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    <title>Tai Chi - Articles - Zimbio</title>
    <link>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles</link>
    <description>Tai Chi and the War on Terror ; Tai chi can give relief from Shingles ; Tai Chi: A Lab For Testing the Mind and Body ; Health Fact-About Tai Chi &amp; Tai Chi Benefits ; Gnostic words for October 14...</description>
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          <title>Tai Chi and the War on Terror</title>
    <description>posted by beckychr007&lt;br&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fastore.amazon.com%2Fjusagirinshos-20&quot; title=&quot;kimono warrior&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2878698528_e318acf31a_o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;kimono warrior&quot; width=&quot;398&quot; height=&quot;338&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fastore.amazon.com%2Fjusagirinshos-20&quot; title=&quot;Becky's Stuff&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/375291506_92d6696532_o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a2&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; height=&quot;137&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; A couple weeks before &lt;span&gt;September 11, 2001&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span&gt;Osama bin Laden&lt;/span&gt; met with a reporter and predicted a day after which &lt;span&gt;America &lt;/span&gt;would never be the same.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sheik bin Laden&lt;/span&gt;  would not have put it this way, but he probably understood that &lt;span&gt;Americans&lt;/span&gt;  are not practitioners of &lt;span&gt;Tai Chi Chuan&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;span&gt;Masters&lt;/span&gt; of &lt;span&gt;Tai Chi&lt;/span&gt; instruct their little &lt;span&gt;grasshoppers&lt;/span&gt; not to directly resist force, but to go with with the flow until the force exhausts itself—meeting a force head on always causes injury to the defender.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;Americans &lt;/span&gt;will sometimes say it is a good idea to roll with the punches, which means the same thing as the &lt;span&gt;Tai Chi Masters&lt;/span&gt; teach—but we don&amp;#39;t really believe it—it is just said when no other option is available.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But our failure to understand this principle of&lt;span&gt; martial arts&lt;/span&gt;, is the reason the attacks of &lt;span&gt;September 11, 2001&lt;/span&gt;  changed &lt;span&gt;America&lt;/span&gt;, much more than it has the &lt;span&gt;enemy&lt;/span&gt;. Sure the band of  homicidal religious zealots has been evicted from &lt;span&gt;Afghanistan&lt;/span&gt;—but philosophically, spiritually and psychologically they remain the same.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The same can not be said of &lt;span&gt;America&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many times, during the past few years,  &lt;span&gt;Ben Franklin&amp;#39;s&lt;/span&gt; admonishment that giving up a bit of &lt;span&gt;liberty&lt;/span&gt; for a bit of &lt;span&gt;security&lt;/span&gt; gains neither, has been mentioned. Everyone seems to assume the author of &lt;span&gt;Poor Richard&amp;#39;s&lt;/span&gt;  was on to something, but I have never  seen it actually applied to our &lt;span&gt;strategy&lt;/span&gt; in the &lt;span&gt;War on Terror&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What if, rather than considering the 3000 people who were murdered that day to be victims, we had taken a page from &lt;span&gt;Al Queda&amp;#39;s&lt;/span&gt;  training manual, twisted it a bit, and praised and mourned these heroes  as &lt;span&gt;Martyrs of Freedom&lt;/span&gt;—the type of blood which &lt;span&gt;Thomas Jefferson&lt;/span&gt; said must  occasionally be shed to nurture the&lt;span&gt; Tree of Liberty&lt;/span&gt;?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We all know that &lt;span&gt;freedom&lt;/span&gt; and&lt;span&gt; liberty&lt;/span&gt; can be inconvenient—but there is also a price to be paid. What is that price?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span&gt;John McCain &lt;/span&gt;would say that the 4,500 &lt;span&gt;Americans &lt;/span&gt;who have lost their lives in &lt;span&gt; Iraq&lt;/span&gt; and &lt;span&gt;Afghanistan&lt;/span&gt; is an unfortunate, but acceptable, price to pay to protect &lt;span&gt;America&amp;#39;s freedom&lt;/span&gt;. I agree wholeheartedly with the concept, though I sadly question whether that noble goal has been furthered&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But what if we consider the 3000 who lost their lives on &lt;span&gt;September 11, 2001&lt;/span&gt; to be one of the costs of &lt;span&gt;freedom&lt;/span&gt;. And from time to time, if the same level of &lt;span&gt;freedom &lt;/span&gt;and &lt;span&gt;liberty&lt;/span&gt; is maintained, there will be other &lt;span&gt;Freedom Martyrs&lt;/span&gt;. Perhaps every five years there will be another 3000 &lt;span&gt;martyrs&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is that an acceptable price? Or should we reduce &lt;span&gt;freedom&lt;/span&gt; and&lt;span&gt; liberty&lt;/span&gt;, and substantially change our way of life, in order to reduce the number of future &lt;span&gt;martyrs&lt;/span&gt;? If so, how much?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We seem to feel that 37,000  &lt;span&gt;highway fatalities&lt;/span&gt; a year is an acceptable price to pay so that we can keep driving. We might like to reduce it a bit, by such things as stricter enforcement of DUI laws and banning texting and driving. But would anyone favor a law requiring that everyone&amp;#39;s driving be slashed by half? Presumably that measure would reduce fatalities by half---six times the number of deaths incurred on &lt;span&gt;9-11&lt;/span&gt; would be saved per year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the &lt;span&gt;automobile &lt;/span&gt;is too important to&lt;span&gt; Americans&lt;/span&gt;—we would never agree to that kind of restriction, despite it indisputable benefits.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When people say &lt;span&gt;“Never Again”&lt;/span&gt; in regard to &lt;span&gt;9-11&lt;/span&gt; how much&lt;span&gt; liberty&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span&gt;freedom&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span&gt;money&lt;/span&gt;,  &lt;span&gt;military personnel&lt;/span&gt;, &lt;span&gt;economic prosperity and security &lt;/span&gt;--as well as cherished aspects of our &lt;span&gt;way of life&lt;/span&gt; are they willing to give up inorder to achieve zero terrorist-caused civilian deaths—forever?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am not saying it is not appropriate to send out military forces and pull these criminals out of their caves—and if we were dealing with an actual nation, which had  such things as an army, navy and air force—to wage war on them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, in many ways our reaction has made &lt;span&gt;America &lt;/span&gt;less like the society and country that &lt;span&gt;Osama bin Laden &lt;/span&gt;hates so much.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Has  anyone ever done a  a real &lt;span&gt;cost-benefit analysis&lt;/span&gt; when it comes to the &lt;span&gt;War on Terror&lt;/span&gt;?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fastore.amazon.com%2Fjusagirinshos-20&quot; title=&quot;Becky's Stuff&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/375291505_f0d88f3810_o.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;a1&quot; width=&quot;136&quot; height=&quot;76&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a  title=&quot;Becky's&quot; href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fastore.amazon.com%2Fjusagirinshos-20&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Becky's Stuff&quot; src=&quot;http://dl2.glitter-graphics.net/pub/30/30042g8e8dv6kgj.gif&quot; width=&quot;73&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;135&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description>
    <pubDate>Sun, 22 Sep 2008 08:34:00 GMT</pubDate>
    <link>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/116</link>
    <guid>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/116</guid>

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          <title>Tai chi can give relief from Shingles</title>
    <description>posted by tomstateler&lt;br&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_f12c_a7PgIs%2FSRL8FrErMrI%2FAAAAAAAAALA%2FbPNEsFbtV2M%2Fs1600-h%2Ftai%2Bchi.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_f12c_a7PgIs/SRL8FrErMrI/AAAAAAAAALA/bPNEsFbtV2M/s200/tai+chi.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265548088741409458&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  Every time that I am pregnant, my husnabd develops shingles. This is quiet rare, as you normally onle develop shingles once. Shingles is  a painful skin rashe that appears on localized parts of your body, often on the same half. Even though, we are not going to be having anymore children, my curosity was peaked, when I read about about a new study on Tai Chi, and its positive impact on shinles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; The focus of the study was on the 55+ age group. This age group is most likely to have shingles. Don&amp;#39;t worry if you never had chickenpox, you can&amp;#39;t get shingles. If you had, when you were younger, please read on dear reader. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tai chi is an ancient Chinese exercise form, where you perform a series of move, in a slow and deliberate way, each one flowing in to the next. Its been practiced for over three thousand years, and is usedto releive stress, stay supple, fit and defined, improving bllod pressure, hair, nails and general well being. Its like a chinese form of Yoga.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;The research project involved 100 people aged between 55-90, from beoth sexes, all had suffered from Chickenpx as a child. Everyone was given a vaccination against chicken pox and then split in to 2 groups. Group A went to Tai Chi classes 3 times a week for 6 months, while Group B went to health and stress management classes at the same time, where they learn how to improve their diet, and over come stress, both which can aggrevate shingles. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After 6 monthe the Tai Chi students were up to 40% less likely to get shingles than the other group. It is definately worth more study and if Shingles are a problem for you, maybe its worth looking at Tai Chi as an exercise&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Based on information from piercemattiepublicrelations.com.&lt;br /&gt;This post is licensed under a &lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fcreativecommons.org%2Flicenses%2Fby-sa%2F3.0%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Creative Commons License&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tai chi, shingles, chickenpox, overcoming shingles, relieving shingles, curing shingles, relief from shingles, relief from chickenpox, curing chickenpox, taic chi chuan, benefits of tai chi, tai chi exercises</description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 6 Nov 2008 14:15:00 GMT</pubDate>
    <link>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/135</link>
    <guid>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/135</guid>

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          <title>Tai Chi: A Lab For Testing the Mind and Body</title>
    <description>posted by BasilAndSpice&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthurrosenfeld.com%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Arthur Rosenfeld&lt;/a&gt; is an authority on the spiritual dimensions of Eastern thinking for a Western world. A novelist,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;full-image-float-right&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.basilandspice.com/storage/ArthurRosenfeld.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1221418756007&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;martial arts master and philosopher, Rosenfeld is a contributor to national magazines, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Parade, has been seen on Fox News and other networks, and heard on numerous national radio programs. He consults and speaks on the subject of chronic pain for the pharmaceutical industry and others in healthcare. He has written &lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTruth-about-Chronic-Pain-Professionals%2Fdp%2F0465071392%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2%3Fie%3DUTF8%26amp%3Bs%3Dbooks%26amp%3Bqid%3D1217888820%26amp%3Bsr%3D1-2&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Truth About Chronic Pain&lt;/a&gt; and several novels.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthurrosenfeld.blogspot.com%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Arthur Rosenfeld--&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;It could fairly be said, and often has been, that any hobby, sport or passion gives a person a context within which to test him or herself, and to grow. People often speak about the golf course or tennis court as a place where they learn as much about the workings of their own mind&amp;mdash;and the workings of an opponent&amp;mdash;as they do about the details or mechanics of the game. People with an eye toward pushing back their own boundaries and enhancing the experience of living often gravitate toward individual games and sports in order to explore and better the way they handle stress, competition, frustration and even defeat.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;If we assume a certain attitude and perspective about life, pretty much anything we do and anything that happens to us helps us grow. Many religious and spiritual traditions embrace this idea, sometimes expressed as karma, sometimes as service, sometimes as testing, and sometimes simply as &amp;ldquo;what does not kill us makes us stronger.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tai chi practice is a particularly effective system of strengthening not only the muscles of the body, but the muscles of self-cultivation. The term &amp;ldquo;system&amp;rdquo; is what counts here, because rather than the myriad other games in which a person can explore weaknesses and strengths, tai chi is literally designed as a laboratory for testing and improving the body/mind. Think of it as a laboratory where the experiments (the questions) are outlined ahead of time and the correct solutions offered. The hard work of inquiry and evaluation must be done, but the results are guaranteed, if not always completely predictable.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Yes, its methods themselves are exceptionally brilliant, battle-tested, ancient and wise, but tai chi&amp;rsquo;s real uniqueness is the simple fact that its sole purpose is not to make you a better play on court, green or field, but to equip you for the game of life by teaching the true way nature works, the true rules that obtain in life, and the best way to take advantage of this knowledge with the least effort and the most result. Tai chi teachings can and should be applied to any human endeavor.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tai chi was originally a battlefield martial art, so if your focus is on self-defense you will find much here. If your goal is to be healthy and fit and to forestall the degenerative diseases of aging you will be hard pressed to find more sophisticated body mechanics and such better information about the intricacies and cycles of the human body. Tai chi&amp;rsquo;s truths are ineluctable. If you seek a deep spiritual system that will pervasively flavor the way you look at people, places, things and events while teaching you to see patterns, links and trends, tai chi is for you, too. Sooner or later the principles will find your weak spots, and the practice will relentlessly reveal, but gently, precisely those areas of your mind, body and life that need work. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Believe it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More From Tai Chi Master Arthur Rosenfeld--&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.basilandspice.com%2Ffitness%2Ftai-chi-promotes-relaxation.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tai Chi PromotesRelaxation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.basilandspice.com%2Ffitness%2Ftai-chi-restores-health.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Tai Chi RestoresHealth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.basilandspice.com%2Ffitness%2Fthe-origins-of-tai-chi.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Origins of TaiChi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.basilandspice.com%2Ffitness%2Fmultitasking-browns-out-the-brain.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
    <pubDate>Sun, 3 Nov 2008 17:29:12 GMT</pubDate>
    <link>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/134</link>
    <guid>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/134</guid>

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          <title>Health Fact-About Tai Chi &amp;amp; Tai Chi Benefits</title>
    <description>posted by paavanj&lt;br&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_eX5xKWfsiuo%2FSQLoHiqP7QI%2FAAAAAAAAAFc%2F6nftQyU6GIk%2Fs1600-h%2FTai-Chi.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eX5xKWfsiuo/SQLoHiqP7QI/AAAAAAAAAFc/6nftQyU6GIk/s320/Tai-Chi.gif&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261022530982898946&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;Tai Chi &amp;amp; Tai Chi Benefits :-&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Tai Chi is an &lt;span&gt;internal Chinese martial art&lt;/span&gt;. It is often promoted and practiced as a martial &lt;span&gt;arts therapy&lt;/span&gt; for the purposes of health and longevity. Tai Chi is considered a soft style martial art, an art applied with as much deep relaxation or &amp;quot;softness&amp;quot; in the musculature as possible, to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard martial art styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles.
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&lt;br /&gt;Variations of Tai Chi basic training forms are well known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice every morning in parks across China and other parts of the world.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Traditional Tai Chi training is intended to teach awareness of one&amp;#39;s own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in others, an appreciation of the practical value in one&amp;#39;s ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both &lt;span&gt;mental and physical levels&lt;/span&gt;, and how this applies to effective self-defense principles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tai chi&lt;/span&gt;, sometimes called tai chi chuan, is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching. To do tai chi, you perform a series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each posture flows into the next without pausing. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Anyone, regardless of age or physical ability, can practice tai chi. It doesn&amp;#39;t take physical prowess. Rather, tai chi emphasizes technique over strength.&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Stress reduction through tai chi :-&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;h1&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(1) Reducing anxiety and depression.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(2) Improving balance and coordination.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;(3) Reducing the number of fall.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(4) Improving sleep quality, such as staying asleep longer at night and feeling more alert during the day.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(5) Slowing bone loss in women after menopause.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(6) Lowering blood pressure.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(7) Improving cardiovascular fitness.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;(8) Relieving chronic pain.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;span&gt;(9) Improving everyday physical functioning.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pregnancy &amp;amp; Tai Chi:-&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Tai Chi is also &lt;span&gt;beneficial for pregnant women&lt;/span&gt; who have never done any forms of exercise before as it reduces the chances of these women injuring themselves. Other exercises, even &lt;span&gt;yoga&lt;/span&gt;, involve a certain amount of moving that could be a problem for &lt;span&gt;pregnant women&lt;/span&gt; in later trimesters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Coping with changes in body size, lifestyle and work can be stressful for a pregnant woman. This is where the mediation portion of &lt;span&gt;Tai Chi kicks&lt;/span&gt; in. Deep breathing and helping the mind to focus on the slow repetitive movements of the &lt;span&gt;breathing&lt;/span&gt;, provides relief to these external changes. &lt;span&gt;Tai Chi&lt;/span&gt; also teaches patience and enhancing such a quality would be beneficial especially when the baby arrives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;  &lt;span&gt;Cancer &amp;amp; Tai Chi :-&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;span&gt;Those who promote the use of &lt;span&gt;tai chi&lt;/span&gt; say that it helps to balance qi or chi - the vital energy or life force of the body. Balanced qi is said to prevent illness, improve health, and extend life expectancy. Tai chi also is based on the ancient theory of yin and yang and those who promote the use of &lt;span&gt;tai chi for cancer patients&lt;/span&gt; say that balancing yin and yang helps patients to achieve inner harmony.&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;</description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 25 Oct 2008 09:32:00 GMT</pubDate>
    <link>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/128</link>
    <guid>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/128</guid>

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          <title>Gnostic words for October 14, 2008:Tai Chi, Tartaros, Tatian,Tertullian, Tetraktys (Tetractys), Thereapeutae, Theodotus,Theosis, Theudas, Theurgy, Torah, Transubstantiation, Treatise</title>
    <description>posted by hoomer&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tai Chi:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; As an icon the Tai Chi is a symbol, composed of the Yin and Yang circle, surrounded by eight trigrams. It, in terms of function is the underlying philosophy of all Chinese, and &amp;#8216;classical&amp;#8217; Oriental philosophy. According to the scholar Fung Yu-Lan, &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHistory-Chinese-Philosophy-Vol-D%2Fdp%2F0691020221&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The History of Chinese Philosophy, Vol 2&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;#8221; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Princeton&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, 1953, the philosophies of Pythagoras, and the Tai Chi are almost identical. The concept of Chi, and Sophia (wisdom), Logos, and Tao, meaning &amp;#8221;Word,&amp;#8221; are identical. The power of male and female polarities in the Tai Chi, resemble the ideas of Pronoia, and &lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fmagdelene.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F08%2Fgnostic-words-for-october-8-2008plane-plato-pleroma-pneumatic-pneumatophoroi-poimandres-polycarppreterest-procatarctic-protennoiaprotophanes-prunikus-ptolemaeus-psychic%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Protophanes&lt;/a&gt;, in the concept of &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fmagdelene.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F04%2F03%2Fgnostic-words-for-april-3-2007-baptism-barbelo-bardesanes%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Barbelo&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;#8221; ( See Barbelo, and &lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fmagdelene.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F09%2Fgnostic-words-for-october-9-2008-pythagoras-redaction-ressurectionrhodon-sabaoth-sadducees-sacrophilia-sacrophobia-saklas-sarkic-saturninus-samael-samaritans-septuagent-seth-sethian%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Sethian Monadology&lt;/a&gt;. See also; &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnosis.org%2Fnaghamm%2Fvalex.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Valentinian Exposition&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;#8221;) The Tai Chi is associated with the &amp;#8221;Book of Changes,&amp;#8221; (I Ching), in Chinese Philosophy. Pythagoras is thought to have studied Chinese Philosophy, and obviously did. (See; &lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBulfinchs-Mythology-Deluxe-Thomas-Bulfinch%2Fdp%2F051722688X%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26amp%3Bs%3Dbooks%26amp%3Bqid%3D1223988951%26amp%3Bsr%3D1-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bulfinch&amp;#8217;s Mythology&lt;/a&gt;, Gramercy, Crown Pub.&lt;br /&gt;
1979.) The analogy to the Tai Chi, Sethian values are in &amp;#8221;Tetrakys of the&lt;br /&gt;
Decad, Monadic Vlaues.&amp;#8221;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;alignnone&quot; src=&quot;http://z.about.com/d/taoism/1/0/0/-/-/-/yinYang.gif&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;280&quot; height=&quot;280&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;span&gt;Tartaros (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tartarus&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;:&lt;/span&gt; Keeper of Hades. Also referred to as Tartarucus, Tatrokis, Saklas&lt;br /&gt;
and Temeluchus in various Christian texts. (See; &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnosis.org%2Fnaghamm%2Fbookt.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Book of Thomas the Contender&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;#8221; Nag Hammadi Lib. Name is also used by Clement in &amp;#8220;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newadvent.org%2Ffathers%2F0210.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Stromata&lt;/a&gt;&amp;#8220;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tatian&lt;/span&gt;: (110-180) Pupil of Justin Martyr and author of the &amp;#8220;Diatessaron,&amp;#8221; and &amp;#8220;Letter to the Greeks.&amp;#8221; Formed Gnostic sects in &lt;span&gt;Syria&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; called Encratites, meaning literally, &amp;#8216;Masters of Themselves.&amp;#8217; Qualified the soul, as a special kind of spirit. (&amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ccel.org%2Fccel%2Fschaff%2Fanf02.iii.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Letter to the Greeks&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;#8221;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img title=&quot;Tatian the Assyrian&quot; src=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/TatiantheAssyrian.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Tatian the Assyrian.&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;567&quot; /&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;&gt;Tatian the Assyrian.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span&gt;Tertullian&lt;/span&gt;: (160-230) Native of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Carthage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; who joined literalist Christianity&lt;br /&gt;
around 196, after becoming a lawyer in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Rome&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;. Before he became a Montanist in 207, he argued with Hippolytus against Gnosticism. However his work does not reflect a sound knowledge of any of the pre-Christian, Valentinian, or Sethian&lt;br /&gt;
epistemologies. (See; Tertullian&amp;#8217;s, &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newadvent.org%2Ffathers%2F0310.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Treatise of the Soul&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;#8221;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tetraktys (Tetractys) of the Decad, The Monadic Values&lt;/span&gt;: There is no doubt that Sethian Gnostics applied the principles of this paradigm. &amp;#8221;Pythagorus considered all things relative to numbers&amp;#8230; How he conceived this process has never been satisfactorily explained.&amp;#8221; (&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBulfinchs-Mythology-Deluxe-Thomas-Bulfinch%2Fdp%2F051722688X%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26amp%3Bs%3Dbooks%26amp%3Bqid%3D1223988951%26amp%3Bsr%3D1-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Bullfinch&lt;/a&gt;, pg. 289.) Perhaps this is&lt;br /&gt;
the secret&amp;#8230;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/a/S/2/tetraktys2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;tetraktys&quot; width=&quot;139&quot; height=&quot;139&quot; /&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;&gt;tetraktys&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Pythagorus considered the monad as the source of all things. In the case of the tetraktys of the decad, the concepts of form and structure are related in mathematical values. These values work in harmony. They are not just a list, they are a set. The first and most obvious is numerical value is the digital sequence of one through ten. &amp;#8216;Monad,&amp;#8217; 2. Decad, 3. Triad, 4. Tetrad, 5. Pentad, 6. Hexad, 7. Heptad, 8. Ogdoad, 9. Ennead, and 10. Decad.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Digital sequencing can be done in different base values, like using base six to count on your hands. You count to five on the right hand, and the first digit of the left hand represents six, the next set the left hand finger is given the value of twelve, then eighteen, then the sequence goes up to 35, when you run out of fingers, if you have ten. Another sequencing schema is the Heaven Sequence of the Tai Chi, which is in base eight.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Pythagorean model showing the tetraktys of the decad is in the form of a triangle, usually shown as only dots, I have placed numbers beside the dots, denoting the digital sequence. Below is a traditional explanation for this sequence, where I have made aditions to show how the Tai Chi, and this sequence&lt;br /&gt;
are parallel&amp;#8230;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;o   Monad&lt;br /&gt;
o o  Decad&lt;br /&gt;
o o o Triad&lt;br /&gt;
o o o o Tetrad&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;________________________________These triangles should be equalateral.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1.&lt;br /&gt;
2. 3.&lt;br /&gt;
4. 5. 6.&lt;br /&gt;
7. 8. 9. 10.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1.. The Tetractys represented the organization of space: {Wu Chi, Void, &amp;#8221;Jesus is Silence.&amp;#8221; See; &amp;#8221;A Valentinian Exposition.&amp;#8221;}&lt;br /&gt;
2.. the first row represented zero-dimensions (a point) {Tai Chi, yin and yang are the same.}&lt;br /&gt;
3.. the second row represented one-dimension (a line of two points) {Liang Yi, yin and yang are different}&lt;br /&gt;
4.. the third row represented two-dimensions (a plane defined by a triangle of&lt;br /&gt;
three points) {This is consistent with the San Ti. Man is the same as heaven and earth.}&lt;br /&gt;
5.. the fourth row represented three-dimensions (a triangular pyramid defined by four points) {This is consistent with the Si Xiang. This is Yin and Yang seenas two different things, or four types. This parallel to the Tai Chi does not include the Ba Gua (8 trigrams)} Wikapedia source&amp;#8230;..&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTetractys&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetractys&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;This triangle represents five, or more different mathematical values, not generally recognized unless you apply the Tai Chi model with the parallel of the Tetraktys. The mathematical values are thought of more like aphorisms, or a mantra, rather than calculations in some respect. Pythagoras put everything in terms of math, and I think the statistical terms below can be adapted to both the Tai Chi and the Tetraktys of the Decad.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The digital sequence of one through ten, connotes the decad. What cannotes the the &amp;#8216;tetra&amp;#8217; is the number four. In the case of the tetraktys of the decad, the value of four corresponds with the relative value of the mathematical concept of &amp;#8216;mode.&amp;#8217; One through six, would make the triangle a triad, and if you add a fifth&lt;br /&gt;
line, 11. through, 15., to the base, the mode is a pentad. As shown above we have the tetrad. (See; &amp;#8221;The Table of Ten Numbers,&amp;#8221; &lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sacred-texts.com%2Feso%2Fsta%2Fsta16.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta16.htm &lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The mode is the value, or set of like units that appear most frequently in a set. As can be seen in the model of the tetraktys of the decad, all three sides of the triangle contain four units. (This is looking at the triangle of dots as an icon like the Tai Chi.) In terms of the triangle there are four levels, or modes (called types in the &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnosis.org%2Flibrary%2Fmarygosp.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gospel of Mary&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;#8221;), Level 1. is one, level two the decad, is 2. and 3., level three the triad, is 4. 5. and 6., level four the tetrad, is 7. 8. 9. and 10.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;O monad&lt;br /&gt;
O O decad&lt;br /&gt;
O O O triad&lt;br /&gt;
O O O O tetrad&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A set in most science involving polarity, is called a field or pool, which connotes a perimeter of the form, or the unified body of the set, as a whole. Mode connotes the &amp;#8216;level,&amp;#8217; of the form and structure of the pool. Therefor tetrads, hexads, ogdoads, etc. are thought of as modes and levels, which can be&lt;br /&gt;
applied to fields.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As you build the triangle by adding lines of digits to the base, the mode changes in sequence, but the values of mean, and median, also become relative to the model. This is allegorical to how a seed turns into a tree or plant. This same sequence is thought to be extant in the working of the Logos, Pleroma,&lt;br /&gt;
Kenoma, and Psyche of man, and collective consciousness of mankind.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This means you are using mathematical terms as points of a contemplation, or meditation, more like aphorism than calculation. Each configuration of the triangle regardless of the mode, retains the value of the monad in the digital sequence. The mode sequence, the mean value in the sequence, and the median&lt;br /&gt;
values in the sequence, are not mutually exclusive. They work in harmony.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The mode sequence is determined by looking at the triangle like an icon, and determining the number of units each side of the triangle has. The mode sequence has a different numerical value than the digital sequence value. In the Tai Chi, Wu Chi, is the void or zero, and in the Sethian system Jesus is Silence. Tai Chi, is one, meaning Yin and Yang are the same. Liang Yi is the third in the Heaven Sequence, and means Yin and Yang as seperate or different. The student of the Tetraktys retains the triology, or &amp;#8216;tripartite,&amp;#8217; as a mindset, in the contemplation of the sequence. &amp;#8220;Man&amp;#8217;s mind/heart, is the same as heaven and&lt;br /&gt;
earth.&amp;#8221; (&amp;#8221;Kenpo Gokui&amp;#8217;.&amp;#39;)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The next stage in the Heaven Sequence, (Use of even numbers) is the Si Xiang, which represents the tetrad or four units. In the Chinese system Wu Chi = 0, Tai Chi equals 2., Liang Yi = 2, and Si Xiang= 4., puting the Tai Chi in a setof eight parts, symbolically aligned with the Ba Gua, or eight trigrams, making&lt;br /&gt;
the Tai Chi an organized Ogdoad. The Sacred Tetrad is regarded in the same way, as the Si Xiang, in form, structure, and mechanics. (See; Tai Chi. See; &amp;#8221;The History of Chinese Philosophy,&amp;#8221; Vol. 2, Fung Yu-Lan, Princeton, 1953.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The mean is determined by adding the number of units, in the digital sequence, then dividing that sum by the number of units, the result is an average number of units. That would be the pentad or five, the mean of ten units. In building form and structure in the Monadology, the constant value of the mean is thevalue of one, (Monad) and denotes the value of the monad in each consecutive mode in the sequence. The Monad remains integrated into the form and structure of all mode values. (See; Decalogue.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The median, is the value where half of the units in a set are larger or smaller than the opposite set of units. The median is the point where the set is divided, and determines balance with the reflective or dual values of male/female, good/evil, light and darkness. The odd numbers where their are more units on one half of the set than the other, represents unbalance. Pythagoreans used the terms square for even numbers, and oblong for odd numbers.&lt;br /&gt;
(Ibid.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the application of the sequence the consideration of median, is that &amp;#8216;duality,&amp;#8217; reamains a constant regardless of the level, or mode, as does the power of the Monad. Duality can be meant to be more than one feature, when drawing a monadic paradigm, as duality does not always mean opposite, it can&lt;br /&gt;
mean either, or. In some cases it can be implied as an opposite. It can be areflective value, like a mirror image, or reflection. (See; Bythos)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For instance, the pentad can be given five values, with good connotations, and their opposite with negative conotations. Five constructive values, are opposed to the destructive values of opposition. The Chinese use the idea of the Wu Xing, or five constructive, and destructive forces. The reflective value or&lt;br /&gt;
median value (duality) is always considered as part of form and structure,&lt;br /&gt;
regardless of the mode, or level in the sequence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The fifth value is the parabolic, more of a geometric adaptation, which has dimensions or perspective, reflection and even vibration. (See; Parables.) The parabolic view is in reference to the higher modes of the Pentad and above, where the structure and form can be seen as multi-dimensional and having&lt;br /&gt;
perspective. (See; Parabole, which can be shown as viewing the inside of a&lt;br /&gt;
cone. See also; Gematria.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As a contemplation device, all the values of the tetraktys of the decad, are imagined in unison as a harmony. This unified perception is imperical to the idea of how the natural order of wisdom works in the tripartite vision of man as being psyche, material, and spiritual. The sequence is operational in the realms of man, heaven and earth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can see that 1. 2. 3. and 5. form the equalateral cross, common in the first century. There may be more of these parallels, than I mention at this time. The Platonic tetrad, used in the &amp;#8221;&lt;span&gt;Square&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Opposition&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;,&amp;#8221; a tool of logic, can also be seen in the formation of 2. 3. 5. 8. and 9.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you look at the triagle of dots you will see that 2. 3. 4. 6. 8. and 9. form a circle with 5. in the middle. 1. 7., and 9. are outside the circle. (See Tripartite) As one contemplates this image the fifth value of the parabolic becomes apparent. The image can look like it is multi-dimensional, where the center (5) as seen as closer and further away, adds perspective. The center dot 5. becomes parabolic point of center, and the middle of the sequence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In regard to the human figure, you can draw arms going up from 2., and 3., and legs off 8. and 9., and you can imagine the human figure in the gematria within the triangle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In martial arts, especially those aligned with the classic Tai Chi, the points of the shoulders and hips represent the primary centers of the body&amp;#8217;s natural &amp;#8221;primary square of balance,&amp;#8221; where 5. is the center of the body the diaphram. Some martial artists use this &amp;#8216;cone&amp;#8217; image like sights on a gun, aiming at a&lt;br /&gt;
target, and using the same grid for defense. This shows the tool (sequence) is useful as both applied in the material world, and applied to the psyche. The entire system of Isshin Ryu Karate can be shown in the &amp;#8221;Heaven Sequence,&amp;#8221; as well as the application against opponents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;http://altreligion.about.com/library/graphics/magick/tetraktys.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Kabbalistic Tetraktys illustrating the 72 names of God and  the manifestation of creation&quot; width=&quot;350&quot; height=&quot;303&quot; /&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;&gt;Kabbalistic Tetraktys illustrating the 72 names of God and  the manifestation of creation&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Thereapeutae&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;: (Therapuetrides) A Jewish sect in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Alexandria&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; described by Philo in his &amp;#8220;On the Contemplative Life.&amp;#8221; They were similar to Essenes, and were mistaken by Eusebius as being Christian. ( &amp;#8220;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHistory-Church-Constantine-Penguin-Classics%2Fdp%2F0140445358%2Fref%3Dpd_bbs_sr_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26amp%3Bs%3Dbooks%26amp%3Bqid%3D1201195545%26amp%3Bsr%3D1-1&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The History of the Church&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;#8221; Eusebius, Williamson, Penguin, 1989, pg. 422-23)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote class=&quot;templatequote&quot;&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;#8220;the entire interval from dawn to evening is given up by them to spiritual exercises. For they read the holy scriptures and draw out in thought and allegory their ancestral philosophy, since they regard the literal meanings as symbols of an inner and hidden nature revealing itself in covert ideas.&amp;#8221;&lt;/em&gt;
—&lt;cite&gt;Philo, para. 28&lt;/cite&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Theodotus:&lt;/span&gt; A student of Valentinus, and Pantaenus in the Alexandrian lineage. Theodotus explains that passions are called spirits: &amp;#8221; The passions that are in the soul are called spirits, not spirits of power, since in that case the man under the influence of passion would be a legion of demons; but they are so&lt;br /&gt;
called in consequence of the impulse they communicate. For the soul itself, through modifications, taking on this and that other sort of qualities of wickedness, is said to receive spirits.&amp;#8221; ( See; Fragments of Theodotus, Kirby, Criddle.&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.84%3A8080%2Fcache%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fmagdelene.wordpress.com%2Ffeed%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.84%3A8080%2Fcache%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fmagdelene.wordpress.com%2Ffeed%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fneonostalgia.com%2Fxtian%2FExtracts_from_Theodotus.htm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://neonostalgia.com/xtian/Extracts_from_Theodotus.htm&lt;/a&gt; , and Theodotus )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Theosis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;: &lt;em&gt;(Theiosis, Theopoiesis, Theōsis)&lt;/em&gt; In Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic theology, &lt;strong&gt;theosis&lt;/strong&gt;, meaning &lt;em&gt;divinization&lt;/em&gt; (or &lt;em&gt;deification&lt;/em&gt; or, &lt;em&gt;to become god&lt;/em&gt;), is the call to man to become holy and seek union with God, beginning in this life and later consummated in the resurrection. &lt;em&gt;Theosis&lt;/em&gt; comprehends salvation from sin, is premised upon apostolic and early Christian understanding of the life of faith, and is conceptually foundational in both the East and the West. See also; &lt;em&gt;Consecration, Deification, Divine &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;Union&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;, Sanctification.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;em&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTheosis&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/StJohnClimacus.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The Ladder of Paradise icon described by John Climacus.&quot; width=&quot;353&quot; height=&quot;440&quot; /&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;wp-caption-text&quot;&gt;The Ladder of Paradise icon described by John Climacus.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span&gt;Theudas:&lt;/span&gt; (42 CE approx.) Theudas, meaning &amp;#8216;gift from God&amp;#8217; declared himself a prophet and was executed while attempting to &amp;#8216;part the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Jordan&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;#8221; for his followers. Years later Valentinus laid claim to some of his teaching. ( Ehrman, &amp;#8220;Lost Christianities, pg 193, says Theudas was a disciple of Paul, this is not true.. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.97-98 )&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Theurgy&lt;/span&gt;: &amp;#8216;Works of the Gods&amp;#8217; ( See; &amp;#8220;Zostrianos&amp;#8221;). This refers to human affairs and the effects in the earthly state. &amp;#8221;&lt;strong&gt;Theurgy&lt;/strong&gt; (from Latin: &lt;em&gt;theurgia&lt;/em&gt;, Greek: &lt;em&gt;theourgeia&lt;/em&gt;) describes the practice of rituals, sometimes seen as magical in nature, performed with the intention of invoking the action of God (or other personified supernatural power), especially with the goal of uniting with the divine, achieving theosis, and perfecting oneself.&amp;#8221; &lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTheurgy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theurgy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;……&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;In its “original Egyptian” use, the term Theurgy however refers to “becoming a hollow reed. This concept is quite different to the “modern” use employed by modern “Hermeticists.” Although the two concepts may in turn cross over, the fundamental difference is one involves taking from the “Gods” and the other involves opening one’s self up in order to be filled. In theory this may be the same or similar, but the actual process is different. In such that one involves manipulation and the other involves self sacrifice. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2F192.168.1.84%3A8080%2Fcache%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fmagdelene.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F03%2F18%2Fmore-thoughts-on-ritual%2F&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://magdelene.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/more-thoughts-on-ritual/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Torah:&lt;/span&gt; The first five books of the Bible, &amp;#8220;Genesis,&amp;#8221; &amp;#8220;Exodus,&amp;#8221; &amp;#8220;Leviticus,&amp;#8221;&lt;br /&gt;
Numbers,&amp;#8221; and &amp;#8220;Deuteronomy,&amp;#8221; also referred to as &amp;#8220;The Law.&amp;#8221;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;alignnone&quot; src=&quot;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/K%C3%B6ln-Tora-und-Innenansicht-Synagoge-Glockengasse-040.JPG/440px-K%C3%B6ln-Tora-und-Innenansicht-Synagoge-Glockengasse-040.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;440&quot; height=&quot;600&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Transubstantiation:&lt;/span&gt; The act of applying or transference of Holy Spirit into wine and bread. The term is common to the Christian and Gnostic Eucharist, Communion, or sacramental ceremonies. &amp;#8221;A change of substance, {transmutation} usually refering to the doctrine of the Eucharist sacrement of the Lord&amp;#8217;s Supper, where the bread and wine were declared symbols of the body and blood of Jesus.&amp;#8221;( See; &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSteinerbooks-Dictionary-Psychic-Mystic-Occult%2Fdp%2FB000BBFVY8&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;The Steinerbooks Dictionary of the Psychic, Mystic, and Occult&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;#8221; Rudolf Steiner, 1973. pg. 219. See also; &amp;#8220;Valentinian Exposition,&amp;#8221;&lt;br /&gt;
Baptism A., B., Eucarist, Chrism, etc. Nag Hammadi Lib. See also; &amp;#8221;&lt;a  href=&quot;/pilot?ZURL=%2Frss%2FTai%2BChi%2Farticles&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnosis.org%2Fnaghamm%2Fgop.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Gospel of Philip&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;#8221;)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Treatise:&lt;/span&gt; A book or writing directed toward a specific purpose.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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    <pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2008 13:32:16 GMT</pubDate>
    <link>http://www.zimbio.com/Tai+Chi/articles/123</link>
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