Glad to be of help. The world of martial arts can be full of a lot of overly-developed egos- even in the interal styles it seems. I like that Michael incorporates some of the Western Mysteries into his teaching and an intensive-self study. He specifically draws from Anthroposophy- which I also incorporate. It kind of annoyed me that he didn't acknowledge that very much.
And yeah, there's something there that is not in alignment for how I view a true master of the system. The role any teacher like that is extremely delicate, and can easily become a tool for control and power over others. Michael has subtle and not so subtle ways of controlling the class. What the womens group is like I have no idea, cause I barely ever met any of em in the year that I studied with him. That to me was wierd. My first teacher mixed us and it kept a healthy vibe of community with it. I suppose I also didn't connect well with the Yin Fu style- again my previous Ba Gua teacher was the classic circle walking, animystic form style, where as the Guen Yin Fu is very linear, and the forms are numbered as opposed to animal forms. Not my cup o tea.

Perhaps we'll see you round the circle somewhere.
~P