The elastic tension we endeavour to develop – what in Taiji we call sticking energy – glues the small conscious mind to the ever elusive present but passing moment, enabling the big unconscious mind – what my teacher called the guardian – to come out of its lair and prowl. This big mind slips stealthily into your timeline – ancestors and destiny – working, fixing, clearing, setting things up in a way unimaginable. This is why faith is so important, and why the Buddhists stress meditation to work out karma.