THE GENESIS OF INSIGHT ...

[Michael Grove]

 of THE Spark in the Machine

  "In the beginning was a cell, a fusion of sperm and egg, YANG into YIN.

  Individually they were NO THING, but combined they could conquer the

  world. This was you, your cell... Maybe, deep inside you, it still exists? 

  The story of how that cell became you is the most amazing story ever told.

  It is a story that has not only created the astronomical complexity of our

  brains and the virility of our hearts, but is also responsible for civilisations

  and ART, LOVE WON and LIFE LOST.

 
  The cell contains everything within it to produce this, and yet it is invisible.

  How did it do this? You may think you know the answer in genetics, but

  you only have half the story. The genes are like a great library, but a great

  library needs organisation. The story of this organisation is also the story of

  Acupuncture, explaining how the body creates and maintains order out

  of  chaos. For the story of Acupuncture is the story of life itself, and it is

  only NOW, as modern medicine unravels the interactions between cells,

  that we understand what the ancient Chinese physicians knew: that the

  space between the cells is as important as the cells themselves." 

  Daniel Keown  

  Why can salamanders grow new legs, and young children grow new finger

  tips, but adult humans can't regenerate? What is the electricity that flows

  through the human body? IS it the same thing that the Chinese call Qi?

  If so, what does Chinese medicine know, that western medicine ignores?  

  Dan Keown's highly accessible, witty, and original book shows how western

  medicine validates the theories of Chinese medicine, and how Chinese

  medicine explains the mysteries of the body that western medicine largely

  ignores. He explains the generative force of embryology, how the hearts

  of two people in love [or in scientific terms 'quantum entanglement '] truly

  beat as one, how a cheating heart is also an ill heart (which is why men are

  twice as likely to die of a sudden heart attack with their mistress than with

  their wife), how neural crest cells determine our lifespan, and why Proust's

  madeleines evoked the memories they did. The book shows how the theories

  of western and Chinese medicine support each other, and how the integrated

  theory enlarges our understanding of how bodies work on every level. Full of

  good stories and surprising details, Dan Keown's book is essential reading for

  anyone who has ever wanted to know how the body really works.

 

  The comment which most appropriately reflects my own appraisal and 

  importance of  Daniel Keown's book, comes from David Branscomb ...  

  "If you have an interest in western and eastern medicine as I do, then this

   is a must read. Daniel Keown writes with precision, expertise and amazing

   insight in both traditions of medicine. I have read other books on these

   topics; however this book is set apart because for one, he writes with the

   fluidity and skill of a master novelist leading you on a journey through

   the very creation and animation of life. If you are interested in how you

   came to be “you” as a human being with all the complexities and

   mysteries of life, you will be fascinated by this book too. I found the

   descriptive narrative informative, inspiring and fun to read. He presents

   the material in bites of information that I could easily digest and absorb.

   He also makes a compelling case for how acupuncture mysteries like Qi,

   energy flow and meridians match up with the West’s understanding of

   body science. If I understand Dr Keown correctly, the divergence between

   east and west is more that the west has not fully understood the

   functions and meaning of electricity, collagen and fascia in the body.

   I learned a great deal about both traditions of medicine and highly

   recommend this book. If you are a student or practitioner of acupuncture

   or naturopathic medicine you simply must read this book and add it to

   your collection of reference material. I know I will be sharing the insights

   and knowledge with my friends and colleges. Enjoy!" 

.

[Michael Grove]

"TAI CHI can be treated as the driving force of the universe, which generates two poles (Yang, Yin), then evolving the four phases (sky, earth, men and matter), which then produce the eight sections (sky, earth, men and matter, time, space, material and spirit) - They give rise to all kinds of activities on earth"

                                                                               Dr. Nie Zhi-fei

My soul-mate and I, have been practitioners of Taiji and Qi-gong for some time now, and have well understood that Taijiquan is the practice and Taiji the goal. Part and parcel of that goal is a coming to terms with that which is called Qi and no better book has been written, from our own perspective, than The Spark in the Machine, which we now regard as 'Qi 101'.