The work this week is LIFT.
It's all a matter of ki.
That's the basic energy-focus we all have, and so few of us ever use. Ki is centered in the lower abdomen, and a person who can harness his or her ki can become literally immovable. You can't lift an expert in ki off the ground, or throw him. The energy becomes some kind of weird gravitational attraction...and I would never have believed it until I experienced it.
So what does this have to do with lift, or terminal illness, or anything else?
Simple...what goes down can also go up. Ki is used in martial arts to gain an advantage in solidity and stability, but it can also be used in the opposite sense, to make one lighter than one really is. Upward-directed ki can let a master leap over his opponent, and do the mid-air pirouettes that you only see in Jackie Chan movies.
And it can lift the soul. Becoming attuned with one's ki, and thinking up makes you feel better. It gives a sense of hope and optimism that's so desperately needed some days. At least, it sure is for me.
And how do you find your ki? Close your eyes, and inhale. Feel your breath go down, down, down, and you will sense a spot just below the navel, that seems to gain focus as you allow your breath and mind to rest there.
That's your ki talking.
Don't force feelings, for now. Just become aware of it, as you live and breathe and move through your day.
Kind of like The Force.
The difference is, your ki really is with you.
And of course, the musical accompaniment is...
Marley update...he's received a lot of support, but STILL NEEDS HELP TO BE SAVED.
WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
He's up to nearly 200,000 signatures, but the local authorities are dragging their feet. They think that we'll give up and go away. We won't.
He's up to nearly 200,000 signatures, but the local authorities are dragging their feet. They think that we'll give up and go away. We won't.
If you have a mment, I'd like to ask you to visit Change.org to consider a petition to free a 'death row dog' who has been separated from his family for ten months over a misunderstanding. Marley was saved from Afghanistan by a US serviceman; please help make sure this story doesn't end in needless tragedy! Marley's gotten a lot of support...but he still needs our help.
If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.
Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.
Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.
Hey Andrew, this is an interesting post. I haven't heard of ki before. Your words reminded me of the importance of keeping our thoughts and our focus upward. When I focus on the ways my boys are getting under my skin with disrespectful tones or attitude, it's easy to look horizontally, and become very frustrated. Lately, God's been challenging me to look up. To not let their moods and words impact my own. Harder lived out than spoken, but I'm working on it.
ReplyDeleteI imagine, especially in a situation of terminal illness, being able to find your ki can strengthen you on the hardest of days. Thank you for sharing this perspective!
"It's easy to look horizontally..." Perfect, Jeanne!
DeleteAnd you're right...finding my ki does give me strength. Thanks so much for being here!
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteMy ki is always affected by eating chili. The fire burns in my navel. I sense its power.
I'm on a public page and so the story must end there.
I hope that made you smile.
Here's a verse that reflects our FMF community now.
"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2
Lift and carry. 😊🙏🏻👏🏻
You absolutely crack me up.
DeleteThink of smiling as a face "lift", Susan! :D
DeleteOh, Tammy, you sure did make me smile! And the Galatians verse is just perfect. Thank you!
DeleteAndrew it's so funny that you talked about centering yourself and lifting yourself when I started with talking about centering within myself as well! Love it when this sort of thing happens because it's a sign (at least for me) that I was following what God wanted me to say, no matter how hard! Thank you for sharing!! (((hugs))) and love to you sweet friend!!
ReplyDeleteLove that too, Marisa! Great minds, guided by the Almighty, think alike!
DeleteHugs and love to you, dear Marisa. I believe in you!
I had not heard of the ki before. Looking forward to practicing with it! Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteKadie, I think you will find that it opens a whole new 'world' of living. Please let me know?
DeleteAnd thank you for being here.
I know about ki - and if you watch a baby breathe? They breathe deep and their little tummies go up and down. Then we grow and begin to shallow breathe into our lungs and not into our abdomen. Powerful stuff. I believe it was ki that David prayed and wrote about, "From my bowels..." Kudos on the post Mr. Miyagi. xo
ReplyDeleteYes, Susan, that is exactly what David was writing about. I haven't seen a baby breathe, but puppies - and adult dogs - all breathe from the gut. Think they know something we don't?
DeleteXOXOX WagWagWaggyWag WOOF!
The reminder that breath is so important - that when we take time to truly breathe deeply, we are lifted. I think it's so amazing that God created our bodies this way: When we stop and listen we are physically & spiritually lifted.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Annie. God made us this way for a reason, so that we'd be 'interrupted' from our ever chuffing train of thought...and have to pay attention - and homage - to Him.
DeleteThanks so much for being here!
All too often we experience stress and it's accompanying bad side-effects because we simply forget to breath deeply. Shallow breathing is incredibly bad for us. Thanks for the reminder! (she says as she takes a really deep breath).
ReplyDeleteAnita, enjoy that deep breath...and may God kiss your forehead as it reaches its peak. (That's how it feels for me.)
DeleteThank you for stopping by. I know how busy you are, and I truly appreciate you.
I never heard of this before. Interesting points though.
ReplyDeleteGotta hang out with the Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan wannabes, Kristina! But it really does help.
DeleteI am so glad you stopped by. Thank you!
Interesting, Andrew. I know virtually nothing about martial arts, other than what I've seen in old movies I watched with my older brothers growing up!! My Mum got really interested in breathing techniques when she got sick. It helped her body to relax, when her mind tried to tense her and keep her awake. God sure has created an amazing human body, hasn't He?
ReplyDeleteAnna, yes...God's pretty good at quite a few things, isn't He?
DeleteSometimes (like last night) I use breathing to put me into what I call 'the zone' when the pain's too bad to let me sleep. I can still rest.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Okay, so you seem to come from martial arts. I've been into Kung-fu too, many years ago. They call it Chi in Chinese. It's the same thing as Ki.
ReplyDeleteSo, the old Chinese martial arts masters used this energy to become light and jump very high too, isn't it? I had read in a book, long ago, that they would jump high, and then land on a match box, without the matchbox breaking. This is about the Shao-lin monks. The book name was, I think, Chinese Boxing. A friend had lent it to me.
Actually, there's a million times more energy at the center of the forehead than in the navel region. It's because the soul resides at this place (Not been prove yet, but scientists are researching and this will be proven, soon).
P.S.: Seems I'm not able to post a comment using WordPress or an OpenID account. Trying with Google now.
Raspal, you're right. I've seen masters do things, using ki/chi, that I would never have believed possible.
DeleteAnd yes, there is much more energy at the forehead than at the navel. But it's a lot harder to control.
Aww love this. So true, to take a moment and remember that whatever goes down can be lifted. Thank you for the reminder to take deep breaths and keep going.
ReplyDeleteJenn, thank you! With God, there is never a 'down for the count'. As He rose, we rise.
DeleteThank you so much for being here today.
I'm going to have to try this and the thinking UP. :) thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAlways UP! Let your soul soar! And thank you so much for being here.
DeleteWow Andrew, thank you for sharing this! And the song? Of course!!
ReplyDeleteTondra, thanks! And I just had to share that wonderful, dancing song!
DeleteI truly appreciate your stopping by today. Thank you.
Marie, if I could still dance, I would dance to that song in my head. Always loved it! (And I AM a Funky Chinaman!)
ReplyDeleteInteresting. It is all new to me. It is something to know that an expert in Ki can't be lifted off the ground. That person is pretty well grounded to say the least. There are times we need to be that way, especially when storms come, but theirs a time to be lifted up and above. There is such beauty in both. Peace!
ReplyDeleteThinking about a person being rooted and immovable makes me think about a person who is rooted in Christ. No matter how life (and people) try to push someone around, the one rooted in Christ stands firm.
ReplyDelete