About John A. De Anzo
John A. De Anzo is a martial artist, doctor of Chinese Energetic Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (China), Master Hypnotist, and an ordained Second Level Daoist Priest.
As a Second Generation Asian American born in Monterey, California to immigrant parents, John had a challenging childhood growing up amidst cultural conflicts, abuse and undiagnosed learning disabilities. He found a sense of place through the practice of martial arts, which he began at a young age. After decades of practice in various forms of martial arts, numerous injuries and personal struggles, while in his late twenties John was introduced to a man who would later become his mentor, teacher, and friend for the next few decades, Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson. Dr. Johnson (aka. "Sifu"or "teacher" in Chinese) was a world renowned Kung Fu practitioner and instructor, a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Chinese Energetic Medicine as well as an ordained Daoist Priest from China. John originally came to this teacher in order to finish his training in martial arts. In the ensuing decades this teacher, among others, introduced John to these practices through the study of martial arts, Chinese Medicine, and internal alchemy through esoteric mystical teachings.
During John's time studying with his teacher he was taught about the "Evolution of a Warrior" which is the progression from martial artist to teacher, from teacher to healer, from healer to scholar and from scholar to priest. John's own personal journey has followed this progression and he has shared the teachings so that his students may experience and benefit from them and continue to share the teachings with others. John taught classes nationally and internationally, offering a rare opportunity to experience the knowledge and teachings passed down to him by his teachers. He offers his students the perspective of a master who has come to embody these disciplines through a lifetime of study.
Evolution of a Warrior
THE PROGRESSION FROM MARTIAL ARTS TO MEDICINE TO SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION AND BEYOND...
The Evolution of a warrior is the progression from martial artist, to teacher, to healer, to scholar to priest. Traditionally, disciples would be chosen by their teacher and invited to what was called "closed door training" (private training). The disciples would begin their training through the practice of various forms of martial arts, to promote the discipline of their physical body. As they became seasoned as martial artists, they would then become teachers, working to pass on to others the knowledge and experience that they had received themselves. As teachers they would naturally progress towards becoming healers, seeking to help others heal from injuries acquired during their training. As they worked as healers they would continue to seek more knowledge and greater understanding, eventually becoming scholars of the ancient esoteric practices. From these studies they would then turn their focus towards the Divine (God), becoming priests and helping others on their path towards spiritual transformation and enlightenment to aid themselves and others in their transition to their final resting place (heaven).
As John studied Chinese Medicine, he noticed that many of his previous martial arts teachers and colleagues were perishing due to certain organ diseases. He learned in Chinese Medicine, through the Theory of Five Elements, that these organs hold a certain emotional characteristic that could have a positive or negative effect on the organs over a long period of time. In Chinese Medicine, his teacher explained to him that this Evolution as a Martial Artist would bring him health and happiness and avoid the negative effects of those types of illnesses. This progression would aid them in their success towards internal as well as external wellness, making it a form of preventative medicine. John has found that this approach does not only apply to the martial artist but to anyone who feels passionate about finding who they are and what they love to do, to become whom they love to be.
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
- Lao Tzu
Martial Arts
John was introduced to martial arts through the practice of Judo at the age of five while visiting a gym on a military base on Fort Ord, CA with his godmother and her three sons. He began training at the age of nine at a local Junior high school. John went on to earn advanced degrees in several forms of Japanese Martial Arts as well as intensively studying Filipino and Mixed Martial Arts (see "Teachers" page for more information). He began teaching martial arts in 1989, offering private and public instruction in several different martial systems. He spent time as a defensive tactics instructor for the local police academy as well as teaching children at a local private school.
In 1993, the culmination of his studies led him to the practices of Chinese Martial Arts, Medicine, and Spiritual Transformational Practices.
Chinese Medicine
Having endured tremendous injuries in his lifetime, John personally experienced the healing benefits of Chinese Energetic Medicine. Through this, he developed a deep appreciation for this practice and a passion to share it with others so that they may also experience the healing benefits of this modality.
John was first introduced to Chinese Energetic Medicine through one of his Kung Fu and Aikido teachers, Sifu Robert Blasedale, whom he met while training Aikido. In 1993, this teacher brought him to a private course in Chinese traumatology and bone-setting taught by Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson, beginning John’s journey into Chinese martial arts, energetic medicine, and esoteric healing practices. In 2012 after completing a three-year intensive doctorate program, John received his doctorate in Chinese Medical Qigong (D.M.Q) from the International Institute of Medical Qigong, Monterey, CA, sister college of Henan University. John also received doctorates in Traditional Chinese Medicine (D.T.C.M.) and Medical Qigong Therapy (D.M.Q.T.) from China’s Ministry of Health for the People’s Republic of China. While studying to receive his doctorates, John worked as the school clinician, offering treatments and seminars to the students.
John has worked with people of all ages and all walks of life and has offered workshops and seminars, as well as having private practices in Hawaii, Santa Cruz, and Monterey, California. Most recently, John has become certified as a Master Hypnotist (C.M.H.) through HMI (The Hypnosis Motivation Institute), America's first nationally accredited college of Hypnotherapy, directed by George Kappas. John offers private sessions that combine techniques from both the western art of Hypnosis and the eastern art of Chinese Medicine, providing a truly comprehensive and integrative approach to healing and wellness.
Spiritual Transformation
John’s introduction to spirituality started from a young age, growing up in an Asian household that was heavily influenced by Buddhism as well as Catholicism. Due to the difficulties John experienced as a child, he was constantly seeking answers to life’s questions and looking to the Divine for guidance and support. As a teenager, he became involved in illicit activities and his path took him through many trials and tribulations. He emerged on the other side with a deeper understanding of life’s challenges and dove into his own process of spiritual transformation.
In 2005, John began a three year course of intensive training in focusing on developing the secret art of Daoist Mysticism. Out of the original group of 73 students, John was one of eight disciples able to complete the rigorous training. After completing the final seminar, John became a disciple (Tudi) of the Tian Shi (Celestial Master) Sect at Longhu Shan.
In 2008, John traveled to China and was ordained as a 66th Generation Priest (Daoshi) of the Tian Shi Sect, from the Longhu Shan Daoist Temple. Following his ordination, John began to teach students esoteric Daoist Mysticism and became one of Dr. Johnson's senior disciples of the Temple of the Celestial Cloud in Monterey, California. In 2011, John returned to the Temple of Long Hu Shan in China and received his second Lu ordination as a Zheng Yi Daoist Priest (Daozhang). At this time he also received ordination as an 81st Generation Priest in the Shang Qing (Upper Clarity) Sect, from the Mao Shan Daoist Monastery.
In addition to his studies in Daoism, John was introduced to the ancient esoteric practices of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the ancient Hindu-Buddhist teachings. Throughout his studies of Asian mysticism, spirituality, and religious practices, he continued to feel a strong connection with his Christian upbringing.
Believing that all true spiritual paths lead back to the same source, John founded the Temple of the Radiant Sea in 2010 to offer training to experience the esoteric principles and practices of internal transformation and healing. He went on to start the Celestial Sea Ministry and has been running a mentorship program for the last decade with a few senior students. John continues to offer mentorship and training to interested students still to this day.