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NAJOM vOlume 21 number 60

The Four Seas – Part 1

by Chris McAlister

Introduction

ThefieldofChineseorOrientalmedicineislargelyconsideredtobehomogenousandcompactwhenviewed superficially or from a purely externalperspective.Thestudent–andevenmoresothepractitioner–of theOrientalmedicalartssoonlearnsthatthisisfarfrombeingthecase.ThetruepictureofwhatisnowadayscommonlyknownastraditionalChinesemedicineisfarmorecomplexandmuchmoredifficulttodescribeinanyconciseanddelineatedfashion.

Beingtheproductofmanycenturiesofpre-histor-icalshamanisticpracticesaswellasinnumerabletiersandlevelsofclinicalpracticeoverthepasttwotothreethousandyears,itisbyitsverynaturebothdiverseandextremelyrichinsub-currents.Justasinanystudyofgenerationalphenomena,weseetheflowofreactionandcounter-reaction,swinging–tonamejustoneexample–fromthediscussionofcolddamageandthesixlevelstothesesonfebrilediseasesandthefourstrataofwei,qi,ying,andblood.

We witness schools of practice focused almostexclusivelyontreatingthestomachandspleenmeridians,otherscentredaroundthedynamicsoftheextraordinaryvesselsandstillothersbasedalmost exclusively on the inter-relationshipsbetweenthefiveelements.

We see traditions sprouting from single dicta,micro-systemscominginandoutoffashionandvariationmultiplyingaslocaltraditionscombinewithnewteachingsinKorea,Japan,andVietnam,not to mention modern day Europe and NorthAmericatonameonlyafewgeographicalareasofinfluence.

Complicatingthepicturestillfurtherwehavetofactorinthecolossal–ifpresumablytemporary– impact of that notorious export, the marxist-materialistprojectknownasTCM,thatreachedWesternshoressometimeattheendofthe1970s.

Thepicturewegetafteradecadeortwoofstudyandpracticemaymost fairlybesummedupasabodyoftheoreticalandpracticalmaterialcon-tributingtoatapestryofknowledgewithmanycolourfulstrands.Itisthereforenoeasytasktocreateaharmonic“theoryofeverything”withinthisfield.Itmighteven,andwithsomemerit,bearguedthatthereexistfundamentalcontradictionsbetweenthemethodsproposedbyvariousschools

ofthoughtandthenumerousexpertcommentatorsthroughouthistory.

ItisinthiscontextthatIproposetodiscusswhatissurelyoneofthemostobscureandpoorlyanalysedphenomenaintheentirefieldofOrientalmedicine:thefourseas.ItisasubjectIhaveponderedandattempted to discuss for many years, but untilrecentlywithverylittleinthewayofsuccessorimpact,eitherspecificorotherwise.

Iwillbeginbyrelatingastorywhichis,Iamsure,typicalforpractitionersofChinesemedicineallovertheworldandwhichalsoneatlyillustratesthetruthoftheoldproverb:necessityisthemotherofinvention.

Case History

Ihavea long-termfemalepatientwhomIhavetreatedforanumberofyearsandthroughseveraldistinctlifephases.Recentlysheandherhusbanddecided tomoveback to the town I live inandwherewefirstmet,aftersomeyearslivinginalargertownslightlyfurtheraway.Themovewasmeticulouslyplannedandthenewapartmentwascarefullyselectedmonthsinadvance,whiletheoldapartmentwasintheprocessofbeingsold.

Finally, after many months of preparation, themovewascompletedandIwastreatedtoreportsofthevarioustrialsinvolvedingettingthenewplaceliveablewithcontractorsmovinginandout,walls being moved and living spaces graduallybecomingavailable.Itshouldbenotedthatthisisnotayoungwomanwearetalkingabout.Sheisastately,grey-hairedwomanofdignifiedbearing,butnotyoung.

Overtheyearsandthroughourcombinedeffortsshehadregainedportionsofhermindandbodyandgeneralhealthwhichhadbeenoff-limitstoher fordecadesofher life.Shehaddiscoveredsimpleyogaandbasicqigongaswellassponta-neouslyfindingandpractisingthemicro-cosmicorbitthroughsimplesuggestionsIgaveandfrominsightsthrownupbythetreatments,aswellasfromherownpersonalresearches.Shehadbe-comeflexibleanddynamicandhadstartedandcompletedauniversitydiplomacoursewiththehighesthonours–alife-longambitionfulfilled.However,shewasasstated,notyoung.

Before themovewas fullycompleted,herhus-bandtravelledtoIsraeltoparticipateinactivitiesorganisedbyhisemployer.Mypatienthaddecidedtojoinhimthere.IcanhonestlysaythatIdidnotthinkitagreatideabutsincemyopinionwasnotsoughtonthematter,Irefrainedfromofferingit.Shewent.ItwastheearlyspringandsonotyetwarminJerusalem.Thescheduletheyweretofol-lowtherewastightandintensive.Withinthreedays

shehadfallenill.Thesymptomsseemedtoconsistprimarilyofweaknessandextremedizziness.

OnreturningtoSweden,sheconsultedwithmedi-calexpertise,andtomyfrustration,cancelledourscheduledtreatment.IttookthereforeamonthortwobeforeIgottoseeherandfindoutwhathadactuallyhappened,andwhenshefinallydidcomeforanappointment,shewasobviouslyina significantly weakened state. She had begunher odyssey through the uncertain realms oftheSwedishhealthcaresystembuthadatthatjuncturereceivedneitherdiagnosisnortreatment.

Duringthecomingmonthsshecametoseemeoncepermonth,ashadbeenourroutine,andIdidmybest to treather fromthevariousdiagnosticandtherapeuticanglesIhavelearnttouseoverthepast20to30years.Herconditioncontinuedtodeterioratehowever,andstillshehadreceivedneitherdiagnosisnortreatmentthroughtheconventionalsystem.

DuringthesnowandiceoftheScandinavianwintermonths,herlifebecamesteadilyandincreasinglyrestricted.Herdizzinesshadgottentothestagewhereshecouldnotwalkonstreetswhichweretooopen,onlyonnarrow,enclosedstreets.Crossingtheroadhadbecomeatiringandfrustratingtestofenduranceandbridgesacrosstheriverwerebynowmoreorlessoutofbounds.Shehadstartedtouseawalkingstick,whichwasquiteablowtoherprideandshehadeventakentoaskingforas-sistancetocrossroadsandbridges,alsohumblingforsuchanindependentsoul.Visually,shelookedpale,hadlostweightandherhairhadwhitened.

Finallyanewthresholdwasreached.Inconsul-tation with her GP, who had at any rate stuckbyherevenifhecouldofferlittleornothinginthewayofconcretemedicalhelp,shemadethedecisiontoobtainawalker.This,forthosewhoareunfamiliarwiththeterm,isawheeleddevicewithhandlebars,theuseofwhichenablespeoplewhowouldotherwiseexperiencegreatdifficulty,to move forwards independently and relativelysmoothly.Itisanimmenselypracticalinventionbutisneithergracefulnorelegantinitself,andmypatientwasclearlymortifiedatthisdevelopment.

AsIcontemplatedthisscenario,IrealisedthatthetreatmentsIhadbeendoinguptothispointhadbeenunsuccessful,despiteallmybestefforts.OnefactorwastheinfrequencyofthetreatmentsandIthereforeproposedashorterinterval–twoweeksinsteadofonemonthbetweentreatments.TheotherthingIdidwaschangetreatmentstrategy.

IsawinmymindthatIneededtoget“underneath”thesymptomsandtheenergypattern,whichwasbecomingingrainedanddeterioratingwithsteadysteps.Thismentalimagedevelopedintoasystemoflayers,wheretheinternallayersrepresented

March 2014 NAJOM

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energetic levels situated progressively deeperwithinthebodymindsystem.AsIcontemplatedtheimage,IgraduallyrealisedwhatitwasIwasseeing – something I had been thinking aboutandpuzzlingoverformanyyears:thefourseas.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, the fourseasaredescribedintheHuang Di Nei Jing Ling Shu, the Yellow Emperor’s Cannon of Internal Medicine Spiritual Pivot, andarelistedasfollows:

Figure 1: the four seas

These“seas”aresomethingofanenigmawithinthe general field of Oriental medicine, for thesimple reason that they are described in thesourcetextinthemostminimalistictermspos-siblyimaginableandalmostexclusivelyintermsoftheirpathology.(Seeappendixfortwodifferenttranslationsoftheoriginaltext).

However, a close study of the four conceptsas described yields a general picture of levelsanddepths,wheretheseaofmarrowisclearlyidentifiableasthedeepestofthefourlevels.Thesymptomsmanifestinginthecaseofdepletionoftheseaofmarrowarelistedas:dizziness,ringingintheears,lossofvision,brainspinning,achinglegs, lethargy and sleepiness. This list can beinterpretedasageneraldescriptionofthesignsofnormalagingbutinthiscasealsoboreastrik-ingresemblancetothesymptomsfromwhichmypatientwassuffering.Tostateitanotherway,itseemedasthoughshewasagingsuddenly,rapidlyandprematurely.

Fromthisnewperspective, itsuddenlybecameobviousthatunlessItreatedattheleveloftheseaofmarrow,thetreatmentswerenotgoingtoreachtherequireddepthinhersystem,andmyattemptswouldbefutileandwasted.Intheactualevent,thetreatmentsIbegantodowereacombinationofthetwodeeperseasasIhadcometoperceivethem–thoseofmarrowandofblood.

Twotreatmentslater,sheshowedupatthecliniccarryinghercane.Thewalkerwasnowheretobeseen and the energy of the woman as a wholehadre-consolidateditself.Athernexttreatment,twoweekslater,shewasanotherwholequantumlevel of vigour stronger and the cane was withherbutratherasafellowtravellerthanastrictlynecessary element of forward propulsion. Herposture was clear and straight and her energywaspositivelyexplosivecomparedtothatwhichIhadwitnessedduringthepasthalfyearorso.AsIconveyedmyimpressionstohersheseemed

surprised,sincesheherselfhadnotdaredtohopethatthiswasthecase,especiallysinceshewasatthattimeembroiledinseveralresourcedrainingprojectsinherlife,oneofwhichwasmovingtoanewapartment–again!

Themaintreatmentpointsusedduringthisperiodwere:ST-37andST-39(seaofblood),GV-16andGV-20(seaofmarrow),BL-11(seaofblood,influ-entialpoint forbones),GB-39(influentialpointformarrow)andfinallyKI-9.3(anextraordinarypointthatseemstostrengthenthedeepercon-nectionsbetweenthekidneymeridian,marrow,andancestralenergy.Tolocate:havethepatientlyingprone.FromKI-9moveyourthumbsupthekidneymeridianwithmoderatepressureandthepointswillrevealthemselvesafewcunfurtherupthecalfasdeepandfairlypainfulpointsonmostpeople. Sometimes stringy at the surface andemptyunderneath.RoughlyparallelwithBL-58).

Since that sub-series of treatments, she hascontinuedtoimprove.Notonlyhasprogresscon-tinueddespitethefairlyconsiderabletrialsandtribulationsofhercurrentwordlyexistence,butIhavealsofeltitbothpossibleandappropriatetovarythetreatmentstocoverother,lessseriousaspectsofheroverallhealthpicture.

Methodology

Thebasicimageandcombineddynamicsofthefourseashavebynowbecomefairlywellestab-lishedinmymind,thisthroughacombinationoftreatmentsandexperimentationoverthepastyearwithtwogroupsofstudents.Theimageconsistsofafour-tiersystem,whereeachleveliseithernamedafterorequatedwithanenergeticvessel(stomach,chongmai)oravitalsubstancefromChinesemedicine(qi,marrow).

Thefourseasthemselvesare,asstatedabove,wellknownbutpoorlydocumentedintheliterature.Itismyaimheretoatleastpartiallyremedythissitua-tionandtoestablishwhatmightbeconsideredthebeginningsofaworkingidentityandmethodologyforemployingtheseenergeticconstructsnamedtwothousandyearsagointhe Nei Jing.

Aboveandbeyondthespecificpointsnamedoralludedtointhe Ling Shu,themethodologyIhavebeenusingincludesfourcomponents:

1. The8extraordinaryvessels

2. The6extraordinaryfu

3. The8influentialpoints

4. The12mainmeridians

1. The 8 Extraordinary Vessels Theextraordinarymeridianscomeintothepicturefortworeasons:

(i)Theseaofbloodisalsonamedchongmai,whichmostofusarealreadyfamiliarwithasoneoftheextraordinaryvessels.Thechongmaiisotherwisevariouslyknownasthemothermeridianortheseaofthemeridians.

(ii)TheextraordinarymeridiansarecitedintheoriginalLing Shu textasbearingpointsonthevariousseas.Forexample:GV-14andCV-17arebothnamedasbelongingtotheSeaofQi*,whilethe points on the sea of marrow are listed asbeing either GV-16 and GV-20 or alternately allofthepointsbetweenandincludingthesetwo.(*Inthemaintext,theseaofqiisinfactequated withCV-17,“chestcentre”orShanZhongasitisknowninChinese.)

2. The 6 Extraordinary FuThe extraordinary fu or “curious organs” arelistedas:

Brain, marrow, bones, uterus, vessels andgallbladder.

Theirinvolvementwiththefourseasistwofold:

(i)Theseaofmarrowisthesamenameasthattraditionally ascribed to the combined entityformedbythebrainandcentralnervoussystemintraditionalChinesemedicine.Theoverlaphereisunmistakable.

(ii)Thesesixextraordinarystructuresconnecttoorlie,energeticallyspeaking,ontheleveloftheJingoressence,adeeperlevelthantheregularorgan-meridian networks. They are thus con-nected with at least the two deeper-lying seas(bloodandmarrow).Oneclearexampleofthisisthecloseconnectionbetweentheseaofblood,thechongmaiandtheuterus.Theseaofbloodisalsoclearlyverycloselyrelatedtothevessels.Theotherimmediateconnectiononecouldnamehereisthatofthemarrowandbones,whicharefor obvious reasons intimately connected withtheseaofmarrow.

3. The 8 Influential Points Thishugelyvaluableandversatilegroupofpointsistraditionallylistedas:

Influentialpoint Substanceortissue

CV-17 qi

BL-17 blood

GB-39 marrow

BL-11 bone

LU-9 vessels

GB-34 softtissue

LR-13 yinorgans(zang)

CV-12 yangorgans(fu)

Figure 2: the 8 Influential points

SeaofQi

SeaofGrainsandFluids

SeaofBlood

SeaofMarrow

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NAJOM vOlume 21 number 60

Theoverlapwiththefourseasisobviousatfirstglance.Nofewerthanthreeofthesepointsandtheseasarenamedafterthesamesubstanceorenergy,namely:marrow(GB-39),blood(BL-17)andqi(CV-17).Theseaofqiis,aspreviouslystated,explicitly identified in theoriginal textasShanZhong,ChestCentre–CV-17.Inaddition,wehavetheinfluentialpointsforbone(BL-11)andforthevessels(LU-9),whichhaveobviousrelevancetotheseasofmarrowandbloodrespectively.

GB-34 I regard as a wild card, useful for treat-mentatany levelandforanyof theseas(withthe possible exception of the sea of marrow).Clinically itseemstohavetheuniqueabilitytoaccessresourcesfromanywhereintheorganismandmakethoseresourcesavailabletoanyothersphereorstrata.(Seediscussionoftheuniquelymulti-facetedgallbladdermeridianbelow.)

4. The Regular Meridians Naturallyenough,the12mainmeridiansalsocomeheavilyintoplayintheclinicalpicture.Thefollow-ingiswhatIhavearrivedatintermsofascribingrelevantmeridiansfortreatmentoftherespectiveseasaccordingtolevel/depth:

Sea of Qi: lung, large intestine, stomachandspleen

SeaofGrains&Fluids:asaboveplusliverandgallbladder

Sea of Blood: liver, spleen, kidney andpericardium

SeaofMarrow:kidney,bladder,smallIntes-tineandgallbladder

Regardingtheseaofgrainsandfluids,wewillrecallthatthestomachmeridianisfrequentlyreferredtoas”theseaofgrainsandfluids”notonlyintheNei Jingitselfbutthroughouttheancientliterature.Wemaywellassumethenthatthesetwoconceptsarelargelysynonymousinthepresentcontext.

Itshouldbenotedthatthetripleheatermeridian,duetoitsubiquitousandidiosyncraticnature,maybeusefulatanyofthelevelsdescribed.

Bywayofcontrast, theheartmeridian,bydintofitsspecialstatus,isnotameridianofchoiceinanyoftheenvisionedtreatmentsforthefourseas.Myjustificationforthisisinasensepersonalandthereforehighlysubjective,butisalsobasedontheheartmeridian’swelldocumentedspecialstatusasEmperorandholderoftheShenspirit.ItseemstomethatnoneoftheissuesrelatingtothefourseaswarranttheinvolvementofthekeeperoftheSpirit.Onepossibleexceptionmightrelatetomattersconcerningtheseaofblood,butthiswouldneedtobeanalmostlife-threateningsituation,since the meridians surrounding the heart – inparticular the pericardium – are empowered to

dealwithallotherissuesconcerningbloodsupplyandcirculation,themechanicsoftheheartorganandthehealthofthebloodvesselsdistributedthroughoutthebody.

Themeridiansselectedfortheseaofmarrowmayseemsurprisingtosomereadersandthereforeafewwordsofexplanationmaybeinorder.Thekidneymeridianisanobviouschoicehere,duetoitswelldocumentedconnectionswithmarrowandtheotherdeeper-lyingenergiesandstructuresofthephysicalbody.Thebladdermeridianisprob-ablynottoosurprisingeither,especiallywhenweconsiderthatthebladderandkidneymeridiansarepairedtogetherinthewaterelement,ofteninvokedintreatmentofthespineandbrainandthatBL-11istheinfluentialpointforthebones.

Thesmall intestine ischosenhere for itscloseties to the bladder, not least in their pairing intaiyang,andfortheproximityofsmallintestineandbladderpointsatkeymarrow-relatedareas:specificallythesacrum(thebackshupoints)andtheupperback,wherethetwomeridiansflowintoeachotherintheregionofBL-11(seefigure3).Finally,SI-3istheopeningoractivationpointforthegovernorvessel,traditionallyassociatedwiththehealthandintegrityofthespineandbrain.

Figure 3: confluence of Bladder and Small Intestine

points on the back

Thegallbladdermayseemanunlikelymeridianto find in this context but is in fact connectedwiththemarrowinseveralways.Firstly,GB-39istheinfluentialpointforthemarrow.Secondly,itsmeridiantraversestheskullandocciputseveraltimesoverinastrikingswitchbackpatternquiteunlikeanyothermeridian,givingituniqueaccesstothebrain.Finally,GB-25isnotonlythemupoint

forthekidneymeridianbutissituatedonthebackofthebodyratherlikeanauxiliarykidneypointinacurvinglineotherwisecomprising:GV-4LifeGate,BL-23kidneyshu,andBL-52RoomofZhi(seefigure4).

Figure 4: GB 25 viewed in relation to Kidney-related points

along the waistline

To be continued.

Calligraphy by Ma Bo Wen

Chris McAlister was born and raised in London, UK, and received most of his Oriental medical education in Japan. His main teachers were Su-zuki Takeo in shiatsu and Peter Yates and Gotoh Kimiya in acupuncture. He later studied Chinese herbs with Ted Kaptchuk. Chris is a firm believer in the beneficial influence of qigong, meditation, and the martial arts for practitioners of Oriental medicine. He is also strongly in favour of a wide sphere of interest for optimal health promotion and personal development. To this end he plays drums and dances salsa, reads widely and loves to travel. In terms of Oriental medicine, he has an eclectic taste which feeds on subjects as diverse as Sun Si Miao’s ghost points, katsugen undo, and the latest developments in modern energy medicine. Apart from in Sweden, where he has lived and worked for the past 20 years, Chris has been lucky enough to teach occasionally in the US, increasingly in Italy, and regularly in Israel. A slightly longer version of this as well as many other articles can be found online (www.isshin-gakkai.eu).

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NAJOM vOlume 21 number 61

The Four Seas – Part 2

byChrisMcAlister

(For Part 1 of this article see NAJOM, March 2014)

Discussion

Thearrangementofideasasoutlinedsofaristheproductofseveralyearsofcontemplation,collegialconsultation and experimentation, coalescinginto its current form through a combination ofscripturalinterpretation,intuition,gutfeelingandcreativeguesswork.Idonotclaimthatitis100percentfoolproofandneitherisitinanysenseafinishedproductorsystem.Onthecontrary,Iwoulddescribeitsdevelopmentalstatusas“ongoing.”

Thepreliminaryarrangementhashowever,alreadyproveditsworthclinicallyinavarietyofsituations,nottheleastofwhichisthesculptingofatreat-mentprotocolaroundthetwopointsoftheSeaofGrainsandFluids:ST-30andST-36.Thesetwopoints,usedtogetherwithselectedpointsfromspleen(SP-3&SP-9),lung(LU-1&LU-2)andlargeintestine(LI-10&LI-11)meridiansaswellastheconception vessel (CV-12 – influential point forthefuorgans),havecombinedtoproducearapidnormalizingofappetiteandmetabolismtogetherwithanalmosttotalreductionincravings,espe-ciallyofsweetsandrapidcarbohydrates.Ihavemy suspicions that the same combination willproveusefulintheresolutionoffood“allergies.”

Inthefollowingsection,Iwouldliketocontinueonaslightlymorespeculativenoteinthehopeofstimulatingfurtherinvestigationintoasubjectwhichcontinuestofascinatemeandofferfreshperspectives.

The points on the Sea of Qi (CV-17, GV-14 andST-9)whentakentogether,wouldseemtohavethepotentialtolowerpressureinthechestcavityandupperbodygenerally,pointingtothepossiblealleviationofsymptomssuchashypertensionandasthma,aswellasageneral“rectifying”effect,wherebylevelsofenergyareregulatedintermsofupperandlowerbodyconcentrations.Inthiscontext,itisinterestingtonotethatCV-6,apointjustbelowthenavelandwithintheareaknownasthelowerDanTian,iscalledSeaofQi.

The points on the Sea of Blood (BL-11, ST-37,ST-39)areremarkablefortheirapparentlackofcongruency.BL-11iswellknownastheInfluentialpointforbones,whileST-37andST-39aremorecommonlyknownasthelowerhe/meetingpointsforthelargeandsmallintestinemeridians.Itmaybe wondered how this particular combinationofpointscaninanywaybeconsideredaseaofblood.Theanswermaylieinaconsiderationofthetraditionallytwo-prongeddescriptionofblood

productioninOrientalmedicine.Ontheonehand,bloodisassumedtobecreatedwithinthemar-row(itselfwithinthebones–BL-11).Ontheotherhand,thebloodisalsotakentobeaproductofdigestion, where it might be assumed that thestomach,smallIntestineandlargeintestineplayamajorrole(ST-37,ST-39).

Anotherinterestingaspectofthefourseasphe-nomenonliesintheirpotentialinter-relationshipswitheachother.EarlierinthearticleIdescribedhow I intuitivelycombinedpoints fromtheSeaofBloodwiththepointsconnectedwiththeSeaof Marrow in targeting the marrow level. Whatthis has subsequently suggested to my morerationalmindisthatthereprobablyexistchannelsfor cross-pollination between the various seas,wherebyneighbouringseascanshareandaccessresourcestoandfromeachother.TheexampleabovewouldsuggestthattheSeaofBloodisableto feedenergy into theSeaofMarrowand theoppositewouldpresumablyhold–thattheSeaofMarrowcouldintimesofneedlendresourcestotheSeaofBlood.

Followingthischainofthoughtwewouldarriveatascenarioinwhichforexample,energycouldbeseentotrickledownfromthemostsuperficialSeaofQiintotheSeaofGrainsandFluids.ThesamecouldbesupposedtooccurthenfromtheSea of Grains and Fluids into the Sea of BloodandfinallydownwardsandinwardstotheSeaofMarrow.Theoppositeeffectwouldofcoursebeentirelyfeasibleatalllevels.

Thusifweassumethattheorganismasawholewill, whenever possible, tend to use surplusenergycreatedandsavedwithin thesystemtofill thedeepest lyingdepots,thiswouldrenderan image of a sub-model wherein energy andresourcescouldbeseentobetravellinginandoutorupanddowninacontinuum.Thedirectionofflowwouldthenbefromthesuperficialtothedeeperintimesofabundanceandplentybutfromthedeeper-lyingseastothemoresuperficialonesintimesofcrisisandscarcity.

Toillustratethisconceptwithasimpleimagewemightactuallyimaginethefourseasasconstitut-ingonegiganticseawith four levels.Here it isimportanttobearinmindthatwearedescribingaharmoniouswholecomprisedofdistinctdepths,eachwithaspecificatmospherebutwithpotentialforinterrelationshipateverylevel.

Atthelowestlevel,closetotheseabedwithitscavernsandstrangecave-dwellingcreatures,wewould encounter darkness and stillness: thick,dark,viscouswater.ThiswouldbeanalagoustotheSeaofMarrow.Travellingupwards,wewould

thenencountertheSeaofBlood,wherethewaterisstilldenseandviscousbutcontainingslightlymoreoxygen,allowingotherkindsoflifeformsandsmoothercirculation.Risingfurther,wemeettheSeaofGrainsandFluids,whereanotherslightincreaseinactivitybecomesapparent.Thewaterhereislighterincolour,translucentandfreeflow-ing.Attheverysurface,concordantwiththeSeaofQi,wefindlightinabundanceandfastmovinglifeforms.Thecreaturesweencounterareusedtothelackofpressureandthethinnessoftheseoxygen-richwatersandthriveinthemixtureofairandwaterinthisareaofinterchange.

Onafinalnote,andconcerningthenatureoftheSeasasenergeticstructures,thereseemtobeatleasttwodifferentperspectivesastotheircoreidentityandfunction.Ontheonehand,itmaybesupposedthatas“seas”theyaretobeviewedmainlyascontainers,reservoirsasitwere,andinthatsensepassive.Inthisscenariotheywouldbeseenasbeingsituatedinadistinctanatomiclocationandashousingaspecifictypeofenergyorsubstance.

Forexamplethen,theSeaofMarrowwouldbelo-catedinthebrain,specificallytheposteriorregion,andhouseakindofcoreenergy-substanceforuseinlifeanddeathsituations.Bycontrast,theSeaofGrainsandFluidswouldlieintheareaofthelowerpelvisandthighsandactasastorehouseforakindofnutrientenergymorereadilyavailablefordailyuse.Pictoriallyonemightrepresentthisscenarioasfollows:

Figures 5 & 6: Sea of Marrow and Sea of Grains and Fluids viewed as reservoirs

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Analternativeperspectivewouldsuggestthattheseas constitute a more dynamic phenomenon,wherein not only storage but production is aninherentcomponent.Inthisscenario,wewouldenvisage the Sea of Marrow as incorporating anetworkofzonesinwhichtheposteriorregionofthebrainwouldbethemajorcentre,withnetworkconnectionsbranchingouttovariousanatomicalareas,energychannels,andtsubosthroughoutthe organism.These would most likely includethespineandcentralnervoussystem,skeleton,governorvessel,kidney,bladder,smallintestineandgallbladdermeridians.

TheSeaofFluidsandGrainscouldinthesamesense be viewed as a network based around acentralarea–thighsandpelvis–withawebofbranchesstretchingoutintoprimarilythemusculartissues,thestomachandspleenmeridiansandconceptionvesselaswellasthelungandlargeintestinemeridians.

Conclusion

InthisarticleIhaveattemptedtodescribearangeofideasandapproacheswhichhavecrystallized–albeitpartially–overthepastdecadeorsoofpractice,reflection,andrefinement.Drawingfromaclassicifminimalisticsource,Ihaveattemptedtoexpandtheconceptitselffromitsbarebonestosomethingmorefleshyandpalpable.IhopethatindoingsoIhaveaddedtoratherthanobscuredanaspectoftraditionalknowledge.AtthesametimeIwillinglyembracetheideathattheremaybefurtheranddistinctlyseparateinterpretationsbased on exactly the same set of information.OtherperspectivesundoubtedlyexistandIwouldbedelightedtohearfromanyonewhocouldil-luminatetheircharacteristics.

Epilogue

2013 has without doubt been a year that haspersonallybeendominatedbythephenomenonofthefourseas.Writingonthis,theveryfinaldayoftheyear,Ihavethepleasureandtheprivilegetodocumentaseriesof insightsarising fromarecentwinterretreatbasedontheformatofthefourseas.Aschancewouldhaveit,asmallgroupofdedicatedpractitionerscametogetherandduringthetwoandahalfdaysoftheretreatthefocusofthegroupwasclear,calm,andconcentrated.Thefourseasrevealedthemselvesinafarmoreclearlysculpted fashion, answering several questionsstillleftunresolvedfrompractice,reflection,andfeedbackreceivedoverthepastyear.

Oneofthemajorreasonsforthisclaritywasthegroup make-up itself: small, experienced, andcommitted. Another was the deep mid-wintersetting,encouragingstillnessandcontemplation

freefromunnecessarycomplication.Athirdmayhavebeenthespontaneousdecisiontoreversemyorderofpresentation.Insteadofprogressingfrommostsuperficial todeeperas Ihavedonepreviously, we began with the Sea of Marrow,the deepest lying of the four seas and worked“upwardsandoutwards”fromthere.Herearetheinsights,observationsandspeculationsarisingfromourjointinvestigation.

TheSeaofMarrowpresenteditselfasaverydeepandverystillbedrockofsilentattention.Thepar-ticipantsunanimouslyagreedonastateofquiet,detachedcontemplation,whollyundisturbedbyemotion, thought, or judgement. Although oneactuallydriftedofftosleep,allreportedasimilarstateofrestandsilent,non-judgementalcontem-plation.Oneparticipantreportedthateventhoughittookawhiletofullysink,hefinallyfoundhimselfrestinginthedarksilenceoftheoceanfloor.

The experience of the Sea of Blood differedsignificantlyand in twodistinctways.Firstly, itwasperceivedasbeinginhabitedbyafarmoreobviouslyemotionalenergycontent.Althoughstillverydeepandrestful,theimpingementofstrongemotional memory and deeply stored distressmadeforaverydifferentexperienceascomparedwiththeSeaofMarrow.Secondly,itwasabletorapidlyandspontaneouslybring to thesurfaceoldandingrainedmuscularpatternsstillinneedofrepairandrehabilitation.

Frommyperspectiveasobserver(theparticipants,beingseasonedpractitioners,requiredverylittleinthewayofhands-onorotherassistanceoncethe treatments were underway) these first twoseas produced an atmosphere which can in itstotalitybedescribedasdeeplyrestful.Fromthisvantagepointtherewascertainlyadifferenceofdepthandqualitybetweenthetwo,butthisstruckmeasmoreoneofdegreethanabsolute.Perhapsthealmostpalpablyrock-likestillnessoftheSeaofMarrowexperiencewashowever,indicativeofa noteworthy contrast. The other major differ-ence would then be that the Sea of Blood wasclearlymoreconnectedwithemotionalpathologyand distress, whereas the Sea of Marrow – initsabsolutedepth–seemedtobeoutofrangeof the phenomena of emotional and musculardisturbance–atleastinthisparticulargroupofrelativelywell-adjustedindividuals.

ThisapparentdistinctionbetweentheSeaofBloodandtheSeaofMarrowcausedmetoreflectonthenatureofblood.DuringtheyearsIstudiedwithTedKaptchukinthe90s,hestatedrepeatedlythat“thememoryisintheblood,”somethingIwasquicklyabletoverifyinconnectionwithacommonlyoc-curringphenomenon.Thinkofanoccasionwhenyouorsomeoneyouareinconversationwithis

stucktryingtoremembersomething–maybeitisanameoradateorsomedetailofthatnature.Tryasyoumight,thefactwillnotcometomind,eventhoughitfeelsrepeatedlythatitisonlyjustoutofreachandevenperhapsontheverytipofyourtongue.

Itisnotuntilyourelaxandletgothatyouactuallyprovidetherequisiteconditionsforrecall,andtherecollectionitselfwilloftenoccurspontaneouslysometimeafterwards.Thismaytakeafewmo-mentsbutitmayalsotakeseveralhours,evenasmuchasadayortwoinsomecases.Youmayevenwakeupinthemiddleofthenightwiththeanswerfinallyavailableatlast.Onewayofexplainingthisphenomenonwouldbethatthememoryitselfisindeedstoredsomewhereinthebloodandthattheactofrecalliscoincidentwiththepassingoftherelevantbatchofbloodthroughtherequisitememorycentreofthebrain.

Thisisnotaverifiedtruthbyanymeansbutwouldcertainlybeonewaytoexplainthephenomenonand does in fact provide a superb strategy forhandlingsuchsituations:relax,stopfightingandthememorywillpresentitselfintheduecourseof the circulation of the blood.Try and force itandyouwillremainforeverstuckattheimpasse.

Therelevancetoourcurrentdiscussionmayatfirstseemtenuous,butthethoughtstruckmeforcefullythatthememoryofthebloodisinalllikelihoodafarbroaderconceptthanthesimplerememberingoffactualdetails,names,anddates.Itmayalsobeexpectedtocompriseastoredmemorybankof emotional distress going back to very earlydaysindeedinourlives.Perhapswehavehereapotenttherapeutictoolintheraising,resolvingandclearingofemotionalwoundsthroughactivatingtheSeaofBlood.

AcontingentandclinicallystrategicthoughtwasthatsincetheexperienceofdwellingintheSeaofBlooditself,purelyasitwere,wasasomewhatunpleasantonefortheparticipantsconcerned,arelevanttreatmentstrategywouldinsuchcasesbetotreattheSeaofBloodincombinationwithor indeed through its two neighbouring seas.This could be achieved partly through the SeaofMarrow,wherethestrategywouldbetofirmupthebedrockoftheorganism’sdeepestlevels,providing intheprocessrenewedresourcesforfreshbloodproduction.

TheotherhalfofthestrategywouldbetotreattheSeaofGrainsandFluids(seediscussion infollowingparagraph),wherebyrenewednutritiveessencecouldbefedintotheSeaofBloodfromthe processes of digestion and assimilation. ItisevenconceivablypossiblethataninjectionofmovementandenergyfromtheSeaofQi(usingCV-17andCV-6forexample)couldprovideaninjec-

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tionofcatalyzingvitalityfromthemostsuperficialenergysourcesanddownintotheslowermovingSeaofBlood.

The Sea of Grains and Fluids presented easilythe most dramatic of surprises. It very quicklybecameapparentthatitwasmostdefinitelynotthemostsuperficialoftheSeas–somethingIhadtentativelyassumeduptothatpoint,basedoncompositeexperienceandintellectualdeduction.

Asthetreatmentsgotunderway,thegroupsettledrapidly intoavery relaxedstate.Asobserver, Ihad been paying very close attention from theoutsettomyownautonomicbodilyreactionstotheongoingatmosphereproducedbythetreat-ments.BoththeSeasofMarrowandBloodhadspontaneously prompted automatic movementandtouchstimulation,whichwhilespecificandcharacteristic toeachsea,wasstill identifiablewithinthegeneraldomainofqigonganddo-in.

Bywayofcontrast,theatmospherecreatedbytheSeaofGrainsandFluidscausedmetoalmostim-mediatelysitinapostureofmeditationandsimplymake stationary, physical contact with the twomainpointsinvolved:ST-30andthenST-36.ThecontactrequiredespeciallybyST-36wasentirelypassive and extremely prolonged, leading to aseriesofsitting,standingandthenlyingposturesinwhichIwasspontaneouslyabletocombineitwithotherlocalandconnectedpoints:GB-34,SP-9andLI-10 tobeexact.Theaspectofmovementwasentirelyabsent–indeeditwasnoteworthypreciselybecauseofitsalmostcompleteabsence.

GraduallyIbecamecognisantoftheexactnatureofthefeelingbeinggeneratedintheroomandwithinmybody–awarm,very relaxed, internallyori-entedfeelingofsimpleandcompleteenjoyment.Sensationsandimagesassociatedwithcomfort,rest,andtrustrolledthroughmybodyandflowedbeforemymind’seye.AsIsettledintotheslow,almost immobilesequenceoftouchsensationsandpostures,IrealizedthatwhatIwasexperienc-ingwasnothinglessthanatotalandconsciousexperienceoftheparasympatheticstate.

Theoutsideworldsteadilyceased toattractorinterestme.Iwascontenttobeentirelycontainedwithin this feeling of enclosed and protectedwarmth.The room was largely silent as I regu-larlycheckedout intoitandthenreturnedintomycocoonofsecurity.Theonlyotherbodypartsengagedintheseriesofposturesweretheeyes–Iwasmovedontwooccasionstospontaneouslycoverthemwithmypalms.ThisIwaseasilyabletoincludewithintheparasympatheticexperience,findingnocontradictionbetweentheclassicen-closingactionandtheneedtowalloffexternallightsourcestofocusonthewarm,softbutlightlypsychedeliccoloursslowlymutatinginternally.

Groupreactionswerealsoclearandindisputable.Comingoffthetreatmenttable,oneparticipantdropped momentarily down into a deep horsestancewiththeexpression:“veryearthy.IfthisseaisinordertherewillbenoproblemswiththeSeaofBlood.”Othersreportedlyinginastateofcalmandrelaxedquiet.

AllofthismakesevenmoresensewhenwecontrastitwiththeexperienceoftheSeaofQi.

Here the group became spritely and dynamic.Several directed their own treatments, evenasking foradditionalpointsor tohaveneedlesspontaneouslyremovedoncetheirpurposehadbeenfulfilled.Theatmosphereintheroomwaslithe,nimble,andplayful.Themovementsmybodyproducedthistimeweresimpler,moreminimalisticbutalsomoredistinctandmorevigorousthanwiththetwodeeperseas,seemingtocentrearounddirectly and dynamically activating the lungsandalsostrengtheningtheconnectionbetweenthelungsandkidneysthroughtheqiaomai.Theroomwasfilledwithalight,youthful,andplayfulenergy.Oneparticipantdidhowever,reportfeeling“skinless,”anexperiencewhichwasfeltasbothnegativeanduncomfortable.

As we came together to finally reflect on ourcombinedsetofexperiences,twoinsightscrystal-lized,bothconcerningthetwosomewhatmoresuperficialseas:theSeaofGrainsandFluidsandtheSeaofQi.

Firstly,theword“skinless”broughtinstantlytomind the concept of wei qi. A well known sub-speciesofqi traditionallydescribed inChinesemedicine,weiqi(seefigure7,characterforwei)ischaracterizedasdefensiveorprotectiveenergy,andissaidtocirculateinthemostsuperficiallay-ersofthebody,thosewithinandaroundtheskin.Atthetimemythoughtsfoundnocontextforthisidea,otherthanthatweiqi, being indisputablyonewell-knowntypeofqi, this would in turnseem to indicate thattheSeaofQi itselfwasdemonstratingacertaindegreeofsuperficiality.

The necessary context arrived very soon after-wards, with the experience – both group andpersonal–oftheSeaofGrainsandFluids.Astheexpression previously reported (“If this sea isinordertherewillbenoproblemswiththeSeaofBlood”)sankintomymind,Isawthecontextclearlyasifdrawnasavisualimage.

Traditionallyandforpedagogicalpurposes,weiqiiscontrastedwithanothersub-typeofqiknown

asyingqiornutritiveenergy.Yingqi(seefigure8,characterforying)issaidtocirculatewithinthemeridiansandwiththebloodtospreadnutritiveenergytotheorgansandtissues.Itisthickerthanweiqiandmovesmoredeeply.Unlikeweiqi,ithas no connection with theoutsideworldandiswhollyconcerned with cultivating,improving and maintainingtheinternalenvironment.

Thiscontrastprovidedtheclearestimageyetofthedistinctionbetween–andinparticulartherelativedepthsof–theSeaofQiandtheSeaofBlood.

The final revelation rendered the distinction, ifanything,evenmoreclearly.

Emerging–very,veryslowly–fromtheinsulat-ingwarmthandcomfortofmyparasympatheticcocoon,IwasstruckbytheenormouscontrasttoourearlierexperienceoftheSeaofQi.ThereIhadwitnessed playful activity, attention to externaldetailandpersonalinteractionfiredbycuriosityconcerning cause and effect. Here I had beensucked intoapurely internalworldwhosesolepreoccupation was with comfort and nutrition,almostlikebeingembalmedinacolourfulworldofsafeimagesandsoftsounds.

Reflectingafterwardsasthecontrasttookintellec-tualshape,Ibecameawareofanimpliedreprimandbothtomyselfandtothosewhohadinstructedmeastothenatureofthatwonderfulphysiologicalphenomenonweknowastheautonomicnervoussystem (ANS). I don’t know how many times Ihaveheardexplanationsandtheninturncraftedexplanationsofmyown,tosimplyandsuccinctlydescribe the sympathetic and parasympatheticpolaritytostudentsandpatients.

Inmycurrentstate,Isuddenlyrealizedthatsome-thinghadbeenmissingeachandeverytime.HereIdonotmeanthedepthorexactitudeofimagesandsensations–thiscanbeadifficultthingtoconjureupatthebestoftimes.No,Iamreferringtothetendencywehavetooverstatethepolarityandtherebypaintacontrastwhich,alludingasitdoestopathologyratherthanhealthyfunction,isalltoostrongandthereforelackinginbothnu-anceandaccuracy.

WhatIhadwitnessedwastheplayfullightnessof thesympatheticsystem, thealertand joyfulengagementwithexternalreality,whichistheveryessenceofthisbranchcomparedtotheinternallydirected,nutritionallypreoccupied focusof theparasympatheticbranch.Inalmostallpresenta-tions of the sympathetic nervous system, weemploytheexpressions“fightorflight,”“adrenal

Figure 7 Wei

Figure 8 Ying

July 2014 NAJOM

response,” and even “adrenal exhaustion” toconveythepurposeofthisnetwork,portrayingintheprocessalimitedandpurelysurvival-orientedsetoffunctions,rootedinaperspectivecolouredbypathology.

What became apparent in this moment of sud-denilluminationisthatthetwinbranchesoftheautonomic nervous system, when functioningoptimallyandinastateofelasticvigour,revealapatternreminiscentofnothingsomuchasachild’shealthyswitchingthroughthetidesofinquisitiveplayfulnessanddiscoverytocompleterestandre-cuperation,preciselyasandwhenrequiredbythecentralorganizingintelligenceofthebodymind.

Just as the sea smoothly and tirelessly movesthroughtidesofebbandflow,sodoesthehealthyinfant swiftly and spontaneously plummet intostatesofunreachable,seeminglybottomlessrest,onlytoemergeandmoverapidlyintoastateofopen-eyedcuriosityandvoracious,unlimitedandplayfulcreativity.

ImagineifinfacttheseasofQiandofGrainsandFluidsexisttorevealandremindusofthetruenuancesofourinherentcapabilities.

Calligraphy by Ma Bo Wen

Chris McAlister was born and raised in London, UK, and received most of his Oriental medical education in Japan. His main teachers were Su-zuki Takeo in shiatsu and Peter Yates and Gotoh Kimiya in acupuncture. He later studied Chinese herbs with Ted Kaptchuk. Chris is a firm believer in the beneficial influence of qigong, meditation, and the martial arts for practitioners of Oriental medicine. He is also strongly in favour of a wide sphere of interest for optimal health promotion and personal development. To this end he plays drums and dances salsa, reads widely and loves to travel. In terms of Oriental medicine, he has an eclectic taste which feeds on subjects as diverse as Sun Si Miao’s ghost points, katsugen undo, and the latest developments in modern energy medicine. Apart from in Sweden, where he has lived and worked for the past 20 years, Chris has been lucky enough to teach occasionally in the US, increasingly in Italy, and regularly in Israel. A slightly longer version of this as well as many other articles can be found online (www.isshin-gakkai.eu).