North Star Martial Arts
In depth discussions of internal martial arts, theatricality, and Daoist ritual emptiness. Original martial arts ideas and Daoist education with a sense of humor and intelligence.
Books: TAI CHI, BAGUAZHANG AND THE GOLDEN ELIXIR, Internal Martial Arts Before the Boxer Uprising. By Scott Park Phillips. Paper ($30.00), Digital ($9.99)
Possible Origins, A Cultural History of Chinese Martial Arts, Theater and Religion, (2016) By Scott Park Phillips. Paper ($18.95), Digital ($9.99)
Watch Video: A Cultural History of Tai Chi
New Eastover Workshop, in Eastern Massachusetts, Italy, and France are in the works.
Daodejing Online - Learn Daoist Meditation through studying Daoism’s most sacred text Laozi’s Daodejing. You can join from anywhere in the world, $50. Email me if you are interesting in joining!
Everyone who practices Baguazhang has heard that it was created or revealed by one famous master named Dong Haichuan. Almost everyone agrees on the mythology that Dong taught each of his students differently based on what skills and experiences they already had.
That is pretty extraordinary. That means there wasn't a curriculum. It was improvisational.
Read MoreI've been thinking a lot about patronage networks. I cover this in my book because it is such an essential part of understanding the context of Chinese martial arts. But for those who have already read my book...I have more.
First allow me to lead off with two conversations I had recently, one about the future, and one about that past.
Read MoreAll of the Keynote Lectures from the Marital Arts Studies Conference in Cardiff this Summer are up on their Youtube Channel. There is a lot of good material here, check it out.
And here is a playlist of our mini film festival too:
Read MoreHere at the three teasers I just finished. Covering the Door Gods, Jade Maidens, and Spies. Don't forget to buy the book, there is lot's more juicy stuff in there.
Read MoreThis article from Wired Magazine is interesting especially toward the end. Magic and the Brain: Teller Reveals the Neuroscience of Illusion. It gets a bit into the techniques of magic and the possibility that new discoveries about the mind/brain might lead to new magic tricks.
I'll just take a moment to reflect on the idea that a lot of martial arts are in fact a category of magic trick.
Read MoreCreativity and Diversity
11th International Conference on Daoist Studies
Nanterre, Paris, France May 17-20, 2017
This year’s theme is “Creativity and Diversity.” The focus is on the artistic and specific expressions of Daoist worldview and practice, both in history and today. Panels and presentations focus particularly on anthropological studies and interactions between Daoism and art, music, ritual, theater, literature, martial arts, medicine, and various skills.
Read MoreI'm a bit high on finally getting the paper version of my book out. All week I've been getting texts and emails from people showing me their copy of the book and sending kind words. It's a bit hard to rest. I have so much more to do. In the process of writing the book, at some point I had to stop and do the hard work of editing and working out the final details. That took more than a year. And in that time new ideas and new evidence kept pouring in. It has been coming in faster than ever before. So I now have two more books to write. I also have endless ideas for videos. But I want to produce higher quality videos than I have in the past. That means collaborators and funding.
Read MoreThe paperback version of my book Possible Origins, A Cultural History of Chinese Martial Arts, Theater, and Religion, is now available on Amazon where you can also buy the digital version, and read the introduction. For some reason I make an extra buck if you order it from CreateSpace. This is the best book I have ever written! And I'm sure that readers of this blog are going to love it. As always, I'm open to all kinds of feedback both public and private. I did this to change and inspire conversations about martial arts, theater and religion. So have at it. I also want to say that I have had amazing support from the people around me for doing this work. Thank you.
Read MoreThe conversation started on a dark note. When I was kid we climbed trees all the time. I made amazing tree houses, often way up high in the trees. We climbed every type of tree. I would climb up the bark into trees that had no low branches. Lot's of kids were great tree climbers, even in a city like San Francisco where I grew up. Lot's of men and women my age have stories about being high up in the trees, escaping adults, spying, seeing incredible views. Now people give classes on how to climb trees.
Read MoreHere is a clip from an interview I did in Wales with Dojo TV. Subscribe to their Youtube channel and check out all the other interviews from the conference.
A place to train and learn about traditional Chinese martial arts, which are a form of religious theater combined with martial skills.
