Finding the Beacon in Health

Mack Rogers

 

Blood follows Qi (energy) Qi (energy) follows Mind (thoughts) Mind (thoughts) follows Shen (spirit) Shen (spirit) follows Tao (path)

This age old Taoist phrase is not only an interesting perspective and concept, but, amazingly enough, envelops the principles of not only Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, but good medicine in general. 

Over the decades, Western medicine has taken turns and twists as it seeks to find its place in society. Medicine has shifted from a sacred act, reflecting back when Shaman and Medicine men were not only healers of their tribe but also spiritual leaders, to a scientific act, where all disease can be explain through a molecular reaction within our bodies.  Even in Judeo-Christian culture, healing was something that not only verified the presence of God but was an act of God himself.

Today, on the other hand, we as a society try to distance medicine (and thus ourselves) from its spiritual roots. Our diagnostic tools are often so specific and accurate that they eliminate the thought of how and why, thus many times robbing people of the lessons that can be learned in sickness. For example, we may say we get cancer because it is present in our family genes, and if this is true, it moves the focus from a suspect lifestyle or unhealthy psyche to a suspect linage – in that transaction, a lesson is lost.  This is not to say that sickness is a spiritual curse or always has spiritual significance. Rather, sickness is a journey for all to evaluate and reflect upon. 

Now is a time when we most need spiritual nourishment, emotional attachment, and healing words. The above adage of Blood, Qi, Mind, Shen is a breakdown of how the Chinese culture viewed the body and how it heals. It is by glancing at this short proverb that we can also see where today’s medicine has many times fallen short. 

Blood follows Qi -- This is the most agreed-upon phrase in medicine.  We all know that blood is the red river that provides our bodies with the energy it needs to survive.  As for Qi (energy), while many may dispute the presence of energy in our body, it is hard to dispute the fact that when we bleed, we lose energy, and if we bleed a lot, we lose our life. So, where the blood goes, our energy goes and vice versa. 

Qi (energy) follows the mind (thoughts) –- What is the meaning of this statement? Consider that when our bodies move, most of the time it is because an act was initiated, either on the conscious level or subconscious level. The mind initiates these movements in life: it makes the body go, controls what is say, when we move, and how we breathe. In some sense, all that is done is enacted by the mind.  

Mind follows the Shen (spirit) -- Shen is our human spirit. We recognize this in everyday conversations such as, “she is in good spirits” or “what a mean spirited person he is.”  Both of these statements reflect not only the actions of a person but the intent that is placed behind those actions.  Further, there is no question that “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”   Whether I shake someone’s hand or slap someone’s face, my mind is what makes that decision, but my spirit or emotions is what drives these actions.  

Finally, the Shen (spirit) follows the Tao (path) -- We all have a path that is initiated in our hearts.  Some people follow a reckless path of life, and their actions and thoughts follow suit, for when our path is strayed, everything else follows.  I love to watch Star Trek and hear the captain refer to the “prime directive” of their mission. This is a beacon in which all actions of the crew and how they interact with other species are to be based. In our lives, we all have prime directives. Whether we like it or not, we all center ourselves and our lives to some beacon from which our decisions follow. Sometimes these beacons are noble (“I want to be like my grandfather; he was a gentle and happy being”) and sometimes the beacons stem from defense (“I will never let anyone hurt me like that person did”). And so, our life unfolds to the prophetic tells of our heart. 

What does this have to do with medicine? Well, ask yourself a few simple questions: Do I address health in the larger view as expressed by the Chinese adage? When I consider my health, am I just touching the blood and energy aspects of my life and healing the results of my path? Or, as some of the great healers of time note, is the healing that is initiated in me challenging my life and my direction?

Many times, sickness derives when our path is unclear and our beacon unfixed. We can fix the results of our own bad direction, but until the direction is changed health cannot fully be obtained. The great healers have always changed the path of the sick, and this is why true healing at any time has an overtly spiritual tone. The healing has created such drastic change that the patient’s lifestyle was not only challenged, but altered. The beacon that we saw to be true is now revealed as false and so we adjust. When a blind man is made to see, he can no longer live in the dark; in fact, he must embrace the light or he will still be blind.  

Although I am not one of the great healers alluded to, what I have seen in my practice follows suit. That is, when chronic illness is presented, the layering effect of healing is always in motion. First, although symptoms always present themselves first, a root cause will inevitably be revealed with a little patience. Sometimes the root is an emotional adjustment, sometimes a spiritual challenge, many times a lifestyle change. Nonetheless, there is always a lesson.  

As you regard your life of wellness, take time to discover your beacon, and ask yourself: “Is this true north for me?” With this answer, may you live long and prosper.

 

Mack Rogers, L.Ac, practices at Total Health, 4001 Lake Otis Pkwy, Suite 200. Call 907-563-2929 for more information.