The Legend of the 33rd Sage - Chapter 31

Chapter 31 - Riding the Dragon

Time seemed to speeding up and yet he was not aging. The old sage was now in his late sixties and yet if you met him he would have appeared to be a man in his early to late thirties. It was not his diet that made the difference, although these days he needed to eat little to maintain who he was. As he made the journey from Ego to Spirit he realized that he no longer had any real needs. He accepted life for what it was; somedays he would eat, other days he would not. Some days he would stay in a Pagoda, other days he would sleep under the stars. To him it mattered not; from the quieting of the ego he understood that he was all things and he would draw to him what he needed on his journey. Of course there would come a day when the journey ended and he would shake of his mortal body and enjoy the freedom and lightness of being that he experienced in the spirit world.

There was a part of him that would have been quite happy to go to sleep one night and for his physical body not to wake up; for he knew that he was Eternal, Immortal and Infinite. It was with those thoughts that he went to sleep next to an open fire, with the full moon and all the nocturnal animals for company.

He drifted down in his levels of consciousness to the point where he was in a deep sleep. It was the level he experienced in his deepest meditations; the level where all things are connected. It is the level where the heartbeat that can be felt is the heartbeat of creation, which is accompanied by a song not unlike that of a bird song. Some mystics had called it the sound of the earth, but it was far deeper than that and Huo had remembered hearing the sound when he went up the tunnel and into the spirit world.

In what appeared to be a dream he was once again sucked up the tunnel and spat out into the spirit world. For a few moments he floated around the world and reconnected with some of the places and people he had seen and met previously. It was such a freeing experience to throw off the physical body, part of him wondered why we ever incarnated in human form. He knew the answer was to experience a life of emotion and the ego; to understand its strengths but also it's weaknesses and ultimately to transcend the human condition.

In many ways he was already more spirit than ego; he had seen the energy beyond the form; had experienced the wonders of the Tao and been one with nature. But deep in his heart centre he knew that his journey was not over. There was much more that he had to do in this world. Maybe this journey to the spirit world would give him some more answers or at least send him on the next part of his journey. In his inner self he asked to be shown where to go next on his journey.

He stopped floating through the air when he came to lake which reminded him very much of the Lake of Li, in the Forest of K'an. He floated down to the shore of the lake and there to greet him was the old log, from the real Lake of Li; the log where his students would sit when he would teach them.

He sat upon the log as if he was visiting an old friend. To him the log was very sacred. It reminded him of all the students he had ever taught and how their faces would light up when he told them one of his stories; stories which often came from so deep within him that he did not know the story himself until he began to tell it.

He was sitting on the log when he heard a sound coming from the water of the Lake of Li. The sound was off in the distance from the other side of the lake. He watched as a wave of water rushed towards him. Rather than being scared, he was mesmerized by the rising wave of water. Beneath the sound of the oncoming wave he heard another, deeper sound, it was almost guttural like the sound of an animal clearing its throat.

He watched in awe as the wave crashed over the top of him. Drenched, he did not try  to move or run as he could feel the energy in the wave. When the wave crashed back into the lake there left behind was a twenty foot dragon. Huo could not believe it. In all his wonderful life he had never seen a dragon. The dragon was red in colour, with shinny skin that glistened in the sun; skin that kept changing in colour from red to blue, brown and green. It had five claws on each foot.

The dragon seemed to be smiling at him.

He could sense its power. Rather than be scared of it the sage moved towards it. By the time he had reached the dragon it was sitting, relaxed as it did not fear him.

Anybody watching from a distance would have thought the sage and the dragon were sizing each other up, ready to strike. That could have not been further from the the truth, for within both of them was a deep respect for the other. Normally the dragon would put the person, who came before them, through a number of trials to see if they were worthy. The dragon knew this one was worthy; he could feel it with every ounce of his being.

He wondered why the sage had called him into being, for he could see that the sage was already well on the way towards his spiritual goal. The dragon opened up its feeling centers and allowed itself to enter into the old sage.

The sage could feel the energy as the dragon entered him. He opened himself up to allow the dragon to see all of him; even those aspects that he had hidden from the rest of the world.

In moments the dragon was reliving the sage's life. It was an ability that dragons had, so it was fruitless to try and hide anything from them. Everywhere the dragon looked there was a lightness to the Sage's being. The dragon could feel that Huo had wanted something but he could not feel what it was. In all the lightness there was one small shadow. This must be what the sage wanted help with.

He sent his energy into the shadow. It was as if a bright purple light was shone into the darkness revealing all there was to be seen.

The sage felt as if his heart was being ripped apart. The intensity of the pain forced him to look deep inside his heart. Without the purple light he would not have been able to do it; it was as if the purple light somehow made it more bearable. What the purple light was really doing was to increase his own vibration for a few short moments so he could become one with his shadow; for to go to the next stage he would have to be free of his shadow, his ego, otherwise the energy would destroy him.

Huo stepped into his shadow and there waiting for him were his parents and the love of his life Quing. All four of them embraced and Huo experienced a great release as he realized that he had was still feeling guilty for what had happened with his parents in the fire that many years ago. He could see that they were still very much alive and the guilt just fell away. It was in that moment that he understood the true power of forgiveness was to forgive yourself.

He turned to face Quing, although older she still looked beautiful. They stared into each others eyes for the longest time, seeing other lifetimes they had shared together and lifetimes in other dimensions yet to be shared. "Till we meet again," said Quing.

Huo watched as the loves of his life moved out of the shadows and back into the light where they belonged.

Huo awoke far calmer and more peaceful than he had ever felt in his life. Although it may have only been a dream, he realized that there had been a great release of energy while he slept and he was now different from the man who went to sleep.

He looked around himself and everything seemed different, lighter somehow. It was not just the landscape which looked lighter, he felt lighter himself, like he had been released by a burden which he had carried for years.

He put his hand inside his robes and removed the dragonfly pendant that had given him so many good memories. He looked at the pendant and a smile came to his face. In his mind's eye he could see his parents, Quing and Chung Fu they were all smiling and laughing and with a gentle wave they all turned and walked away from him.

The old sage was overcome with joy, rather than lose the greatest influences in his life he know understood they were always with him. All he had to do was look inside his heart; they were always there. There was no more guilt; he was what he was and in doing so he had taken the most courageous journey that anyone can take the journey within, the journey of the warrior sage. His life was sacred and he was dedicated to his own journey.

He stood, gathered his pack and continued on, free from the voices of the ego which had always tainted how he had seen the world.

As he walked away anyone watching would have seen him hang the dragonfly pendant on the branch of a tree.

Later that day spirit would ensure that a young girl on her own journey would walk past the tree that day and the pendant would come into her life.

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My new book the 33rd Sage and the Initiate is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other wonderful bookstores and online sellers. If you want to read more about 'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' have a look at my website on www.the33rdsage.com or my translatable blog at http://33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

The Legend of the 33rd Sage - Chapter 25

Chapter 25 - The Teacher, Teaches by Example

It was during the final month of their third year together that the prince no longer came to the Forest of K'an. The sage had waited, but deep down he knew that the prince was no longer his student. There was a genuine sadness as the sage had enjoyed teaching the prince about this spiritual aspects of man, but now it was up to the young prince to become his own teacher and it was time for the sage to move on. It was time for him to refresh himself and live in the spontaneity of the Tao.

He woke before the sun and gathered his small pack and walked out the door of the home that had been his for the last three years. He did not look back for the energy of the house was no longer there. He walked past the Lake of Li but even she had lost her glow. He walked out the Forest without another thought. The Tao had given and now it had taken  away.

He came to a fork in the road. Many years ago he had chosen the road that seemed the brightest, but now as he looked down both roads there seemed little to distinguish them. With no clear feeling on which way to go the sage sat under a plum tree and enjoyed the warmth provided by the early morning sun. He sat and watched as travelers passed by, most increasing their pace when they came near him, but the occasional one would stop and sit for a while. Some would talk to the sage but most just rested awhile under the shade of the plum tree. Those who stopped and sat under the plum tree with the sage, noticed that they soon became energized and were again ready to begin their travels.

The sage went into a meditation to ask his higher self what his next step was to be. After a long meditation he was none the wiser; it seemed like the Tao had forgotten him. Of course he knew better than that and if the feelings did not change he would just sit and enjoy his rest under the plum tree. When he opened his eyes he noticed that travelers had left food and some of their wares for him.

It seemed like he had received his answer. For now he would sit under the plum tree and be in the moment. He had never been so abundant in all his life. In a matter of days he had more of anything than you could think of; more than he would ever use in a hundred lifetimes.

The sage was at a loss to understand why?

When another traveler left more goods and food for him the sage said, "Why do you leave these wondrous gifts?"

The woman who left them replied, "Sage it is to thank you for healing our son. The other day we were on our way to a great healer and my son who was very ill needed a break from the travel; so we sat with you under the plum tree and when we were ready to leave he was completely healed. So this is our gift of thanks." With that said the woman bowed to the sage and walked away and back to her village.

Over the next few days others recounted similar healing stories but most who came and sat with the sage, just seemed to feel better, more refreshed from just sitting under the plum tree and listening to the stories that he had begun to tell the children.

The children themselves started coming in their hundreds as they heard of the sage and his wonderful stories. Each day in the early afternoon the children would arrive and sit around the sage in a circle under the shade of the plum tree and he would tell them a story. After which they were free to take one of any of the gifts that were left behind.

Over time the stores of the goods left for the sage did not diminish as you would think but grew and grew. It seemed like everyone in the village and the surrounding villages were stopping, to add to his ever growing supply of food and handmade goods.

And so began the legend; each night while all the villagers were asleep the sage would walk into town carrying armfuls of food and other gifts that he had received under the plum tree. He would stop at each house; send a molecule of his being into the house to understand the needs of each person and when they awoke each person would find what it was they needed to aid them on their own journey.

This continued on for many months and when some of the villages realized what the old sage was doing they would come to plum tree late at night and help the old sage distribute the goods. This happened every night and in the morning the right gift was there for the right person, whether they were just hungry or on a spiritual journey; it was if the Tao knew what they wanted and delivered it at the most appropriate time. Even the villagers who helped Huo would wake to find food and gifts left at their houses. It was wonder that people never got used to.

The day came when it was time for the sage to leave. Never had he seen such abundance. It was as if in the giving that people received more. This years harvest had been the best the countryside had ever seen.

In the days that followed children continued to come to the plum tree to listen to the sage tell his stories and even though he was no longer there, one of the adults or the children themselves would tell stories that the sage had taught them. Occasionally they would make up stories about where the old sage had gone and who he was helping now; for the legend continued to grow.

People still left their excess goods and come nightfall some of the adults from the village would come and distribute out what had been received. It was in the giving that everyone received. Without knowing it everyone was giving and receiving as they should, out of their abundance in line with the teachings of the Tao.

Of course the best teachers never teach they just do and the example of the sage continues to this day in many villages around the land even though people could not tell you why they are doing it.

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My new book the 33rd Sage and the Initiate is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other wonderful bookstores and online sellers. If you want to read more about 'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' have a look at my website on www.the33rdsage.com or my translatable blog at http://33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

The Legend of the 33rd Sage - Chapter 21

Hello everyone,

We are almost two thirds of the way through the 'Legend of the 33rd Sage and the Way of the Initiate.' I would like to thank a few of my readers who have asked me questions through my facebook page for the 33rd Sage and also through the contact button on my websites. Also I would love to know if people are finding the concept in each chapter easy to understand or would you like more information. I have tried to explain all the concepts through the story while at the same time simplifying them. The road to the Initiate although not easy should not be complex. It starts with a lightness of being, a kindness towards others and the realization that we are all Eternal, Immortal and Infinite. I have been lucky to have some amazing teachers along the way and I hoped that by sharing some of these teachings in a story format that it can resonate deeply within your being. I would recommend that once you have read through all the chapters that you may want to start from the beginning again as it will seem almost like the teachings have change, but the truth is that you have changed. It is the part that I love the most. In my first novel 'The 33rd Sage,' a story about nature and the Elements I cannot count how many times readers said that the story was different each time they read it. Anyway if there is anything you want me to explain further, just leave me a comment.
The comments I have received and will receive will determine where I go with the story in my second, third and future drafts.
Thanks again for reading.
Blessings and Peace and may your life be illuminated.

Chapter  21 - The Sacred Way

"Master," said Heng, "What is it that makes the Lake of Li and the Forest of K'an sacred. When we walk through the forest you walk as if you are in a Pagoda and when  you sit by the lake you do it with such great reverence for its water. It is like you are looking  at a god."

Huo crossed the fingers of both hands over each other and took what could only be described as reverential pose. "My son everything in life is sacred. But to answer your question; we make something sacred by focusing our attention on it. The Lake of Li has been revered for many years by the people and the animals of the forest because it is what has given them life, one generation after another. The monks of my order revere it because for them water is the closest thing they have on earth that is representative of the Tao. Of course the Tao is in everything. It is just that water seems to represent the concepts in many of the Taoist teachings. To make something sacred is to put your focused attention on it."

"But why Master, why do we need to make things sacred?"
That was the second time the young man had called Huo Master. It was a strange way to be addressed by the son of the Emperor; who at any moment could have him thrown him in prison or had him beheaded. Although Huo did not think of such things he understood that life is what it is; there was no bad or good only actions of lesser and greater energy. He took the title of master as a sign of respect from the young man who had changed greatly in their time together. Occasionally when the higher self allowed it he saw picture of the future when the young man would become a mighty leader and loved by all his people. It was still a way off and their was still much he needed to teach him in their time together.
He thought for a while about Heng's question; he knew what he wanted to say but the words were not forthcoming. He stilled himself for a moment and looked within, imagining that the old sage was still teaching him. What would he have said? What words and thoughts would he have to offer.

"Out of sacredness and humility comes gratitude and out of gratitudes comes the keys to the kingdom. For he that is grateful more will be given," were the words that fell from his lips.

The young man understood; the words passed his intellectual mind and touched him deeply in his heart. As the student he had made these teachings sacred. Before coming to the Forest of K'an, each month, to learn and listen to the teachings by the magical Lake of Li, the young man gave blessings to the Tao for what he was about to receive from the sage. When he first came he was the son of the Emperor, but now he saw himself as the student of a wise man. By treating every action and word that the sage had shared with him as sacred, he gave it power and it enlightened his own life when he came back into the palace. There was not a day that went by when one of the teachings would not come to help him in his daily life. He originally came to the forest to please his father, but now he was beginning to understand why his father wanted him to spend a week a month outside the luxury of the palace; it was not to toughen him up for the future that was to come. It was for him to understand his people and to be a leader who would put his people before himself when he made decisions.

He had been privileged to be born the son of the Emperor but to him that was given much, much was expected. He was humbled before the teachings he was receiving from the sage; humbled and grateful. What he did not expect was the wave of emotions that were now overcoming him. He looked towards his master who just smiled, for he knew what was happening, but he would say nothing as this feeling could only be experienced; there were no words for when one was truly connected to the Tao. In the first instance he knew the young man would be overcome with a wave of emotions, but that would soon change and more would be given; for the young man understood that sacredness was the way to the Tao.

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My new book the 33rd Sage and the Initiate is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other wonderful bookstores and online sellers. If you want to read more about 'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' have a look at my website on www.the33rdsage.com or my translatable blog at http://33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

The Legend of the 33rd Sage - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 - Purification

It was nearing the end of Autumn when Huo entered the Forest of K'an. The moment his feet touched the earth, inside the forest, he felt energized; a pulse of energy shooting through his body. He had the sense that he was home, even though he had never been here in his life. He stood in an opening and allowed his feeling self to connect with the Forest and the Lake. The feeling that returned was one of serenity and tranquility. The whole area felt wonderful but there was a spot to the west of him which had a higher energy than anywhere else. He walked off in that direction. After breaking through a row of trees he could see the Lake of Li before him. His final few steps to the lake were done in such a sacred way that anybody watching him would have though he was in a monastery or Pagoda. Each time his foot struck the earth there was a deep connection.

He thought of his parents and tears streamed from his eyes; if they could only see him now, but in his heart he knew they could and like him they were eternal, immortal and infinite. This lifetime was just a brief flash of an infinite light which burned through him.
Once he reached the waters edge, he stopped for a brief moment and sat on a large rock. He instantly felt the old sage; this was obviously the rock the old man used to teach his students from. Tears again escaped the safety of his eyes. He had lived a wonderful life and it had taught him many things. It was time for him to give back some of the beauty that had been shared with him. He was not sure how he would do it or where. The only thing he did know was that he was here to be purified by the Lake of Li; to allow its special waters to wash over and purify him; clear him of any emotion he was still storing in his body, for the next part of his journey required him to be cleansed.

Huo removed his tatty clothes and put them by the base of the rock. For the longest time he sat naked staring into the Lake of the Li, but really he was staring into himself and the journey through life which had brought him to this moment. There were wonderful times spent with his parents and of course with the old sage, but between these times there was such a lot of pain. Firstly from losing his parents and in the bullying he received from the other children and some of their parents after he was disfigured in the fire. The fire he had caused because of his love of flames. As a child he was fascinated by fire, not so much for the burning properties or it's destructive powers it was its ability to throw light which had him enthralled. He would sit for hours when the others were asleep playing with candles trying to create different shapes and effects by changing the direction of the light. Just like his name which meant Fire; he was fascinated by all aspects of the flames which licked the air and moved in the breeze, until that one fateful evening when it all went wrong.

He was still not sure exactly what happened. He had been playing with the candle when he had become overcome by sleep. The next thing he remembered was being carried out of the house through smoke and flames. He had not even realized that he had been burned because he had gone into shock and felt numb. The numbness became depression when he found out his parents had died in the fire. It was then that he suppressed the feelings; feelings which were now coming back in gigantic waves. His grief was so strong that he threw himself in the Lake of Li, not caring at that moment whether he lived or died.

His body drifted down into the depths of the lake. The love he felt for his parents mixing with the grief and pain he felt for causing their deaths. The waters of the Lake were bringing up every emotion he had ever suppressed and he was forced to feel everyone of them. It was painful and yet fascinating; he watched as some emotions were attached to experiences that seemed so insignificant and yet for some reason they had mattered greatly. It was a word here, a thought there, an off the cuff remark by a passer by; it was amazing what he had let affect him and for the most part his conscious self had not been aware of it. In the purification by the Lake of Li, Huo began to understand the power of the subconscious mind to direct our lives and create lives that we would not consciously choose, but choose we did as our subconscious minds created the world from its limited perspective.

Time seemed to stand still as Huo floated on the bottom of the lake. It was as if the bottom of the lake represented the bottom of his subconscious mind, as he cleared the last dregs of the thoughts which had trapped him under the control of the subconscious mind.

At that moment when he was given the choice between passing over to higher self or life, he chose life; he felt deep in his being that there was much he still needed and wanted to do in this lifetime.

Huo floated to the top and when he broke through the surface he felt purified; cleansed of all the emotions that were holding him back from living inside his infinite spirit. Once on the surface he swam back to the shore where he lay in the afternoon sun, replaying his life in his mind's eye. When he observed the moments when he was out of control, he noticed a recurring theme. Every time he went out of a balance it was caused by four emotions; anger at himself, judgement of others, frustration at not getting his needs met or moments when he could not control his surroundings.

As each memory came up he thanked it for its teaching and released it from his being. It was late in the afternoon when he had finally released all the unconscious hurt, pain and emotions. The Lake of Purification had done its job.

As the chill hit the air he dressed in his ragged old clothes, but they did not appear raggedy any more. It was as if by releasing the negativity he had stored stored in his body that his clothes had been renewed and even changed in colour. It was impossible but it did happen.

He sat on the rock in his new plum red robe, cinched by a plum red sash.

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My new book the 33rd Sage and the Initiate is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other wonderful bookstores and online sellers. If you want to read more about 'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' have a look at my website on www.the33rdsage.com or my translatable blog at http://33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/