school, during one of our exercises, I spontaneously had a "vision" of being a druid in a past life. Now, to be sure, I wasn't sure what being a druid was, or is. Nature priest was the closest I could come up with. After digging around, I discovered the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. I hesitated for many years to become a member and enroll in their course. Now, I have finally taken the plunge. I hope to chronicle my journey with this blog, along with some of my thoughts about Tai Chi, Taoism, and Druidry, both ancient and modern.

So onwards, as a newly minted druid who explores the Tao from his Sacred Grove!