Cupping

     There are many ways to stimulate the points, reducing or reinforcing. The use of cupping is very effective in fleshy areas, like on the thighs or calves, abdomen or back, even on the upper arms.
     First, you lubricate skin with some lotion or oil. Then you dip your cotton ball into alcohol and light it (see May 7 for lighted cotton ball!). Now while holding the flaming and dramatic cotton ball (FCB), you move the cup around on the oiled skin to get the patient used to the sensation, then you plunge (too strong a word?) the FCB into the cup to heat the air just a little and then put the cup down on the patient’s skin. Don’t forget to blow out the FCB at this point! As the air inside the cup cools, it creates a vacuum and pulls the skin up into the cup. Now, you move the cup around over the affected area and then let it come to rest over the point where you want the energy affected.
      It doesn’t hurt at all, although it may result in some fairly deep bruising, especially on the back. Can give some good pulse changes too.

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This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative innovation. At first you might find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen. . .Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again. - Joseph Campbell

Flaming Liniment

     Prestigious acupuncture text author and lecturer Alex Tiberi tells a very funny story about the flaming liniment he uses as a therapeutic treatment for muscle aches and pains, and besides its coolness melds very well with our shamanic tradition. In one hotel seminar, he had a (skittish) volunteer try dipping her hand into the flaming liquid with less than stellar results; she did try it and violated the cardinal rule of not being tenetive about plunging her hand in and decisively clenching it to extinguish the flames, thereby resulting in flinging the burning stuff on the carpet.

     And while he was looking for something to smother the bits of smoldering carpet, a brave attendee had taken his tee shirt off to use it as a cover for the kettle ‘o fire and managed to flip the whole burning container onto the carpet, which moved the event from a relatively contained mishap to one that required professional fire fighting assistance, carpet replacement, and limiting that particular public activity in the future.

Good times abound!

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We are put here on this earth to help others, what on earth the others are here for, I haven’t a clue. – W.H. Auden