Introducing: Cosmic Survival

for Tai Chi and Feng Shui

A unique course in Survival Skills & Priorities crafted specially for Tai Chi and Feng Shui enthusiasts.

Self Defence is a core goal of Tai Chi, and is also an exceptional priority in Survival.

Exceptional Priorities of Survival (Self Defence and First Aid) are not always needed, but when they are, in that moment they can take priority over everything else.

Survival priorities are also Feng Shui priorities, because the natural resources that best help us to survive & thrive (quantity & quality of ☰ Air, ☵ Water, ☲ Food, ☷ Shelter, 人 Community, etc) are the same resources most capable of improving the mood of our homes.

Exceptional Priorities are also exceptionally powerful in Feng Shui — great peace of mind can be afforded by strong skills & resources in your immediate environment for effecting Self Defence and First Aid, especially if they’re expected to be needed.

Jing → Qi → Shen

Much like our home itself, our Survival Kit and our Survival Skills should also be defined by our Survival Needs — but with bias toward what’s likely to be most difficult to obtain from nature when travelling.

Indeed: if we lack material resources in hand, we can often source them from nature if we have the necessary internal capability (skills, energy, etc); and if we lack such inner strength, we can often work things out if we have a creative open mind.

In Tai Chi, material resource corresponds to ☷ Jing — the gross mineral essence of the guts (the Lower DanTian). In Feng Shui, it corresponds to the Dark Hall of the North.

In Tai Chi, inner capability corresponds to ☰ Qi — the fine spirit of the clean heart (the Middle DanTian). In Feng Shui, it corresponds to the Bright Hall of the South.

In Tai Chi, the creative open mind corresponds to ⦿ Shen — the useful state of the clear mind (the Upper DanTian). In Feng Shui, it corresponds to the Great Space in the Centre of any room.

The same three correspond to the three levels of knife maintenance:

⦿ Avoid abusing the blade in the first place.

☰ Fine honing with a soft strop: causes the least wear and suffices for daily maintenance.

☷ Course sharpening with a hard file: may be needed to reset a ruined edge.

Jack Dempsey described a similar three-tier system in his book Championship Fighting, representing progressively more difficult but more effective levels of defence:

☷ (Hard) Blocking

☰ (Smooth) Deflection

⦿ (Total) Evasion

Bruce Lee drew a similar three-tier concept on his gym wall, representing progression of ability in JKD:

☷ (Uncomfortable) Partiality

☰ (Comfortable) Fluidity

⦿ (Non-presumptive) Emptiness

Physiognomy

The Art of Reading People

Consider the survival skillset of Physiognomy: reading people — especially their mind, heart & guts (their 3 DanTians) — especially via their facial characteristics & gestures, plus their body language and general actions — in order to determine their likely intent.

This is the ancient art of Xiàng Rén 相人 (Reading People), which includes Miàn Xiàng 面相 (Face Reading) and Tǐ Xiàng 體相 (Body Reading). It’s a handy skillset for avoiding trouble by sensing what kind of person you’re dealing with. Although it’s a sensitive craft that requires much finetuning, it calls upon a similar mindset as does the ability to read rooms or conduct indoor House Readings (Zhái Xiàng 宅相) and outdoor Land Readings (Dì Xiàng 地相) like we do in Feng Shui — and the ability to read bodily energetics like we do in Tai Chi, whether by eyesight or by touch — these are all Xiàng Shù 相術 (physiognomic reading skills).

To befriend or not to befriend?

Avoiding tricks & traps

During times of civil unrest or unconventional warfare, people tend to be extra ruthless and extra likely to exploit your kindness. So be extra careful who you trust.

If they’re materially valuable to you, but have an impure heart: consider negotiating with them from a safe distance, if at all.

If they’re materially valuable to you, and have a clean caring heart, but a muddy imperceptive mind, thus easily deceived & manipulated: consider joining their community with one foot in, one foot out.

If they’re materially valuable to you, and you’re quite sure they have a clean caring heart and a clear perceptive mind, thus not easily deceived: consider cooperating more with them. They’re well placed to be your best ally through hard times, especially if your own skills & resources complement theirs.

But if you don’t trust your own ability to read them accurately without being deceived: err on the side of caution by default.