In Dave lowrys book "in the Dojo" he mentions that Kano invented it for 6th 7th and 8th Dans and was probably influenced by the Genpai war 1180-1185. Two clans were fighting in red the Tara or Heike clan and in white the minimoto or Genji family. The japanese believe that these two clans are still fighting in the sky in the form of two stars in the Orion constellation, Betelgeuse and Rigel or Genji boshi and Heike boshi as they are known in the East.
Does anyone else have any theories on this?
Dave lowry did however get the stars mixed up as he said Rigel is red and Betelgeuse is white, but we all know that Betelgeuse is a Red dwarf at the end of its life giving off a a red glow and that Rigel is about to go supa nova and gives off a bright white/ blue lMr. Dave Lowry literally grew up in the Japanese cultural arts. As a boy, he commenced a lifelong study of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship under a Japanese teacher who was living in Missouri. In 1985, Mr. Lowry's experiences growing up as a Westerner, who was deeply immersed in Japanese cultural and martial arts, formed the basis for Autumn Lightning (Shambhala), his first book, which was widely acclaimed. His sequel to this book, Persimmon Wind, was recently published by Tuttle.
In addition to Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Mr. Lowry has trained in karate-do and a variety of modern martial ways. His current and primary martial arts activities are focused on Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Shindo Muso Ryu (an old combative art utilizing a four-foot staff), and aikido.
He is heavily involved with the Japanese community in the St. Louis area, and he has practiced a wide variety of Japanese arts including go (an ancient Japanese game), shodo (calligraphy), kado (flower arrangement), and chado (tea ceremony). Mr. Lowry is also active in the organization and running of the St. Louis Japanese Festival, the largest such festival in North America. He is on the Executive Board of the St. Louis Japanese Festival.
Mr. Dave Lowry has a degree in English, and works as a professional writer. He has authored numerous books, including Sword and Brush (Shambhala); his monthly columns appear in several martial arts magazines, inc Black Belt magazine.ight- in fact the 6th brightest star right? chalice well seminar- i feel another red / white thing going on, chalice well - red, white spring - white!! There is an ancient legend of the Seven Sacred Springs of Glaston. Starting from the South and moving around the Tor in an anti-clockwise direction, the springs are as follows.
Chalice Well – Wellhouse Lane
White Spring – Wellhouse Lane
Ashwell Spring – Gypsy Lane Spring
Wick Spring - Paradise Lane Spring
Holywell Lane Spring – Holywell Lane
St Edmonds Hill Spring – North end of St Edmunds Hill
Lambrook Spring - Bushey Coombe Spring, Launder Lane
In the past all seven springs were held to be of equal importance and to form some sort of balanced energy system. Today, these springs are far from being equally well known and valued.
Chalice Well and the White Spring are looked after as visitor centres but the other springs have either been capped off to run underground or run dry.
Chalice Well - also known as the Red Spring after the rusty red deposit
White Spring - named after the white deposit left by the calcium bearing water.
I think i am right about the water as i found this on the Sacred Spring web blog
"The central image, symbol, of Sacred Spring is water. Why? What does this mean? Why is this important to us? Water flows. It can be a strong enough force to knock you over, and yet it is fluid. You may like to contemplate for a moment the notion that the rivers flow into the sea, and that the rain comes from the sea, yet the sea is never full nor empty. Ice, steam, clouds, rain are all just different states of the same element - water. Water can be still and calm, and it can be violent and fearsome. One drip of water can overflow a cup, yet one drop is not enough to satisfy thirst. Ultimately water can, with patience and tenacity, cause a cliff to collapse into the sea, or change the course of a river.
While we pay attention to the other elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Wood - Water is THE one of the five elements that encapsulates the fluid yet strong principles of Sacred Spring. "
Four Bioethical Principles
The four bioethical principles have been described as:
· Autonomy - respect for the individual and their ability to make decisions with regard to their own health and future. Actions that enhance autonomy are thought of as desirable and actions that 'dwarf' an individual and their autonomy are undesirable.
·
· Beneficence - actions intended to benefit the patient or others
· Non-maleficence - actions intended not to harm or bring harm to the patient and others
· Justice being fair or just to the wider community in terms of the consequences of an action
In Dave Lowrys book "In the Dojo" he refers to the five areas of the Dojo as connected to the Taoist five elements. North of the dojo ie Kamiza = water
east - joseki=wood
south -shimoza = fire
west - shimoseki =metal
centre - embu jo =earth
I also found it interesting that the wood asociated with east and joseki (where higher grades sit) symbolises responsibility, virtue and charity. There fore those of us that sit there have a responsibility to teach.
I also found it interesting that the North - Kamiza has the element water- could this be why Sacred Spring uses water as a symbol?
How could anyone ever refer to the symbol of water as wussy, water is powerful and gentle, destructive and life giving.
Wednesday 9 February 2011
On the 23rd of Jan 2011 Laura Peil graded to 4th Dan and Stephen Peil graded to 5th Dan by Jo Biggs Shihan and a grading panel from Sacred Spring.
