Alchemy means chemistry to me but was considered a mystical study in it's beginnings. People mostly thought alchemists only sought to turn base metals into gold, create a universal elixir, and develop a means of prolonging life. Since humans tend to demean and belittle what they don't understand or what they fear, early alchemists had to work in secrecy and use code to document their work. Fast forward a few centuries and "real" chemists are decoding some of the old alchemy texts and discovering it was chemistry. They are also trying to recreate some of the work and are learning from these magical experiments.
Our class discussion on the idea to "practice non ado and all will be in order" brought up memories of my dad. He often liked to try and fix things and he did a great job taking them apart, labeling the components, and cleaning them up. But when it wouldn't go back together the way he wanted, he adopted a "get a bigger hammer" mentality and the excessive force often resulted in the item being permanently fixed and needing replacement. Sometimes less is more and I find this true in my work with my clients. I have had a few occasions when I worked very hard and used as many tools as I could to increase range of motion or decrease pain with pitiful results. I have had more occasions when I work with the client gently moving the affected area while I gently work the area based on what the tissues will give and have great results.
“Less is more.” Other than doing less in our lives, I think that the state of mind while doing less is even more important. A relaxed mind helps to reset us and translates into better health and less anxiety and stress.
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