Category: Physical Training

Testosterone And The Alchemical Transformation Of The Body

Published on by Angel Millar8 Comments

A criticism leveled at the paleo diet also applies to one spiritual practice in particular:

Paleo dieters aim to eat only the foods that man would have eaten some thousands of years ago, before, most especially, industrial farming. However, the beef we eat today may not be much like the beef of a thousand years ago. Fed on soy and corn (with the exception of those on some organic farms), the cow of today doesn’t necessarily resemble the roaming bovines of antiquity. The same can be said for most fruits and vegetables.

The paleo dieter might rebut such criticism by pointing out that his aim is to stay away from foods that, until relatively recently, were not part of our diet: refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, non-organically grown vegetables, etc. We have to begin where we are. Continue reading “Testosterone And The Alchemical Transformation Of The Body” →

Muscle and Chi: The Yin-Yang of Physical Self-Development

Published on by Angel Millar2 Comments

I recently heard a self-defense instructor mocking the traditional Asian schools for their insistence that students cultivate Chi (subtle or internal energy, similar to Kundalini) which, the self-defense instructor claimed, did not exist.

Within the traditional Chinese and Japanese martial and healing arts (such as acupressure and Chi-Gong), Chi is generally regarded as connected to the breath, and as being stored up in certain specific points in the body, especially the Tan Tien, which is located close to the navel. But this subtle energy is also linked to food, air, and even to the earth and the directions. Continue reading “Muscle and Chi: The Yin-Yang of Physical Self-Development” →

Body Language, Ritual, And Self-Development

Published on by Angel Millar4 Comments

In medieval Europe, a man about to be made into a vassal (generally a knight) of a feudal lord went through a special rite. It will seem familiar to you. He knelt on the floor and placed his hands together, with the fingertips pointing at his lord, who would then clasp his own hands around them. At this point in history, as with the pre-Christian tribes of Europe, Christians prayed with their arms open, and up, in a kind of wide V-shape — which reminded the latter group of Christ on the cross. It was only later that, influenced by the rite of making a vassal, Christians adopted the posture of kneeling and placing the hands together when praying.
Continue reading “Body Language, Ritual, And Self-Development” →