I am itching to put palpation and needling classes up to teach, because I have a lot to say on those subjects. But I am not going to start with them. The first class for 2009 that I am teaching is on the I Ching. Now, I know you may be asking, “What the heck does the I Ching have to do with acupuncture?” And the answer is, “A lot.”
The I Ching is the go-to book on Yin and Yang. As acupuncturists, we learn a good deal about the relationships of Yin and Yang in school, and most of what we do with Yin and Yang is use them to make comparisons based on agreed-upon correspondences (like hot and cold, excess and deficiency, and interior and exterior) to understand our clients’ physical and meridian health.
Yin and Yang are also the guiding forces behind all changes in the world around us and in states of health. The hexagram format (six lines of Yin or Yang in specific configurations) allows for an extremely sophisticated way to apply the relationships of Yin and Yang in any situation. This gives us better understanding of the treatments and choices we can offer to improve our clients’ wellbeing on a deeper level.
As much as I am looking forward to teaching palpation and needle technique, I am even more excited to lead off with this class. Actually, there is too much to learn about even the basics of the I Ching to fit into one class, so there is going to be a second class about a month after this one to finish up with the whole book. I should have all the links and dates in place by the end of this weekend.
