David Crow, LAc – The Matrix of Magic

Chinese, Tibetan, and Ayurvedic medicine are rich repositories not only of ethnobotanical knowledge for healing the body, but also of spiritual practices and mystical insights from the cultures they evolved in. Along with the lineages of yogic and contemplative disciplines of its time, classical Asian medicine explored and recorded the subtle energetic systems that lie at the interface of body, mind, and spirit.

This course is a complete system of study and practices based on these millennia-old lineages medicine, meditation and mysticism, that offers simple and direct ways to perceive how the body is a matrix of cosmological energies and terrestrial elements animated by nature’s profound evolutionary intelligence. As we move through the various stages of study and contemplation, we will find that these ancient concepts have valuable applications for health and wellbeing, increasing self-knowledge, giving insights into the current conditions of life, and finding inner peace through understanding our true spiritual nature and deeper cosmological identity.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory:

• The source lineages for the course
• How the body is a matrix of universal elements and energies
• How we can learn to perceive the matrix of energies and elements
• Why it is important to develop knowledge and awareness of these subtle yet powerful forces
• How perceiving our cosmological nature can transform consciousness and self-identity, individually and collectively
• The applications and benefits of energetic and elemental awareness for health and wellbeing
• The primary goals and objectives of the course

Practices

• Overview of the types of meditation practices in the course
• How we will use herbs and aromatherapy to complement and enhance the contemplative practices
• Simple preparations to maximize learning and enjoyment from the course

The concept of prana, life force, is central to all yogic, meditative, and healing lineages. In medicine, prana is the basis of diagnosis and treatment; in yoga and meditation it is the basis of spiritual practices. From classical Asian medicine we learn that there are numerous classifications and types of prana operating at all levels of the body and mind, from physiological functions to states of consciousness to the flow of time and the cycle of birth and death. The knowledge, perception and understanding of the nature of prana is synonymous with spiritual evolution; it is also the basis of making healthy lifestyle choices, managing stress, and myriad other important practical applications.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory

• Descriptions of prana according to the Vedas
• The value of understanding the nature of prana
• How to have a deep, meaningful, and sustained internal relationship with the intelligence of nature as it operates in the body and mind
• How to understand the prana of plants and the environment and their relationship to human health and wellbeing
• How we absorb prana from food, breath, and senses
• The five major pranas of the body and their manifestations in the body, mind, and spirit
• Prana vata: the flow of the mind, heart, breath, senses, and nervous system

Practices

• Meditations, herbs and essential oils to deepen awareness of prana and support its functions
• The best herb and essential for deepening awareness of each of the 5 pranas
• Mindfulness methods to enhance perception of prana in plants, foods, and the environment
• The best herb, oil, and meditation for each of the primary levels of prana vata

Just as prana is central to Vedic, Ayurvedic, and Tantric philosophies and practices, qi is central to Chinese medicine and Taoist philosophies and practices. In many ways the concepts are synonymous, but they are also different; by studying and contemplating both lineages we are able to develop an encompassing view and understanding of the energy and vitality that animates all living things. As prana is in Ayurveda, qi is the basis of diagnosis and treatment in Chinese medicine; as prana is in yoga and Tantra, qi is the basis of qigong and Taoist spiritual practices. As with prana, we learn that there are numerous classifications and types of qi operating at all levels of the body and mind, from physiological functions to states of consciousness to the flow of time and the cycle of birth and death. As with prana, the knowledge, perception and understanding of the nature of qi helps us understand the karmic and ancestral influences in our lives, supports healthy lifestyle choices, and can enhance our spiritual evolution by deepening our perception of unity with the intelligence of nature.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory

• The diverse meanings and concepts of qi
• The cosmological qi of time, seasons, biorhythms and stages of life
• The nine major types of qi in the body and their functions
• The role of ancestral qi in longevity and wisdom
• The qi of emotions and their influence on the body
• The spiritual powers and cognitive functions of the five organ spirits
• How to become aware of the qi of plants, weather and environmental elements

Practices

• How to study different levels and types of qi using meditation
• Categories of herbs and oils to enhance awareness and functions of qi
• Meditations to understand ancestral qi
• Identifying and treating the most common form of qi stagnation

Classical Asian medicine and its associated yogic influences offer profound insights into fundamental existential questions related to life, death, and rebirth. Tibetan embryology, for example, describes how the patterns of consciousness in the incarnating mind-stream determine the elemental constitution of the body at the time of conception. The Kalachakra Tantra, one of the influences of Tibetan medicine, describes how the external world is created by the incarnating consciousness as a place for fulfilling its karmas. Taoist mystics tell us that spirit transforms into birth and back again in an ongoing cycle. Studying these profound teachings deepens our self-knowledge and spiritual awareness; it could be accurately said that contemplating the mystical dimensions of life, death, and incarnation is one of the most direct paths to spiritual growth and the development of inner wisdom.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory

• Concepts of the “mind-stream” from Buddhist, Tantric, and Vedic meditation lineages
• How the subtle energies and elements of consciousness manifest in space and time according to the Kalachakra Tantra
• Taoist teachings on the cycle of transformations from birth, death, and reincarnation
• Rebirth and memory: how the continuity of consciousness is maintained or dissolved depending on the level of spiritual development
• Descriptions of the death and rebirth process according to Tibetan medicine, the Abhidharma Sutras, and other lineages
• The 3 mystic treasure boxes in the heart that contain primordial omniscient consciousness

Practices

• Meditations to become aware of the nature of the “mind-stream” and its relation to formation of the self
• Meditations to contemplate our full lifespan from conception to death
• The “flowing river samadhi” and contemplations on sound from the Quan Yin Sutra that deepen awareness of the mind stream, its origin, and destination

The inner teachings of classical Asian medicine are rich sources of knowledge and spiritual insights about the relationship of the body and mind, and how formless consciousness inhabits the matrix of elemental form. From Vedanta and Ayurveda we learn that there are five interwoven bodies, from the external elements of food and water to the most subtle consciousness beyond time and space. From Sankkya philosophy and Ayurveda we learn that mahat, universal mind, evolves into individual mind and sense consciousness. From Tantric meditation we learn that for prana to awaken the subtle nervous system of the chakras, we must first create a mental body of emptiness as the container. Knowledge and understanding of these systems can be cultivated through contemplative methods and study, with important applications for health and wellbeing; at a spiritual level, understanding the mysteries of the body/mind relationship is synonymous with spiritual evolution and self-knowledge.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory

• The evolution of the universal mind into individual mind
• The 5 interwoven bodies according to Vedanta
• How the flow of nutrients through the tissue levels creates the sense of self and karmic propensities
• The flow of universal elements through the matrix of the body’s channels
• The body of emptiness in Tantric meditations
• The 4 levels of conjunction between the senses and sense objects and what it means to individual and collective destiny
• How plants form the bridge between mind and matter

Practices

• Finding the interface between mind and matter in the Mahamudra tradition of meditation
• Meditations to identify the 5 bodies and their relationships
• The most important herb and oil for each of the 7 tissue levels
• Perceiving unity with nature through awareness of the 5 elements
• The most important herb and essential oil to deepen connection to each of the 5 elements
• Tantric meditation on the body of emptiness
• Meditation to master the conjunction of mind and sense objects
• The best herbs and oils for cultivating equanimity to the outer world

Derived from their associated yogic lineages and cultural influences, Chinese, and Ayurvedic medicine offer unique teachings and insights concerning the spiritual dimensions of the heart and their relationships to the mind and emotions. These holistic concepts articulate tangible and intangible aspects of our being, such as the luminosity of our presence, the impact of moods on immunity, and our cognitive functions. Knowledge of the spiritual dimensions of the heart informs us that we are immaterial vapor of consciousness infused in the materiality of the body, which helps us understand our true nature and the challenges of maintaining balance in the earthly elements. Cultivating this awareness has important applications for healing mental and emotional disturbances, especially stress, insomnia, anxiety and depression, as the luminosity of the heart is directly related to how we process stimuli from the world and our emotional reactions to it. At a spiritual level, purification of consciousness so we can return to our true luminous nature is the primary goal of many yogic and meditative traditions.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory

• The link between the 5 flowers of the sense organs, the outer world, the heart, and the mind
• How the prana of the heart is the link between spirit and matter
• The relationship between luminosity of spirit and mental, emotional, and physical immunity
• The relationship between the spirit of the heart and biorhythms of the body

Practices

• Observing how the world arises from the heartbeat: meditations to become aware of the link between the heart, the sense organs, and the arising of the world in consciousness
• Meditations to study the 7 levels of heart prana
• The best herbs and oils to enhance heart centered meditations and supporting the brightness of the spirit

The inner spiritual traditions of classical Asian medicine are rich sources of teachings about the influences of solar energy, its relationship to plants, and the fire of metabolism in the human body. These teachings have applications for diagnosis and treatment as well as meditation; they are fundamental to Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, as well as Tantric ritual and meditations in the inner landscape of the energy body. At a practical level these teachings can be applied to understanding our body type, to understanding proper diets and lifestyle, and to know which herbs are best for our needs. At a spiritual level these teachings offer us a way to discover how the celestial influences of sunlight and the terrestrial influences of fire are continually active in our physiology and mental and emotional states, which leads to heightened awareness of our cosmological identity and perception of biological unity with nature. Through meditation and contemplative practices, we can become aware of how the warmth of the body and the light of consciousness are the manifestations and expressions of sunlight distilled by the alchemy of metabolism.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory

• The concepts of digestive fire in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine
• The 5 primary digestive fires and their physical, mental, emotional, sensory, and spiritual functions
• The flow of solar energy through the 13 fires of metabolic transformation into the light of conscious awareness and perception
• Patterns of biological unity with nature found in the human body
• Understanding the fire element in plants, and how it relates to human health and healing
• Primary herbs and essential oils for supporting the solar energies and fire element of the body
• The link between digestive fire and mental and emotional digestion, assimilation and clarity

Practices

• The most important herb and essential oil for each of the 5 digestive fires
• Meditation methods for perceiving the flow of solar energy in the body and our biological unity with the sun

The inner spiritual traditions of classical Asian medicine are rich sources of teachings about the subtle influences of lunar energies, their relationship with plants, the water element and the human body. These teachings have applications for diagnosis and treatment as well as meditation; they are fundamental to Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, as well as Tantric ritual and meditations in the inner landscape of the energy body. At a practical level these teachings can be applied to understanding our body type, to understanding proper diets and lifestyle, and to know which herbs are best for our specific condition. At a spiritual level, these teachings offer us a way to discover how the celestial influences of the moon and the terrestrial influences of water are continually active in our physiology and mental and emotional states, which leads to heightened awareness of our biological unity with nature. With sustained meditation practice and mindful use of foods and herbs, we can become aware of how the nutritional nectar alchemically distilled in the body from the essences of the plant realm is the basis of consciousness and the source of inner peace and contentment.

In this module, you’ll discover:

Theory

• How human consciousness is rooted in the essence of flowering plants
• The relationship between the moon, flowers, biorhythms, and rejuvenation of the mind, body, and spirit
• How rejuvenating the body can help overcome karmic obstacles.
• How nutrient essence is the basis of immunity, contentment, fulfillment, and spiritual evolution
• The lunar aspect of plants, and herbs for supporting the fluids of the body
• Lunar symbolism in Tantric meditation and the qualities of moonlight in the nature of the mind

Practices

• Meditation to enhance awareness of the physical and mystical dimensions of water and moonlight
• Using herbs and oils rich in moonlight for supporting tranquility and contentment