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“Schartz has splendidly blended fact, fiction, and fantasy into an enthralling,
fast-paced story that I could not put down.”
Many sci-fi fantasy novels and movies claim there is a pervasive force animating the entire universe… like the “Force” in StarWars. But these imaginative writers didn’t make it up entirely. It happens to be a widely recognized concept throughout India (Shakti), Japan (Ki), continental Asia (Chi), and the Pacific Islands (Mana). Native tribes of the Americas, Australia, and other cultures believe that through meditation and purification you can get in spiritual contact with ancestors, divine teachers, or with other entities of the universe… or a parallel universe.
Many geniuses throughout history claimed to have been in contact with such entities who taught them mathematics, engineering, wisdom, etc. Leonardo Da Vinci disappeared into a cave to meditate for months at a time. Albert Einstein said he meditated each day and found inspiration in messages from beyond. Indian mathematics genius Srinivasa Ramanujan claimed his insights came from visions of divine inspiration.
Modern physicists are now considering the possibility of a universal pervasive energy, as it offers a logical explanation for many inexplicable phenomena like split cells separated and still resonating as one, even at a great distance (prick one and the other reacts to the pain). It would also explain the positive results of studies involving remote viewing, mind-reading, premonitory dreams and visions, clairvoyance, mind-to-mind communication over great distances, etc.
It can explain how a mother can lift a car to pull her child from under the wheel. Or how someone survives something unsurvivable. In case of supreme emergency, the brain sometimes remembers how to use this universal energy.
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| The universal symbol of the Chi energy is the Yin-Yang |
In my new series, THE PROTECTORS, I call this energy the Chi, which is the recognized term throughout Asia. Most martial artists are familiar with the concept and practice meditation. It takes training and discipline to learn how to gather and focus the Chi. It’s not the hand that breaks the pile of bricks, but the amount of energy generated by the strike. Some masters can strike from across the room, sending their attacker flying, without ever touching him.
The Chi is not good or evil. It is a dynamic natural force. It takes many years of meditation, hard work, and dedication to master this energy, so most of those who know how to use it are monks with pure intentions. Wielding it as a weapon for selfish or evil purposes, however, only reveals the flawed or imperfect nature of the person using it.
Knowledge of the Chi can also be used to heal. Acupuncture is a testament to its efficiency. Nowadays, many westerners practice Tai-Chi and Chi-Kong for good health, especially in old age. These techniques have been proven beneficial by reputable medical studies (Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai-Chi).
In case you were wondering, I have been a Tai-Chi practitioner for many years, and I am now a Tai-Chi instructor in Arizona.
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| Front and center, Christmas 2022, with a few of my students from the Glendale Adult Center |
I hope you like Anila, my Chi Warrior.
Anila, peaceful warrior woman, trained all her life in the desert, at the monastery of the Celestial Gate, to take the vows of the mighty Protectors. That’s all she’s ever known, all she ever wanted. But a cloud of black wings haunts her nightmares.
When a barbarian horde invades from the north, Bayor Khan seems unstoppable, determined to destroy everything in his path. Rumors of his cruelty make the most powerful princes tremble in their stone fortresses.
Anila is pulled into the inevitable clash as a prophecy unfolds, blurring the lines between good and evil, testing her resolve. Nothing is as it seems… An ancient enemy rises in the shadows, and the falling darkness threatens to engulf Anila and everyone she loves.
EDITORIAL REVIEW by Victoria Chatham
If you like strong female characters, then you will not be disappointed with Anila, the protagonist in Vijaya Schartz's latest book. Anila is in training at a monastery under the watchful gaze of Master Wang. She diligently practices her Tai-Chi routines and perfects her weapons training as her dearest wish is to join the ranks of the mysterious Protectors. However, she cannot escape the promise and prophecy of her destiny and is drawn into conflicts not of her making. In discovering how she overcomes those who would use her, we see her grow into a formidable but fair potential leader.
Schartz has splendidly blended fact, fiction, and fantasy into an enthralling, fast-paced story that I could not put down. Fans of this genre and Schartz in particular will not be disappointed.
Happy Reading.
Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
