Newcomer's come expecting all sorts of things from Tai Chi. Many have expectations of 'weird' physical sensation. I don't knock this, it is understandable and indeed I would suppose that 'connecting' with some other power (able to leap tall buildings with a single bound etc.) was one of the things that I hoped for from Tai Chi myself, maybe even yearned for. I suppose that was so, but I have forgotten now. My observations since is that those who expect the most are always the most disappointed, and those that practice the most are those most satisfied and surprised! The visualization associated with 'Beginning' is "the Sun rising slowly above the horizon" and the purpose of practice is to train the body to react instinctively and without thinking or at least without calculation of gain or loss. The Sun comes up, the Sun goes down. The Moon comes up and the Moon goes down. That's it!

The use of various aids to practice in the form of visualizations is valid as that - cue or prompt, however the practitioner is advised to remain fully aware of 'what is' and does well to remember the Zen adage that "When the finger points at the moon; contemplate the moon, not the finger".

Trivial aids set low aims yet complicated rules are impossible to follow. The Middle Way is recommended and in Budo Martial Code the phrase that points to this is (simply) "Walk the Path" (Do not yearn to be on some other path).

The prominence of Zen and Taoism in Budo Martial Arts practice must be recognized as highly influential. Between them (noting also that they are each product of different times and separate cultures) Zen and Taoism effectively cover the extreme's of nonchalance and hostility with regard to "outside form".

The Ancients had it that the sequence of postures and the associated 'visualizations' of any and all Tai Chi Form ought not ever be written down. Time has eroded that ideal, but Tai Chi is not unique in its need to adapt to this changing world. Before you right now is "me talking about Tai Chi", this time using the web; one of the thousands of 'new' novel and challenging ways of getting in touch with each other that technology unrolls endlessly before us these days. None of these new fangle tools of communication should really compromise or threaten Tai Chi anymore than all that has gone before, because like before, they make no difference or have no effect upon the 'spirit' of Tai Chi which exists far beyond words and closer to visions.