In the modern day world and our journey through this existence, much emphasis is placed upon material accomplishments. Using the metaphor of a house with a gate can bridge the gap between modern world thinking and the ancient of the world of internal martial arts.

The uninitiated think that the House is the goal. And why not? The House is the place of manifestation. We all want that win, that security, that achievement and that gold. But the House, always, without exception has a gate through which one must pass and a space between the gate and the house which one must traverse. Recognition of the gate’s presence is the initiation into alchemy. Alchemy is the transformative process that creates personal power. Here’s how it can look from the outside.

Have you ever noticed something special about someone competing in a sport or doing something they really love? Their focus is strong and their intent undeniable. Why is this? What is this phenomenon? The “why” is that their passion for engaged achievement drives their desire towards success. This is called “fire in the belly.” The “will” surpasses all obstacles and determination meets every challenge. I call this “heart.”

When fire in the belly meets the “heart” of passion, winning or loosing no longer becomes the focus. The intent to learn, to practice, to master becomes the foundation of all that follows. This must become the path you follow through the gate. But the space between the gate and the house cannot be traversed unless one comes to understand the “heart of the practice” which can also be called “foundation.”

When the “heart of the practice” is developed, even if the person does not win in their endeavor, we tend to hurrah them on. You “know” just by observing them that they have what it takes – “heart and will.” But it is impossible to “think” heart and will into existence. Your body and mind must become one before you can become a power greater than thought. Without this process being second nature, the House may not be entered.

 Developing “Heart” through developing “The Entrance to Learn”

Since I was a young girl I loved the martial arts. My sister and I used to watch the old Samurai movies and study their moves, their faces – every bit of what they did. We loved “the soul of the art.” Over the years, I became a scholar of Asian arts, history, forms and strategy. When I began training with the U.S. Parachute Team it seemed only natural to apply these principles I had learned to my sports endeavors.

Later I realized that this early learning securely placed me at the gate, “the entrance to learn.” Entering the gate meant conscious contemplation of technique and building a foundation. It meant taking time to prepare for the practice, giving respect to the gate and releasing the expectation of entering the House. This is the “heart of the practice.” And it takes as long as it takes. There is no time in “the heart of practice,” only learning and becoming one with the practice. Movement and thought coalesce at the gate not once, but over and over. It becomes the ritual of your relationship with what is promised in the House. It is what keeps you going and growing your set of skills that will provide you the longevity to keep “the heart of the practice” alive energetically. It is what makes you not want to give up, EVER!

Each time you begin your practice you set your ritual to “enter through the gate.” It’s a meditation to cross over the threshold to another dimension.  In a sense, this means that each time you take time to contemplate and “enter through the gate” – you are taking time to “re-boot” your internal computer. You will get to a higher level of practice quicker because you respect the gate and thereby build the root to access focus and foundation.

When I was competing in skydiving gymnastics, I spent over a year “at the gate” with just one movement I needed to perfect.  I had to learn to hold a steady vertical dive, lined up on a heading, but I could not see it, because I was looking backward in the dive.  At the same time, I had to focus during the few seconds I had, while falling at 200 mph, to get ready to enter the first turn.  If I had not spent hundreds of jumps at the “gate” learning foundation and technique, I could never have developed the “sense” of knowing where my body was (the qi). This developed into having “eyes throughout my whole body.”  This is where “the heart of practice” was for me and I learned the profound essence of “entering through the gate.”

In your practice, look at where your “entrance to learn is” – what is your gate?  Spend some time there – a lot of time, understanding the essence of what you want to achieve and the steps on that journey. Through this process you will excel further and farther than you could imagine. You will build a special foundation where – you meet you – and become one in focus. Your focus will not be the House but the House and all that is waiting there for you will be a reflection of your conscious, patient, journey through the gate.