I spent about four years working at Spring Forest Qigong.

From one perspective, my work there was answering emails (thousands of them), answering phone calls (hundreds of them), and a bit of creative and editorial work when its necessity was impressed upon me.

From another perspective -- and I knew this from the first, which is why I was ready to work there "by any means necessary," under whatever conditions that entailed, -- my work there was to grow.

All ancient cultures recognized, and those that perdure continue to recognize: first, that such a thing as Mastery exists; and second, that this Mastery, no matter in what field it manifests, is not merely a mastery of technique (which it partly is), but realization, or attainment, of universal, spiritual principles, which in turn are expressed through technique in the Master's given field, whether artistic or practical.

Mastery, then, if you think about it, also entails and indicates a certain degree of self-refinement -- mental, emotional, spiritual.

These cultures also recognized that, though Mastery cannot be "given" from a Master to a disciple, surely it can only be attained with the help of a Master -- which usually means spending a lot of time around them.

How else can you give someone something that can't be held?

There is a way; and this is what it meant to me to be there.

In that light, and in the light of Gurdjieff's aphorism, "The worse the conditions of life the more productive the work, always provided you remember the work," I did my work; it was a calling, an education, and -- without question -- both one of the most valuable and one of the most difficult experiences of my life.

The hardest part?

Emotions, of course -- others', mine, and my emotions in response to others' emotions.

In Spring Forest Qigong, the saying is that emotions are the number one cause of the Qi blockages that, in turn, lead to every kind of health challenge; lemme tell you, it's 100% true.

I saw, and heard, and felt it every day; thousands of people from all around the world called and wrote, day in, day out, and I'd say almost every single one of the ones who reached out for healing help (and most of those who reached out for other reasons) had unbalanced emotions.

Maintaining my energetic integrity, positive outlook, pleasant demeanor, health, and -- moreover -- bringing love, compassion, and humor in response with every attempt, however trivial, to be of service was itself an intensive Qigong practice.

Chunyi Lin, the founder of Spring Forest Qigong, has told the story a few times. He asked one of his Masters, "When will I become a Master?" The reply was, "When you do 10 hours of Qigong a day."

Of course, that doesn't mean sitting in the lotus position in a cave 10 hours a day; remember Gurdjieff's aphorism.

What is Qigong? It depends on your perspective.

All that is to say -- for whatever reason, I saved one of my replies to a Spring Forest Qigong student's email to me. I wrote hundreds like these, or better, though I didn't think to save them.

She began as a simple student (later becoming a healer), and after her first class some energy channels opened, which in turn kept her up, sleepless, for a few nights.

Which, in turn, kept me busy, by phone and email, calming her down.

Remember what I said about emotions?

She was a sweetheart, if aggressive in temperament, but -- my goodness, worry, worry, complain, complain.

But I felt a special fondness for her -- she reminded me of certain family members -- while I've always found those pushy broads a breeze to deal with.

Not that I'd like to live with a woman of that temperament; only, I find them easy to divert and defuse.

They're a bit like bulls -- all you need is a red cape, a little nimbleness, and you can skewer them at will, with all the panache you please.

On that self-aggrandizing note, behold!

Of course, I replaced names with [----], while [....] means I omitted something else.

Don't squint too hard if it looks like static; just unfocus your eyes a little, and the feeling leaps out at you, clear as you like.

06 April 2022