The Five Spirits are the Taoist map of the human psyche. The system provides a view of the nervous system and forms the basis of Chinese medical psychology. It also describes a precise and efficient technology for spiritual transformation, the process through which a human being rediscovers their essential wholeness and innate connection to the divine. The Five Spirits themselves can be understood as the Taoist version of the chakra system of Vedic India. Like the chakras, the spirits exist as centers of consciousness in the subtle body rather than as structures in the physical body. Just as each chakra relates to a particular level of consciousness, each spirit relates to a particular aspect of human awareness, a particular vibration or frequency of psychic energy. An understanding of the Five Spirits is the key that opens the doorway to the mysteries of Taoist psycho-spiritual alchemy. By taking advantage of the discoveries of Western archetypal psychology and new discoveries about the mind and nervous system, we can decipher the Five Spirits and reorganize the system in a way that has proven to be clinically invaluable in treating psychosomatic, emotional, and psychospiritual distress.

My sincere hope is that everyone will read this treasure trove of essential inner knowledge. This book is a magnificent accomplishment.
-- Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit

Alchemy is the science of transformation--how to change one thing into something else. In The Alchemy of Inner Work, Dechar and Fox examine how illness, suffering, and dis-ease--the lead of our lives--can become the gold of our authentic selves, and the key to good health and well-being.

Drawing on traditional Chinese medicine, Eastern and Western alchemical traditions, Kabbalah, and Jungian psychology--plus case studies from working with patients--the authors provide hands-on insights for bringing the soul of medicine back into our lives.

The book includes:

• A simple introduction to the ancient practices and principles alchemy
• How the alchemical model offers a profoundly new path to true health and well-being
• An array of practices for removing the barriers that block our own healing energy
• An invitation to alchemical dream work as a support on the path of healing

With references to traditional Taoist and Chinese texts, as well as influences from the author's background in psychology and psychotherapy, this book by Lorie Dechar demonstrates how practitioners can work with the spirit of acupuncture points in modern practice.

The concept of 'kigo', a Japanese word meaning 'season word', is used to understand the seasonal energy of the points and how the body relates to the universal flow. As an understanding of the spirit of the point brings focus and potency to a practitioner's needling, it also strengthens their ability to touch a patient's soul and spirit, besides the physical body.

Tying in the macro cosmic connection of the body to the universe with a poetic force that amplifies and deepens the effect of acupuncture, Kigo is the perfect companion not only for acupuncturists, but also for chiropractors and psychotherapists, doctors and nurses, and other practitioners who use the points as part of their clinical work.