Friday, June 6, 2014

Be h2o

"Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend." Bruce Lee

Water, h2o is the stuff of the Tao we need it almost as much as we need air to live but water can also be deadly. The adult human's body is comprised of up to an average of 60% of water. People have different average ratios for the water make up of their bodies based primarily on age and gender. The average adult human body is 50-65% water, averaging around 57%-60% for males. Males average on the higher end than females. While the percentage of water in infants bodies is much higher, typically around 75-78% water.



Water molecules contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, and they are connected by covalent bonds. Pure water is tasteless, odorless, and colorless. Water can occur in three states: solid, liquid, or gas. Water is a liquid at room temperature, but goes into a solid state as ice at 0° Celsius or 32° Fahrenheit. Water at sea level, turns to it's gaseous state steam or  vapor at 100° Celsius or 212° Fahrenheit.

Water covers about 71% percent of the Earth's surface and the oceans only hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water. The other 3.5% of water is in the air, in lakes, ponds, streams, snow, ice, and to a lesser extent it is moisture in the ground, and in us, as well as all the other animals.



The deadly aspects of water generally happen to us when it cuts off our air supply. I have been trapped under the ice, and had to rely on tameshiwara (breaking), to get to the surface. I also have been trapped behind a curtain of falling water after our raft went over a small waterfall. There was very little oxygen  under the falls, and no way to escape or signal the rescuers searching for my body. I had tried to yell but there wasn't enough oxygen to get a strong shout, and I had tried to stick my arm out to wave but the force of the falling water was to great. Beside the noise of the falls completed muffled my attempts to call. I had to gather my strength by doing the deep breathing we use in meditation to make an attempt to drive down to the bottom, and make my way out. It was very close to the feeling of being hit by a wave, and rolled on the bottom of the ocean except this was more concentrated. The sheer pressure of the water on my back forced me to crawl along the bottom as swimming was impossible.



Water is one of the best sources for training our spirit for the reality of combat. I love standing in the ocean punching and kicking waves in the cold water. Also another way to train to be effective in combat situations is to use deep water swimming to help teach us to be aware of danger. We need to be relaxed, and adaptable with both swimming, and in the martial arts even in the face of danger. The buddy system of swimming comes in handy with combat situations as well. I use only three strokes to travel through water; a back stroke, a side stroke, and a breast stroke of one variation or another. I have swam miles in water that was over a hundred feet deep by using these three simple strokes. Nature is unforgiving, unlike your training partner in the dojo. When you realize that you can only rely on your skill, and that of your buddy to keep you alive makes the training more authentic. Of course water is also in our blood that pumps up our muscles, and makes our fist, and strikes hard too. Absorbing water keeps us alive, and absorbing knowledge makes living worthwhile. Paraphrasing Bruce; be h2o my friend, after all he admonished us to do so.

"Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own." Bruce Lee

My stories are about martial arts adventures that are intertwined with paranormal or supernatural events. The following links are to the Kindle version books from the "Dream Walker” series. Our adventurers find themselves on a quest where they are confronted with both conspiracy and mystery. Their challenge is to unite their mind and body skills together utilizing what they have learned in the martial arts with the transcendental power of dream mediation. They attempt to do this while they are trying to make a life for themselves and elude those that seek to use and control them.

Conversations with a Sage (Book 1 of the Dream-Walker)

Conversations with a Sage: This explores Xander Davidson's early encounters with the mysterious fog like Dream Walking martial art sages. He ponders if they are real or if they are only remnants of his dreams. He mainly keeps this secret world to himself as he tries to copes with abuse, growing up without support or guidance and the mystery of his family's past. 

Xander and the Assassins Gift (Book 2 of the Dream-Walker)

The Assassins Gift: Xander Davidson struggles with the conspiracy of his family and the group that is actively trying to manipulate him to join them or die. The young Dream Walkers learns an early lesson to be careful about whom they let into their circle.


Warriors of Perception (Book 3 of the Dream-Walker)

Warriors of Perception: Xander Davidson and his band of friends embark on a mission to free themselves from their oppressors. They bravely face the challenge all the while vying for the right moment to turn the tables.


Jace Lee The Shift (Book 4 of the Dream-Walker)

Jace Lee The Shift: We find a new apprentice, Adam, that is fighting for his life. He is struggling to understand the amazing skills of his mentor, Jace Lee; a younger man that has trained under Xander Davidson. All the while his mentor attempts to reconcile the fact that his skills do not match up with the other Dream Walkers.


Jace Lee No Agenda (Dream Walker Book 5)

Jace Lee No Agenda: Jace Lee attempts to find himself on a self-imposed vision quest of sorts. Instead he finds himself being stalked by the same group that had previously sought after his teacher, (Xander Davidson). Instead of mastering his odd Dream Walking skills he finds love and the potential loss of his powers.

Jace Lee and the Tutelage of Ming Wu: Dream Walker 6 

Jace Lee The Tutelage of Ming Wu: Jace Lee rejoins his teacher Xander Davidson as they cope with a possible combined threat (the mysterious), Ming Wu and the Council that has continuously monitored the Dream Walkers.      

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