We have almost reached the halfway point in the Way of the Initiate which is based on the 33 steps that my old Chinese teacher shared with me. I wonder if those of you who have been reading my blogs have been practicing some of the steps like Huo in the story. If you have I would love to hear feedback on what has been happening in your world.
As I write this I have finished the first draft of my screenplay The Merlin Key and as I look back I can see the amazing changes that I have experienced in my own life since taking the first steps on the path of the Initiate. A path that will continue till the day I either walk out of this dimension or become food for the maggots. One of the greatest changes that occurred on this journey has been the need to express my inner creativity. If this was the only reward for the years I have spent on the path then that would have been enough, for in tapping into my own inner creativity I have experienced a joy, a connection that is almost impossible to explain.
If you are reading these blogs and you have just read the chapters of The Way of the Initiate as a story, then hopefully you have enjoyed it and on some level it has touched you deeply.
Today Huo begins to understand that everything is owned by the Tao and that we have it on loan, so rather than hold onto it, enjoy it and share it, for one day it will go back to the Tao.
The Tao Owns Everything
As he walked from the town, he understood he had lost nothing because everything belonged to the Tao. Everything he had experienced had been given to him by the Tao; it was as if it had been on loan. Also, because he was able to release everything he had, he knew more would be given to him, so there was no need to hold on to anything. He walked into the forest a rich man, rich in the knowledge that he was abundant in all areas of his life.
He soon came to a fork in the road. He looked off down the left fork and felt nothing; however, when he looked down the right fork, he noticed the road seemed lighter. He closed his eyes and sent his energy off in the distance to feel a royal carriage coming towards him. He turned and walked down the right road; the spirit wanted him to go in that direction, so who was he to disagree with the feelings coming from deep within his inner self?
About a half-mile down the road, he came across a carriage carrying members of the Emperor's family. As with everyone he met, he showed his respect, giving a short bow from the waist. Immediately, a woman called out for them to stop the carriage, then called the young man over. As Huo walked slowly towards the carriage, the woman dressed in beautiful silks with her jet black hair tied in a bun on her head, attached with a jade pin, addressed the young man.
"Sir, can you tell me if there is a healer in the town up ahead? My son is gravely ill and needs immediate attention."
"Great lady, my old Master Chung Fu is in the town ahead, and he is a great healer." Huo caught sight of the young man in the carriage and knew instantly the boy would never make the journey; he could see that his inner spirit was about to leave his body.
Huo was at a loss regarding what to do. He did not want to infringe on the young boy, as he did not know what lesson he had come here to learn. Maybe he had incarnated to die early and teach his mother the great lesson of loss, for he understood that some highly evolved spirits came in service to die in their first thirteen years. What he did know for sure was that the child would never make it to the town. For a brief moment, he went within his inner self for an answer, only to meet the spirit of the young boy. The young boy was confused and not sure what was happening, so Huo went inside his inner self and asked him if he wanted help. The boy said yes, and in that moment Huo could see the future of the young boy, particularly how he would grow up to be a mighty ruler who would be loved by his people.
Huo turned his focus back into the outer world and said to the Emperor's wife, "Your Highness, I fear that your son will never make it to the town. If you allow me, I will give him a healing right here that will enable him to travel to town, where my master can finish the healing process."
The Emperor's wife was beside herself with fear. She looked down at the young man who was dressed in little more than rags, but there was a plum red sash around his waist that brought back a childhood memory. When she used to go with her father into the Emperor's garden, he would often meet a monk who also wore a plum red ribbon around his waist. It was the monk that helped his father build a garden that pleased the Emperor so much, she was plucked from her life of servitude to now be one of the most powerful women in the court – and she eventually to became the number one wife of the Emperor.
She faltered for a moment, but it was just a moment. "Please, help my son."
She opened the carriage door, and Huo, dressed like a beggar, climbed in. He went straight to the boy, who had a very high temperature, then looked to his mother, who said, "He came down with the fever last night, and I was at a loss what to do. We have tried everything. He has a bite mark on his left arm."
Huo examined the wound with his eyes, but with his inner senses he saw that the young man had been bitten by a spider. He reached into his pack, took out some herbs, and made a poultice to put on the boy’s arm, then used some other herbs to make a drink for the young man to sip while they made the journey to his old master at the Pagoda. He held his hands over the young boy and allowed the energy from his own being to enter the young man and take on the poison. It was not something he had been taught; it was just something that happened naturally when he inhabited the body of the young boy.
In only a few minutes, the young boy opened his eyes; the fever had been broken. Huo felt the shock of the poison in his own body, but he soon released it through his breath to the air that surrounded them.
The Emperor's wife had never seen anything like it. She worried that Huo was not a healer, but a black magician. It is funny how even when people see something with their own eyes, they cannot believe it to be true.
Huo smiled at the Queen, and somehow his smile put her at ease.
"What is your charge for healing my son? I will pay anything."
"My Queen, it is an honour to do it for you. I do not require any payment, as I have everything I need."
The queen looked at the young man before her, dressed in little more than rags with no carriage, no money, and only a poor pack to carry his herbs. "You say you have everything you need, but surely some money would help you on your journey? Or I could give you a servant to look after your needs, or you could come back to the palace where you could be my personal physician?"
"Thanks for the offer, my Queen. It would be a great honour, but I am on a great journey, the journey of the inner self, and I have all I need. Look around: I have the sun, the forest, the animals, and the seasons to keep me company. If I want food, I will find it in the forest or in a stream. If I want companionship, I can walk into any village and find someone to talk to. If I need a bed, I can rest wherever I choose. As you can see, I have everything I need."
"I can see that you are a strange man, a man who I will always be grateful to. If ever you need my help, just come to the palace, and I will give you what you need."
Huo thanked the queen for her offer. Then, just as he was about to take his leave, a thought crossed his mind. "Your Highness, there is something you could do for me."
"Name it," she said, hoping it was not a ploy by the young man to get more than she was willing to offer; she need not have worried.
"My Queen, there is a young girl in the village by the name of Qing. If you could give her a small piece of jewelry and tell her I love her, that would be a most special gift."
The queen pulled the green jade pin from her hair, which allowed her blue black hair to cascade over her shoulders. "Will this be a suitable gift?" she asked.
"Thank you, my Queen. Now take your son to the next town and ask for my old Master Chung Fu at the Pagoda, and he will ensure that your son is fully healed."
Huo bowed to the queen and winked at the young boy, then took his leave of them both and continued on his journey.
The queen, her son, and the long retinue of servants watched as the strange young man walked back into the forest.
The queen took her son to see the old sage, who professed he could do no more for her young son and that if he continued to drink the herbs given by the young man, he would soon regain his full strength.
The queen fulfilled her part of the bargain, and much to Qing's delight, she gave her the green jade pin and words of love from Huo. What Huo did not know was that the queen took such a shine to Qing that she gave her a position as her own personal servant, a position that would see wondrous things happening for the young girl - but that is another story, one I am sure will be told one day.
Blessings and Peace
Geof
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The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris, a number of online book stores and on my websites.
The Way of the Initiate will be published late 2013
Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/
Book Websites 'The 33rd Sage,' at www.33rdsage.com
'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' at www.the33rdsage.com
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