("Seeing God through the Eye of the Needle"...)

On this day, of all days -- commemorative of when Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God.
On this, the time when we honor our connection to our spirituality -- this is a good day to talk about Chinese medicine and the Spirit.

There is a story about this biblical tale...a story which begins that God visited all of the Israelites and that his presence was so beautiful, so lovely, so overwhelming, that it awakened the souls of the Israelites....opened their souls to spirituality.

It is then said, in this story, that the Israelites were so overwhelmed after receiving the first two commandments from God directly, that they all lost consciousness. It is at that point that Moses ascended Mount Sinai alone to receive the remaining commandments....

God then revived the people with Manna and Dew.

It is really a beautiful story...and it underscores the potential for spirituality within each of us and how we can open ourselves up to a space where God is waiting.

Whether or not you believe in God, there is a space in which each person is open...and that space can be opened -- with acupuncture.

There are three levels in which I treat people: acute symptoms (headache, back pain, nausea from chemotherapy), chronic conditions (autoimmune disease, fertility, stress) and something I will call increasing potentiality. This includes athletes who want to increase their performance and people who want to open themselves up spiritually, to self-actualize.

And so, as usual, I have a story.

This one is about seeing God.

About three years ago, a young man came into my office for Chinese medicine treatment for his kidney disease. He had a few treatments with me, but this one day...a blustery day in October, things would be different.

As is my wont, I put the needles in, assured his comfort and left the room. About five to ten minutes later, I heard noises from his room and I hurried back to see what was up. He was agitated, in a trance almost, saying "oh, oh, oh" and "it's so beautiful" and his body was trembling: not shaking, as in a seizure, but trembling. I stayed in the room and put my hands on his body to try to steady him and calm him.

He was unaware of me.

He was also saying "I am so sorry, so sorry..." but not to me. This went on about twenty minutes...after which time he was wanting to talk about it. He was sure that he had seen a small portion of the face of God, and that it was almost too beautiful to take. He said that God told him a few things about himself that I won't share with you here -- too personal for him...but were really incredible.

That morning shook him -- and it shook me. For awhile, I silently referred to this event as the "Revelation in Room One".

For this young man, the inspiration changed his life.

He changed his life focus and went back to school.

God was the new focus.

For most patients, acupuncture treatment is not so....dramatic.

However, patients always -- even if they are just seeing me for their headaches -- experience some sort of connection.

...and it is that connection for which we all yearn.

I cannot promise large and dramatic revelations. But I can promise incredible, beautiful and amazing small ones.

Author's Bio: 

Leslie Coff was trained at the Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in Santa Monica, California, where she received her Masters' in Traditional Oriental Medicine. Coff has been practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine for almost twenty-five years in Los Angeles, St. Louis and now Atlanta, Georgia. She has taught, written and spoken on Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture, Asian Dietary Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine -- has had a medical chat radio show "The Medicine Mix" in Atlanta, Georgia, and now sees patients by appointment in Sandy Springs, Georgia, where she resides. View the website: www.springhopehealth.com