I heard once that in the beginning, Jiro Murai used only the Mediator harmonizing flow. At the time, Jiro called it Izanagi and Izanami after the Shintoist Primordial Deities. And indeed, it is easy to see the parallel between the swirling of the ocean by Izanagi and Izanami creating the Japanese islands and the swirling action of the Mediator activating our energetic body.
In those early days of his practice, according to the story, Jiro gave everyone either Izanagi (the Left Mediator) or Izanami (the Right Mediator) harmonizing flows. We might have two textbooks and three self-help books full of wonderful sequences now, but the Mediator flow remains one of the most essential to our harmony. Here is what Mary Burmeister says about it:
This is the “mediator”. Therefore, this energy is the cause for disharmony in the body.”
Mary Burmeister, Self-Help Book 1, p.18,
This being “mediator” flow, if it is not in harmony, it will be the main cause for malfunctions in body energy circulation patterns.
Mary Burmeister, Textbook 1, p. 52
So, why is the Mediator so important? Plainly speaking, it is the link between our long-standing destructive mental habits, called attitudes in JSJ, and the energetic harmony of our individualized body. Our attitudes disharmonize the Mediator, which in turn fails to keep the rest of the energy in harmony. And so if we are very anxious for a prolonged amount of time such a mental state will prevent the Mediator from keeping our 1st Depth in harmony. And with the 1st Depth, Stomach and Spleen Function will be affected and after that, physical symptoms will begin to appear. Sadness and grief and any similar habit will directly prevent the Mediator from keeping the 2nd Depth and the Lung and Large Intestine Function Energy in harmony. Here is a table for all the five attitudes and how they affect the Mediator.
| Attitude | Examples of thought patterns | Depth Mediator fails to harmonize | 12-Fold Function Energy Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worry | Mental restlessness, Being constantly preoccupied, Constant plotting/planning mental chatter | 1st Depth | Stomach FE Spleen FE |
| Sadness | sadness, grief dejection, depression | 2nd Depth | Lung FE Large Intestine FE |
| Anger | irritability, irritation frustration anger, rage | 3rd Depth | Gall Bladder FE Liver FE |
| Fear | fearful state, insecurity recklessness | 4th Depth | Bladder FE Kidney FE |
| Trying-To | self-criticism, hyper critical, perfectionism judgmental | 5th Depth | Heart FE Small Intestine FE |
Have I convinced you how important it is to keep our Mediator flow harmonized? Fighting mental habits is a losing proposition. By the very process of fighting a thought, we make it important and give it the power to hurt us. At best, we can change our focus to positive thoughts and leave the negative habits starved out of our attention. Until then, however, why not offset any harmful effects of those hurtful attitudes by keeping our Mediator in harmony? Here is how to do it.
- Sit comfortably and keep your knees touched.
- Place one hand on the opposite shoulder
- With the other hand, form a circle with your thumb placed over the ring fingernail.
Remember to breathe!
Thank you so much!