The role of Dragons in Internal Arts (Neijia)

[dwai]

This is kind of a weird topic (i think). 

 

Recently i've been experiencing something that is quite strange/interesting. I'm sure there's some subconscious factor that's making me interpret my experiences as follows, but it is becoming persistent/consistent in experience as I continue taiji practice. 

 

initially it started with experiencing energy during formwork as a cloud of energy that expands and contracts depending on the intention and specific form. Now this has been transformed into imagery/my mind/brain interpreting the energy flow as being dragons that are moving around and coiling about as I do the forms.  Also, the left side seems to be a white dragon and the right side a red dragon. They feel very palpable but not threatening in any way. Odds are that my mind is just telling a "story" based on subconscious mythological conditioning (as in dragons are part of IMA lore)...but posting this to see if there might be some other explanation for this. 

 

 

[GreytoWhite]

Aye, white and red are yin and yang. The black side of the taijitu is supposed to be red.

[SonOfTheGods]

Primordial Atavisms

[gendao]

Also, the left side seems to be a white dragon and the right side a red dragon. They feel very palpable but not threatening in any way. Odds are that my mind is just telling a "story" based on subconscious mythological conditioning (as in dragons are part of IMA lore)...but posting this to see if there might be some other explanation for this.

White (semen) paternal tigle rose and red (blood) maternal tigle sank from your heart when you were conceived. These formed the energetic twin strands of your DNA helix - and perhaps could be seen as dragons?

 

So, working with your dragons could equate to working with your primordial energies.

 

Psychologically, they could also represent your parents, your ego, and your Shadow Self. Of which ultimately, these are all aspects of your Whole Self, and are only colored by your own perceptions of and attitudes toward them.

 

Or at least that's one stab based upon a mix of Vajrayāna, headshrinking, and pure speculation, lol...

Edited November 12, 2015 by gendao

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

Probably the power of suggestion mixed with an intelligent and creative mind.

Daoism has dragon archetypes, so does Taijiquan.

It is a great idea to cultivate some of the movement characteristics of Chinese dragons though.

In Baguazhang there is a saying "walk like and eagle, turn like a monkey, change like a dragon."

It means that your movement should be direct and soaring like a great bird (also you have the intention of a predator watching its prey), you have intelligence and nimbleness in your foot and hand work, and you flow through movements and fold the body like a dragon in flight.

[Wu Ming Jen]

Forward / advance red,fire, backward / retreat blue, water, left green, wood, right white, metal, center yellow, earth. Chinese dragon forms are awesome low ground work and leaving the ground

 

mentioned opening and closing in the movements that is a great accomplishment internal condensing then opening all the joints to expand, awesome.

[Michael Sternbach]

Jung would have liked your vision, its symbolism makes perfect sense if you look at it in terms of the collective unconscious which belongs to all of humanity; thus, its symbolism is intercultural.

 

The dragon is a symbol for the universal life energy in more than one system, including Western Alchemy. It is more or less interchangeable with the snake. Talking about Alchemy, its aim is to create the Lunar White Stone and the Solar Red Stone (hint, hint ).

 

White and red are also the colours of the Lunar Ida and Solar Pingala, two main channels (nadis) in the Indian model of subtle anatomy, wound like snakes around the Sushumna or central channel which coincides with the spine.

 

 

As the above graph suggests, in modern times, Ida and Pingala are often identified with the twin snakes on the Caducaeus or Serpent Wand of Hermes, which are also Lunar and Solar, Yin and Yang etc.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[AussieTrees]

This is kind of a weird topic (i think). 

 

Recently i've been experiencing something that is quite strange/interesting. I'm sure there's some subconscious factor that's making me interpret my experiences as follows, but it is becoming persistent/consistent in experience as I continue taiji practice. 

 

initially it started with experiencing energy during formwork as a cloud of energy that expands and contracts depending on the intention and specific form. Now this has been transformed into imagery/my mind/brain interpreting the energy flow as being dragons that are moving around and coiling about as I do the forms.  Also, the left side seems to be a white dragon and the right side a red dragon. They feel very palpable but not threatening in any way. Odds are that my mind is just telling a "story" based on subconscious mythological conditioning (as in dragons are part of IMA lore)...but posting this to see if there might be some other explanation for this. 

Thanks dwai,

 

Lucky you having two dragons,that are "not threatening in any way".

Work with them,train your dragons,they may well be helpful to you,keep us posted.

[dwai]

Thanks dwai,

 

Lucky you having two dragons,that are "not threatening in any way".

Work with them,train your dragons,they may well be helpful to you,keep us posted.

haha I feel like Danaerys Targaryen  

[soaring crane]

I also think it's not the best path to try and analyze too narrowly what these sensations represent in any specific tradition or belief. I think when you that, they leave.