Interview with Andrew Fretwell

Andrew Fretwell is one of the leading teachers today on the application of Taoist Inner Alchemy to everyday life. A senior instructor of Mantak Chia's Universal Tao System he has been studying and practicing the principles of Chinese Medicine, Taoism & the Oriental Healing Arts for 25 years, teaching Chi Nei Tsang, Qi Qong, Tai Chi and Inner Alchemy. He has taught internationally in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia. When not traveling he resides at the Tao Garden Taoist training center Chiang Mai Thailand where he assists Master Mantak Chia in teaching and educating students from all over the world.

Andrew is committed to helping people find their own unique destiny and has recently begun promoting Enlightenment Qi Gong (WuJi Gong) worldwide (An 800 year old spiritual transmission lineage) as a means to achieve this. He is also very involved in empowering men through Taoist Male Sexual cultivation practices and has formed the White Tiger Company with a fellow teacher Viggo Johansen to help spread this important work worldwide.

Adriana Bozagiu: What is Tao? And what does Tao represent for you?

Andrew Fretwell: I mean there are many answers for that question. The first one is the classical answer to that question: it is the mystery from where this life came from. So, that is one answer. It is also living a life recognizing the truth, recognizing who we really are. Living not just identifying with our minds, not just identifying with our egos, but identifying with all of us, with the whole that a human being really is. That for me is living the Tao.

How did you first contact the Taoist universe?

I got very sick actually. I was a professional musician and I had a very intense lifestyle, late nights, drinking, drugs, you know, just a typical musician. So I had problems with my abdomen, with my intestines and I tried many things to fix that problem, but nothing worked. And I had a girlfriend at that time in London and she was eating in a macrobiotic restaurant which is using food with Yin and Yang. So, it is really the oriental approach to diet. So, she said, why don't you try having a consultation with a macrobiotic counsellor? So, I went there and he said: Yes, you are too Yin and that is why you have the problem. So, if you change the diet, then your life will change. So, I tried and after three months not only my health improved a lot, but my attitude changed as well and I was very amazed. So, this was my first introduction to the principles of Yin and Yang, which are Taoist principles. So, Yin is contracting energy and Yang is expanding energy. So, everything in the universe is either expanding or contracting. And so, if you understand this, you can understand if you are too Yin or too Yang it will give you more balance and your life changes. And on that class there was a very good friend of mine, Patrick, he was a student of Mantak Chia. And that was my beginning.

What does Mantak Chia, the Master of Universal Tao School, represent to you?

He represents someone who gave me my own independence. I' ve been with him since 1985, nearly 25 years now. He taught me how to be independent. So, I am very grateful to him for that. And he is a great Master, I really love him. I think he is very committed to teaching the Tao all over the world. He represents to me of what is possible. Like, he is 65 now and he has so much good energy and vitality, it is a good example to me.

I know that the Taoist school practices Tai Chi and Chi Kung. Describe the benefits of each one. Chi Kung is really older than Tai Chi, is like the mother and it is usually more simple. Like if you go to China, there are thousands of different forms of Chi Kung. I mean, and some are very simple and some of them are more complicated. Tai Chi is really a martial art; it is a little bit different. Even nowadays Tai Chi is considered, spiritual, actually is for fighting, so the energy is really for fighting. And the forms of Tai Chi are a little bit more difficult to learn then Chi Kung. But the health benefit is the same. I mean, your energy moves, you get very rooted, very grounded; you feel strong in yourself, you feel independent, it is wonderful. I mean they are both are wonderful. What can I say?!

I know that the Taoist school practices Tai Chi and Chi Kung. Describe the benefits of each one.

Chi Kung is really older than Tai Chi, is like the mother and it is usually more simple. Like if you go to China, there are thousands of different forms of Chi Kung. I mean, and some are very simple and some of them are more complicated.

Tai Chi is really a martial art; it is a little bit different. Even nowadays Tai Chi is considered, spiritual, actually is for fighting, so the energy is really for fighting. And the forms of Tai Chi are a little bit more difficult to learn then Chi Kung. But the health benefit is the same. I mean, your energy moves, you get very rooted, very grounded; you feel strong in yourself, you feel independent, it is wonderful. I mean they are both are wonderful. What can I say ?!

 

 

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