Classical Chinese Medicine
The Chinese medical paradigm is Earth-centered and body-centered, because we live in bodies on Earth, and we have to take care of them. Taking care of our bodies is part of taking care of the planet.
— Dr. Jem Minor, Daoist Sacred Embodiment Facilitator, [email protected]
Book Your Appointment with JemYin is Embodiment
At this pivotal moment in time, our personal and collective Evolution is asking us to return to our Sacred Embodiment. Every moment gives us a fresh opportunity to be willing to lovingly, compassionately, courageously inhabit our bodies, to feel our Essence, to know it fully, and to birth it into the World.
Classical Chinese Medicine does not separate body, mind, and spirit
Daoist Classical Chinese Medicine works on all aspects of spiritual cultivation rather than strictly the physical dimensions of medicine.
For example, a text in Chinese medicine may say, "this acupuncture point is for the vomiting up blood." And, if you are physically vomiting blood we're going to the emergency room... and we can needle you on the way there.
However, you may not be physically vomiting blood. You may instead be spewing your emotions, which are stored in the blood.
If you are spewing your emotions out of your mouth and you can't stop, there are points for that. In this framework, we look at how symptoms energetically resonate on all levels of the complex spiritual plane, as either pathology or our personal evolutionary process.
Some people’s illness shows up entirely psychologically, some people’s illness is fully somatic. Sometimes it's easier to talk about it psychologically, sometimes is easier to talk about it somatically.
In our culture it varies; so the framework of Classical Chinese Medicine offers a way to talk about being physically constipated, and the same points will help with spiritual constipation as well.
I teach people to tune into those different factors and multiple levels of where they are and what they are experiencing.
Self Cultivation Work
Most of these self-cultivation practices are about allowing us to be more present in our bodies, and simply to notice what’s alive in them first. And then, simply to Be with What Is. With this modality, we use Qi Gong, sacred sexual practices, the singing of healing sounds, breath work and specific meditations to help us come into those places and do really conscious work with all of these forces, to clear out the trauma stored there.
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Acupuncture
Classical Chinese Medicine creates a Map of how all the elements work together and uses needles to navigate it. This Map makes sense of our emotions and our history, of our ancestors and our organs and how Qi flows through the meridians, in different seasons and in response to different foods. I offer Medical Acupuncture, Alchemical Acupuncture, and Deep Clearing Treatments.
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Herbs and Nutrition
In these consultations, we do a thorough health history (physical, mental, and emotional) to create personal protocols to meet your unique needs, using herbal formulas, nutritional supplements, essential oils, stone medicine, and/or dietary therapy.
Together, we'll co-create a plan for you to try, which includes listening to your own body's wisdom in response to my suggested supplements or strategies.
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Traditional versus Classical Chinese Medicine
What's the difference between TCM and Classical Chinese Medicine?
In the Communist Revolution, the communists decided to standardize acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, so it could be more easily taught and practiced with consistency across the country.
There were many different schools of thought about medicine, but they basically looked at them all and said: “This set of points, channels, and herbs is now Traditional Chinese Medicine. This is how we treat all these symptoms and syndromes.” And it's generally effective!
But in the process, they took out the Spirit of the medicine, and the deeper levels of healing and alchemy that were possible classically.
There were differing opinions about whether or not it's even ok to do Extraordinary Vessel Treatments, for instance, which can change your destiny — because what happens when you do that? Who gets to decide how, when, why to change their Essence?
Many ethical aspects must be considered with such choices... And, there are plenty of examples of when it's appropriate and nourishing for quality of life, such as for children with Downs Syndrome or autism, or adults who are ready to do deep alchemical healing work of their own free will.
Chinese medicine says it takes 100 days to change the Jing, the Essence — and that it's most effective if there's a combination of acupuncture, herbs, and, most importantly, self-cultivation.Â
If it’s Your Jing, you can make an informed choice, and say, “Yes, I want to change my Essence. I want to change the blueprint of my life. I'm ready for a new curriculum."Â
That's what Alchemy is about: when you say, "I'm ready to change what I'm working on in this lifetime; I'm ready to clear the old and create something new." And the folks who are ready to do that are my favorite people to work with!
The depth of Classical Chinese Medicine taught at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts is radically different than what is taught at many TCM acupuncture schools, and includes the classical channels and theories, as well as rigorous discussion of the ethics and sacredness of this medicine.
This school was founded by students of Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th generation Daoist priest, who was steeped in the classics since childhood, and who also masterfully describes how classical Chinese medicine and modern science integrate and interact with each other — in acupuncture, herbal formulas, stones, essential oils, meditation, and qi gong movement practices.Â
I have found this richness of Classical Chinese Medicine to be an extremely thorough, clear, empowering framework to work with — not just for healing, but also for profound spiritual evolution. ~ Dr. Jem Minor
Learn More About Jem's Services & SpecialtiesThe Three Treasures
Jing is Essence: physical sexual fluid essence, the density of our bodies, and also our bone marrow and brain marrow. It carries our DNA, our blueprint for this lifetime, and what we've inherited from our ancestors. It's sticky, dense, powerful, sacred, and takes time to change.
Qi (chi) is Life Force Energy. Everything has Qi, and is in relationship with everything else's qi, as part of our dance of daily life. How our qi flows in our bodies varies with our Jing expression, our experiences in life, the climate and season of the year, what we eat, the quality of our relationships, and how well we take care of ourselves. "Where there is free flow of qi, there is no pain. Where there is pain, there's stagnation." Most acupuncture and healing modalities work primarily in the realm of qi, being relatively easy to change.
Shen is Spirit — our own spirit as an expression of our connection with Great Spirit. Classically, it's considered impossible to tarnish the pure golden light of the Shen, but our ability to access our spirit can vary with how our qi flows, and how comfortable it is for our spirit to rest in our body — which is often complicated by trauma. Conscious self-cultivation practices to shift the Jing and Qi to naturally open us to greater vitality of Spirit as well!
Jing, Qi, and Shen — These are the Three Treasures.
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