Yin and yang are so simple, and so hard. Both knowing and not-knowing ground us in the clinical encounter. This is a clinically grounded dive into the resonance hum of yin and yang from Su Wen Five as we explore the nature of change, illumination, and the entanglements of yin and yang.
The resonances of the five phases connect us to the unfolding of heaven and earth. Tease out the meaning of particular character combinations that both enliven the text and help to bring a deeper level of discernment to your clinical gaze.
Learning Objectives
- The different kinds of change as expressed by the characters 變 bian and 化 hua
- The nature of correspondence and resonance as expressed by 應像 ying xiang
- Perspectives on 神明, shen ming, illumination
- The foundational aspects of medical practice when we consider 本 ben, the root
90 min
$25
Our Gift to You
An excerpt of Sabine's delightful book on Su Wen Five, Humming with Elephants.
Meet Your Instructors
I have a serious academic background, with a PhD in East Asian Studies and Medical Anthropology, but I have always been more interested in exploring the practical applications of what I read, study, and translate, both for myself and for clinicians. I consider myself a practitioner of Chinese medicine in the true and grand sense of “medicine” as expressed in the Chinese classical literature: the harmonizing of Heaven and Earth in our pivotal role as humans.
I love to teach and to share my understanding of Chinese medicine, and of classical Chinese culture, philosophy, literature, and religion, with modern Western clinical practitioners and students. I am happy as a clam in my home on magical Whidbey Island north of Seattle where I write, translate, and publish (as Happy Goat Productions), and go for a blissful swim in the sea when my brain needs a break.
In the 20+ years since graduating from acupuncture school I’ve had the great good fortune to practice medicine, study in Taiwan and China, translate a book on herbs and start a podcast. All of these have been the harvest of following a hunch, of hearing a kind of invitation within an opportunity and risking that path of discovery.
All these experiences have taught me there is something powerful about dialogue. It shows up in all aspects of our lives. It’s a way of getting feedback from our environment. I see it as a kind of gift from the Muse, that part of Heaven which is always whispering in our ear as it seeks for an opportunity to be expressed on Earth.
Dialogue has always been a part of Chinese medicine, and conversation allows us to better understand ourselves as we seek to understand others.
