“The center of the universe is underneath the tip of your needle, and it is communicating with the point.”
Koei Kuwahara
People often ask me, “What is an acupuncture point?” Another great question is, “How would you describe these acupuncture points?” In my experience and training in Japan, I came to realize blind acupuncturists know greater details about these acupuncture points than those of us who see with our own eyes. They use a different sense of sight existing in their “mind’s eye”. They could conceptualize and teach a concept leading the American students to a unique quality of “second sight”. The blind teachers described a phenomenal depth of information and sensations perceived underneath such soft and sensitive hands. Some of the information I could perceive immediately during the lectures, other sensations took years of cultivation and practice to attain an awareness of.
I remember when I was at the Ki Shin Po conference and our Sensei turned to me and let me feel his hands. His hands were easily the softest hands I have ever felt on any human being in this lifetime. There was not one callous or bit of choppiness in those sensitive healing hands. When you learn the incredible amount of details the skin over an acupuncture point reveals in Japanese acupuncture, you can begin to sense new information through your finger tips. As you become more and more aware of the information presented to you from a point under your fingertip, the ability to describe acupuncture points using language and imagery develops this “second sight”. There is a quality to an acupuncture point that is opening, creating an induration, a miniscule vortex, which opens and causes this point to seek connection to energy from heaven. But to perceive such phenomena, you have to study palpation, and really dedicate yourself to the constant expansion of this second sight.
An acupuncture point lies directly over a meridian, a spiritual river of light, also known as an energy current. These currents carry the signal from the acupuncture point deeper into the body to provide a divine spark to create change. Meridians energetically function similar to the physical arteries and veins of the body. In Japan, signs in the front of acupuncture clinics often call this art Meridian Therapy instead of calling it acupuncture. Point selection becomes critical in regulating the degree a meridian receives maximum healing benefit. Poor point selection often yields little healing energy to awaken the meridian. Teachers in Japan view acupuncture points as spiritual gateways between dimensions of reality. They choose points based on the sensation of touch.
Scientifically we know that points open different hemispheres of the brain when needled, in Harvard they used the MRI to catch the changes in brain activity. These points alter consciousness as we know it, but what are they really? If you really want an explanation, an acupuncture point is a Toroid. It is an actual free energy device built into the human body for healing the energy system. You could say that acupuncture points bridge the gap between dimensions of life. Therefore, you can use acupuncture points to harmonize, disperse, reduce, transport, or tonify the life force of a human being. From a Shamanic healer perspective, these acupuncture points are about communication between heaven and earth. The communication between a body and a soul can be enhanced through these points and inter-dimensional communication brings new illumination. There are generally 365 acupuncture points taught to us in school, and they all have a unique function to help our patients achieve balance and healing.