真 Zhen; Authenticity

真 // My qi gong teacher described this Chinese character as an oven over a fire with something sprouting from the top; saying it was the burning of the ego until beauty emerges. The beauty of the authentic Self.

Alchemy uses the fire as a symbol of transformation - the first stage of calcination; burning of the prima materia into ash.

Gurdjieff speaks to this describing a clearing deep in the woods where a fire burns with a pot hanging above it. You have been given the task of tending to the fire; to keep the pot boiling at all costs. It’s no longer clear who has given you this task or if they will come back to relieve you, but you must persevere. The pot is covered and you cannot see inside.

Could you stand there - beyond all doubt, desire and distraction - for a task where you cannot be sure of the meaning or result?