Awhile back, I ordered some lenticular 3D cards from the French company, Pops, which did the lenticular wiggle cards for the resin figurines I made. They now have smaller form 3D cards that will serve as contest rewards. What’s the contest, you ask? It’s a review contest. If you can help the show get more Apple Podcasts reviews and are the 5th or 10th listener to write in, I’ll send you one of the cards!
I also start working on a slow instrumental synth track for next The Thirteenth Hour soundtrack LP.
Thanks for listening!
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If the past few months have got you needing a break, you may want to chill out to this 80s synth throwback track for a upcoming LP with the accompanying music video:
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
This week’s show piggybacks off last week’s episode and the Patreon exclusive episode that came out last week. We’re making the slow, meditative Thirteenth Hour theme that was playing in the background of last week’s episode and then creating a visual for it in Adobe Premiere. I always thought that cloudscape scenes were peaceful and naturally meditative, so I’m using that a stock footage first person cloudscape as a background as well as some pixelart animations of Logan that I created years ago.
And, as mentioned last episode, the patches I mentioned a few weeks ago are now ready and available for purchase here! They come with a high quality mp3 download from Once Upon a Dream, the next Thirteenth Hour soundtrack LP.
If you still have a cassette player, take advantage of the following deal and be transported to another world! SALE! While supplies last, grab Long Ago Not So Far Away on cassette! Just $1/tape! https://ko-fi.com/s/5579db9b27
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There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If the past few months have got you needing a break, you may want to chill out to this 80s synth throwback track for a upcoming LP with the accompanying music video:
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
This week’s episode comes at a time of increasing national and global anxiety about the future, and as inhabitants on this rock orbiting a star on the edge of the Milky Way, we’re subject to the milieu of the environment, and unfortunately, there’s a lot of angst in the soup. And as anyone who’s ever had a muscle cramp can attest, the way around a cramp is not with more tension, it’s relaxing into it – leaning in to the pain. In this episode, I talk about the concept of the “receiving body” (ukemi in Japanese, though usually translated as “breakfall”). If we meet the impact of a blow or a fall head on, we play a game of structural strength with the opposing force. When you play that game with the ground, you always lose (unless you are Chuck Norris, of course). Just as a good training partner (uke, a.k.a. “receiver”) is able to flow with an attacker and ride off (or simulate) the impact of an attack so his partner can learn how the body moves and responds, doing a good ukemi means never making a dead landing. It means rolling with the force of the fall as best you can. The ability to relax the body in such situations is counter-intuitive, since the natural instinct is to brace for impact, but remember, the ground always wins in a game of strength.
Ukemi is not limited to the physical, though. We are always receiving bodies of the slings and arrows that life throws at us. There, too, the ability to relax is counter-intuitive. Thankfully, as with breakfalls, the ability to relax into potential pain can be taught and practiced. We all have the ability within ourselves. In this episode, I talk about one of the simplest (though I didn’t say easiest), most natural (again, natural does not mean intuitive) things we all know how to do – breathing. It does take a bit of practice to do it in a way that slows things down to a more manageable pace, but the good news is that once you know how to do it, you can practice deep, slow breathing almost anywhere, anytime, and it doesn’t have to be during a time of official “meditation” (I did it the other day in a dentist’s chair).
If the music playing during the breathing segment sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to the intro podcast music. It’s a slow reworking of The Thirteenth Hour theme. For Patreon supporters, watch for an exclusive podcast episode on it sometimes this week as well as a longer stretch to accompany the breathing exercise. I’ll make an accompanying video soon as well.
Speaking of music, the song “Many Miles” debuts tomorrow. It ended up taking 6 years, but I’m glad with how it ended up turning out!
And, as mentioned last episode, the patches I mentioned a few weeks ago are now ready and available for purchase here! They come with a high quality mp3 download from Once Upon a Dream, the next Thirteenth Hour soundtrack LP.
If you still have a cassette player, take advantage of the following deal and be transported to another world! SALE! While supplies last, grab Long Ago Not So Far Away on cassette! Just $1/tape! https://ko-fi.com/s/5579db9b27
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
There are now Thirteenth Hour toys! If you’d like to pick up one of these glow in the dark figures for yourself, feel free to email me or go to the Etsy store I set up (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio) and get them there.
If the past few months have got you needing a break, you may want to chill out to this 80s synth throwback track for a upcoming LP with the accompanying music video:
Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.
Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s Instagram pages: @the13thhr for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art and and @the13thhr.ost for more 80s music, movies, and songs from The Thirteenth Hour books and soundtrack.
Today’s podcast about focusing the power of the mind to help heal injuries goes out to Ryan, a friend of mine who sustained an unexpected injury. Hope it helps (at the very least, it can’t hurt!) Get well soon!
We talked about zen in archery back in episode #62 and a year ago back in episode #44. As before, we’ll be reading from a chapter in the book, Zen in the Martial Arts, by Joe Hyams:
Click on the picture of the book above to find a copy of your own.
If you’re at all interested in martial arts or philosophy (or both), I’d highly recommend reading it. I first read it when I was introduced to martial arts at age 13. There was a lot I didn’t understand or only understood partially at the time but have found that with each re-reading, I take away a new lesson.
The chapter I’m reading from today is about using positive visualization to make changes in your life: i.e. not letting negative thinking get the better of you, maintaining a positive outlook while injured, or learning something new. It’s important to remember that before our bodies can do something, our brains must plan it out first. It may happen unconsciously, but the body does do what the brain sees first! Sounds simple (and it is – though that does not necessarily mean easy), but that’s zen for you.
In case you don’t have access to the book, here are a few snippets from the chapter:
The version of the book I have has black and white photographs accompanying the chapters. For this chapter, there’s a flame, probably to accompany Bruce Lee’s idea of imagining negative thoughts burning up in his mind.
And since today was all about fire and focus, we’ll end with the first half of a new song I’ll be releasing in the next few weeks called “Ember.” I wrote it years ago and have been trying to rework it into a synthesizer track for the sequel to Long Ago Not So Far Away (which, coincidentally, you can now find for streaming off Spotify). It’s been a slow going process (as these things often are), but so far, I’m pretty happy with the way it’s been going. It’s about growing up, which involves a certain amount of questioning who you are and what you believe. But it’s also about believing in yourself and not losing the fire that drives your passion. In the words of Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid 3), “Daniel-san, focus! … Best karate still inside!”
Join the mailing list for an upcoming EP with “Ember” and number of new tracks!
Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s instagram pages: @the13thhr and@the13thhr.ost for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art, 80s music, movies, and pictures or songs from The Thirteenth Hour books.
I’ve recently rediscovered ninjutsu after a nearly 20 year hiatus. After having trained in martial arts more than half my life at this point, it’s fun and eye-opening to start as a beginner at something almost totally new (since I can’t say I really remember much from my initial foray into the art — see Episode #47 for more). In this week’s podcast, I reflect a little on the journey and read a few segments on conditioning, diet, and meditative practices from Stephen K. Hayes’ 1984 book, Ninjutsu: the Art of the Invisible Warrior.
I totally remember sitting on the floor of my local library reading this book (and the many others Mr. Hayes wrote) when I was a kid (and not really understanding most of it, I should add, since I mostly just looked at the pictures and tried to figure out how to throw shuriken). Of course, it was much harder to find these kinds of books then (pre-internet), so thanks to so-called modern technology, what were considered priceless secrets to a twelve year old can now be easily found via Amazon, eBay, and Half.com by an adult decades later 🙂 Even though the book is over 30 years old, the advice inside is still as applicable today as it was years ago. It expands the world of the martial arts to the world at large. It takes specific skills learned for a specific purpose and makes them applicable to the world of everyday life … which, I suppose, is what they are all about to begin with.
In this short clip, Stephen K. Hayes talks a little about his own personal journey and the heroic ideal, which I thought was appropriate for a site that talks about fantasy stories and the hero’s journey:
Click on the image of the book above to read more about it on Amazon.
Thanks for listening!
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Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s instagram pages: @the13thhr and@the13thhr.ost for your random postings on ninjas, martial arts, archery, flips, breakdancing, fantasy art, 80s music, movies, and pictures or songs from The Thirteenth Hour books.
Zen, a philosophy that carries much ado and marketing buzz, really can be summed up in one simple idea – being present right where you are now. It’s obviously easier said than done, but certain activities naturally lend themselves to discovering this state of no-mind easier than others, martial arts being one such avenue.
George Lucas incorporated these ideas into the character of Yoda (essentially a Zen master in a galaxy far, far away) in his teachings of the Force and the way of the Jedi to a young Luke Skywalker, so that’s an easy way to think some of the ideas behind Zen if you’re familiar with the films but not Zen.
This synth Yoda-Zen montage clip is from a fellow bandcamper, melodysheep. You can listen to the full song here and check out the rest of his work at https://melodysheep.bandcamp.com/.
But you don’t have to travel far to find Zen and its applications in daily life. This episode focuses on a few segments from the book Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams:
There’s an excerpt on being present in the moment, accepting your limitations and using them to your advantage, and deep breathing, a gateway to meditative practices.
For years, I’ve found aspects of tai chi practice helpful as a kind of moving mediation. I like this particular video since it’s so easy to follow along with, as the movements are reversed for the viewer so you don’t have to mentally adjust left and right in your mind to match what the instructor is saying (a common issue with learn by video):
Aspects of Zen were behind this particular passage in The Thirteenth Hour, where Logan eventually does the counterintuitive and, after centering himself, relaxes instead of struggling to get out a magic spell that makes him immobile.
No, I won’t give up …
I summoned all my energy and with a shout that rang in my ears long after it had faded, I slowly scooped myself off the stone floor. I fell back immediately. I tried again and managed a short stumble to the wall. I clung to it for support. Tears and bad words. You didn’t give up. Good. Now relax. Relax your muscles. They screamed in protest, as did I, with them. Boy, I must have been a sorry sight – sputtering and crying, unshaven and haggard, malodorous and malnourished – but in my own dystonic way, I managed to lurch along, bit by stumbling bit …
… My arms and legs still seemed incredibly heavy, like lead. I could have made better ground running in quicksand. But by concentrating on relaxing my cramping muscles, I had broken the spell, and with every step I took, the life that I had almost given up flowed back into my veins.
Now that you have a sense of what Zen is, how have you encountered it in your life? Leave your comments below, and we can discuss in a future episode.
As always, thanks for listening!
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Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast and a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour!
Follow The Thirteenth Hour’s instagram pages: @the13thhr and @the13thhr.ost for your daily weekday dose of ninjas, martial arts bits, archery, flips, breakdancing action figures, fantasy art, 80s music, movies, and occasional pictures or songs from The Thirteenth Hour books.
Signup for the mailing list for a free special edition podcast, a demo copy of The Thirteenth Hour, and access to retro 80s soundtrack!
The Thirteenth Hour 