Philosophy and Vision
Martial
arts without vision are crude, and without philosophy they are dangerous. Land of the Sky uses hard skill development
and the martial arts training as a method of building character and attributes.
We believe these attributes support
civilization and society by encouraging harmony, building compassion, confidence,
and instilling discipline. The world is
filled with enough fighting. It is a
greater path to choose peace and find a way to attain that peace both within
ourselves and in life relationships. Kids
and adults who are confident in their physical power, who can express
themselves articulately and without aggression, and who recognize emotions and
thoughts within themselves and others, are less likely to need ‘fighting’
methods to resolve a problem. We think
ourselves so advanced and evolved, and yet are unable to tame even our own
tongues.
While
we see the martial arts as a life long path toward achieving greater peace with
the world around us, we are not negligent in preparing students for unavoidable
and dangerous conflict. When all
possible avenues have been exhausted, or when a violent individual seeks to do
us or our loved ones harm and the decision is made to engage them, the martial
arts are a powerful ally. We have no ‘secret’
death techniques but instead rely on rigorous training, balance, mental
alertness, coolness under pressure, and age-old methods of using the body. Our styles are very old and have been used and
developed over centuries of trial and error.
For this reason we are not a sport school; trophies do a lot to build
the ego and lessen the combative quality of a traditional martial science.
Scout
Skills, or wilderness training, is undertaken to give students a sense of
appreciation for the natural world. I
believe the greatest spiritual lessons are not learned in books, from guru’s,
or whatever someone is selling, but they are instead available to each and
every person who traverses the wilderness and spends time alone with the
Creator. I want my students to be there
safely, confidently, and keeping alive traditions and practices that were so
necessary only two centuries ago.
Healing
Arts training is available to students interested in such study. These practices are also very old and have
been shown to reduce stress and increase immune function. Qi Gong, Tai Chi,
and Reiki are all gentle methods of learning about our bodies and healing
others. Healing is also an important
balancing aspect of combative martial arts.
Without balance we slip into one sidedness, our hearts become cold, and
we are worse than when we started.
I
look forward to sharing my experiences on this path with you and hope we will
have many years of learning together these great arts of the Sacred Path of the
Warrior.
Sincerely,
Spencer Bolejack
Land of the Sky Martial Arts, Instructor
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