had become transformed into a Chinese person while he was performing the wand exercises. . .Did you see it too?..." another classmate added. It has also been said that the late Dr. Ch'eng's formidable, otherworldly presence was physically tangible, gentle, even erotic. Enthusiasm for Chinese Wand was minimal until a nationwide curiosity in Eastern philosophy erupted in the 1960s, beginning with the Beatles’ trip to India and the subsequent publicity. Interest in meditation techniques, yoga, martial arts, and other esoteric practices spiked. At last, Johnson was able to develop classes. Eventually, he self-published a book in 1975. In December 1976, Johnson, who also worked as a professional diver, was seriously injured in an underwater accident and sustained a near-fatal brain stem infarct causing stroke-like symptoms. Initially told he would never walk again, he once again defied odds and within a matter of months, was walking and looking as healthy as ever. Although still reeling from lingering and painful after-effects of the trauma, he managed to generate interest from a major publisher (William Morrow, New York) who published his book in hardcover in 1977. During the time he was striving to regain his health, he underwent a Christian "born-again" experience that eventually influenced his thinking and upended his belief system. He slowly rejected a holistic awareness of consciousness and abandoned his lifelong allegiance to preserving and re-introducing the teachings of Dr. Ch’eng and the art of Chinese Wand. The spreading of a popular desire to learn the more violent aspects of martial arts and the potential "danger" of involvement with the supernatural conflicted with his newfound ultra-conservative Christian views. Efforts to promote Chinese Wand diminished and eventually disappeared from public view. "--Oriental philosophy is at their [martial arts] heart," Johnson says. "These things are not from God, as God is not in the business of mystical energies or the occult. . .I no longer practice the martial arts …as a Christian, I cannot in good conscience, teach or recommend the martial arts to others." Chinese Wand Today Even though Johnson's book is no longer in print, the web and YouTube videos are generating a resurgence of the practice in the U.S. and the U.K. in particular. A new generation of students are learning what they can from Johnson's book, sometimes by changing the name slightly (e.g. `Chi Stix', 'Stick Yoga,' or `Jian Gan - Chinese Health Wand') to avoid copyright infringement