Gearing up for the Fall Quarter
I have to remember to be careful what I ask for. It does come true. Case in point, I have wanted to teach herbs, or "Materia Medica" at The Asian Institute.
I struggle with the decision of how deep to teach, how deep to test. I know that if I go to deep to fast I will lose all of the students before they get through the three quarters of the class. I also know that Materia Medica was hardest part of my entire education and at times I was not sure if I could ever get through the classes. I remember my teacher telling us "you will hate me now, but love me later." She was right, but I did not hate her, just her tests... She was just doing the best she could to prepare us for what was to come.
It is amazing to me to return to this level of study. I remember so much more than I thought I would, yet there is so much more to learn and retain for recall.
One of the things I have been thinking about recently is how acupuncture and herbs share a common language, but more on my mind is how when you mix herbs the 'actions' may change in many ways, and the same is true when I add acupuncture points to a treatment it modifies the effect of the points used.
But for now I just have to focus on communicating the essential properties of the herbs and what is needed for the tests.
It is good to be back in a place in my life where I can update my blog.
More to come soon.
Michael
I struggle with the decision of how deep to teach, how deep to test. I know that if I go to deep to fast I will lose all of the students before they get through the three quarters of the class. I also know that Materia Medica was hardest part of my entire education and at times I was not sure if I could ever get through the classes. I remember my teacher telling us "you will hate me now, but love me later." She was right, but I did not hate her, just her tests... She was just doing the best she could to prepare us for what was to come.
It is amazing to me to return to this level of study. I remember so much more than I thought I would, yet there is so much more to learn and retain for recall.
One of the things I have been thinking about recently is how acupuncture and herbs share a common language, but more on my mind is how when you mix herbs the 'actions' may change in many ways, and the same is true when I add acupuncture points to a treatment it modifies the effect of the points used.
But for now I just have to focus on communicating the essential properties of the herbs and what is needed for the tests.
It is good to be back in a place in my life where I can update my blog.
More to come soon.
Michael
posted by Michael Clifford, L. Ac. | 11:31 AM
1 Comments:
What I think is two-fold. First of all I do not think the "facts" you purport are actually empirical facts. I have experienced the effects of acupuncture and I also jokingly state that "After 3-4,000 years if it did not work we would stop doing it."
Second of all I think that many of the things you speak of are incorrect. Or to give an analogy, how can you prove gravity" It has no mass, it has no volume. Therefore by western scientific values it "does not exist" yet much of our society is based upon this assumption. Because we have not invented a machine that can detect qi, you have the audacity to state, unequivically, that it does not exist. That is not, true, actual or factual. While we may not have a machine that can detect qi it is quite inaccurate to state that it does not exist. If you were ever to allow yourself to open up to expereinces without prejudging them you might find that "there are many things that do not fit into your philosophy" BUT ARE TRUE NONETHELESS.
As a final thought I will say that I hope I do not have to find a way to block these types of intrusion. It is one thing to be skeptical, that is a good thing. It is quite another to be a closed-minded skeptic.
But thanks anyway.
Michael
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