Characters of Wisdom - Taoist Tales of the Acupuncture Points Kindle Edition

Brilliant book; the low rating is specific to the Kindle edition. There’s no table of contents, so to find any particular point you want to look up, you pretty much have to flip through the whole thing, which is useless. I’ve sucked it up and ordered a print edition instead.As to those who say it’s useless for acupuncture - this is a spirit of the points book. For those practicing TCM with a western mindset of treating symptoms with points indicated for them, yes, this is not useful. You have Deadman for that. But for classical practitioners who want to convey the spirit quality of a point when treating a patient, this is a wonderful resource. By being deeply acquainted with the spirit of a point, you can learn to embody its energetic and signal that to the patient, catalysing profound shifts at a deep level. This book is a wonderful assistant in learning to do just that.

The translations of the point names are inspiring. I have studied classical Chinese, and she backs up most of her translations very well. I have used many of these translations in talking to my acupuncture patients about their treatments, and I think Kaatz brings out excellent nuances in the meanings of the points.One of the reasons that I bought this book for Kindle was so that I could quickly find a point in the clinic. The lack of a table of contents function means that I can't quickly get to a given meridian or point. The only way to find a particular point is to search for it by typing it into the search box, which takes more time. So the book is less useful in clinic than I had hoped. The addition of the ability to click on a list of the points to get to the point you want would be a very valuable addition.

I'm a layman; amateur self-acupressure tai chi player.But I have also self-studied Deadman, Grasping the Wind and Foundations of Chinese Medicine.This book puts spirit and meaning into each acupoint.Simply marvelous.One of my students wears a jade pendant on a necklace.She was elated when I showed her the description of REN-18 & 21("Ancestral Hall of Jade" and "Jade within the Pearl.")Compare a strict, literal translation of REN-21, "Jade Pivot," with "Jade within the Pearl" as our pearl that shines with beauty, our precious inner gem from the great oceans of life.Kaatz revisited a year and a half later:If I could, I'd add another 3 stars.I've used her book daily since I received it.Her unique description of each point is marvelous; its application goes way beyond any literary or clinical benefit.Consider her dynamic description of KI-1 as a fine example: "A Burst of Vibrant Spring Waters."This is much more dynamic than the standard labels, "Gushing Spring" or "Bubbling Spring."Her description captures the actual taiji/bagua function of the point which connects with re-bound energy from earth's energy vortex to power the flow of Qi upward to fill a posture or deliver fajing.She writes, "As springs bubble out of the ground they rush forth with great strength and vitality."This comports with non-effort, non-doing.So instead of carrying the Self forward with effort to this point (egocentric delusion),her view describes a holographic place unto itself which embraces and vitalizes all other points, illuminating the Heart/Mind--a vast traceless enlightenment.No kidding!The only recommendation I'd offer is to add an appendix with a Deadman-like description of the location of each point.So in the middle of the night I don't have to wrestle with the bulky, heavy tome, Deadman on "Acupuncture."Revisited 10 years later.Have continued to use this daily(much of it memorized)Just also bought the Kindle version.I agree with others that the search mechanism could be improved. Already I’ve found that an easy search can be made by putting in the point number(e.g. “sp12” to go directly to the point—since I have these memorized)Since I first bought this book, I have now developed myelodysplasia, a bone marrow cancer.There is no known cure for this MDS.I’ve stabilized the condition for 3 years with white blood cell stimulating injections.Debra Kaatz’s wisdom has stimulated my spirit immensely.

I'm always looking for books that describe the acupuncture points in the way they were originally described and for the reasons that they were described in that particular manner. This is a wondrous book and worth being on every acupuncturists shelf, especially since Mao Tse Tung in the Communist turned true ancient alchemical medicine into TCM, which in my opinion is a load of crap that a monkey could learn. Anybody can learn to put in a needle and where to do it and for what reason but not everybody has the "Golden needle of legendary status" this book is such one

This book is beautifully presented and edited. I love referring to it and find the poetic nature of the style to offer something different to my other point books.

Brilliant book

This book is so interesting explaining why and how acupuncture points got there names. Fascinating and informative gives a real understanding of Daoism and TCM

Love the book! Will be another great Reource book!

Fantastice read whilst studying acupuncture, love the mind body spirit aspects conected with each point. I reccomend alongside the study manuals