Let the Sun Shine In

It snowed sometime a few nights ago.
Most Seattle-ites I know are tired of the winter and wish it would go
elsewhere, but for me, the melting white stuff on the ground served
to more beautifully frame the purple flowers defiantly bursting up
through the icy blanket of Old Man Winter. And so it is with the CAN
blog – the same perennial themes of renewal, the promise of the
fullness of our medicine, and the infinite compassion of the sun,
again and again emerge from the frozen ground of a profession which
has gone to sleep and neglected the basic laws of energy movement
which it pretends to embody. Yes, AAAAAAOM, et. al, I’m talking
about you, and all you hallowed acu-colleges trying to grow ivy on
your bricks and mortar – oblivious to the fact that ivy is now
considered an exotic invasive species that does not belong in these
parts.

Acupuncture is – first and foremost
– meant for the healing of living beings, not the perpetuation of
schools and fantasy institutions. But I’m not going to write about
this in detail now it’s Saturday, I’ve just seen 21 patients, and now
it is time to turn off the computer, close up show, and rest in the
satisfaction of serving my community well.

Let’s talk briefly instead about the
infinite compassion of the sun. Or rather, let’s remember what that
feels like – not through the narrow lens of our intellect, but in
the present moment here and now, the bare reality of breathing and
heart-beating which transcends and precedes conceptuality.

Okay, that was easy – blog end. Your
assignment is to stop reading this, step away from your computer, and
remember what it means to be alive….with an intention and conducive
business structure (i.e. community acupuncture clinic) allowing you
to help many many people relatively free from considerations of
income or class. Feel that goodness and let it grow and share it with
everyone that comes through the door, and everyone you meet, and
beyond.

May the flower of compassion and wisdom
reemerge from underneath the oppressive winter of injustice
everywhere.

Happy
Losar – Tibetan New Year.

Author: Jordan Van Voast, L.Ac.

After graduating from the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in 1997, I had a hobby practice for a few years before moving to Northern India to study Buddhism. During this time, I volunteered in a local clinic, giving acupuncture to Tibetan refugees and Indian nationals. <p> Returning to the U.S. in 2002, I started a typical insurance based acupuncture practice catering to the upper middle class. In 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, I volunteered with <a href="https://www.acuwithoutborders.org/" target="_blank">Acupuncturists Without Borders</a>, using community style acupuncture to treat trauma victims in a natural disaster setting. </p> Inspired by the power and efficacy of acupuncture in a post-disaster setting, I began to contemplate issues of socioeconomic class. What could be done to make acupuncture accessible to everyone and still provider a livable wage for an acupuncturist? After attending WCA's first conference in October of 2006, I had found the answer to that question. In January 2007, together with my partner Serena Sundaram, we founded <a href="https://www.communichi.org/" target="_blank">Communichi</a>, Seattle's first dedicated community acupuncture clinic. <p> As a Buddhist, I believe that healing begins in the mind. As the positive qualities of wisdom and compassion are cultivated in the mind of a practitioner, this...