MARTIAL ARTS / WOMEN'S STUDIES "I see women coming to the martial arts as a young movement that will transform it forever in a very deep way. The martial arts will never be the same again for this influence, and that's what my life is about, sitting right on that cusp and being engaged in that process." --Coleen Gragen, Fifth-degree black belt Kajukenbo instructor Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror explores in depth how, why, and to what effect women in considerable numbers are dedicating themselves to the martial arts. The twenty-four women interviewed here, aged twelve to eighty-three, discuss the physical and spiritual challenges of martial arts training and how it helps to bring meaning and purpose to their lives. Their disciplines range from T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Aikido to Judo, Capoeira, Jujutsu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun, Kajukenbo, and Kung Fu, and their backgrounds are equally diverse. Some were accomplished athletes before beginning, while others had never been comfortable with their physical bodies until discovering the martial arts. All have received deep spiritual nourishment through their practice. Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror is an inspiration for anyone concerned with enhancing the physical, spiritual, and social dimensions of life, as well as those interested in self-defense and physical safety. Students of women's issues will find a wonderful collection of contemporary American women who speak articulately about the forces that have shaped their lives. STEPHANIE T. HOPPE coedited a two-volume anthology on women's relationships with animals and the natural world. Her many stories and interviews have appeared in anthologies and magazines, and she has also written several science fiction novels. She lives in Ukiah, California, where she teaches T'ai Chi Ch'uan at the White Cloud Women's T'ai Chi School.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Hefting the Spear that has Been Offered Me
1 Taking Responsibility for Ourselves
2 The Oneness of All Things
3 A Question Larger than Resolving Conflict
4 Balance Doesn't Always Mean Being Cool
5 Something in the Movements was Like Coming Home
6 Defying the Limits of What the Body Can Do
7 You Just Have to Do It and Do It and Do It
8 Finding the Fighting Roots
9 I Have a Path, a Spiritual Path
10 A Martial Art Developed by a Woman for Women
11 The Difference for Me is that I Am Myself
12 Women Will Transform the Martial Arts
13 An Inner Sense of Freedom
14 Our Family has Always Done Weapons
15 What I Create Teaches Me
16 A Chinese Master
17 The More You Do the More Things Come Together
18 There's More to Fighting than Smashing Things
19 Sixty Years on the Mat
20 Talking to the Future
Epilogue: Reflections in the Mirror of My Practice
Glossary
Resources
