The Touch of Healing Page 5

  the diagonal mediator flows

  The activity principle of the body.

  Although the left and right Diagonal Mediator Flows are not included within the Trinity, they have an important relationship to the Trinity that cannot be overlooked. The left and right Diagonal Mediator Flows start at their respective shoulders and traverse both sides of the body from back to front, side to side, and top to bottom, ending up at the opposite-side knees. They harmonize the left and right Supervisor Flows with each other and with the Main Central Flow.

  The Mediator ensures that all the flows within the body will cross at the Main Central so they may constantly receive revitalizing life energy from the Source. Also, when one side of the body becomes so tense that the other side is affected, one of the Mediator Flows can be used to bring both sides into balance. Because of these functions, it is vitally important to keep the Mediator Flows in harmony.

  PROJECT 3: HARMONIZING THE MEDIATOR FLOWS

  Here is a dynamic sequence that will harmonize the Mediator Flows and reduce fatigue, tension, and stress. If one side of the body seems particularly tense, utilize whichever of the following two sequences is appropriate. They can be applied at any time of day.

  For left-side energy needs (see Figure 3.6):

  FIGURE 3.6

  1. Place your left thumb over the left ring fingernail. Make a circle with the pad of the thumb over the ring fingernail. (This helps to clear the chest.)

  2. Place your right hand over the left shoulder. (This revitalizes the ascending energy.)

  3. Bring the knees together so that their inner sides touch. The feet may be apart or together, whichever is more comfortable. (This revitalizes the descending energy.)

  For right-side energy needs (see Figure 3.7):

  FIGURE 3.7

  1. Place your right thumb over the right ring fingernail. Make a circle with the pad of the thumb (palm side) over the ring fingernail. (This helps to clear the chest.)

  2. Place your left hand over the right shoulder. (This revitalizes ascending energy.)

  3. Bring the knees together so that the insides touch. The feet may be apart or together, whichever is more comfortable. (This revitalizes the descending energy.)

  Note: This project can also be used for harmonizing the Supervisor Flows as well.

  “I WAS COMING down with the symptoms of the flu—body aches, fever, and chills. I decided to use a Mediator self-help ‘quickie’ to see if I could nip it in the bud. I knew that the Mediator was effective in clearing shoulder tension, one of the underlying causes for flu and colds.

  “MY LEFT SHOULDER was very tight, so I continued to hold it for nearly an hour. When it finally cleared, my fever subsided. I was able to sleep peacefully through the night. The next morning when I awoke, there were no traces of the flu, and it didn’t return.”

  In order to emphasize the importance of the Trinity Flows, let’s imagine them as rivers again. The Main Central would be the largest and most important, as it is the one that is fed by the original source. The left and right Supervisor Flows are its two major branches, diverting water/energy from the main river to the outlying regions. Thus, when we keep the Main Central flowing easily, its two main branches are able to receive sufficient energy to flow freely as well.

  And when these two major branches flow abundantly, they, in turn, fertilize and nourish a host of other important functions. The Supervisor Flows are home to the twenty-six Safety Energy Locks. These safety energy locks, which will be examined in detail in the following chapters, can function like little dams. When one of our energy rivers becomes obstructed, pools of excess energy begin to form. Utilizing these twenty-six safety energy locks allows us to clear these obstructions and release the pooled-up energy back into the general flow of energy throughout our being.

  safety energy locks: 1–15

  chapter four

  As we have seen, our health and harmony are dependent upon the constant, unobstructed passage of the life energy throughout our being. Thus far we have focused upon the stages by which this energy manifests itself within us (the depths) and upon the major pathways by which it travels through us (the Trinity Flows). These concepts form the foundation of Jin Shin Jyutsu. Our increased awareness of them is essential for the maintenance of our overall balance and well-being.

  Numbers are qualities, not quantities.

  Sometimes excess energy becomes stuck at a particular area within us. We can easily release this energy using the twenty-six sites known as safety energy locks. The safety energy locks are also called the “keys to the kingdom” because they “unlock” the flow of life energy within the body, mind, and spirit. When the safety energy locks are open, energy flows smoothly throughout our being. However, as we abuse ourselves mentally, emotionally, or physically through the course of our daily routines, our “braking” or safety energy lock system becomes activated. Thus, the safety energy locks serve as a kind of early warning system that lets us know when certain parts of our system have become overloaded. If we heed the friendly warning, we can instantly help ourselves and prevent further discomfort or misery. By familiarizing ourselves with the safety energy locks, we can root out the causes of imbalances. Restoring harmony can be simply a matter of applying our hands to unlock particular safety energy locks.

  The twenty-six safety energy locks (SELs) are arranged in pairs on each side of the body, so that there are twenty-six on the left side and twenty-six on the right. Each set is a mirror image of the other. (See Figure 4.1.) This arrangement, of course, roughly corresponds with the location of the left and right Supervisor Flows, discussed in the previous chapter. Not surprisingly, all twenty-six of the safety energy locks are located within the Supervisor Flows.

  When we explored the Supervisor Flows, we noted that one of their functions is to carry its energy to all five of the body’s depths. Since all of the SELs are located along the Supervisor Flows, we can understand that each depth would also house its own particular set of SELs.

  When you heighten your awareness of the relationships between the depths and the safety energy locks, you will take yet another step toward regaining your sense of wholeness, of the interelatedness of all the various parts of yourself. Familiarizing yourself with these different relationships will give you an increased versatility in your approach to any number of disharmonies that might arise within.

  As we have seen, each of the first five depths is responsible for a specific set of functions encompassing body, mind, and spirit. We have seen how to balance each of these depths using the hands. Now we will see that opening a particular safety energy lock also helps us to keep its related depth in balance, since each of the twenty-six safety energy locks facilitates a particular depth. Conversely, when we harmonize a specific depth, we strengthen the safety energy locks associated with that depth. The associations between the depths and the SELs can be summarized as follows:

  • The first depth is associated with Safety Energy Locks 1 through 4.

  • The second depth is associated with Safety Energy Locks 5 through 15.

  • The third depth is associated with Safety Energy Locks 16 through 22.

  • The fourth depth is associated with Safety Energy Lock 23.

  • The fifth depth is associated with Safety Energy Locks 24 through 26.

  • The sixth depth is considered all-inclusive, meaning that it serves as a harmonizer for the total being.

  In the ensuing discussion we will examine the twenty-six safety energy locks within the context of their associated depths. In this chapter we will look at Safety Energy Locks 1 through 15, which are contained within the first and second depths.

  In this overview, we will focus on the location and universal meaning of each safety energy lock (SEL). In addition, we will learn the specific disharmonies that can arise when a particular SEL becomes “locked,” as well as some easy-to-use exercises. For jumper-cabling the safety energy locks, we use the same guidelines that we have been using throughout�
��hold comfortably for a few minutes or until a pulsation can be felt. There is no need to be overly concerned with precision. There is a three-inch effective radius around every safety energy lock. In time, as one’s awareness grows, one may learn to “bull’s-eye,” but this is not essential. For convenience, the accompanying index can help you locate specific safety energy locks that may be used for addressing particular needs.

  Index of Safety Energy Locks

  TO HELP: USE SEL:

  Abdomen 1, 15, 23

  Ankle 9, 15, 17

  Appetite 13

  Arm 9, 11, 12

  Back 2, 6, 9, 19

  Bloat 1, 15, 17

  Brain 23

  Breast 17, 19

  Breathing 1, 2, 3

  Chest 6, 9, 10, 13

  Circulation 10, 23

  Colds 3

  Convulsions 7

  Digestion 2, 5, 7, 19

  Dizziness 21

  Ear 5, 20

  Elimination 8, 16

  Emotional Equilibrium 12, 22, 23, 24

  Equilibrium 6, 20

  Eye 4, 20

  Fever 3

  Foot 9, 15

  Head 1, 7, 16, 18

  Heart 10, 15, 17

  Hip 6, 9, 11, 14

  Insomnia 4, 18

  Knee 10, 15

  Leg 2, 9, 11, 15

  Mental Clarity 7, 20, 21, 25

  Muscles 8, 16

  Neck 11, 12, 13, 16

  Nervous System 17

  Pelvis 3, 8

  Reproductive 8, 13, 16, 17

  Shakiness 24, 26

  Shoulder 10, 11, 13

  Throat 3, 4, 10

  Thyroid 14

  Weight 21

  Wrist 9, 11

  While reading the following summaries of the safety energy locks, please refer to Figure 4.1 to find their location. Some of the safety energy locks are located on the back or in other places that are hard to reach if you are jumper-cabling yourself. For self-help purposes, Jiro Murai discovered that there are corresponding areas throughout the body that are within easy reach. Thus, any one of us can open all of our own safety energy locks with relative ease.

  Along similar lines, you will note that many of the following exercises involve jumper-cabling two different SELs at the same time. The additional SEL serves as a sort of “outlet,” which helps channel the energy freed up from the “locked” SEL.

  FIGURE 4.1

  the first-depth SELs (1–4)

  SAFETY ENERGY LOCK 1: THE PRIME MOVER

  FIGURE 4.2

  Safety Energy Lock 1 is located on the inside of each knee, right at the bulge, where the thigh and shinbone connect. (See Figure 4.2.) SEL 1 unifies the descending energy (which travels down the front of the body) with the ascending energy (which flows up the back) and thus harmonizes us from head to toe. SEL 1 is considered “the prime mover, connecting extreme heights with extreme depths.”

  Opening Safety Energy Lock 1 helps all forms of abdominal distress (bloating, discomfort) and headaches. It also promotes deeper and easier breathing.

  You can jumper-cable either yourself or another person by applying your hands—the thumb, fingers, palm, or back of your hand. After holding the left and right knees at the medial or inner side for a few minutes, you will gradually feel the discomfort fade away.

  You can also help SEL 1 by jumper-cabling it in conjunction with Safety Energy Lock 2:

  FIGURE 4.3

  1. Place your left hand on the right knee, at Safety Energy Lock 1, and your right hand on the right hip, at Safety Energy Lock 2. (See Figure 4.3.)

  2. Place your right hand on the left knee, at Safety Energy Lock 1, and your left hand on the left hip, at Safety Energy Lock 2.

  “I WAS STAYING in a beautiful home off Kahlua Bay. I was excited to go to the ocean for my daily swim. There had been a huge storm the night before, and when I got to the beach, the water looked different. It was murky, not the crystal-clear turquoise that it usually was. Being an avid swimmer, I went right on in alone.

  “I SWAM OUT about fifty yards, and I felt this sharp electrical current running through my body. I started to go numb, and I panicked. I somehow made my way to the shore. I had been wrapped by a man-of-war jellyfish. Its long tentacles wrapped around my face, neck, chest, waist, and thighs. I began rubbing my skin with sand to remove the gelatinous stinging substance, and then my heart started to race and I could not catch my breath, and my body began to shake uncontrollably. I thought for a minute, ‘Oh, my God, I’m going to die!’ I lay in the sand and grabbed my ones (the inside of each knee) with my hands crossed, and I held on for dear life.

  “MARY’S DESCRIPTION OF the number one was the only thing I could remember, the prime mover, and I felt like I needed to move this out of my body fast. I held on until about twenty minutes later. Finally, I felt it subside in my body, and I was able to walk home. My friends greeted me at the door. I was covered in welts, and they were ready to take me to the hospital. I lay in bed instead and did my Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help, and I was much better by the next day.”

  SAFETY ENERGY LOCK 2: WISDOM

  FIGURE 4.4

  Safety Energy Lock 2 is located in the lower back, at the top of the hipbone, on the left and right sides of the body. (See Figure 4.4.) SEL 2 is associated with the life force for all creatures and with wisdom. When SEL 2 is opened, we reconnect with the original wisdom and purpose for living.

  Safety Energy Lock 2 can be used to relieve all forms of back discomfort. It balances digestion and breathing. It also reduces tension and stress in the legs.

  To jumper-cable, apply the hands directly on the left and right SEL 2s, right on the top of the pelvic bone on the back. Or jumper-cable Safety Energy Locks 2 and 3 together, as follows:

  FIGURE 4.5

  1. Place your left hand on the right shoulder, at Safety Energy Lock 3, and your right hand on the right hip, at Safety Energy Lock

  2. (See Figure 4.5.)

  2. Place your right hand on the left shoulder, at Safety Energy Lock

  3, and your left hand on the left hip, at Safety Energy Lock 2.

  SAFETY ENERGY LOCK 3: THE DOOR

  FIGURE 4.6

  Safety Energy Lock 3 is located on the upper back, by the inside and upper corners of the shoulder blades, to the left and right of the spine. (See Figure 4.6.) SEL 3 functions like a door, swinging forth to unload tension, then swinging back to receive purified energy.

  Safety Energy Lock 3 is jumper-cabled to aid in breathing, to treat fevers, colds, and sore throats, and to boost the body’s immune system by releasing its own natural antibiotic. It is also a good safety energy lock to jumper-cable when there is stress and tension in the pelvic girdle. Apply your right hand to the left SEL 3 and the left hand to the right SEL 3, and feel the tension quickly dissipate.

  You can also jumper-cable SEL 3 together with SEL 15, using this simple sequence:

  1. Place your left hand on the right shoulder, at Safety Energy Lock 3, and your right hand on the right groin, at Safety Energy Lock 15. (See Figure 4.7.)

  2. Place your right hand on the left shoulder, at Safety Energy Lock 3, and your left hand on the left groin, at Safety Energy Lock 15.

  “ON A FLIGHT from Salt Lake City to South Dakota, a young mother was seated near me with a six-month-old infant. The mother was visibly distressed because her baby was running a very high fever of 105 degrees. Two doses of aspirin had failed to reduce the child’s fever.

  “THE MOTHER EVENTUALLY became so upset that the pilots decided to schedule an emergency landing in Wyoming. In the interim, one of the stewardesses asked if there was anyone on board who could help in some way. I went over to the child and jumper-cabled her threes, remembering that it is a natural antibiotic and good for reducing fevers. After about twenty minutes or so, the plane landed in Wyoming. Upon landing, the mother took her baby’s temperature and was relieved to see that it had already dropped three degrees, to 102!”

  FIGURE 4.7

  SAFETY ENERGY LOC
K 4: THE WINDOW

  Safety Energy Lock 4 is located at the base of the skull, at the occipital ridge (on the left and right). (See Figure 4.8.) It is called the “window” that lets in the light of knowledge and life-giving breath.

  Safety Energy Lock 4 harmonizes eye and throat discomforts. Jumper-cable the SEL 4s whenever you or a friend suffer from insomnia, from weakness or straining of the eyes, or from a sore or dry throat.

  To jumper-cable SEL 4, simply hold each one with your hands for a few minutes. Or jumper-cable them while holding the cheekbones, the SELs 21:

  FIGURE 4.8

  1. Place your left hand on the right base of skull, at Safety Energy Lock 4, and your right hand on the left cheekbone, at Safety Energy Lock 21. (See Figure 4.9.)

  2. Place your right hand on the left base of skull, at Safety Energy Lock 4, and your left hand on the right cheekbone, at Safety Energy Lock 21.

  FIGURE 4.9

  “WHILE JUMPER-CABLING a young woman, I noticed her pupils were extremely dilated. She said she had a hereditary eye disease—a progressive problem that left her with peripheral vision and very little central vision, ‘but,’ she said, ‘nothing can help it.’ I didn’t say anything, but started holding her fours and got her holding them, too. A couple of weeks later, I saw her. ‘Do I have something to tell you!’ she said. ‘I’ve been afraid to say anything, I’m afraid it will go away, but I’ve started to see. Every day I see more.’ She proceeded to tell me how she had been noticing things she had never seen—architecture, etc.—and that her boyfriend was literally dragging her through the city because she would first stand and stare at the newness of everything. It was like being with Alice in Wonderland. Thank you for the gift of Jin Shin Jyutsu!”