New warrior-mind training = "the dark side"?

The pentagon's new warrior mind training.

Grief

RFK's speech after the assasination of MLK:
"My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He once wrote: "Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

RFK unintentionally misquoted Aeschylus in a revealing way. I will have more to say about grief, as emerging from body and brain, in a later post.

My great great grandfather and grandmother were "electric" healers in the 1880s

Found this in the WAUKESHA FREEMAN archives
Nov 20, 1879

An advertisement .... For my great-great-grandfather Hubbell Fox, a civil war veteran, and great great grandmother Mary Rowe, a Wisconsin - frontier midwife

(my grandmother Mary L Kerr's maternal grandparents)

"Those desiring medical treatment
in the new system—Electric and Mag-
netic—will find Dr. Hubbell Fox prepared
to receive patients at his residence,
Vine Cottage, Grand Avenue.
Aside from a medical education as
taught in the Homoeopathic and Electric
schools of practice. Dr. Fox has
made a special study of the medical
use of electricity, (is a graduate of the
Philadelphia El.ectropathic Institution),
is also thoroughly versed -m Hygeo
Therapeutics and makes use of the
Turkish, Electric, Medicated or Plain
baths when applicable. Dr. H. will be
assisted by Mrs. Mary Fox, who 'will
continue her practice as heretofore.
Particular attention given to treating
diseases of women. Patients from
a distance or those desiring; board will
receive careful'attention as to proper
diet, etc. Calls in a general practice
promptly attended to."

Ba Gua artist Zhang Yi Zhong describes his diet

Zhang Yi Zhong's Thoughts on Diet

Zhang Yi Zhong believes that in order to have a strong. energetic basis for the practice of internal martial art one must maintain a well managed diet. He feels the the foundation for qi in the body is diet, and thus those who are practicing the "qi arts" should be very concerned about diet. The strength of your energy and the health of your body will be a direct reflection of your diet. Zhang maintains a very strict diet which he has devised base on years of personal research and experimentation. The following are some guidelines that he recommend concerning diet (this is an excerpt taken from a "Dietary Information Guide" printed in the Tai Chi Natural Healing Club Newsletter which is produced by Zhang Yi Zhong group in Santa Cruz, California):

1. Eat whole, natural, unprocessed foods. Whole foods are found in as close to their whole natural state as possible. Vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits can be prepared with very little altering or processing, retaining nutritional benefits. These foods can be creatively and attractively prepared to please the most discriminating palate.
   
   
2. Eat for Minerals and Vitamins. The vitamins and minerals obtained from the foods you eat work to maintain the proper functioning of the internal organs. They are essential for normal metabolism. The relaxation and rotation of the waist and abdomen in the Tai Chi practice nurtures the internal organs. Vitamins and minerals also nurture the "vital organs." Good food sources for minerals and vitamins are vegetables (especially green), whole grains, sea vegetables, seeds, nuts, and unrefined salt.
   
   
3. Eat early in the day. Give your system a little time to wake up before you "breakfast." A main meal of the day around 10-12:00, or "brunch" will give you the nourishment you'll need to move through the day. A lighter meal later in the day should be sufficient for the evening "wind down." Eat several hours before you go to bed. This gives the organs time to rest and regenerate during your sleeping hours. If you eat right before bed much of your body will still be working all night digesting food.
   
   
4. Eat lightly, chew well. No matter how wholesome your diet is, it is important to not over eat. Overeating burdens the organs, making digestion, assimilation, and elimination inefficient as well as uncomfortable. Chewing well not only lets you savor the taste of good food, but aids in the digestion and assimilation of food The enzymes in the saliva mix with the food and start the digestive process immediately.
   
   
5. Eat Alkaline. Clean blood and good circulation are important factors of preventative and abundant health The pH of the blood is slightly alkaline. Keeping the acid/alkaline balance of the blood relatively stable and slightly alkaline provides the best environment for the cellular building blocks to function effectively. Foods that lean toward acid in the body are meat and refined foods, especially refined carbohydrates. See #2 for foods that lean towards alkaline.

Make any changes in your diet gradually. Be sensitive to your body. Understanding why and what you're doing and experimenting slowly and carefully is the most sensible and safe way to make lasting changes!"

How old style martial arts teachers taught

Zhang Yi Zhong was born just West of Shanghai, China, in 1921. When Zhang was in his early twenties, World War II had just ended and with the Japanese withdrawal from Taiwan, the Chinese government sent Zhang t to Taiwan and take things over from the Japanese. Zhang's first exposure to the internal martial arts in Taiwan came from Wang Shu din's teaching of Chen Pan Ling's integrated Tai Ji system.

When asked about the teaching styles of Chen Pan Ling and Wang Shu din, Zhang said that neither of these gentleman provided a great deal of detail in their teaching. He said that both teachers were highly skilled and very strong, however, they did not analyze and provide details about what they were doing, they just did it. Asking questions of the teacher was discouraged. Zhang said that if you asked a question, the teacher would become angry, so you really had to be clever to figure things out. Zhang said that these teachers would show the movements of the forms and give a small bit of explanation, but it was up to the student to practice hard and explore his or her own realizations about the movements and techniques.