Someone sent me an article from the Chinese Journal of Medicine (Vol. 70) which makes a connection between Tefilin and acupuncture. It's a couple of years old but I thought it was very cool.
Acupuncture is a medical procedure used in Chinese Medicine where needles are inserted into certain specific points in the body - acupuncture points - and which is beleived to bring about relief and heal a variety of ailments by rebalancing 'yin, yang and chi' (don't even ask me what that is - google it! :)
"The acknowledged purpose of the tefillin is to raise the spiritual consciousness of the men who wear it. If we examine where the knots and wrappings are placed from a TCM point of view, it appears that the tefillin and wraps form a potent acupuncture point formula focused on the Governing vessel (DuMai) and aimed at elevating the spirit and clearing the mind."
"The Governing Vessel (Du Mai) is an extra-ordinary meridian that runs up the spine and penetrates the brain. It is well known for its ability to treat psychiatric disorders and influence the mind. The spiritual action of points on the Governing vessel can be explained because it has the closest relationship with the brain, which according to pre-Inner Classic and later Daoist traditions is considerde to be the seat of the spirit."
Acupuncture points are mapped out and named (ex: DU-24, DU-70, DU-23 etc..). This article establishes that the points covered by the hand and head tefilin are exactly those points where the acupuncture needles are inserted in order "to clear the mind and harmonise the spirit."
This isn't really suprising.. is it?
But it's still fun to know.. isn't it?
I love finding connections and seeing harmony in the Universe. It's so easy to get distracted from the world of truth when we get lost so easily in a world that seems disconnected and incoherent...but Truth is all about UNITY. There is no chizuk like finding synchronicity. G-d cant expect only those "lucky" few in boropark to have access to His wisdom and truth, it only makes sense that we find connections, hints, allusions, links.. in the world around us that lead us back to Him.
posted by anonym00kie @ 6:44 PM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Very cool. I had accupuncture in my back and neck it worked pretty well.
Really liked this post! Never realized there was any connect. btwn the two, but it's easy to see it everywhere, if only we look. (feeling so odd and ethereal right now!)
Wow, that's interesting how it's like that.
This world is merely a reflection of the world above. Every physical creation is a manifestation of a spiritual existence, though its hard to see the realationship all the time. Thanks for sharing... its a cool article.
Does it make a difference if it's Rashi or Rabbeinu Tam?
lol limey
It's aazing how many connections and what some people would call only coincinces there are between "modern day things" and "torah things". Acupuncture seems like a better alternative for a lady though.
I had acupuncture when I was 16 for severe headaches. Have the needles put into my hands feet and head. I think these things work when you choose to believe they do. Everything in the world is based on faith.
Fascinating...
The Torah says that Avrahams kids from Ketorah moved to the Eastern lands...and many say that the Eastern wisdom..is handed down from them directly from Avraham..sooo who knows?
There is no chizuk like finding synchronicity.
Emphasis on "chizuk." To an already solid conviction.
It just bothers me sometimes when shluchim invest so much into being hip and current; paralleling everything to pop-culture; drawing "proofs" from contemporary sources...; eventually, people get over the "wow" factor and are left with no real substance. This, I believe can be easily seen in Aish HaTorah's "Bible Code" frenzy. It lasted a bit, fired up the crowd and disappeared... People become quickly bored of hype and it's important to have built a solid base upon which they can fall when the hype dies.
PS, I don't know if you went back to a comment I made on Sabra in which I quoted "a contemporary sage" and attributed it to "Kisvei Akavish..." I'd hate to mislead you; it was a joke I thought Sabra - who is forever writing in Hebrew - would get: Akavish=spider=web=Webb... Gut farshizzled? Gut!
PPS, I was walking to work thinking "He's for SURE frostbiting my ears now because of my dumb joke last night! Why do I always make fun of Him? It's not worth it!" Good thing I have two. (Oh man, now He's gonna take the second one on the way home. I KNOW it!)
Avi ..
i need more comments like yours :)
so first.. the chizuk, i agree 100% and thats what why i wrote it :) its about chizuk, not proof. im a product of the chabad/aish kiruv machine so i know all about the 'proofs/wow factor'.. but.. in their defense, i have yet to find a better way of doing it for the average joeshmoe..
the truth is.. the "proofs" are not wrong.. theyre just slightly misleading :) but the real truth is, every person is in charge of their own soul - blaming the local shaliach or aish program/rabbi is a cop out. trust me - i fell for the proofs, but when the proofs hit the fan.. i kept searching. those who gave up - would have given up either way. you either seek truth.. or you dont.
dont get me wrong, there are kiruv pros who are dishonest and do it for ulterior motives - that i dont excuse at all - but, those who do it sincerely, but just arent tha sophisticated enough i dont blame - and i beleive there is a market for that..
secondly.. uhm.. there was no way in hell i could have figured out that akavish joke.. even if i had paid attention to the source.. so.. bad bad avi..
truth is, now that i do see it - i still dont get it :)
the real truth tho is that i still think your comment was nice :) regardless of wehere it came from or was made up by :)
and finally.. i do have an email address .. so feel free to use it..
or if youd rather keep sending me these messages in random old posts.. go for it :)
really finally - what the heck is 'Gut farshizzled?' cant figure out if thats ghetto speak or yiddish or both!
What your email is?
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Hello all!
Magnific!
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