Tai Chi trains a person to use their internal energy to heal themselves and to develop a mystical awareness of the world. I just found this in the Catechism.
"All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others -- even if this were for the sake of restoring their health -- are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritismoften implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity (CCC 2117)."
This seems to condemn Tai Chi, Yoga, and all other alternative health care and holistic practices not including herbology. Am I right?
Posts: 53 | Location: Detroit area | Registered: 09 August 2005
No. Tai Chi is a gentle art practiced by old men and women in parks in Japan. If it is black magic, then so is breathing. So a person might as well just croak if they equate Tai Chi with black magic.
However, one thing has intrigued me since I began Mantak Chia's "Inner Smile" meditation (smiling into the organs etc) and it may be peculiar to myself. When you do any sort of esoteric art you tune into spirits (benign and sattvic spirits) that are connected to an art--say Tai Chi. So if you are a Christian, I would advise doing these execises with intention of dedicating them to Christ and asking him to make your body an offering to him. But I think there is an art to doing this, an inner softness which allows you not to close up to other Spirits which are in fact beneficial. It's easy, in other words, to close yourself to new dimensions of healing if you become to rigid in your outlook. At the same time, one shouldn't become enamoured by energies.
I used to throw the I Ching now and again. During those periods I had dreams of Chinese sages pouring force into the mental centres and generally acting as a blessing. So if you're sensitive, you'll certainly feel benign forces when you practice Tai Chi.
Darin, I agree with Asher that Tai Chi need not be considered an attempt to "harness an occult power." It's just a simple form of breath and body awareness that can be consecrated to growth in Christ like most any other kind of physical exercise. Same goes for hatha yoga.
