Philosophy and Vision

Martial arts without vision are crude, and without philosophy they are dangerous. Land of the Sky uses hard skill development and the martial arts training as a method of building character and attributes. We believe these attributes support civilization and society by encouraging harmony, building compassion, confidence, and instilling discipline. The world is filled with enough fighting. It is a greater path to choose peace and find a way to attain that peace both within ourselves and in life relationships. Kids and adults who are confident in their physical power, who can express themselves articulately and without aggression, and who recognize emotions and thoughts within themselves and others, are less likely to need ‘fighting’ methods to resolve a problem. We think ourselves so advanced and evolved, and yet are unable to tame even our own tongues.

While we see the martial arts as a life long path toward achieving greater peace with the world around us, we are not negligent in preparing students for unavoidable and dangerous conflict. When all possible avenues have been exhausted, or when a violent individual seeks to do us or our loved ones harm and the decision is made to engage them, the martial arts are a powerful ally. We have no ‘secret’ death techniques but instead rely on rigorous training, balance, mental alertness, coolness under pressure, and age-old methods of using the body. Our styles are very old and have been used and developed over centuries of trial and error. For this reason we are not a sport school; trophies do a lot to build the ego and lessen the combative quality of a traditional martial science.

Scout Skills, or wilderness training, is undertaken to give students a sense of appreciation for the natural world. I believe the greatest spiritual lessons are not learned in books, from guru’s, or whatever someone is selling, but they are instead available to each and every person who traverses the wilderness and spends time alone with the Creator. I want my students to be there safely, confidently, and keeping alive traditions and practices that were so necessary only two centuries ago.

Healing Arts training is available to students interested in such study. These practices are also very old and have been shown to reduce stress and increase immune function. Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and Reiki are all gentle methods of learning about our bodies and healing others. Healing is also an important balancing aspect of combative martial arts. Without balance we slip into one sidedness, our hearts become cold, and we are worse than when we started.

I look forward to sharing my experiences on this path with you and hope we will have many years of learning together these great arts of the Sacred Path of the Warrior.

Sincerely,

Spencer Bolejack

Land of the Sky Martial Arts, Instructor

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