Magic Pearl Qigong
     
A Tai Chi Medicine Ball Exercise Routine and Meditation Technique
Part I: Movements 1-8
 

Introduction     Movement Names     Movement Lessons   

Part II: Movements 9-16

Tao Te Ching     Taoism     Qigong     Bibliography     Links     Meditation

Tai Chi Medicine Ball Routines    Medicine Ball Exercises    

Study with Mike Garofalo

By
Michael P. Garofalo
© 2011, Green Way Research, Red Bluff, California

Disclaimer

Introduction

Magic Pearl Qigong
A Tai Chi Medicine Ball Exercise Routine and Meditation Technique 
 

General Remarks, Comments, Notes, Research, Suggestions 

History

For thousands of years, all around the world, men have used stones of various weights in strength training programs.  There are written references in Persian literature in 1000 BCE about wrestlers training with sand filled bags made of animal bladders.  Hippocrates, in ancient Greece, had patients doing rehabilitation exercises with animal skins filled with sand.  Martial artists in China also used many strength training methods, including lifting heavier stones or iron objects; and, there was widespread use in China of smaller stone balls for finger manipulation exercises. Nineteenth century strength training made use of the "Four Horsemen of Fitness" - the dumbbell, club, stick, and medicine ball.  Contemporary athletes and martial artists use many of the same methods for strength training using medicine balls; and, now have the advantage of using medicine balls of various weights made of rubber, plastic, leather, glass, wood, metal, and stone.

The use of balls, stones, or sticks in fitness, healing, and marital arts in China was primarily one of person to person transmission of the practices and an oral history tradition.  There is little written history on Tai Chi ball training methods from before the 20th Century.  In recent times, Tai Chi Ball or Qigong Ball exercises are associated with Tai Chi masters such as Liu De-kuan (1826–1911), Chen Qing Zhou (1933-), the scholarly Grandmaster Yang Jwing Ming (1946-), and Jiang Jian-ye (1950-). 

When doing the background research for the Magic Pearl Qigong, I used all of the resources cited in the Medicine Ball bibliography.   Particularly useful were:  The DVD by Chen Qing-Zhou on "Xinggong Tai Chi Ball: Tai Chi 18 Sphere."  Sifu Yang Jwing-Ming's book titled "Tai Chi Ball Qigong for Health and Martial Arts" and his Tai Chi Ball instructional DVDs.  The instructional DVDs on Tai Chi Ball exercises by Sifu Jiang Jian-ye.  I studied numerous books (e.g., Chu, Goldenberg, Jespersen, Mediate, Tenke, etc.) on using a medicine ball in workouts for health and fitness.  I created the Magic Pearl Qigong in 2009, and started teaching it to the Valley Spirit Qigong students in 2011.  I started to publish my notes online about the Magic Pearl Qigong in 2011. 

Meditation, Lore, Associations, Imagination, Visualizations    

Pearls have a long history of being valued, treasured, and prized all around the world.  They are extensively used in jewelry, clothing, hats, statues, and decorative artwork of all kinds.  The beauty of pearls are appealing to people everywhere.  Pearls are often associated with the feminine, the full moon, egg or seed fertility, ethereal glowing and emanations, yin powers, the womb, wealth, the One, Unity, circles, spheres, high ranking in society, wisdom, purity, etc.  I tried to draw on these associations when naming the movements of the Magic Pearl Qigong. 

The Magic Pearl Qigong also includes much symbolism, allusions, art, archetypes, poetry, scriptures, and reflections drawn from Taoism, the Tao Te Ching, Chinese mythology, Chinese Zen Buddhism, and general sphere and sacred circle symbolism.  These ancient spiritual sources are intended to stimulate the Active Imagination of the Cultivator of the Way; resulting in healing, insight, and awakening. 

Exercise Aspects 

All movements in the Magic Pearl Qigong are done while holding a medicine ball (Tai Chi Ball) in both hands.  You can hold the ball with the hands below the ball or on the sides of the ball, depending upon your comfort zone relative to the weight of the ball and the specific movement being performed.  Using two hands allows a person to greatly increase the weight and size of the medicine ball used when doing the exercise routine.  I feel free to move the ball around in my hands, turning it, repositioning it, and rotating it as I perform the exercises.  Repositioning the hands and rotating the ball strengthens the fingers and wrists. 

Each exercise movement or named posture is repeated 3 to 9 times.   

Typically, in the Magic Pearl Qigong, most movements begin on the left side and you make a clockwise rotation pattern with the ball.  Then, you move to the right side and make a counter-clockwise rotation pattern with the ball.   

The Magic Pearl Qigong does not include stepping movements and no walking - it is pretty much a stationary exercise form.     

This medicine ball exercise routine can be performed in indoor or outdoor locations depending upon the weather, circumstances and personal preference.  Indoor locations provide other meditation enhancement options: incense, music, artwork, altars, etc..  Playing the Magic Pearl Qigong in different locations can offer unique and powerful advantages for body, mind, or spirit that are worth exploring.     

Here is a one page summary (PDF Format) of the names I use for the Magic Pearl Qigong routine, Movements 1-8.  Here is a brief summary of the instructions for performing the movements, 1-8, of the Magic Pearl Qigong routine (2 pages, .pdf). 

Giving and describing directions for Tajiquan and Qigong forms and postures requires some sort of visual cue.  I normally use a clock type of schema to help me visualize directions. 
Image facing a clock on the wall in front of you.  A circle on your body from bottom lower belly S6, left side W9, top chest area N12, and right side E3 is a clockwise circle
A circle on you body from bottom S6, right side E3, top chest area N12, and left side W9 is a counter-clockwise circle. 
Imagine standing on a clock and facing to the 12 o'clock position, and imagine this is facing north (N12).  I try to consistently use this directional scheme. 
Imagine the clock as a sphere.  Rotating from W9 to E3 or E3 to W9 is a horizontal rotation of the sphere.  Rotating from N12 to S6 or from S6 to N12
     is a vertical rotation of the sphere.  Rotating from N12, E3, S6, and W9 (or the reverse) is a lateral rotation of the sphere. 
When you are facing North 12, then your left side is West 9, and your right side is East 3. 

Exercise Alternatives

As all four parts of the Magic Pearl Qigong are published, 32 movements, you are welcome to pick and choose and create your own routine.  An eight movement routine might better fit with the time you have available for practice, your conditioning level, or your energy level on some days.  A shorter eight movement routine might enable you to engage in a bit of learning or meditation on the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) of the I Ching.  Be creative, think outside the box, explore other medicine ball or meditation alternatives.

You can also do the Magic Pearl Qigong exercises while holding a ball in one hand.  Use a lighter ball.  Use a ball that you can easily hold in one hand.  Use one of the new squishy vinyl plastic balls so you can grip it better.  When you move to the left side put the ball in your left hand.  Do half of the repetitions for any movement to the left side with the palm facing up and half with the palm facing down.  This will strengthen your forearms, wrists, and fingers.  When you move to the right side put the ball in your right hand.  Do half of the repetitions for any movement to the right side with the palm facing up and half with the palm facing down.  In Bagua classes I once attended, we held a stone in one hand and did silk reeling types of exercises.  There are medicine ball exercises using two balls and holding a ball in each hand, but these variations are not part of Magic Pearl Qigong.

When I walk I always walk with my cane.  I have adapted the movements of the Magic Pearl Qigong for use with my cane.  You don't have the benefits of strength training as with the weighted medicine ball, but you do get to work some on the range of motion in your shoulders, elbows and wrists with cane exercises while walking for cardio-vascular benefits.  Part of "Magic" is creativity, ingenuity, thinking outside of the box, and playfulness.  It should be noted that Sifu Yang Jwing-Ming teaches a  48 movement tai chi ball form that involves both stepping/walking and Bagua circle walking, and Sifu Jiang Jian-ye teaches a tai chi ball form that involves stepping/walking.  The Magic Pearl Qigong does not include much stepping and no walking while practicing.       

Tai Chi Ball

The Tai Chi is a concept in Taoism.  Tai Chi or Taiji (太極. literally "great ridgepole") is a Chinese cosmological term for the Supreme Ultimate, Great Ultimate, North Pole, Celestial Pole, Great Universal Ridgepole, etc.  Taiji is a state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potentiality.  The Taiji is often symbolized by the Taijitu, the Yin/Yang icon, a circle or sphere.  In our context, the Tai Chi Ball is a medicine ball of some kind, fancy or simple, ornate or plain, heavy or light, made out of many types of materials. Tai Chi Balls come in a variety of sizes and weights, and are made out of a variety of materials.  Calling an ordinary "medicine ball" a "Tai Chi Ball" is just a way of enriching the associations for meditative purposes, and indicating its use in the Chinese internal martial art of Taijiquan or in Kung Fu external martial arts, for strength and fitness training. 

Using any medicine ball involves progressive resistance training.  You start with a ball that feels light to you and easily handled.  You start with a small number of repetitions for each movement.  You practice the Magic Pearl Qigong in the morning and at night.  After the first week of practice, then you increase the number of repetitions.  After an number of weeks of practicing morning and night you will gradually be able to do 9 repetitions of each movement with relative ease.  Then, of course, you increase the weight of the ball.  You gradually progress upward in the number of repetitions (3-9 repetitions) and the weight of the ball.  Take your time.  Don't injure yourself by using too heavy of a ball.  Listen to your body.  Take delight and play with these movements.  

Keep in mind that the heavier the medicine ball you use increases the requirements for cardio-vascular and strength conditioning and makes the activity more of an "external" exercise rather than an "internal" exercise.  If you wish to maximize the "internal" training, Neijia, and/or meditative aspects, then use a lighter Tai Chi ball (2-6 pounds). 

I use a variety of balls weighing 3 pounds, 5 pounds, 6 pounds, and 12 pounds.  I have seen Tai Chi balls made of wood, leather, steel, plastic, rock, glass, ceramics, rubber, and plastic.  You will need to choose a ball that suits your preferences, strength levels, and aesthetic sensibilities.  Wood balls are recommended by many knowledgeable Tai Chi and Qigong teachers, based upon their "sensing" better Qi circulation when using balls made of wood.  Wood balls are more expensive than common medicine balls made of rubber, plastic, or leather.  Ordinary stones are, of course, free for the finding.  Wood balls and polished stone balls can also be quite beautiful. 

For strength training the variables used are: 1) the weight of the ball, 2) the number of repetitions of each movement performed, 3) the number of movements performed in a training session, 4) the depth of the stances (lower = harder), 5) the speed of the movements, and 6) the focus, concentration, and mental intentions used in each movement.  

List of Movement Names

Magic Pearl Qigong
A Tai Chi Medicine Ball Exercise Routine and Meditation Technique   
Part I: Movements 1-8
 

1.  Taiji Returns to Wuji: Listening to the Silence of the Tao

2.  Cultivate the Two Pearls   

3.  The Magic Pearl Glows in the Moonlight      

4.  The Heavenly Dragon Raises the Flaming Pearl  

5.  Wei Tuo Struggles to Save the Dharma Jewels  

6.  Open the Giant Oyster Shell    

7.  Nezha Searches for the Jade Stone of the Dragon King

8.  The Earth Dragon Hides the Immortals' Pearl in his Cave 

Here is a list of the names I use for the first 8 movements of the Magic Pearl Qigong medicine ball routine (1 page, .pdf).     

Here is a brief summary of the instructions for performing the movements, 1-8, of the Magic Pearl Qigong routine (2 pages, .pdf). 

Magic Pearl Qigong, Part II: Movements 9-16

Lessons, Instructions, Movement Descriptions

Magic Pearl Qigong
A Tai Chi Medicine Ball Exercise Routine and Meditation Technique  
Part I: Movements 1-8 
 

Here is a brief summary of the instructions for performing the movements, 1-8, of the Magic Pearl Qigong routine (2 pages, .pdf). 

1.  Taiji Returns to Wuji: Listening to the Silence of the Tao

Instructions for Movement 1:  Taiji Returns to Wuji: Listening to the Silence of the Tao: 

Begin with you feet together, standing up tall, holding the Tai Chi Ball (medicine ball) in your hands with the ball at waist level. 
Both of your feet should be pointed straight ahead and flat on the floor.
You should feel stable, centered, rooted to the earth.
Relax your body (Sung: loose, untensed, open, relaxed, calm).
This position is a resting position. 
Clear your mind.  Set aside your thoughts about the work and worries of the day.
Keep a pleasant look on your face. 
Keep your head up, chin slightly ducked down, and look forward. 
Your eyes should be open, with a soft and wide angle focus.
Use the method of looking/seeing called ping shi or "level gaze." 
Breathe in and out in a relaxed, easy, and regular manner.  
Use the abdominal breathing techniques.
Breathe in deeply and exhale fully.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Keep your lips parted slightly.
Breathing should be natural, relaxed, and not requiring your attention.  
Relax the shoulders and let them hang down.
Keep tip of your tongue lightly touching the roof of your mouth between the hard and soft palate. 
Hold the hands gently on the medicine ball, either on the sides of the ball or underneath the ball. 
The ball is held at the waist level centered on you belly-button. 
Stand for as long was you choose to do so. 

In the movements listed below, at transition points, you will be directed to "Return to Wuji."  Just assume the position described above. 

Comments and Notes for Movement 1:  Taiji Returns to Wuji: Listening to the Silence of the Tao: 

In the context of the first movement of the Magic Pearl Qigong, the purpose and meaning intended in “Taiji Returns to Wuji” is for one’s mind to come to rest for awhile, to be fully present here and now, to stop thinking for a few moments, to stand still and relax the body, to be calm and quiet, to be unhurried, poised, and respectful.  Shift from becoming into just being.     

Taiji 太極 has been translated into concepts such as the Grand Ultimate, Supreme Ultimate, Great Ridgepole, Celestial Pole, Limitless Potentiality, Supreme Polarity, Perfect Balance of Yin and Yang, Great Primal Beginning, Not Wuji, etc..

Wuji  無極 has been translated into concepts such as Nothing, Emptiness, No Ridgepole, Directionless, Featureless, Ultimateless, Boundless, Primordial Voidness, Unbalanced, Not Taiji, etc..

This standing meditation posture, Zhan Zhuang, is widely used in taijiquan, qigong, yoga and meditation practices.  Zhuan Zhuang is most often done with the feet in a should width high stance or in a medium high horse stance.  In this exercise routine, the feet are kept together. 

In ancient Chinese mythology, just as Yin and Yang interplay and cycle in being-time, so too does Wuji become Taiji and, eventually, Taiji returns to Wuji.  Coming and going, birth and death, appearing and disappearing, movement and stillness, clamor and tranquility, day and night … effortlessly overseen by the Great the Way Things Are – the Tao.  Sometimes, to make matters more paradoxical, the Tao is identified with Taiji. 

“Non-polar (wuji) and yet Supreme Polarity (taiji)! The Supreme Polarity in activity generates yang; yet at the limit of activity it is still. In stillness it generates yin; yet at the limit of stillness it is also active. Activity and stillness alternate; each is the basis of the other. In distinguishing yin and yang, the Two Modes are thereby established. The alternation and combination of yang and yin generate water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. With these five phases of qi harmoniously arranged, the Four Seasons proceed through them. The Five Phases are simply yin and yang; yin and yang are simply the Supreme Polarity; the Supreme Polarity is fundamentally Non-polar. Yet in the generation of the Five Phases, each one has its nature.” 
-  Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073 CE), Translated by Joseph Adler

Modern astrophysicists postulate that 14 billion years ago the universe rapidly began to expand in a “Big Bang” from an infinitely hot, infinitely dense, infinitely small, and infinitesimally compacted Something, a Singularity, what Georges Lemaitre in 1927 called the “primeval atom.”  Then, Whoosh-Zap, in one second, the universe becomes the size of a cantaloupe, then an ongoing cataclysmic unfolding for billions of years resulting in space itself rapidly expanding with time, the permeation of all space with dark energy, the creation of galaxies, and, eventually, our world.  The Tai Chi Ball you are holding in your hands is a symbol of that incomprehensible Singularity.  Before the Something, before the Singularity?  Nobody knows!  Maybe Emptiness, Boundlessness, Primordial Limitless, the Roof of Being held up by Nothing – Wuji  無極? 

The singularity didn't appear in space; rather, space began inside of the singularity. Prior to the singularity, nothing existed, not space, time, matter, or energy - nothing. So where and in what did the singularity appear if not in space? We don't know. We don't know where it came from, why it's here, or even where it is.  All we really know is that we are inside of it and at one time it didn't exist and neither did we.
-  Big Bang Theory   

"There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth.
How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger of being exhausted!"
-  Tao Te Ching, #25, Translated by James Legge, 1891
 

So, a question, is the Singularity the Taiji? 

The Grand Ultimate, the Taiji, all that was and is, the entire Universe, at one time, at the creation of space-time, about the size the medicine ball that you hold in your hands - the Cosmic Cantalope.  Incredible!

While you are standing quietly in the first posture of the Magic Pearl Qigong, “Taiji Returns to Wuji: Listening to the Silence of the Tao,” don’t philosophize about such matters.  Keep a “don’t know mind.”   Allow yourself to be speechless, a silent soul, quiet within and without.  Just Standing (Zhan Zhuang) and Forgetting (Zuowang).

2.  Cultivate the Two Pearls 

Instructions for Movement 2:  Cultivate the Two Pearls: 

Stand up, feet together, and face in the direction of N12. 
Hold the medicine ball (Tai Chi ball) in your hands, with you palms under the ball. 
Hold the ball at about the middle of your abdomen, at your belly button, in line with the center of the Dan Tian. 
Step out to the left into a comfortable shoulder width stance, feet parallel in a high horse stance, knees slightly bent, and eyes looking forward. 
Slowly lift the Tai Chi ball up the body, with the ball a few inches away from the body. 
    Inhale through the nose as you tighten your abdominal muscles and draw the ball upwards. 
    Straighten you legs as the ball is lifted upward. 
Draw the ball up past the chest, neck, and up to about the center of your head.

Slowly begin to lower the ball as you move the ball away from the body. 
    Exhale through the nose as you lower the ball, and relax your abdominal muscles. 
    Lower the ball outward and downward past the neck, chest, and down to the center of you abdomen to the Dan Tian level. 
    Bend the knees and sink as you lower the ball to your mid-section. 
   
Perform 3-9 repetitions of this movement. 
Look forward, stay calm and composed. 
After finishing the repetitions, bring the feet together, return to being still and calm, pause for awhile, and enjoy a few breaths. 

The ball travels in a clockwise circular patter. 
Upwards before the abdomen, chest, neck, and head; then outwards and downwards to return to the abdomen.
Inhale as you lift the ball up, exhale as you lower the ball. 
Straighten the legs as the ball moves up, and bend the knees and lower the body as the ball moves down.  

Do from 3 to 9 repetitions of the circular movement, depending on your energy level and the weight and size of the ball you are using. 

After you learn the basic movement pattern, then you work on refinements in visualization and inner circling of Qi energy. 
Return to Wuji: bring the feet together, return to being still, calm and silent; pause for awhile, and enjoy a few slow breaths.

Comments and Notes for Movement 2: Cultivate the Two Pearls

2a)  The Two Pearls 

    You might imagine that there are "Two Pearls" involved with the Tai Chi Ball exercise routines.  There is the Inner Pearl, the Yin Pearl, the Elixir Field, the Red Cinnabar Field (Dan Tian), which is located in the abdomen area, hidden, subtle, spherical, a reservoir of the life force.  There is the Outer Pearl, the Tai Chi Ball itself and the external body, objective, physical - the Yang Pearl.  From Emptiness (Wu) emerges the Tai Chi, the Grand Ultimate, which gives rise to the Two Pearls, Yin and Yang, and then giving birth to the Ten Thousand Things of the Cosmos. 

    In all the Tai Chi Ball exercises we are moving, rotating, circling, expanding and contracting, and involving the Inner Yin Pearl of the Dan Tian as we perform the exercises.  The Inner Yin Pearl of the Dan Tian is cultivated by concentration, meditation, breathing, visualizations, and circulation of Chi (Qi)  throughout the body; and, storing and preserving Chi in the Dan Tian and Jing (Life Essence) in the kidneys.  Likewise, in a coordinated and integrated manner, we are moving, rotating, circling, twining, and involving the whole body and the Tai Chi Ball itself as we perform the exercises.  The Outer Yang Pearl is cultivated with bodily movements, handling the ball, coordinated breathing, physical strength, and full concentration.  We are cultivating both Pearls in our Tai Chi Ball Qigong practice.  

    Your life, with a fully integrated body, mind and spirit, is like a beautiful Pearl, something to be cultivated, treasured, respected, and valued.  In the end, the two pearls or three pearls or ten thousands parts of our bodies are just One Pearl.  Not Two, One.  The Two cooperate, integrate, interdependently merge, like lovers united, like Yin and Yang, like Tiger and Dragon combining forces to Energize  the Cauldron of the One.  

2b)  Micro-Cosmic Orbit, Small Circulation, Fire Path Meditation 

The Microcosmic Orbit is a meditation and qigong method of Taoist origin.  It is a complex topic and is discussed, sometimes at great length, in many books about Taoism, Qigong, and Taijiquan.  The Daoist imagery, visualizations, symbolism, poetry, internal alchemy, medical, spiritual, esoteric, and metaphysical theories regarding the Microcosmic Orbit is both fascinating and elaborate. 

For the purposes here, at the most elementary level for the Magic Pearl Qigong first exercise, just "imagine" and "sense" the vital internal Qi energy moving inside your body about one inch underneath the skin of your body.  As you slowly breathe in, tightening your abdomen, imagine or visualize the vital internal energy (Qi, Chi) moving or flowing down from the waist (Du Qi) to the genital area (Hui Qin) and then up through your lower back (Ming Men), upper back (Shen Zhu), neck, and up the back of the head to the crown of the head (Bai Hui).  As you slowly breathe out, relaxing your abdomen, imagine the vital internal Qi energy moving down down the face (Yin Tang), through the mouth, down the neck, down through the chest (Shan Zhong), and down to the waist area (Du Qi).  Keep your tongue touching the roof of your mouth where the hard palate and soft palate meet, while you imagine the circulation of Qi moving internally in counter-clockwise circles up the back and down the front of the body.  Relax, clear the mind, and listen to your body.  The rising internal energy is generally associated with Fire, Yang, Tiger, and Heaven; the falling internal energy is associated with Water, Yin, Dragon, and Earth.  Imagine, pretend, play, visualize, or, better yet, sense and feel this moving, circling, flowing of internal Qi energy.  Round and round the Micro-Cosmic Orbit revolves the Magic Pearl. 

Movement #1, Cultivate the Pearl, in the Magic Pearl Qigong can be compared to a) Movement #11, Pearl Goes Back into Nest, in Master Chen Qingzhou's "Xinggong Taiji Ball" except the movement in Master Chen's form is counter-clockwise; and, b) Movement #1, Stationary (Ding Bu), in Grandmaster Yang Jwing-Ming's book "Tai Chi Ball Qigong" (2010), pp. 148-149. 

Qigong Meditation: Small Circulation.  By Sifu Yang Jwing-Ming, Ph.D..  Boston, Mass., YMAA Publications, 2006.   Index, extensive glossary, 402 pages.  ISBN: 1594390673. 

Awaken Healing Energy Through Tao.  By Mantak Chia.  Aurora Press, 1983.  193 pages.  ISBN: 0943358078. 

Doctrine of the Elixir: Microcosmic Orbit.  By R. B. Jefferson. 

Open the Microcosmic Orbit.  By Michael Winn.  Qigong Fundamentals 2.  Healing Tao Home Study Video, 4 Audio CDs, 2008.  The video DVD is titled "Open Chi Flow in the Orbit."  1 DVD, 2004. 

"Making one's essence complete, one can preserve the body. To do so, first keep the body at ease, and make sure there are no desires.
    Thereby energy can be made complete. 
Making one's energy complete, one can nurture the mind. To do so, first keep the mind pure, and make sure there are no thoughts.
    Thereby energy can be made complete. 
Making one's spirit complete, one can recover emptiness. To do so, first keep the will sincere, and make sure body and mind are united.
    Thereby spirit can be returned to emptiness. ...
To attain immortality, there is nothing else but the refinement of these three treasures: essence, energy, spirit."
-   Livia Kohn, Daoism and Chinese Culture, 1956, pp.145-149.   

 

2c)  Two Dragons Searching for the Pearl 

    Comments: 

"The dragon's pearl can also be thought of as a symbol for universal Qi the progenitor of all energy and creation. The dragons seem to be depicted in attitudes of pursuit. He is seen to be reaching out eagerly to clutch at the elusive object, mouth open in anticipation and eyes bulging with anticipation of achieving the prize afforded by clutching the pearl.  In connection with the dragon the pearl has been called the image of thunder, of the moon, of the sun, of the egg emblem of the dual influences of nature, and the 'pearl of potentiality'. The pearl is most often depicted as a spiral or a globe. In some paintings it is sometimes red, sometimes gold, sometimes the bluish white of a true pearl. The pearl is often accompanied by little jagged flashes that seem to spark out from it, like flames; and it almost always has an appendage in the form of a small undulating sprout, not unlike the first young shoot from a bean.  In Daoist concepts the moon, pearls, dragons and serpents are inextricably linked. Like the snake that is reborn when it sheds its skin, the moon is reborn each month, and both are symbols of immortality. Like the dragon, the moon is always associated with water; its undeniable power over the tides is believed to extend to all liquids on earth. The dragons that lived in the sea were said to be inordinately fond of pearls and collected them and watched over them in great submarine palaces."
-  Dragons of China, Eight Dragons Baguazhang 

"This extraordinary gem is represented as a spherical object, or ‘ball,’ half as big, or quite as large, as the head of the dragon with which it is associated, for it is never depicted quite by itself. The gem is white or bluish with a reddish or golden halo, and usually has an antler-shaped 'flame' rising from its surface. Almost invariably there hangs downward from the centre of the sphere a dark-colored, comma-like appendage, frequently branched, wavering below the periphery. A biologist might easily at first glance conclude that the whole affair represented the entry of a spermatozoon into an ovum; and the Chinese commonly interpret the ball with its comma-mark as a symbol of yang and yin, male and female elements, combined in the earth--which seems pretty close to the biologist's view. Such is the Dragon-Pearl.  In purely decorative work, where the figure of a dragon is writhing in clouds or adapting its lithe body under an artist's hand to the shape or purpose of a piece of porcelain, a bronze article, or a silken garment, the pearl may be drawn close to the dragon, or wherever convenient. When, however, it is desirable to express the significance of this sacred adjunct of dragon-hood, it is treated with strict attention to reverence and tradition. Then are pictured celestial dragons ascending and descending through the upper air, tearing a path, perhaps, through swirling mists and shadows, "in pursuit of effulgent jewels or orbs that appear to be whirling in space, and that were supposed to be of magic efficiency, granting every wish." A passion for gems is a well-known characteristic of these beings."
-   Dragons and Dragons Lore, Ernest Ingersoll, 1928

"A flaming pearl signifies the One, the Pole Star, and the original qi, and is worn on a pin at the top of the head to signify full initiation as a Taoist priest.  This symbol is also often found on the roofs of Taoist temples, between two dragons.   The luminous ball or pearl often depicted under the dragon's chin or seen to be spinning in the air, pursued by one or two dragons is thought to be a symbolic representation of the 'sacred pearl' of wisdom or yang energy. Pearl symbolism, like lunar symbolism arises from Taoist roots and the connections, are extremely complex. This pearl can be said to stand most often for 'truth' and 'life' - perhaps even everlasting life which is made available to those who perceive the truth and attain enlightenment."
-   The Black Pearl Goddess 

3.  The Magic Pearl Glows in the Moonlight    

Instructions for Movement 3:  The Magic Pearl Glows in the Moonlight:   

Step out with the left foot to the diagonal NW10. 
Take a bow stance.  The depth of the stance will depend upon your level of physical conditioning and the weight of the ball. 
Begin to circle the ball in front of the body, keeping the ball at waist height. 
Circle the ball to the left side, middle, right side, and back to the waist - a clockwise rotation. 
Keep the ball circling at the same level each time, in the same horizontal plane. 
Rock forward as the arms are moving outward, and rock back as the arms return to the body.
Make 3 to 9 circles with the ball.   
Depending upon the reach of your arms, the ball will be from about (12-30 inches) away from your waist when circling outward.
When the ball returns to the waist each time, then rotate the ball in your hands in a horizontal manner for a few inches. 
Allow the body to move up and down a little, and circle with the waist.   
Look at the ball as it moves in a circular clockwise manner. 
Internally rotate the Dan Tian in a circular manner. 
Breathe naturally and easily in and out through the nose.  
Perform 3-9 repetitions on the left side. 
Return to Wuji: bring the feet together, return to being still, calm and silent; pause for awhile, and enjoy a few slow breaths.

Step back with the left foot to a centered position. 
Step out with the left foot to the diagonal NE2. 
Take a bow stance.  The depth of the stance will depend upon your level of physical conditioning and the weight of the ball. 
Begin to circle the ball in front of the body, keeping the ball at waist height. 
Circle the ball to the right side, middle, left side, and back to the waist - a counter-clockwise rotation. 
Rock forward as the arms are moving outward, and rock back as the arms return to the body.
Keep the ball circling at the same level each time, in the same horizontal plane. 
Make 3 to 9 circles with the ball.   
Depending upon the reach of your arms, the ball will be from about (12-30 inches) away from your waist when circling outward.
When the ball returns to the waist each time, then rotate the ball in your hands in a horizontal manner for a few inches. 
Allow the body to move up and down a little, and circle with the waist.   
Perform 3-9 repetitions on the right side.
Look at the ball as it moves in a circular clockwise manner. 
Internally rotate the Dan Tian in a circular manner. 
Breathe naturally and easily in and out through the nose. 
Return to Wuji: bring the feet together, return to being still, calm and silent; pause for awhile, and enjoy a few slow breaths.

Comments and Notes for Movement 3: The Magic Pearl Glows in the Moonlight

By "Breathe Naturally" is meant belly breathing:

"Normal Abdominal Breathing (Zheng Fu Hu Xi): Inhale deeply through the nose while gently pushing your abdominal muscles out and huiyin (Co-1, perineum) down.  As you exhale, draw your abdomen inward and pull the huiyin cavity upward gently."
-  Yang Jwing Ming, Tai Chi Ball Qigong, p.120

Compare this movement with the movement called "Left Qiankun Covers the Moon" in Master Chen Qing Zhou's Tai Chi 18 Postures Sphere routine.  The raised Qiankun sword, in the hands of Nezha, hides or covers the moon.  Elsewhere it is called "Cover the Moon (Left Side)."  Qian is the Chinese trigram for Heaven; and, Kun is the trigram for Earth.  A Qiankun is also the name for a Chinese broadsword (Dao) that includes images of the sun and moon.  There is a Sun Moon Qiankun competition broadsword (Wushu Dao), a Wu Tai Chi Qiankun straight sword form, etc.

4.  The Heavenly Dragon Raises the Flaming Pearl

Instructions for Movement 4:  The Heavenly Dragon Raises the Flaming Pearl:   

Hold the ball at your mid-section (waist, belly button) and face N12. 
Take a high horse stance with your feet pointing slightly outward. 
Squat somewhat and then lift the ball upwards to you upper chest.   
Squat somewhat and then push (press) the ball up above your head. 
Inhale as you lift the ball upwards. 
Reach and push up as high as you can. 
Exhale as you press the ball upward above your head. 
Let the ball down to the level of your face. 
As you lower the ball to your waist, rotate the ball backwards vertically in your hands.
Inhale as you lower the ball. 
Bring the ball back down to your waist level. 
Repeat this lifting and pressing upward movement for 3 to 9 repetitions. 
Return to Wuji: bring the feet together, return to being still, calm and silent; pause for awhile, and enjoy a few slow breaths.

Comments and Notes for Movement 4: The Heavenly Dragon Raises the Flaming Pearl

Compare this movement "The Heavenly Dragon Raises the Flaming Pearl" #3 with the movement called "Bawang Raises the Vessel" #6 in Master Chen Qing Zhou's Xinggong Taiji Ball routine.   Elsewhere it is called "Tyrant Raises the Censer."