The Tiger's Mouth

This is the story of a group of people - in this case, students in a class of T'ai Chi Ch'üan - who are exploring their psychological and spiritual development as they travel inwardly towards the Taoist Source of wisdom and enlightenment. The story unfolds as if they had all evolved into the 'we' of the narrator and links the symbolism in the titles of the T'ai Chi with its physical components. On the way, they encounter many of Nature's marvels, learn much about the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism and its allied philosophies, (both Western and otherwise), and sense within themselves the soul's search for wisdom. Of the many creatures they meet, it is the Tiger that is the most dominant and, as a symbol of the ego, its attempts to defy spiritual development enable the seeker to attain some degree of spiritual advancement. The Journey is not a treatise on the T'ai Chi itself, but, since psychological significance is given to all its movements, it is unique in the annals of T'ai Chi literature and, being allegorical, can be of interest to all.