A few days ago in Portland, Oregon, as we were driving from my hotel to the very exciting first day of class, co-organizer Arista Gates told me a terrific story. The scene is the house of the other co-organizer, Melinda Wheeler.
I woke up ready to execute the morning plan. I was to walk silently down the hall, through the children’s bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom to shower. I walked swiftly down the hall, and the *moment* I reached the doorway of the bedroom I heard a young voice ring out through the silence, “Arista?” I almost gasped — how did a sound asleep five-year-old boy hear me and how in this pitch-black room did he know it was me?! Then I smiled as I turned on the water for the shower.
Qi cannot be measured because it is a type of consciousness that is ephemeral, even elusive. The boy sensed the movement of his beloved honorary aunt in his wei qi—an external, receptive qi—brought himself out of slumber, and declared her name with certainty. He’s too young to have subscribed to the adult addiction to visual or measured evidence: “How do I know—have I seen external evidence?” He just knew. And without ever having a dulling electronic device to stare at, this natural and vital human ability it still intact in him.
Having some notion of the nature of qi is very handy for life navigation. Recently, we made an Instagram post that generated some controversy, which was not my aim at all. I was passing on the teaching that if it’s really necessary to eat late at night, a protein-based meal is preferred because animal foods (protein) digest high in the digestive tract and grains (carbohydrates) digest lower in the tract. The teachings, of course, are based on factors that cannot be measured. In order to get to sleep quickly, the food chosen should be of a type where the peak qi expenditure concludes early. Animal foods are broken down by kidney yang in the stomach. That’s the first place the food lands. Grains are partially broken down in the mouth but are mainly digested way down in the small intestine, in a process governed spleen-pancreas qi. The peak qi expenditure for grains is much later. And there’s more to this: the stomach is a yang macerator—it feels and doesn’t sort. The spleen-pancreas qi has great finesse. It has a consciousness that considers as it transforms. The digestion is, in effect, thinking. The body is thinking. So the mind cannot rest as well late at night if carbs are the focus of a meal. It will do much better with an animal-based meal, even eggs.
These details are not available to us via tests in the laboratory because qi cannot be measured. Despite all the scientific knowledge we have—or even more so because of it— we live in a world of awe-inspiring mystery. What a gift Chinese medicine is—it’s a tele-microscope into our vast mysterious world.
Before I go, I must mention the tour. We had a wonderful third leg in Edinburgh, Scotland for sinew channels with our wonderful tea master hosts Paul and Sue Reynolds by a calm sea. Then to a huge historic monastery in Venice for luo channels with the beautiful Patrizia Gaio. It was wonderful to meet so many new people coming into the community and as always, to reconnect with students.
After a few days at home in Manhattan, the fourth leg started last Thursday. The eight extraordinaries class in Portland was just delightful with some brand-new students actually smiling through the whole class. And right now, I’m taking two days as writing retreat in the World Heritage city of Gyeongju, South Korea, before heading into the mountains here for three days of channel transmissions with dear hosts Yanan Kim and her husband John.
Everywhere I visit the community across all continents is heart-centered, clique-free, rivalry-free, deeply internally supportive, kind, and beautiful. In Portland they call it the classical medicine mycelium (CMM).😍 Do join us in this remarkable medicine if you haven’t. You’d be so welcome, and I know that you will make life-long friends.
Spain, with live translation, is almost completely sold out, but there are a few seats still open in New Zealand for pulses.
And there are some seats in London for the essential sinews and eight extras with detailed clinic demonstration. If you felt the room was overfull last time, don’t worry, the two new venues are both wonderfully spacious!
Looking forward to seeing or meeting you.
Ann Cecil-Sterman
Gyeongju, South Korea
October 3, 2025