When the school was founded in 2000, it was called Shen Long Internal Kung Fu and we focused on teaching local classes. In 2007 we changed our name to Spirit Dragon Institute to help us realize our larger purpose, which is to help spread these arts to the world and preserve them for future generations.

Spirit Dragon Institute has been offering online instruction since 2010. Our mission is to make the highest quality instruction in Authentic Traditional Arts available to interested people anywhere in the world.

Sifu Franklin Fick

Founder and Head Instructor
Spirit Dragon Institute

Sifu Fick has spend his entire life studying and practicing Traditional Chinese Kung Fu. He has been teaching since 1993. He has spent over a decade living in Asia and has a degree in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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Sifu Franklin Fick

Founder and Head Instructor
Spirit Dragon Institute

Sifu Fick has spend his entire life studying and practicing Traditional Chinese Kung Fu. He has been teaching since 1993. He has spent over a decade living in Asia and has a degree in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Read More

Spirit Dragon

In Chinese mythology the dragon is a divine creature that has power over the weather and the rain. It symbolizes the generative power of Yang.

Dragons are typically depicted as serpent like creatures with the head of a camel or horse, the antlers of a deer, the claws of an eagle, scales of a carp, and body and tail of a serpent.

After winter, the spring rains bring life back to the earth. Crops reply on rain and Man relies on crops to live and flourish. The mythical Dragon controls this transformational process. Where there is an ability to generate and renew, there is also the possibility of destruction. Too much rain, flooding, or severe weather can destroy instead of nourish. A balance must be maintained that does not veer to either extreme.

The depiction of the Dragon as a winding serpent like creature visually demonstrates this Yang power. Fluid like movement without fixed shape. The ability to dive into the deepest ocean and fly up to the highest heavens. To hide in the clouds. To bring gentle nourishment or harsh destruction. This is why the dragon has been an important symbol of kings and rulers. And, why it is an important symbol of internal cultivation and transformation.

Another reason the Dragon is a symbol of transformation is the legend on how dragon's are made. On top of a legendary mountain there is a waterfall that has a Dragon's Gate. A carp (remember the Dragon has the scales of a carp) can swim upstream against the strong current, up the waterfall, and jump over the Dragon's Gate transforming itself into a mighty Dragon. It is a symbol of courage, perseverance, and accomplishment leading to transformation. The ultimate transformation from a carp to a dragon is only achieved by a few. But the possibility of this accomplishment does not exclude anyone (or in terms of the myth - any carp). It is determined by the individuals hard work.

There are also different levels or types of Dragon. The levels are determined by how much transformation has been achieved. The Shen Long or Spirit Dragon is a type of Dragon that has achieved one of the highest levels of accomplishment and transformation.

Our Logo

It's probably a good idea for us to explain a little about our logo. When we first made this logo some people commented that it looked like the battery symbol of a cellphone or something. Being a school teaching Internal Martial Arts and Qigong, some people might think that our logo has something to do with energy levels or charging up. To clear up any misunderstanding lets explain the symbolism in our logo.

Taoists view everything in the universe as energy. The most fundamental way to categorize energy is into Yin and Yang. Yin is energy that is dark, feminine, substance, denser, etc. Yang is energy that is light, masculine, immaterial, etc. The terms Yin and Yang are a way to talk about the characteristics of energy. Everything is energy. Everything in the universe is a mixture of Yin and Yang characteristics. Some things are more Yin then other things. Some things are more Yang then other things. Yin and Yang are relative.

People in ancient times lived close to nature. This is why we see natural symbolism in these ancient schools of knowledge. People could understand the message clearly. Unfortunately in modern times many people have disconnected form the natural world. Sometimes it is necessary to provide some clarity.

In Chinese creation myth, energy arose out of nothingness. This energy started to move and swirl. The heavier, denser, energy sank down and created the Earth. The light, immaterial, energy rose upward and formed the Heavens. As the energy continued to move all things were brought into existence.

The Heavens (sky) are a clear and concrete example of Yang compared to the Earth being an example of Yin. In Spring the rains that bring back life to the Earth are heralded in by thunder. The thunder is a powerful force that arises from nothing and has no form itself. This is how thunder became a symbol for the transformative power of creation.

Taoists observed nature and understood that the self renewal and transformations seen in the natural world were principles that could be used in self-cultivation.

Not only is our logo a symbol of the universe and the process of self renewal that happens naturally, it is also a symbol of internal cultivation and transformation.