Mouthful of Needles

Same same but different

Lao Tzu, one of the ‘originators’ of Taoism, writes in the Tao Te Ching : “From one came two, from two came three, and from three came the ten thousand things”. In other words, before the ‘undifferentiated everything’ split into lots of individual people and things, there was unity. Interestingly, this cosmic phenomenon shares parallels with our development as children.

When we are babies we see the world as one big pattern of light and shade. Then we are taught the names of things (differentiation). Very slowly we become aware that we are separate from these things and that they are outside of us. We can act and be acted upon by them. Some of those named things create pleasurable sensations - ice cream - and some bring up unpleasant sensations - being told off - only marmite is both. Learning the difference between things is, of course, very important. Perhaps the most important difference that parents try to teach their children is between right and wrong. This is the basis of socialising a young person to function harmoniously, accept and be accepted within every culture (even if the values of what is wrong and right within each culture may differ).

Lao Tzu however offers a slightly different opinion: “Throw away morality and justice, and people will do the right thing.”! My understanding of this is that external restrictions are not necessary for harmonious behaviour. He ranks morals as lower than virtue ,where morals are seen as external, ‘man-made’ rules as opposed to true virtue, which comes from Heaven,  and is simply living in harmony with nature. An example of a culture where internal trumps external can be found in the following account from observers of a Native American tribe: Surprised that there were no  barriers between children and the campfire. When they asked members of the tribe “why was there no protection to stop the children walking into the fire” they were asked, “why would children want to walk into a fire?”. To our health and safety conscious mind, this is a disaster waiting to happen, but perhaps trusting to our own natures is assurance enough without needing to ‘legislate’.

So how do we live in harmony with our own natures? A quote from Taoist sources reads, “Only the infant and the sage (enlightened person) are able to move effortlessly through the transitions of life unencumbered by the fetters of self awareness.” Erm, okay; but is it not a little odd that self-awareness is considered a fetter, an barrier, to grow as a person? Surely self-awareness is a good thing? How can we become powerful, loving and capable individuals if we don’t have self-awareness? The distinction is between self (ego) and Self (higher intelligence/purpose). One aim of religious devotion in the Hindu tradition is to ‘break the vessel’ (between our self and God) to unify the ‘substance’ inside (self) and outside (God/Self).

The child does not differentiate between its self and the outside world, likewise the sage has transcended the barrier between their self and the world around him or her. And, like the Hindu idea that the inside and outside of the vessel are in fact the same, perhaps the Way (Dao) and our own Way (own nature) are indistinguishable. Or, as the 13th century Sufi poet Rumi wrote, “I long to escape the prison of my ego and lose myself in you.”.  

So why bother with all this soul-searching anyway? One source says that “the upper class of medicines govern the nourishment of destiny and correspond to heaven… If one wishes to prolong the years of life without ageing, one should use these”. Sounds good. How’s that work then? Lonny Jarrett, a Five Element practitioner writes  “Zhen-qi is the qi present when an individual is manifesting destiny by being true to the authentic self.”. Jarrett goes on to quote Porkert, “This kind of energy not only sustains the integrity of an individual but protects and defends it against exogenous (from without) and endogenous (from within) attacks and disturbances.” Hence, the term Zhen Qi contains the notion that an individuals health and integrity springs from the fulfilment of destiny.”. This is pretty amazing. It basically says that if we do what we are meant to do in this life we’ll be healthier and more resistant to disease from external and internal causes!

[As a side note Zhen  qi is also called “upright qi” and you can clearly observe its absence in city workers slumped on the tube at the end of the day! Although zhen qi keeps us upright it is different from a rigid forcing of our spinal column. Watch children under 7 sitting and standing still (all be it momentarily). Their spines are straight and relaxed at the same time. It is not simply their muscles keeping them upright but also their zhen qi. Hence doing what we love is also good for our posture!]

But how do we discover our own inner nature? “The way to understand heaven is through the exhaustion or utmost devotion of one’s heart; on the other hand, the way to serve heaven is to preserve one’s heart within and nourish one’s own [original] nature. [emphasis added]”. Interesting. To understand heaven, or our Self, we must pursue our heart’s desire with a whole heart, to exhaustion! But to serve heaven i.e. fulfil our destiny, live forever, etc. we must preserve our heart. How does one preserve one’s heart?

The Heart in Chinese Medicine is the organ of the element of Fire. It is the seat of passion and is stimulated by excitement and lust. Thanks to every ad campaign since the 50s featuring sexual excitement (sex sells!) our hearts are constantly stimulated by everything from cars to coffee to computers. We MUST HAVE the new… whatever. As Tyler Durden says in the film Fight Club, “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.”. The Kidney on the other hand is the organ of the element of Water. It is the seat of willpower. It is the residence of our primary fuel, called in Chinese, Jing. The relationship between Fire and Water is the primary axis of creation. If you want something but don’t have the willpower to get it, then you’ll never have it in your life. If you have buckets of willpower but are passionless you will not know in what direction to go; you will not be striving towards anything. There is a beautiful metaphor in Chinese Medicine to sum up the correct, healthy relationship between our Passion and out Will, our Heart and Kidney: “The Dragon lives under the water”. Subsuming our passion to our will,  spending our Heart fire on the things we desire most for our soul ‘s purpose. This is preserving our heart.

As mentioned, the heart loves to love!  It fills itself with desires and emotions and thoughts all swirling around, crashing into each other and generally making a ruckus. It fills our vision (eyes are the windows to the soul!) until we can’t see our long term goals and values in our day-to-day life. In order to preserve the Heart in our everyday life we can empty it of desire in the following, very simple, way.

Sit quietly, listen to the breath coming and going without need for change or judgement
After a few moments start to notice where you mind is - perhaps considering the shopping list or an argument with someone or a happy moment with someone else.
Gently bring your attention back to your breath
Allow your attention to rest in the centre of your chest
Visualise all the thoughts and desires you are currently aware of holding as a dark mass swirling in your chest centre
As you reconnect to the breath feel it come and go deeply and calmly
As you breathe out, visualise the dark swirling mass being absorbed into a pool o f gold becoming smaller and smaller
As you breathe in, relax
As you breathe out, visualise the dark swirling mass being absorbed into a pool o f gold becoming smaller and smaller
As you breathe in, relax
Breathing in and out, continue to see the dark swirling mass of thoughts, emotions and desires becoming smaller and smaller until all that is left is a pool of gold.
Spend as much time as you like looking into this viscous pool of gold, seeing only the reflections of your higher self, until you are ready to return, energised and refreshed to your everyday life.

New MRI Acupuncture Research on Point Specificity

New acupuncture research concludes that, “Recent evidence shows that stimulation of different points on the body causes distinct responses in hemodynamic, fMRI and central neural electrophysiological responses.” The researchers note that fMRI and laboratory studies demonstrate unique changes within the body when specific acupuncture points are stimulated. The study demonstrates that specific acupuncture points have specific biophysiological effects. As a result, the researchers suggest further research to investigate these measurable, quantifiable and objective phenomena.

Researchers from the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, examined the specific effects of needling different acupuncture points as compared with stimulation of non-acupuncture points and placebo simulated stimulation. The researchers note that “… many well-controlled studies do support the principle of point specificity.” They cite as example multiple studies of cardiovascular disease and note that real acupuncture points “elicit(s) significantly greater responses than stimulation of both non-acupoints and inactive acupoints.” They also conclude that stimulation of different acupoints “produces differential input to regions of the brain that regulate sympathetic outflow and cardiovascular function.”

The researchers note that a hemodynamic study of acupoint P6 showed that this acupuncture point “decreased heart rate and increased the high-frequency HRV index of cardiac vagal modulation….” A sham acupoint (a point not located on a traditional acupoint location) was able to decrease the heart rate but did not change the vagal outflow as did P6. These differing mechanisms suggest that sham acupuncture studies may obscure the true medical benefits of acupuncture. In the case of P6 stimulation, only the true acupuncture point increased the high-frequency HRV index. HRV (heart rate variability) is the variance in time interval between heart beats. Reduced HRV is linked to mortality after myocardial infarction and a lowering of HRV is also linked to congestive heart failure, diabetic neuropathy and low survival rates in premature babies. Both true and sham acupuncture decrease heart rates but only true acupuncture increases HRV. Examination of other true acupuncture points (across numerous studies) compared with non-acupuncture points and non-relevant acupuncture points confirms that hemodynamic responses are specific to exact acupuncture points and that true acupoints elicit sympathoexcitatory responses relevant to their traditional medical indications.

Neurological investigations support the specificity of acupuncture points. The researchers examined MRI studies of the brain and note that “stimulation of different sets of acupoints leads to disease-specific neuronal responses, even when acupoints are located within the same spinal segment.” The researchers also note, “The point-specific actions resulting from stimulation of different acupoints in controlled laboratory trials confirm that needling different points on the body produces more than just placebo responses, given that placebo acupuncture is not associated with differential or acupoint-specific responses in anesthetized animals.”

Reference:
Point specificity in acupuncture. Chinese Medicine 2012, 7:4 doi:10.1186/1749-8546-7-4. Emma M Choi, Fang Jiang, John C Longhurst.
Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine CA.
Medical Science, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA.

M.A.D.

lostprinciplesn:

“The stock of a man’s wisdom is madness: It’s a wise man who loves till he’s insane. Who knows his own heart well on the road of pain Is to himself a thousand ways a stranger.”

—

Rumi (via gardenofrumi)

The Big C

Last week I started working for Chai Cancer Care as an acupuncturist over in their South Woodford branch, in East London. I’ve also recently had a family member diagnosed with cancer. It’s not unique in my family and I know many other families that have been touched by Cancer.

The Chinese Medical understanding of Cancer is a form of violent stagnation. In Acupuncture there is understood to be a psychological and/or emotional content to all diseases and sometimes people are uncomfortable with the idea that feelings can lead to disease. How can we ‘be blamed’ for what we feel? ‘Why am I being punished for…’? But the medical understanding of feelings is not so judgemental really. We can all be aware of tension in our bodies. And, unless we’re sitting on an Easyjet flight with our knees by our ears, often the cause of the tension is psychological or emotional : we may be outside of our comfort zone, facing down a challenge, or expecting an adverse situation. For some of us our home or work environments mean we experience these tensions everyday.

For young people who are in conflict situations, the dangers are even worse. In terms of chlid development, before a strong ego is formed, it is natural for children to embody the feelings of those around them. If those feelings are negative (perhaps given to their parents and carers in their childhood) the child is confronted by strong and violent emotions that they have never experienced first-hand. because they are not actually his or her feelings, this can lead to feelings of helplessness, and loss of control. Furhtermore if the expression of these emotions are censored (by school, friends, or parents and carers) then the feelings that go with they can be supressed. They can be internalised. They can create physiological and even cellular change.

Recently I read an article by Rabbi Arthur Waskow a rabbi associated with the Jewish Renewal movement. I came across Arthur in my Uni studies and have been fascinated by him ever since. Firstly he looks uncannily like Santa Claus and, as I have never seen him and Santa in the same room, I have my suspicions… Secondly he speaks with quite the passion about the religious responsibility to act on government and our surroundings with conscience. He is untiring in his motivation and facilitation of groups that do so and has been writing, teaching and preaching since the 60s (although only became a Rabbi in ‘69). Rabbi recently wrote in his own blog that he has been diagnosed with a cancer in his throat. Of course, being Arthur Waskow, he has used this experience for reflection and teaching. What follows are a few excerpts from his post, ‘Healing Earth’s Cancer, Healing My Cancer’:

Dear folks,

Ever since Bill McKibben announced the 3-week wave of civil disobedience at the White House to stop the Tar Sands pipeline from Canada to Texas, I had planned to take part on August 29, in an interfaith aspect that The Shalom Center and I helped initiate. But for medical reasons, I can’t be there. In July, after months of a persistent sore throat, I was diagnosed with a Stage 1 very localized cancer right next to my larynx. So I began a six-week regimen, to end September 30 (making for a slightly weird Rosh Hashanah!)  The doctors all assure me that there is a 95% likelihood that these treatments will solve the problem.

But first, a plea: The 3-week wave will end on Saturday, September 3. That day will include both nonviolent civil disobedience (expecting arrests) and a legal vigil/ demonstration with speakers, etc. I have my own qualms about doing this on Shabbat, but after brooding I have come to this: Vigils, prayers, and nonviolence are the nearest cousins to Shabbat  — “praying with our legs,” as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said. And we are calling for America to pause from frantic Doing/ Making/ Producing/ Exploiting to make a moment of reflection, of calm, of rest.

The regimen includes radiation aimed at the trouble spot in my throat, six treatments a week (one very early a.m. each workday plus an extra on Friday afternoon) – plus once a week, a chemo treatment with a very cancer-targeting chemical called Erbitux. The radiation takes fifteen minutes. They have fit me for a strong and rigid plastic face mask to hold my head in the right position for the rays to reach the right spot. It has a number of holes to see and breathe through. I lie quiet for 15 minutes, listen to classical music or Sinatra, and that’s it. My daily moment of Shabbat.  Not bad. I have also begun doing acupuncture, to keep my immune system vigorous. Since September 3, Saturday, is NOT a day I would be getting treatments anyway, I feel more free to go, if I am not by then exhausted from the continuing treatments. 

Shabbat keeps coming into this story in strange ways: One way of thinking about cancer is that it is made up of cells that refuse to pause, to rest, to make Shabbat. Our society’s mania for Doing/ Making/ Speeding/ Never-Pausing is the society-wide equivalent of cancer, of refusing to make Shabbat. That is why I feel called so strongly to join in this call for a decision to refrain from Speeding-Up our poisoning of the Earth and each other.

With blessings of love & shalom, salaam, healing —

Arthur

[Shabbat, for those of you unfamiliar with the concept, is the Jewish Sabbath. The Old Testament suggests that it is the day that God rested from Creation and saw how good it all was.]

In this modern world where more than 382 and a half FB friends is rumoured to drive you mad with jealousy, and even super models wear lash extensions for mascara adverts, it is perhaps natural to feel we’re operating a little under par. Haven’t made your first million by the time you’re 19? Rihanna is actually crying in her soup for you. 

However, it’s a simple fact that we all totally rock. Resting can allow us to realise that whatever we have done, whatever changes we have made, whatever growth we have embarked upon (even if it is none at all or in a backwards direction), RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, IT IS VERY GOOD. Often I see clients whose main method of recuperation should not be diet, nor exercise, nor qi gung, nor meditation, but simply stopping! In Chinese cosmology Yin (rest) and Yang (activity) are the (pro)creative female and male impulses. One leads naturally and without effort into the next. So the next time you are struggling to fit it all in - to get the essay, and the job, and the kids, and the partner all taken care of, feel free to simply rest. To paraphrase Yoda “Do or not do, there is no try”.

Shabbat Shalom (Sabbath peace) to everyone.

P.S. This post is thanks to my muses, bloggers extraordinaire: Danya Zohar Simons and Vered  Simons! 

P.P.S. Chai is a registered charity. It does not charge its clients for any of its services. If you would like to donate or support Chai in any other way please visit their website

The Prince and the Magician

So I’ve embarked on a course in Neuro Linguistic Programming aka Psychology of speech, aka our perception affects and effects our reality, aka wibbly wobbly head magic.

I’m finding it a lot of fun. The idea that we choose our reality, and that bringing more attention to every situation can enable and empower us is kind of funky. The story below encapsulates some of the paradigm shifts I’m going through and is also a pretty story. Enjoy.

The Prince and The Magician
Once upon a time there was a young prince, who believed in all things but three. He did not believe in princesses, he did not believe in islands, he did not believe in God. His father, the King, told him that such things did not exist. As there were no princesses or islands in his father’s domaines, and no sign of God, the young prince believed his father.
But then, one day, the prince ran away from his palace. He came to the next land. There, to his astonishment, from every coast he saw islands, and on these islands, strange and troubling creatures whom he dared not name. As he searched for a boat, a man in full evening dress approached along the shore.
“Are those real islands?” asked the young prince.
“Of course they are real islands,” said the man in evening dress.
“And those strange and troubling creatures?”
“They are all genuine and authentic princesses.”
“Then God must also exist!” cried the prince.
“I am God,” replied the man in full evening dress, with a bow.
The young prince returned home as quickly as he could.
“So you are back,” said his father.
“I have seen islands, I have seen princesses, I have seen God,” said the prince reproachfully.
The king was unmoved.
“Neither real islands, nor real princesses, nor a real God, exist.”
“I saw them!”
“Tell me how God was dressed.”
“God was in full evening dress.”
“Were the sleeves of his coat rolled back?”
The prince remembered that they had been. The king smiled.
“That is the uniform of a magician. You have been deceived.”
At this, the prince returned to the next land, and went to the same shore, where he once again came upon the man in full evening dress.
“My father the king has told me who you are,” said the young prince indignantly. “You deceived me last time, but not again. Now I know that those are not real islands and real princesses, because you are a magician.”
The man on the shore smiled.
“It is you who are deceived, my boy. In your father’s kingdom there are many islands and many princesses. But you are under your father’s spell, so you cannot see them.”
The prince returned home. When he saw his father, he looked him in the eyes.
“Father, is it true that you are not a real king, but only a magician?”
The king smiled, and rolled back his sleeves.
“Yes, my son, I am only a magician.”
“Then the man on the shore was God.”
“The man on the shore was another magician.”
“I must know the real truth, the truth beyond magic.”
“There is no truth beyond magic,” said the king.
The prince was full of sadness. He said, “I will kill myself.”
The king by magic caused death to appear. Death stood in the door and beckoned to the prince. The prince shuddered. He remembered the beautiful but unreal islands and the unreal but beautiful princesses.
“Very well,” he said. “I can bear it.”
“You see, my son,” said the king, “you too now begin to become a magician.”

The one thing I can’t stand is intolerant people

In many of our jobs or personal relationships we encounter negativity in many forms. Recently I worked for an organisation where that negativity took the form of ‘bitching’. People complained about others regularly, for not doing something fast enough, well enough, ‘right’ enough. It wound me up. So what did I do when I was no longer around these people whose negativity was wearing me out? I bitched. Oh the irony.  So I thought I’d write a post about how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help us deal with frustration and how being a nice person is good for you.

The Chinese cosmology thinks of the universe in terms of 5 Elements (as opposed to Western systems which tends to think in terms of 4). They are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each of the 5 Elements in Chinese Medicine ‘govern’ other categories (amongst others): an Organ, an emotion, a season, and a virtue. Organs in TCM are not just ‘things’. The Organ is also its function and its relationships as well as simply its physical form.  Each Organ is also considered to have a psychological/emotional aspect (called its shen or spirit). Certain psycho-emotional conditions show when an Organ or organ-relationship is out of balance.

So let’s take the element of Wood as an example. Wood’s Organ is the Liver. The season it is associated with is Spring which is a time of assertiveness and growth. Wood is ‘selfish’ or ‘self-centred’ in the way that plants and children must be self-centred in order to reach a secure stage of development. When our outward movement is blocked, assertiveness can turn to frustration and aggression; it is for this reason that Wood’s associated, pathological, emotion is Anger. As well as a pathological reaction when out of balance the Liver also has an associated virtue that is spontaneously generated when our mind and body are in balance. That virtue is Kindness.

So in a moment of anger how can we bring relief to our squashed and overheated Liver s? The energetic action of the liver is ‘up and out’. Activities that mimic this form of energy (e.g. kick boxing, sprinting, dance) will bring temporary relief to the Liver. Substances that utilise the Liver’s functions e.g. alcohol and recreational drugs also bring temporary relief but at the highly likely cost of long term damage. The other way to calm the Liver is not to give it more of what it likes (explosive activity) but the opposite. Stillness and expansiveness. These are much rarer commodities in our high-paced lifestyle but have a more profound and long lasting positive effect on the Liver. As an example, the Liver benefits from swinging movements and the colour green. In other words go for an unencumbered walk through a forest.

Likewise, in our relationships, creating an explosive resolution of the conflict may make us feel better short term. However in relationships the ‘having out’ of an argument may make one person feel better but is likely to leave the other feeling mauled and in the mood for retribution. The emotional equivalent therefore of the walk in the forest is responding with Kindness. Kindness also mimics the up and out energy of the Liver. In this case, we move up of our self-regard and out towards others. Kindness may appear like passivity but extending kindness to others (and to ourselves) can restore a feeling of being in control rather than victimised by the strong negative feelings of others.

What follows is a meditation used to generate kindness to others by building on the qualities we have already generated for the sake of our loved ones.  I hope that using it brings you peace, happiness and balance.

[I think this is a Metta Bhavana meditation used in the Buddhist tradition, but not being a practising Buddhist I have no idea if this is case or not. Comments and corrections welcome]. 

To practice this technique, it helps to have someone in your life that you love. It also helps if you have someone in your life that you strongly dislike, or feel any other negative emotion like jealousy or disgust towards.

1. After sitting quietly for a minute or two imagine a person for whom you feel love or any other strong positive emotion: admiration, respect, etc. 

2. Become aware of the tangible feelings thinking about this person causes to arise in your body; where are you feeling them (chest, head, throat, etc.)? and what is the nature of that feeling (warm, tingly, soothing, etc.)? 

3. Now imagine a person for whom you feel negative emotions. Without self-judgement become aware of the sensations arising (as in point 2. above) - what do you feel and where do you feel it in your body. 

4. Return now to the person you ‘love’ and the positive sensations they cause to arise. Imagine transmitting those feelings to the person you ‘dislike’ - an aid to imagining this can be visualising that person sitting in your heart, or sending a colour of light towards that person (one that represents peace or harmony to you).