Joined Up Thinking
The following is an abridged journey through our head instructor’s training life story and path to becoming an anti-guru.
In the occult community joining is the exception. You have the classical organisations such as the OTO as well as various covens etc. But for the most part people seem to have their solo practice, likeminded friends or more informal groups and online groups.
In the martial arts you are a pariah if you go it alone. And the argument goes that you must get hands on to have any martial skill which is a solid argument. That being said the probability of developing real practical skills from a traditional martial arts class isn’t as high as it should be. The most effective brawlers I have ever come across have been completely untrained and backyard training groups seem to mix it up a bit more effectively. Of course you have your combat sports gyms which for the most part deliver highly effective and well tested training but there you have left the quirkiness of the traditional martial arts behind. I used combat sports as a testing adjunct to TMA training rather than a primary pursuit. Of course at this point I’ve left the painful concerns about martial effectiveness in the street or cage behind, and grown in to a more cultivation-centric practice.
So what do you do if you’re not a joiner?…
I never finished any syllabus and this is partly my fault and partly that of the schools I was involved with. I try not to invoke Bruce Lee because I’m not a fan but he was the same, and it didn’t do him much harm from a popularity perspective, in other ways you could argue it did. It is worth saying all of my teachers except one were fine, no reason for concern, just never clicked particularly with anybody. The reason for not developing a lifelong relationship with any school from my perspective was partly due to neurodiversity, I wanted to learn my own way, and that was the only way it was possible (it is well worth going back and reading our January 2023 blog post ‘Can I learn Tai Chi/Chi Kung from books and videos’ at this point for guidance on how this is done). I also carried a couple of injuries, and despite various instructors committing to use the art as a therapy for these and make adaptations where necessary, they simply didn’t even when laying down a lot of cash for private lessons. Unless you can adapt and evolve there is no art. Not that preservation doesn’t have necessity and value, but teaching by rote the way your teacher taught you seems incredibly unhealthy to me, you are your own person. It’s important to be results focused so you can be objective with your training. By ditching martial arts classes and focusing on solo training, practice partners and informal groups, I achieved a modest level of fighting skill which got tested. I also rehabilitated my injuries and developed some esoteric skill and remain on that journey.
Given the times in which we live you need insurance to run a Tai Chi school. Having ended up as a modern-day ronin I achieved this by doing a short Tai Chi instructor course aimed at health and fitness professionals just to get a piece of paper. Given that it was a non-martial approach I also completed a self-defence instructor course that was equally short so I could insure myself to get hands on. You could have come in to these courses totally cold with no background and been qualified in a matter of weeks. Scary! But as it was I had trained and researched obsessively and continue to do so.
I now teach largely online because quite frankly I am really not a people person. I would get nervous before every in person class I ran because of the social element. Some people are just more likeable than others, I guess I’m an acquired taste. At a push I will do a private or small group lesson. It is also deeply uncomfortable talking in the first person so won’t be doing this again for a while.
So if an aloof auteur is the right kind of teacher for you then get in touch, gather what you need and then go off and do it your way! Did I mention I’m not great at marketing ;-)
Tim - Head Instructor WXTBA