28Const18-09

28 Constellation Gong Pt 18

It was great to get back to doing 28 Constellation Gong after a long break. Because of all the repeated, walking movements it is a very powerful form. it also has some challenges of coordination and orienteering!
We connect to the 28 constellations by walking in the four directions and then we gather energy with other movements almost all of which (so far in this form) involve walking forwards and backwards, to left and to right, so it is easy to get lost. 
The lecture was all about making us familiar with the constellations, their names, meanings, and order, and this time we had to memorize the meaning of the Northern Snake and Turtle (which in China is a good omen) constellations: Dou Niu Nu Xu Wei Shi Bi. Some of the constellations also have stories and myths attached to them and here it was a star crossed love affair between Niu, the cattle herder and Nu, the Immortal Girl. Of course the relationship between a man and an immortal was doomed but they were/are able to meet once a year and this is the time that Chinese people looking for a partner pray for help, it is called the QiXi festival and is on 29th August 2025 in case you are interested! A wonderful and fascinating form that includes so much culture and history, we are so lucky to have Sifu to explain it all to us. Already looking forward to the next seminar.
by Peter Andersen

Student Comments

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Lovely lecture getting more familiar with sky above us and beautiful story of the cattle herd and the immoral girl. It’s so good to be delving into the details of the movement again after such a long break. Thank you Sigong.
Lee M

Happy and lucky to practice in the first 28 Constellations Gong seminar of 2025. Really fascinating lecture on the Xuan Wu and learning the meaning of each of its 7 constellations. The last two movements are funny to practice and they bring up happy energy. Thank you, Sifu for a great afternoon of Qigong learning and practice. Manuela

We never got to the answer of the challenge — why do we take a single backward step! So I’ll keep thinking about it. So far I am thinking it may be to break the numbers up so that instead of seven it is four, one and two, but I’m not sure what the significance of the four would be. Maybe one becomes two, two becomes four? The other thing I am thinking is that it slows down the energy flow before we turn around, otherwise seven steps with the hitting energy builds up a lot of qi to suddenly stop and turn. Interesting to think about! Thanks Sigong! Lee B

It was nice to get back to the 28 Constellation Gong and to go through the names and meanings of the Black Turtle constellations. It’s always enjoyable to work with others in the breakout rooms and to practice together. I’m looking forward to next time. Thank you Sigong. Peter Hogg

The form is starting to feel more familiar, and the flow of qi is becoming more apparent – powerfully reaching every part of the body.
Thank you, Sigong.
Paul Hogg

Enjoyed the lecture on the Black Turtle, and the story for the Turtle Constellations made it easy to remember! Good to polish the form, it has a very nice feel to it. Thank you Sigong. Christine

I really enjoyed the lecture and the understanding of the stars and what they mean. The second part of the form is a little trickier but the new part was easy by comparison. Now I can feel and understand the movements better so it connects more easily to the rest of the form. Thank you Sifu.
-Radu