The Eight Extraordinary Channels or meridians are a series of pathways in the body categorized in the study of traditional Chinese medicine. The eight extraordinary meridians are also of pivotal importance in the study of Chi Kung, Tai chi chuan and Chinese alchemy. [1] These eight extra meridians are different to the standard twelve organ meridians in that they are considered to be storage vessels or reservoirs of energy and are not associated directly with the Zang Fu or internal organs. These channels were first systematically referred to in the "Spiritual Axis" chapters 17, 21 and 62, the "Classic of Difficulties" chapters 27, 28 and 29 and the "Study of the 8 Extraordinary vessels" (Qi Jing Ba Mai Kao) by Li Shi Zhen 1578 The eight extraordinary vessels are: Directing Vessel (Ren mai) Governing Vessel (Du Mai) Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai) Girdle Vessel (Dai Mai) Yin linking vessel (Yin Wei Mai) Yang linking vessel (Yang Wei Mai) Yin Heel Vessel (Yin Qiao Mai) Yang Heel Vessel (Yang Qiao Mai) [2]

[edit] References

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Below is draft for text to be added the the wikipedia page "Eight Extraordinary Channels" Also a link back to my user page User:Purebread

Chinese scholars started compliling texts in medical theory around 100 B.C.E. ^{[1] [2]} Through empiricism, and carefull observation they developed a point of view quite dissimilar to the 'causation' thinking of the European rennesance, which is the world view heritage of "the West.". In delineating Eight Extraordinary Channel healing perspectives, these Chinese scholors saw the world as

• Uncreated
  • That is, the world is and phenomena occur independently from an act of creation and there is no great need to search for a cause" ^[3]

• Fractal in nature, physically and socially

Fractalness is scaling self simiarity.:

Social examples:

• Harmony at home => harmony in the town => harmony in the state => harmony in the country

Physical world examples:

• The structure of Romanesco Brocolli and Van Koch Snowflakes

• Made up of counterposed opposites

This is Yin/Yang balance or imbalance (Yin/Yang it'self) Two forms of yin/yang cycling were seen to also exist:

• Grace full or catastrophic transition between Yin and Yang

Example: the transition between day and night.

• Things becoming extremely Yang, until they flip suddenly into Yin, this is sometimes dangerous

The healing perspectives and techniques of eight extraordinary vessels therapy are underpinned by pattern recognition, engendered these ways of seeing the world.

A german physician Samuel Hanneman called morbific influences the lot of negative influences in the human struggle for

• Nutrition
• Shelter
• Recovery from physical injury
• Warding off infection
• Manifesting Self and flourishing
• Assure one's personal liberty ^[4]

A fundamental and complimentary view of each human in the world is from Daniel Nevel...^[5]

There is a continuum of harmony vs disturbance of Yin and Yang and the flow of Qi as they manifest in the body's fundamental energetic functions. Namely:

• protection from harmful influences
• assimilation of potentially beneficial influences
• incorporation or discharge
• storage and distribution of those influences that are usefull to flourished manifestation of Self

Each of these energetic functions is the domain a different extraordinary channel and is seen to occur at a specific level of 'deepness' within the individual

The"Red Queen" principle, states:

for an evolutionary system, continuing development is needed just in order to maintain its fitness relative to the systems it is co-evolving with http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/redqueen.html

Animal models of protection:

1. Individuall acts
   1. Creating a false appearance of being "bigger" self inflation
   2. Ferocity for protection of self
   3. Fleeing from threat
   4. Chemical and "stink" response to threat
2. Herd activity
4. Signalling
   1. Synchronized motion to confuse predators
   2. Swarm sematics of ant mounds,Termite mounds & bee hives ^[6] where somesSoldier classes, some with hard wired "suicidal altruist behaviors".

Human models of protection

1. one
2. two

1. Samuel Hahnemann, Organon of medicine, 6th ed. (New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers, 1992).
2. Ted Kaptchuk, The web that has no weaver : understanding Chinese medicine, [Rev. ed., newly expanded and updated]. (Chicago Ill: Contemporary Books, 2000).
3. Kiiko Matsumoto, Extraordinary vessels (Princeton, N.J. :: Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic,,2004).
4. Andrew Ellis, Grasping the wind (Brookline Mass.: Paradigm Publications, 1989).
5. “Amazon.com: The Eight Extraordinary Meridians: Claude Larre, Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallee, Sandra Hill: Books,” http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1872468136/ref=ox_ya_oh_product.
6. Aleksandar Rodic, “Aleksandar Rodić - Renderman Portfolio - Matrix Composition - Winter Quarter @ SCAD 2009 - Prof. Malcolm Kesson,” Modelling Romanesco broccli fractal, http://aleksandarrodic.com/renderman/matrix.html.
7. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.math.ubc.ca/~cass/courses/m308-03b/projects-03b/skinner/images/koch_snowflake.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.math.ubc.ca/~cass/courses/m308-03b/projects-03b/skinner/ex-dimension-koch_snowflake.htm&usg=__u7MC5meLq1_J7ptG2yPRlUpL3bY=&h=346&w=300&sz=13&hl=en&start=1&sig2=oboT5RWFYduMwwPHt51uoA&tbnid=Ffl1AthA6ShQkM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkoch%2Bsnowflake%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG&ei=nRRqSpukJ-apmQfc1b2OBA
8. Samuel Hahnemann, Organon of medicine, 6th ed. (New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers, 1992).