Thought Vault
Category: Understand
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Heaven and Earth: Why I Teach Both
People are sometimes puzzled that the same person teaches a martial art and writes about yoga and the older esoteric traditions. To me it is one subject seen from two ends: the…
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Kitsune: The Fox Spirits of Japan
Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox, and also for the fox spirits of Japanese folklore. These are not one doctrine or one creature. They are a large body of stories collected…
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Fox Spirit Animal: What It Means
People search for “fox spirit animal” to find out what the fox means for them. I want to answer that, but first I want to be careful with the phrase. A note…
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Fox Symbolism Around the World
Almost every culture that has shared a landscape with foxes has made something of them. The stories differ, but they keep coming back to the same few traits: intelligence, patience, and a…
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Yama in Yoga: The Five Ethical Foundations
Yoga, in the form most of us know it, is about postures. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the best-known classical text, postures are the third of eight limbs. The first limb…
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Taming the Inner Dragon
I once had a vivid dream in which I faced Smaug, the dragon from The Hobbit. I do not claim it was more than a dream. But it stayed with me, and…
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Red Fox Meaning and Symbolism: Spirit Animal Guide
The red fox symbolism has always captivated me. This creature is more than just an animal; it has become a powerful guide and emblem in my life, both personally and in martial…
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What Does It Mean to Be a Yogi?
The word “yogi” is used loosely. Paramahansa Yogananda, who did much to bring yoga to the West, described a yogi as anyone who practises a method aimed at the direct experience of…