My career, fifty-five years as an educator, professional author and poet, has happily blossomed into the realization that there is an essential energy that religions acknowledge, that artists and writers share—an energy that is manifest in the creative process. When I am overtaken by strong emotions or thoughts, whether I call those moments of “inspiration” or simply vivid imagery, I sense the same energy rising within me that I’ve experienced practicing chi gong.

But before I discuss creative energy, allow me to tell you a bit more about my spiritual quest. I am an “Elder,” an advisor on the board of DaoUSA.  Mine has been a life-long study of comparative religion and Chinese philosophy. I first read The Way and its Power (Dao De Ching) as a teen, and have now collected and studied numerous translations. I’ve taken formal, college-level courses in Oriental Philosophy, and hundreds of training sessions and seminars even before DaoUSA became a constant source for information and expertise.  

I should tell you, though I fancy myself good with languages, I have never read Chinese philosophy or the Dao De Ching in its original. I lived a year as a Fulbright Scholar in the People’s Republic of China and studied with great masters. But I was, essentially, illiterate. Fulbright provided me a tutor and I could speak enough Mandarin to make my way in the streets.

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Allow me to reassure you that you don’t need to study the Chinese language or even Chinese culture to benefit from tai chi or chi gong. (Terms like “tao” or “dao,” “chi” or “qi” still mean the same thing.)  It is good if you acquire knowledge and “broaden” your mind, Better still, you can practice ways to live peacefully, healthfully, harmoniously—in balance with your world. What a wonderful thing!

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For instance, I have enjoyed a lifetime of benefits by working to balance my chi. It is a universal energy that can be studied, amplified, and directed to improve health and daily life. Chi isn’t mysterious and needn’t even be a religious thing, though DaoUSA is a nonprofit organization recognized by the IRS as a church.

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Chi may be like a spiritual essence, even a God source, for some. For others, most often for me, chi is the thing that makes me feel alive and well. It is chi that rises in me when I do my creative writing and poetry. When I meditate, when I practice chi gong, I’ve learned to sense and cultivate my internal energy. If you asked me what chi feels like, I would tell you that it might be a warming or even tingling in my hands as I cup them to focus my energy.

If  you want an easy demonstration, then hold your hands in front you and give them a strong clap together. Allow yourself to be aware of the sensation in your palms. See how long you can still feel that sensation. People trained in chi gong may be able to stimulate the same strong sensations without even clapping their hands. Sometimes, when I teach, I point out that you don’t even have to say a magic spell. You can find and enhance your energy not just in your hands but other areas—in the body and the mind.

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When I want to write, I imagine that desire as a palpable sensation that starts at the base of my spine. It moves like an electrical current up my back, and move out across my shoulders, down my arms, and activates my hands and fingers. I focus my thoughts and write or type my words. That is how the chi of creative writing feels to me.

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But more so, that is the healing power of writing—a process that I continue to study and teach. When I teach about chi, it is most often the chi of poetry. Writers who study with me don’t complain of writer’s block. As they become aware of and focus their internal chi, they find and release their most powerful emotions—as poetry. If you have too much chi, it can be released or re-channeled. A lack of chi can be remedied through mental and physical exercises—meditation or movement, or in this case, writing and poetry.

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My studies and career have been built around creative writing and poetry. I have been happier and healthier following this path. Other structures, rubrics, methodologies that can help you find the “way” and “its power.” You can study Chinese alchemy (not at all turning lead to gold), or Chinese/Oriental Medicine. You can study acupuncture, herbal-ism, even feng shui—literally, “wind water,” a way to harmonize your personal life with the external elements. You can pick the path that best suits you.

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I have worked with Master Chen since 1991, and watched his own powers grow as he shares his heritage and expertise with the world. I continue to learn from him. In that capacity, my own outpost of DaoUSA is in Daytona Beach, Florida. I founded and direct the Creative Happiness Institute. Its acronym is “CHI,” and it is a nonprofit, cultural-enrichment organization. If you wish to learn more about me and my organization, go to the website: http://www.creativehappiness.org. You might also enjoy a couple features from the local newspapers that discuss my work:

1. “Poet talks about the healing power of writing”:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20140825/poet-talks-about-the-healing-power-of-poetry

(For the photo attached, credit: Lola Gomez, Daytona News-Journal)

2. David Axelrod at Creative Happiness Institute:

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/creative-happiness-institute-flourishing/article_a4625562-65ce-11e8-9833-d310f9d90285.html

(Photo credit: Diane Carey, Hometown News)

3. My work with young poets:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190124/teachers-promise-to-print-book-of-their-poetry-motivates-deltona-high-students

4. “The Meaning of Life” article: https://excellencereporter.com/2018/02/24/david-b-axelrod-the-meaning-of-life-and-the-balance-of-living-and-dying/

5. I am also the poet laureate of  Volusia County, Florida and here is news of my own most recent book, All Vows,  published Nirala Publishing: https://niralapublications.com/2016/07/13/nirala-to-launch-distinguished-american-poet-david-b-axelrods-all-vows-new-selected-poems-in-august/