The symbol central to the Essex Tai Chi Academy’s logo is called “T’ai”, with the same sound but different meaning as the “Tai” in “Tai Chi”.

It is a hexagram from the 5000-year-old Taoist classic, the I Ching.

A hexagram is made up of two trigrams, each made up of three lines, solid, broken, or both. The broken lines represent Yin energy, and the solid lines represent Yang energy.

In this hexagram, the upper trigram represents Earth (pure Yin), and the lower trigram represents Heaven (pure Yang).

Yin and Yang have motions associated with them. The light, heavenly Yang energy tends to rise while the heavy, earthly Yin energy tends to sink. As the two energies meet and commune with one another, peace and harmony are achieved and great accomplishments become possible.

And so this symbol – central to the Academy’s logo – represents peace, harmony and good will.