Ponder the image of the Hourglass Nebula, it is provided to us from deep space by the Hubble telescope. This particular image has greater meaning to me than just a beautiful picture from space, for it contains deeper mysteries and spiritual teachings that I must share with you. The first time I saw this image was when my Sensei from Japan drew two concentric circles on a blackboard to teach me a deeper truth about acupuncture and pulse diagnosis. I once studied in Kyoto, Japan to learn from my teachers who are blind acupuncturists. Think about this for a moment, blind acupuncturists from Japan are teaching this image, which can be felt in our fingertips when we are reading the pulses of our acupuncture patients. Those without sight are giving us an image of something inside a human being, and Heaven has given us a duplicate in the image of the hourglass nebula. That’s awesome.
It gives me a sense of awe and wonder when I look upon this image, because it truly does exist inside each and every one of us. I feel this picture and see it in my mind’s eye when I am reading a client’s pulses in order to diagnose them. I teach this image the best I can to my students in the Hill Country Hari Society, while we are learning pulse diagnosis together. The bottom circle is Yin Qi, the top circle is Yang Qi, and the eye in the middle represents communication or life force. In Japanese acupuncture we call it stomach Ki. And now I have shared this spiritual teaching of how outer-space and inner-space are sacred mirrors of each other within you! I hope it gives you a sense of wonder like it does for me.
I have more esoteric teachings to share with you about acupuncture, the art of pulse diagnosis, and this image of the nebula. When feeling a patient’s pulses, there have been a few rare times I have felt these circles come apart. This hollow and emptiness between the two circles is taught in Japanese acupuncture to be the separation of Yin and Yang. It is a bad omen, for this is the “death pulse”. The first time I felt a death pulse was the day before my grandfather passed away. It was his last great teaching to me about the body, and how we are all between Heaven and Earth. My Sensei has felt this death pulse on a young man in his clinic, and then later heard a story of how the patient died in a car wreck after leaving his clinic.
The true goal of a master in any acupuncture treatment is to make the space where the circles overlap more solidified. To go from soft solidified will enhance the communication of Heaven and Earth within the patient. In this way, our treatments and results will dramatically improve when we pay attention to middle pulse.
We spend so much time trying to convince the world of the medical validity of acupuncture, that we forget the beautiful and mystical side of this ancient and benevolent art. I hope this teaching inspires you, knowing the cosmos is inside humanity in an image of the hourglass nebula, and I am honored to share its deeper meaning pertaining to you. I am one of only 8 known Americans to study with the Ki Shin Po Society in Kyoto, Japan. This is a society of blind master-acupuncturists, and these studies in Japan were by invitation only. I have travelled and spent time studying in the clinics with some highly respected Japanese masters of acupuncture. Without these wonderful teachers, I would not be the person I am today. I am privileged to share these teachings and do hari here in Ohio, but I am most grateful for the opportunity to help each patient I meet.
Blessings,
Brian Neill
Brian Neill is the Founder of the Ohio Hari Society and practices the art of Japanese Acupuncture.