Chapter 18 - Beauty of the Elements
It was while writing about one of the old man's teachings that there was a noise outside of horses and a carriage. Huo put down his writing brush and went outside. There pulled up outside the house was one of the Emperor's carriages.
Waiting by the carriage door to greet his new guest, Huo was surprised that it was the Emperor himself who stepped down from the carriage.
Huo bowed politely, looking and downward not wanting to show disrespect by looking directly into the eyes of the Emperor.
"Young monk," Said the Emperor, "I am looking for an old sage who used to live in this house. Do you know his whereabouts?
Huo smiled, "Your Highness the old sage Chung Fu is many months walk from here in a Pagoda. Can I be of any assistance?"
The Emperor was angry for a moment and then he remembered the techniques he was taught by the old sage and allowed the anger to drop away. "That is unfortunate. I was wanting him to come to my palace and teach my son in the way of the Tao as he taught me many years ago."
"Your highness, I can go forth and find him but it may take many months before we return."
The Emperor who had been taught by the old sage went deep inside his feelings. The same energy was still there, as when he left the palace. He knew the energy of the old sage was still around, but why would his inner feelings prompt him to make the journey if the old man was no longer there? In his inner feelings he saw a picture of his son being taught by the young monk. "Young monk what is your name," asked the Emperor.
"I am called Huo, my lord."
"Huo I would like you to come to the palace and teach my son about the Tao, about nature and an old teaching the Sage gave to me called the Elements of Man."
The young man was taken back. It would be an Honour to teach the young prince, but surely the old sage would be a better teacher.
And so it was decided Huo would teach the son of the Emperor in the way of the Tao. Although after some discussion it was decided that the boy would come to love in the forest with the young monk. For one week out of every month the Emperor's son would stay with Huo where he would be taught and then he would go back to the palace to practice what he had been taught.
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It was the day of the Winter Solstice when Huo and the Emperor's son stopped by a frozen lake, a lake called the ‘Lake of Li,’ the lake of purification. In the week of their training the young boy tried on many occasions to use the power of his position over the young monk, but Huo would not allow him. When they were in the forest Huo was the teacher and the son of the Emperor was his student. The young boy soon realized that it was useless to try and use his power over the sage. In fact in the week he had become to love the monk almost as much as his father. There was a kindness to him that the boy had never experienced before and an inner strength that he wanted to learn more about.
Huo sat on a tree stump and Emperor's son sat on a fallen log. He looked into Huo's eyes and saw the reflection of the lake. He turned towards the lake and watched as its little waves lapped at the shore. Out in the centre, there appeared to be no movement, but he knew what was true. Crystals of snow began to fall. He opened his mouth allowing the snowflakes to land gently on his tongue. The moment they touched the heat of his tongue, they relinquished their life to nourish his thirst.
"There is life within everything,” said Huo. “It is just that some of us do not have the eyes to see."
"The seasons are but a reflection of man himself. If you watch them and listen for each Elements story, then you will understand everyone you come into contact with.
"The Element of Fire is the time of Winter; it is the time of greatest potential; the promise of things to come; the new growth, the new idea, the germination of the seed. Within this Element there is a stark landscape. The trees are bare; there is little life to be seen; there are few if any birds and most animals are not to be seen. But underneath the cold exterior is the inner warmth of germination. It is a time of great sensitivity to the moving sun, for in the sun is the fire and the light which is the key to appreciating this Element. The Winter is a time of imagining and anticipation.
"In relationships it warms the other Elements; it is calmed or doused by Water; fanned or starved by Air; allowed a solid footing or suffocated by Earth; and consumed by itself. Two Fire Elements together without a generous helping of the other Elements is like watching a bush fire in action. The colour of Fire is red and the shape is the triangle. Just imagine for a moment the effect when a triangle pushes its way into your space and you can get some idea what happens when first coming into contact with the Element of Fire. Beyond the sharp point is a gentleness and passion that is hard to ignore.
"The Element of Water is the season of Spring. It is the time when the snow melts and the water begins to flow. For spring is the custodian of new growth. It is the nurturer of young animals and children. It is the archetypal mother. The ice gives up itself to the softness. The triangle of Fire becomes the circle of Spring. There are no sharp edges to endanger any young one. The Spring is the time of water; initially flowing, babbling, cleansing, always allowing growth, and then growing still, reflecting. Like the mother hen, it allows the chicks to grow but ever-present in times of need. Like the moon, it is a reflection, allowing the tides and the movement of water. Spring is the protector; it allows vulnerable life forms to emerge into a world of colour and beauty, nurtured by motherhood. It is a time when the Water/emotions allow the young to learn in a caring protected environment. It is the time of outer beauty. The symbol of the Spring, Water, seeks the lowest level and nourishes all.
"In relationships Water is disturbed by Air; it makes earth soft, then impassable; its passions are warmed by Fire, but too much and the kettle boils and Water floods or drowns itself." Huo picked up a piece of ice and blew his hot breath across it. At first nothing happened and then the ice melted and the water began to move across the palm of his hand. He kept breathing heavily and the water cascaded from his hand, drops falling in different directions.
As the Emperor's son watched, he began to understand the change from Winter to Spring and then onto Summer. Huo sat quietly, allowing him time to reflect on what he had seen and heard.
They were surrounded by the Winter, but in a few months all that would change and begin to move again, for the outward beauty of the Spring to reappear.
The winter sun stood high in the sky. The Emperor's son took a long draw on his herbal tea and took in the essence of the Winter. Only the warming sun and their own bodies shivering, as clouds passed in front of the sun, broke the stillness. The strong flavour of Huo's herbal tea cleared his head and made the boy more aware of the Elements around him. It was Winter, the time of Fire, but the Elements were still there in abundance, but this was not there time; it was if they had all bowed to the Fire, to the Winter. Even the cup of tea he was drinking was made up of all the Elements. Mystics had talked about everything being a combination of the four Elements. The son of the Emperor had laughed at this simplistic explanation, but sitting here with the Elements and watching them exist in all of Nature, he was not so sure the current understanding was any better.
Huo finished his tea, placed the cup next to his feet on the ground, and sat upright. He rolled his eyes and the words flowed again from an infinite source.
The Emperor's son wondered whether the waters of the lake of Li were more than just a body of water. Could they be an inspiration for the Sage's teachings? When they arrived with the sun rising, it was if the four Elements came together as one at the shore of the lake. Was it the lake itself that gave the teachings the beauty the young boy was experiencing.
"The Element of Air is the time of the Summer. When we look at the Summer we see the time of the summer holidays, the time when we are rewarded for the previous six months. For Fire is the germination; the Water is the moving and growing and the Air is the time of the harvest. You reap in the Summer what you have sown for the rest of the year. It is a time for counting, for storing, for distribution of the harvest of the wealth that has been gained. It is the time for creating order and for storing to create abundance in the future. It is the time of strength and maturity; when the young leave their nest. Its symbol is the oval for it is the extension of the circle; it is the culmination and the distortion of what the time of Water has to offer. It is not as sharp as the time of Fire or as gentle as the time of Water. It is the time of order and logical thinking. It is not the time of creation but one of extension, of best use of what we have. Its colour is yellow, which is the colour that stimulates the intellect. The earth is parched by Air and the summer storm is dramatic and merciless.
"The Air in relationship affects all the Elements. From stillness, a gentle blow to a powerful northerly, it touches all the other Elements. It dries and disturbs the Earth; disturbs, feeds or starves Fire; it disturbs Water. Air is unaffected by all but itself. Withhold Air from us for only a few minutes and we are all dead. On some level the Air element's know this and it leads those with a strong ego to see themselves as quite superior.
"The Earth Element's time is the Autumn. It is the time after the harvest, when all the work has been done and energy begins to diminish. It is the time of brilliant colours emerging, as if they are Nature’s last denial of the end about to come. It is visual, exciting and dramatic. It is the time when the old falls away to allow space for the new. The autumn leaves fall to the earth to allow fertiliser for the new growth that is to come. The bear eats ravenously and stores fat for the Winter. It is a time of relaxation and review as the end draws near. The colour of Earth is green and the symbol is the square.
"The Earth in relationships; it suffocates Fire; causes Water to lose clarity; is disturbed by Air and joins together with itself..."
The sage released his being from the inner worlds. "So much of what I teach you is obvious if you could still your mind chatter and observe what goes on around you. The Elements are present in every day living. They are not some mystical art, which you spend twenty years unfolding and cannot use, in your daily life. The Elements are ever present and their teachings come to you every day in a million ways. There are no books to study other than the book of life. As in any real teaching, you never stop learning; there is a gradual unfoldment from within.
“When you leave here and go back to the palace you would do well to sit and listen. Be in the world, but not of it. Be a detached observer, then you will see how the Elements are in all things. You will see how the other Elemental types need the solid base of Earth if they themselves are to function in a balance. In its most meagre existence, Earth can stabilise the activities of Air and Fire and at the same time give Water a supportive resting-place. Too much Earth and everything becomes bogged down; too little, and everything is without real substance. The visions of Fire are only visions if the substance of Earth does not impact them.
"When you encounter the Elements in the coming months, know that the dominant element is not only their strength but also their weakness. Fire is passion and inspiration but too bigger flame, or a flame not tempered by the other Elements; either dies quickly or destroys all in its path. From the single flame to the inferno; Fire is both boon and a horror.
"The greatest function of Water is to allow the movement of our emotions. A light covering of Water on the other Elements provides a gentle shower of caring and feelings. Deeper water allows us a deeper spiritual insight and a greater understanding of our feelings; for Water cannot hide; its feelings are always felt. When Water becomes the torrent, passing its point of balance it drowns everything in its emotions. Water cannot be ignored. It can be dammed up or diverted for a short time, but it will always flow to the lowest level. To ignore it, is to walk around with your eyes closed. Just like all the Elements there is a fine line between too much and too little. To each there is a season when they are and need to be dominant.
"Air makes breathing possible. Without air we could not communicate; there could be no exchange of thought. We use Air to communicate our inspirations; our Fire.
"I will finish this lesson by reiterating that we all choose what Element we are, so that we can best express who we are and learn what lessons we have chosen to live in this lifetime. What you are learning is a tool that you can use throughout your life whatever path you choose to take. As a communicator it will allow you to talk directly to that person’s Element, so as to be understood. And, conversely, it allows you to understand not only what the person is saying, but also where they are coming from. There will come a day when, within a few moments, you will truly know anyone you come into contact with."
In the months ahead Huo would teach the young boy about nature, the elements and the Tao. For seven days each month the young man would be brought from the palace to live in the old house with Huo, the young Sage. As the teaching continued the young sage grew into the Master Sage that Chung Fu always knew he would become.
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