Beliefs are Always Compounded

I just got through security at what must be one of the most beautiful airports in the world—Greenville, South Carolina—where you actually drive through a magical forest to get from the highway to the terminal. Then, when you’re through security, which today had no line at all, you can pause and enjoy a classically trained harpist playing a full sized concert harp, before going outside to a small park with flowers and fountains to watch the planes land and take off, or sit at a table and enjoy the beautiful morning air. That’s what I’m doing right now. Boarding for New York starts in 30 minutes but a blog came to mind while I was in the taxi, so here goes.

My friend MG McCullough hosted four days of complement channel teachings which concluded last evening: two days focused on luo channels and two on divergents.  The classes were full, and as the community grows and grows I’m continually moved as I witness friendships form or blossom, hear discussions happen all around, learn of plans being made to get together, and especially, see people enjoy being together while loving the channels. It also now includes people who are not acupuncturists but want to work with the channels. The community has no hierarchy, cliques, or favorites; it’s genuinely egalitarian and feels so warm and beautiful. The buzz that emanates into the corridors from the classroom in each city has a distinct joy in it, and I couldn’t be happier doing this work.

Part of each class this week involved some teaching about thoughts, attachment to thoughts (otherwise known as beliefs) and that beliefs are always compounded by the mind. A part of the philosophy of the medicine, perhaps its cornerstone, is the notion that undisciplined responses to thought generate emotions and if these emotions are not expressed but are suppressed in the body, they create inflammation and ultimately lead to chronic degenerative diseases.  It’s a marvelous thing to explore because it’s so human and this part of the medicine always lands well, allowing students to understand the direct connection between these principles and the channels.

It’s constant work to keep one’s mind clear and I had a taste of beliefs being compounded on my way here. Not even a minute into the cab journey to the airport it became apparent that the driver was not fit for the job, seeming distracted, disinterested, and fast.  I always chat with drivers because frankly I find it heartbreaking for a person performing a service to be completely ignored by the person being served. We are here on earth to connect, after all. So, I started chatting but it was a very lopsided conversation. I just let it be. A minute or two later, as the driver was repositioning the phone, the car drifted into the left lane and nearly hit the rear fender of a huge pickup truck. This fidgeting and wandering continued for the entire ride. The thought came to me, “You could be in a 70mph car accident”.  I tried not to attach to it but it felt logical. Normally I would say something, but I felt that that would only make it worse, so I looked out the side window instead of the road ahead, and the funniest thing happened. The next four billboards had in giant letters:
1. CAR WRECK?
2. EMERGENCIES HAPPEN
3. INURED? WE’LL COME TO YOU
and the strangest of all:
4. FREE INJURY (with the other words in small letters.)

No kidding.

I just couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Okay, thank you, divine source graced with the best sense of humor on and off the planet—got it—I won’t believe it, then. My body relaxed; I knew I would arrive safely. The bumper car ride continued, and it was almost fun.

Ann Cecil-Sterman
Greenville, South Carolina
April 10, 2025