Between-energy

Talking about natural leaders with JK yesterday. A natural leader requires two basic qualities: the charisma and power to inspire belief in those he leads, and a good nose (instinct): instinctively knowing which avenues are most worth exploring and the ability to safely and successfully navigate uncharted territory. The knowledge handed down to you by your teacher, if it is in the form of postures or Forms, is always finite and limited. A good teacher will impart methods and energy rather than structures: they will pass on to you the means to constantly generate your own material. What would you rather have, nine or ten stock Forms under your belt or the ability to invent your own – to devise ways of directly tackling areas of weakness within yourself, your students, and the work? The method shown to me is that of allowing the between energy to become the teacher. The between energy is not just what happens between you and another person, it is what happens when that between takes on a life of its own. We Tai Chi students have all experienced this. It's what happens when the work you do together really cooks. It requires you both to be in good shape, for your spirits to rise, for your sobriety to sink, and for you both to be humble enough – pure for the occasion – to allow the interaction to take you both into the unknown. Such experiences are heightened in the extreme and your past life is lit up by them – in fact the worth of your life is defined by them. They stand high as moments of perfection flanked by the dross of ordinary living. The good student worships these experiences – they are the only things that give meaning and hope – and he knows that they both nourish his own work and energy, and also hone his worthiness – make him a vessel better able to carry the teaching and those he is connected to. What is difficult is carrying on when they are over – in the cold light of day – cleaning up the next morning after the party is over – piecing together what actually happened, technically, so that the miracle becomes burnt into your fabric rather than just a memory to bask in. If you practice what transpired, to the best of your powers of recollection, rather than (or as well as) stock Forms then the between energy becomes the dominant force in your work and its soul will always be present even if there isn't enough energy or good-will to rouse its spirit. When between energy graces you you are effectively better than you are – you receive a glimmer of how you and things and relationships should be. This is foreknowledge and real instruction. To be in the almost constant presence of such grace requires real humility – the humility to look things in the face and expect and require nothing.