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Should You Keep a Microcosmic Journal?

A Microcosmic Journal is a diary for the purpose of deepening your spiritual awareness. It is a useful practice on the path to a complete life and a powerful tool to internalize your attention and understand yourself. Journaling helps one become a true self-observer, to process emotions and events without judgment or assumption. A journal is easy to do, and it helps to relieve stress. There’s no format to it. You can make it neat or messy, using any grammar you like. You can write as little or as much as you like, and it may serve as a useful tool to remember past events. Journalling with specific…

The 20 Meridians and their Consciousness

What are the Meridians? Ancient Chinese medicine thousands of years ago described the meridians in the body that carry Qi or life force through special channels that connect the various organs and functions. These meridians are designed to work together so that the body, mind, and spirit work together as an organic whole. A meridian, 经络 jīngluò, is a path through which Qi or life energy flows. There are a total of 20 meridians in the body, which are seen in two classes. 1) The twelve organ meridians connect the various physical functions. 2) The Eight Extraordinary meridians precede and give rise to the organ meridians, and…

Are You Getting Your Five Cosmic Messages?

By Jane Barthelemy. Yes, the five messages we receive in our life are: Signals, Symptoms, Stones, Stress, and Solutions. No, they don’t come in as texts. They come in as situations for us to unravel. We often believe things happen to us as if we had nothing to do with them. We act like we are victims of chance circumstances. Perhaps some random statistical probability just landed on your head. Many people like to react emotionally as if surprised by something they experience. Sometimes people tend to repeat the same problem happening over and over. We may even complain about it. When something happens, do you feel expected to respond immediately…

Introduction to the Chinese Five Element System

By Jane Barthelemy. The Chinese five elements are said to arise out of the two energies Yin and Yang. And the five element system can be considered refinement or outgrowth of Yin Yang Theory. It is a system that has been used for thousands of years to describe the interactions between Yin and Yang and phenomena in Nature. The Five Elements or Five Phases Describe Reality. Each of the Five Elements represents an aspect of a dynamic process, or a phase of change. These are not actual physical descriptions, but metaphors of patterns that occur in Nature. The Five Elements and their qualities are represented by: Wood – Rising,…

What’s Protective Wei Qi? How Can I Build it?

By Jane Barthelemy. Wei Qi is an invisible energy, an electro magnetic field referred to in Chinese medicine. Wei Qi is critically important especially in current times, as we are bombarded by energies and electro-magnetic radiation all around us. They come from cell phones, Wifi, radio, power lines, microwaves, Bluetooth devices, computers, smart meters, the air we breathe, and even other people’s thoughts which create a field of positive or negative energy. If you are highly sensitive, or if you live in a populated urban area, these energies can penetrate your body and weaken it. Many people are lacking in Wei Qi, and find that…

Full-Body Sunbathing, Risks and Benefits

By Jane Barthelemy. Is Sunlight Dangerous? Over the past 4 decades, dermatologists and doctors say you should never be exposed to direct sunlight because it will damage your skin and cause skin cancer. After numerous basal cell spots, I’m also wary of the sun. As I child I basked in the sun all summer long without sunscreen or a hat. I got lots of sunburns, peeled and went out again. Now I know better. Countless basal cell cancer spots on my face and chest have taught me to do everything I can to avoid a recurrence. Surprising research: Sun Exposure Leads to…

Do Emotions Cause Disease? Chinese Medicine Says “Yes”

Emotions: Our Main Obstacle to Health and Destiny Desires and passions are considered by Chinese thinkers to be the main obstacles to the true accomplishment of a human life and the fulfillment of one’s destiny. They are considered in Chinese medicine as the main cause of illness and of weakness leading to diseases. (Emotions According To The Huangdi Neijing, an excellent lecture by Elisabeth Rochat, French scholar of Daoist classics and acupuncturist www.elisabeth-rochat.com/. She presented this paper at the 44th Rothenburg Conference of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2013. Ms. Rochat synthesizes brilliantly the relationship between emotions and disease, often forgotten or misunderstood in Western medicine. Images and editing…

Medical Qigong Walking – Nature’s Powerful Healing Tool

By Jane Barthelemy Would you like to bring more energy into your body? Feel more alive? Heal more quickly? Walking is powerful medicine that activates your deepest meridians and energies. In fact, waking is essential for health, and it can be used to heal serious internal diseases. Walking just 30 to 60 minutes a day can dissolve stress and improve brain function. Walking tones your muscles, boosts metabolism, builds bone density, lowers blood pressure, helps circulation, improves lymphatic function, builds the immune system, stimulates intestinal health and lowers your risk of Alzheimer’s. Walking also renews the spirit. How does it do…

Adaptogenic Herbs, Nature’s Stress Busters

By Jane Barthelemy. Want to reduce stress and feel more energy in your life? Adaptogens are the perfect natural solution. Top trainers and athletes call them “synergistic meds for healthy people” because they can powerfully boost stamina and recovery in the body without side-effects of pharmaceuticals. What’s an Adaptogen? Adaptogens are a special class of plant herbal medicines used in ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for centuries to promote a sense of wellbeing. In those traditional healing systems, these plants are considered the “Kings” and “Queens” of herbs for restoring health, vitality, immunity, stamina, and promoting longevity. Here are my favorite Adaptogen preparations available:…

Forbidden Fruits, Which Ones Make You Fat?

By Jane Barthelemy. What’s the worst food for weight gain? Sugary fruit! Surprising new studies show high-fructose fruits are top culprits in weight gain. Due to a genetic mutation 40,000 years ago, the fructose you eat goes immediately to fat. To lose weight, skip these fruits: Bananas, Grapes, Pineapples, Mangos, Oranges, Dried fruits, Raisins, Dates, Melons, Peaches, Sweet apples and juices. Instead eat tart fruits: raspberries, grapefruit, lemons, limes, strawberries, and tart apples like Granny Smith, Fuji, and Pink Lady, which are lower in fructose sugar. We think of fruit as healthy, and it is true that fresh fruits are high in vitamins, minerals, and living energy. It seems counter-intuitive, but there’s a huge trade-off in eating…