The Body as a Microcosm of the Universe -Microcosm in Acupuncture
Did you know that our bodies are representative of the universe? One theory in Chinese medicine is 5 element theory that sees the body as a microcosm of the universe. That means that everything embodied in the universe is said to be imprinted in our body and can be used to stabilize our health and bring us back into to balance.
Microcosm in Body:
Our bodies mirror the things we see in nature. The sun, the earth and water, tend to be in an order, with the sun above the earth, which is above the water, which is the lowest point. Similarly, there is symmetry in the body as well. The heart sits above the stomach, just like the sun is above the earth. Both the sun and heart are energizing sources of energy; the pumping action of the heart is like the action of the sun. The stomach relates to the earth, found in the middle of the body, just like the earth relates to the middle of our planet. The earth helps to absorb broken down substances back into the soil, the stomach helps us to break down food in our bodies. Water tends to flow downward to the lowest place. Urination and sexual function are considered to have symmetry to water; both are in the lower part of the body. Water is representative of sexual maturation, marrow, and hormones in our bodies.
Microcosm – Applying Image to Body:
One method of acupuncture uses the idea of image to use certain acupuncture points in one area to treat body parts in another. Did you know that needling points in the fingers and hand can image and affect areas of the head and face? Similarly needling points in the creases of the arms and legs, can treat the digestive system. Using imaging, you can image fingers for head, creases for digestion, and points in the deltoid and upper legs to treat intestines and urogenital areas.
Bone’s can Represent Different Areas in Your Body
Another microcosmic idea is that you can divide a long bone in the body into three parts. Each of the parts relate to a different area of the body and it can affect certain areas in the brains the body. The area closest to the top of the bone relates to the upper body. The part relates to the middle part of the bone relates to the middle part of the body. Finally, the lower part of the bone relate into the lower part of the body. This imaging reflects the smaller imaging on one bone that affects the whole body.
The famous “headache” point found on the hand, between the thumb and index finger, relates to all three areas of the body, depending on where you are stimulating the point. For example, if you go along the first metacarpal bone, in the web margin, the part closest to the knuckles, relates to the head and sinuses. If you use the middle area of the finger, you are treating the stomach and pancreas. If you are treating at the lowest point between the thumb and the index finger, you are treating the urogenital area. The whole bone images the three parts of the body.
Upper arm, middle arm, and lower arm above the elbow are examples of this area, the tibia that is the bone that runs from the knee to the ankle, also can be divided into three zones. Even the face, with the forehead relating the upper body, the eyebrow to the nose, the middle of the body, and from the nose to the chin, the lower part of the body.
My teacher would make use of these images and relationships and treat using points that effected that area By stimulating these needles you would stimulate a nerve to send signals to the area of the body. Lower back pain could be treated with needles at the wrists or ankles, while headaches also would be treated by needling the fingers. Prostate patients are very relieved when they are told where the needles are NOT going!!! (Can’t you guess?).
In life, when we are angry or fearful, we can take that emotion and neutralize it with microcosmic thinking. If people are causing you to feel angry, first do things that bring you contentment. Take a long drive, exercise, or take a long hot shower. Then come back to the upset event and realize you cannot control how others treat you, but you can be in control on how you let it affect you.
If you are fearful, do something on a smaller level that can reaffirm your bravery. Learn a new recipe, eat with a fork in the opposite hand, or try a new food, then come back to the situation that is so fearful and face it. Decide, even if you are not 100% sure of it. Making a decision is actually making a belief. This belief is being announced to the world which them can bring about unexpected positive changes in your life. Making a decision, even a tepid one, with no real conviction, can help you combat the paralyzing effects of remaining indecisive. So in this way, managing the emotions you feel on a micro level can have far reaching effects on the macro level. This is the microcosm and macrocosm at work.
Microcosm is a theme that runs through many body-mind medicines. Learning to look at repeating patterns in life, can help you better understand how things closely resemble natural laws in nature. Utilizing small steps to better your life in one area, has larger implications that can affect other areas of your life.
We utilize acupuncture, Chinese medicine to fix disorders of body such as pain, anxiety, high-stress, digestive problems, by identifying the underlying cause.
Integrative Acupuncture Center in Ridgewood New Jersey, offers caring professionals and the best in acupuncture and Chinese medicine services. If you’d like to see if we can help you, call us at 201-444-7150.