The lecture in part 19 was on the constellations that make up the White Tiger, Xi Fang Bai Fu, the guardian of the Western sky.
The White tiger relates to War and the constituting star groups represent different aspects of warfare. Students really enjoyed being challenged to learn by heart and recite the triple connections of; chinese constellation, corresponding animal body part and functional aspect of war, as outlined below;
Kui- Tail- Storage of Weapons.
Lou – Haunches – Gathering of troops
Wei – Stomach – Food provisions
Mao- Back – Justice and the courts, morality of action for War
Bi- Neck – Border guards
Zi- Temples of the head – Intellectual prep for War
Shen – Jaws – Fighting of war
We learnt from Sifu’s diagram which Western constellations these align with;
Kui- Andromeda, 15 stars
Lou and Wei – Aries, 3 stars
Mao and Bi – Taurus, 7 stars
Zi and Shen – Orion, 3 stars for Zi and 10 for Shen
Astrology and Astronomy (considered as a unity) were routinely consulted in ancient Warfare.Sifu taught that the brightness of the various constellations in the White Tiger were recorded and considered at the time of planning combat. If certain areas were bright and visible in the night sky this was taken as a good omen for the corresponding aspect of warfare and action was taken or avoided based on these observations.
I find it an interesting synchronicity that the Occidental constellation of Orion, The Hunter, constitutes the head and jaws of the Tiger since both hunting and warfare utilise weaponry, strategy and killing. Sifu has taught us that understanding the corresponding western constellations provides a fascinating and practical way to see the 4 guardians in the night sky and to connect more strongly to their different energies through our vision.
The Buddhist story for this seminar was about the benefits of not interfering and letting life take its course naturally. An immortal sat in for the Buddha to help people with their problems but each time if things had been left alone then a better outcome would have resulted. Whether to interfere and take action is also poignant in the politics of warfare, ancient and modern. Interestingly the ‘Tao te Ching’ advocates against Warfare and the ‘Art of War’ advocates combat only as a last resort.
The new movements in this seminar were 16 steps, the first 8, backwards from our original direction and the second 8 forwards in the original direction the form started. These steps were like a two handed version of the gathering steps we have already practised earlier. This time we used both hands to gather Sky energy. The movement broken down was; Step- then with feet grounded, gather the Sky energy with a broad circular motion with palms facing upwards – finally close the fists and bring the gathered energy to the Daimai points.
Seminar number 19 of the 28 Constellation series was very enjoyable and challenging! Students gained from the combination of philosophy, story and physical movement, as always. We are grateful to be able to benefit from Sifu’s breadth of knowledge, great attention to detail and impartment of wisdom, through learning this advanced Qi Gong form.
by Vashti Seymour
Student Comments
Very interesting to learn about the western constellations being all about war, quite different from the nice story of the immortal girl and the house! I think I have got turned around somewhere because I’m _finishing_ the new movements facing the back, but I’ll keep an eye on it next time to see where I might have turned wrongly. Thanks Sigong for a really great mix of philosophy, story and movement! Lee B
Really lovely new movement to open up the chest area and a fun seminar on the Western White Tiger – I enjoy the challenge of memorising the new meanings in class. Love the drawings. Thank you, Sifu. Manuela
Interesting lecture on the meaning of the various constellations of the White Tiger – it reminds me of the Art of War – here, a lot of different elements also have to come together for a successful outcome.
The new movement is similar to an earlier one, but using two hands simultaneously – it is like a warm-up, so we are ready to gather as much Qi as we can later.
Thank you, Sigong.
Paul Hogg
I’m enjoying this way of understanding and remembering the constellations. It’s fun and effective and good for the brain. The story about the immortal sitting in Buddha’s place to help people with their problems was so great! Don’t interfere and let things work out by themselves.
Lee M
Part 19 of the 28 Constellation Gong was very enjoyable. I particularly liked the story at the end of the lecture. I’m finally beginning to get to grips with the form – Initially I found it difficult to get the stepping right because I needed to shuffle so often due to lack of space. It definitely helps to do it outdoors! I’m looking forward to next time. Thank you Sigong. Peter Hogg
Really interesting that we are learning the meaning of the 28 Constellations names, seems a lot but when there is a story to help us memorise it, it is quite manageable! Love the movements hitting the Qihu and Sanyu points, nice rhythm and feeling. Thank you Sigong. Christine
Thank you Sigong!
Very nice seminar even though I had to be away for some part of it. I loved the philosophy for the western white tiger. Learning meaning together with names seems more challenging but actually it is really helpful. Loved the story’s moral if you do lot interfere then everything works itself out, so I guess you should worry less! I am looking forward to next one to keep polishing the last parts. Michalis A.
It’s great to understand more about the stars and their connections and also meaning. The form is now easier to remember and also is very nice and warms me up every time quite quickly. Thank you Sifu!
-Radu