Martial Mysticism Resolved
The Martial Arts are often obscured by mysticism and mystery. In researching the martial science of matrixing I tried to analyze the various myths with physics. This is not an article about Matrixing, but it does show the thought process I was undergoing.[l:2:J]
The pentagram is sometimes used as a key to Chinese martial arts. The five elements of the universe are represented by this key. Water, earth, fire, wood and metal are considered to be the five elements.
The five elements can be arranged in an order that is thought of as generative. To be generative means that each element makes the next. Earth, for instance makes metal which makes water, which makes wood, which makes fire, which makes earth.
There is also a degenerative sequence that the elements can be put into. In the degenerative one element destroys the next which destroys the next, and so on. Thus: fire is destroyed by water is destroyed by earth is destroyed by metal is destroyed by wood is destroyed by fire.
This type of sequencing builds a logic, and the logic can be ordered according to ones viewpoint. The fact of whether metal is considered as a tool or a weapon can easily shift the viewpoint. such a shift in viewpoint can result in much argument as to the order of the sequence.
The sequence to be arranged in the martial arts, I reasoned, should be arranged according to the potential motion of the element. Fire is towards, wood doesnt move, earth sinks, metal extends and water clings to. Thus, each element is understood according to the direction it takes.
Wood doesnt move. It is immobile. It waits for the attack.
Fire charges forward aggressively. Fire attacks wood. Fire attempts to destroy wood.
Earth is a motion towards the earth. When aggression comes in, earth will move it downward. Earth grapples with fire in this manner.
Water is liquid and flowing. When somebody tries to grab, you go with to defeat. Water destroys earth.
Metal is a weapon. A weapon enables one to extend his distance to reach somebody who is being liquid. Metal destroys water.
Wood, again, is motionless. Somebody rushing with a weapon, trying to close the distance, can be handled by a sudden stop, thus letting the weapon extend past the defender. In this manner wood handles metal.
This is one visualization of how combat can be related to the Chinese pentagram. One can see how motion relates better than an element, and what was discovered in times past can be better understood. The analogy is a bit loose, however.
Metal, as a product of civilization, and therefore not natural, should probably be omitted. Perhaps four elements should be represented, and this by a square, which would make the concepts more manageable. There is also the possibility of replacing the Chinese elements with the Chinese elements, which would introduce spirit to the fray.
Mythology, ultimately, must give way to science. Mystery is at the heart of mysticism, which is merely a way of saying we dont understand something. Thus, the confusions of mythology should fall to the analysis of force and direction, which is what Matrixing ultimately is.