"A Battle of the Elements"

Based on a Chinese Myth...

My name is Gu, and I serve Yan Di, the "Blazing Ruler" or "Fiery
Emperor" of the South. He was once a divine ruler who shared authority
over the universe with Huang Di, the "Yellow Emperor." Many eons ago,
there was a terrible war in heaven to decide supremacy over the universe.
Yan Di fought courageously with the element of fire, for he was an elder
wizard of great knowledge. However, Huang Di was younger and more
vital. He was able to amass a great victory by using the element of water
to overwhelm the forces of fire wielded by Yan Di. It seemed that Yan Di
failed because he would often slip into spells of forgetfulness due to his
advanced age and could not concentrate in the heat of battle. It seemed
his energy was low and waning in comparison with the youthful Huang Di.
So the tides of battle were turned by the tides of water, and we were
defeated. Thus began my exile, which continues to the present day.

It's not easy being a dragon in this day and age. People now rule this
earth, and sometimes I wish it weren't so. People don't even believe in
dragons nowadays, and they are so unaware of all that we do to make life
possible for them. Deep within the backbone of this world, we breathe life
into their existence. It is our breath that fuels the fires of
volcanoes that warm the planet as it journeys through cold space. It is
our dreams that give man his visions that enlighten his dreary existence with new ideas and hope. For within the heart of a dragon is the place
where Shen is born.

Long ago, humans were born from dragon ancestry, and our fates are closely linked. Humans have a special spirit that can make them almost divine because their dreams feed this spirit. Unfortunately, many dragons are often confused and not very smart, which is why we tend to hide. In the past, people hunted dragons, so we’ve become wary of interacting with them. I am the leader of all dragons because I think like a human. Having a human head helps, but I still find it hard to communicate with humans, as their language is tough for us and they don’t try to learn ours.

Because of this, we live in exile, forced away by the Yellow Emperor. We keep the fires burning underground, heating the rock and spreading warmth, just like blood flows through a body. We work to keep the world alive and renewing. But I dream of the day we can fly in the skies or swim deep in the oceans again. We long for the time when we can have our young and fill the world with our presence, just like in our youth when we lived passionately and bravely. Back then, we were so full of life that we didn’t need to worry about living forever. I would trade a long life for the excitement of passion, feeling, and battle. I yearn to be a dragon lord again and soar high into the sky.

This Essay was written in 2005-2006 during my studies for Acupressure at the Nevada School of Massage Therapy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our assignment was to write a paper that showed an understanding of the different 5 elements in Chinese medicinal lore.

Michael Forrest- Intuitive Mentor

#mythology, #acupuncture, #dragonlore, #spirituality