Heavenly Streams by Damo Mitchell is kind of a follow up to his other
book, Daoist Nei Gong. At least it felt that way. This review might
be a lot shorter than the other. Mostly because there isn't a whole
lot to cover. This book is a bit more narrow in it's scope, but has
a bit more depth when it comes to what it covers, which in this case,
is the Meridian system. Meridians are points all over the body that
are used to determine health, and access the energy body more
directly for change.
As I read through this book, I found myself terribly bored. This is
probably due to the fact that much of the material covered in the
first part of the book, is a rehash of what I've already read in
Daoist Nei Gong. It starts off with introductions to what Dao is,
and what it isn't. The energy system within the body, as well as
some important practices and information to strengthen and balance
this energy. Basically going over beginner stuff to make sure the
reader is acquainted with the coming material enough to follow along.
Despite the book starting off by going over material I've already
come across, which I expected and mostly enjoy the familiarity of it,
I figured the best was yet to come. It turns out that the best part
of the book was the beginning. After the first couple of chapters,
the book begins to take a nose dive, at least for me. It went from
general information and theories and practices and experiences and
all the other fun stuff to a dull grind of a read.
The book's subtitle is 'Meridian Theory in Nei Gong', and it lives up
to that name. I thought it would be fun to read, but sadly it
wasn't. As the book turns deeper into the energy body and it's
meridian system, it takes you through the whole body, and what seemed
like hundreds of meridian points. In a rather bland and blunt
fashion, these points are described by their name, location, what
typically they are responsible for, how to determine if they are ill
or imbalanced, how to remedy this if they are imbalanced and any
special association they may have with other points or areas of the
body, one of the five elements or something else, before moving on to
the next one in the same fashion. It's pretty much like this through
most of the book.
Despite it being dreadfully boring, it is however good information.
Raw information, but good. The theories in this book, as well as the
other, are ones you can easily step back and look at the world, and
see how they do fit. My only gripe is how dull it is to read.
However, it does fulfill a major role in fleshing out Nei Gong where
it's needed. And if you're the type that likes fine details for a
deeper understanding, then this book is a must. I could definitely
give you an edge in understanding what's going on deep within you,
and how to more effectively treat it.
I'm still a fan of the author, for sure. And I'll likely look into
some of his other work as well.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed!
4/10
