Mystical Flight 2019
Oneness. Out of body. Subconscious. Physics of spirituality. Zen. Mind over matter. By the hand of God. Samurai. Soul cleansing.
I think those phrases are the best I can come up with when attempting to describe those magical moments in life that are beyond the earthly.
We aspire such deep fulfillment in many primary endeavors but come up short whenever we fail to genuinely apply ourselves with all the specialized gifts that God has provided us.
Deep thought, intellectual adventure, spiritual awareness, stream of consciousness, speaking in tongues, sonic dissonance, cognitive dissonance, and contemplating the unknown all demand a total plunge into ourselves and the beyond.
In my way of thinking, such complete commitment makes all the difference in the world when fully applied to self-awareness, citizenship, parenting, patriotism, love, marriage, sex, art, songwriting, guitarplaying, tactical combat training, reaching out to people in desperate need of the human touch, marksmanship, archery and the art of hunting.
That’s certainly not a complete list, but it’s a good start.
For practical purposes here let’s delve into my (our) obsession with the ever-effervescent Mystical Flight of the Arrow, shall we!
I wonder if I have launched a million arrows in 71 years. I feel like I have, and I’m just getting warmed up.
Having baptized many aspiring introductory archery enthusiasts over my lifetime, I seem to have the articulation part of arrow flight down pretty good and do my best to guide each of my own arrows as if I am nurturing that new archer.
I emphasize the critical need to leave life and the world as we know them and commit to enter the singular path of our intended arrow flight.
I speak in terms of becoming the infinitesimally constricted laser tractor beam of our intended path to the bullseye and/or vitals on game.
That is not an easy place to get to in the modern world and it takes a much higher level of awareness and mental focus than most things in life. But that hard earned, dedicated, difficult sense of deep accomplishment is one of life’s greatest thrills.
I am very aware of the simple joys of abstract, no pressure arrow flinging as well as the dangers of too many minds when pursuing our archery fun.
I know so many amazing archers and bowhunters that simply pick up the bow, nock an arrow, draw, aim and hit bullseye after bullseye and nail deer and other game with stupefying consistency.
Such deep, inner-self psychological exploration we are investigating here is not for them, for they are the truly blessed lucky ones that have it made.
The rest of us, well, we have our work cut out for us and there is a particularly heightened satisfaction in such challenge, struggle, discipline and accomplishment.
The timeless act of archery appears simple enough to the spectator, and in its purest form, indeed it is.
Hand-eye coordination, afterall, is not a mystery.
Add the pressure of bullseyes and critter pumpstations and the equally timeless self-inflicted human battle of competitive desire begins to erupt.
The painful malady of target panic is both well-known and equally misunderstood. When it strikes, it brings about some of the most confusing and frustrating experiences available to mankind. It is said, and I believe it to be true, that the curse of target panic is the #1 cause of attrition in archery and bowhunting and also the motivation behind the explosion in crossbow sales and use. A scoped, shoulder-controlled firearm-like trigger mechanism can all but eliminate the agony of target panic.
But with the transition from hand-drawn archery to the shoulder-mounted crossbow comes, for many, the reduction in sense of accomplishment that is unique to true archery. At least that’s how I see it.
I am far from accomplishing my dream of archery perfection, but Lord knows I am working on it diligently and daily to get to that magical confluence of mind, body, spirit and soul with each arrow.
We must never give up and persevere the total plunge into the Spirit Arrow cosmic zone.
In an over-simplistic overview, I can list the shot sequence of events to get us right up there with Levi Morgan and the top best of the best archers/bowhunters in the world.
1-Escape the too many minds dilemma. Ultimate archery is best experienced out of body. Can you get there? Sure you can. Health, good sleep, smart diet, and a prioritized organized life are all essential. Do it!
2-FORM- Though archery is 99% mental, consistent accuracy is impossible without consistent proper form. Get the best archer you know to watch you shoot and take their critique to heart. Work on it.
3-Bow and arrow fit-We can never be the best that we can be if our bow and arrows are not proper for our individual shooting form. Again, get the best expert advice you can get and make certain your draw weight, draw length, anchor and release are absolutely perfect for your individual needs.
4-Only perfect practice can achieve perfect archery-Even though casual archery can be fun, I am convinced that serious archery is more fun. Shoot every arrow like it is at the biggest buck of your lifetime and aspire to never launch a bad arrow ever again.
5-Shot sequence-Stance, body configuration, attitude, left arm, right arm, left hand, right hand, grip, draw, anchor, hands-eye, target spot, sightpin focus, breathing and execution of the arrow release must become imprinted on us as sure as we put a fork full of beans into our mouths. No room for error or inconsistency. NONE!
Well, that’s the system I have discovered and there are no words to describe the happiness attained from a whole bunch of beautiful arrows so far this hunting season.
To watch my slower than average 200 something FPS 400 grain zebra GoldTip arrows from my 50# Mathews bow arch into the pumpstations of numerous beasts is an indescribable joy that makes me whole everytime.
I made a phenomenal shot on a skittish gray fox the other day, and that is like hitting a small salami with hair!
Perfect archery is difficult enough on the range, and near impossible on the hunt, but when we really apply ourselves during serious and regular practice sessions, the aim small miss small mystical flight of the arrow dreams can become a reality time and time again.
Give it a serious shot. We can do this. Heck, if the goofy. High strung, fidgety, maniac MotorCity Madman guitar guy can do it, I am confident anybody can.