Art, the articulation of internally accessed cosmic reality, reconciles the deepest part of every soul with its own infinite, silent source.

Art is a merger of light and human being, and the quintessential martial artist is a conductor of light. He's different from those working in the "fine arts" because his medium of expression is his psycho-physical self which he dips into profound stillness and then tints the world with its power; a process he repeats over and over again.

"Through him sounds a supernatural power, the same power which makes the animals speak and the earth render up milk and honey. He feels himself to be godlike and strides with the same elation and ecstasy as the gods he has seen in his dreams. No longer the artist, he has himself become a work of art: the productive power of the whole universe is now manifest in his transport, to the glorious satisfaction of the primordial One." -- Friedrich Nietzche

When the power that Nietzche wrote about(chi/ki) resonates in the soul of a martial artist he is transported out of his small self into Self-as-work-of-art; an ecstatic work of art. Through this process the martial artist tunes into the primordial One, realizing and releasing the power of the gods outward from his center in widening, contagious circles of influence. If the artist resonates powerfully enough he may pull others along with him, entraining others' consciousness into harmony with his own inner peace, circumventing conflict, or if conflict is inevitable, he can disrupt the rhythm of the opponent's inner pulse to jam and confuse his balance and timing.
Copyright 2004 by Jack Livingston