Craftspeople, practitioners and authors whose work we love. We don't sell these creations: we simply share them because they touched us.
Nicolas Rivault's sacred shapes
Qi, often translated as "vital breath" or "energy", flows everywhere. In the West, the idea can sometimes seem esoteric. In Asia, it is a familiar and natural concept, and every practitioner of Chinese medicine knows it well. Qi Gong and Tai Chi are not just gymnastic movements, Feng Shui is not just about arranging a room, and acupuncture, of course, is not just about placing needles: they are all practices that harmonise Qi.
In Chinese medicine teaching, many teachers speak of "miasmas", a pathogenic Qi that may come from the patient and "cling" to the practitioner. Practitioners are taught energy-cleansing exercises to do regularly, sometimes even between two patients. But between appointments, there isn't always time for these exercises.
If you do a lot of moxibustion, the mugwort you burn already helps, according to tradition, to purify the atmosphere of the treatment room.
Our own culture has its geometric shapes, which carry a particular resonance. You can find them in the stained-glass windows, rose windows and ornaments of churches and cathedrals.
Nicolas Rivault is a geobiologist, energy healer and cabinetmaker. He cuts these shapes from noble materials and makes them with intention, to help cleanse and harmonise the Qi of your practice, your home or even a person.
The Flower of Life
Hang it vertically on a wall: it helps Qi circulate in the room.
The Angels' Triskelion
Place it on the floor, under the treatment table. It captures and cleanses miasmas before they cling to the practitioner.
The Atom
Hang it vertically on a wall. It helps "switch off the mind" of both patient and practitioner, so that the treatment takes place in better conditions.
The Seed of Life
Hang it vertically on a wall. It gives Qi a colour, that of a chakra, and is positioned so that this colour points upwards.
Beyond their subtle effects, they are also beautiful decorative objects.
Where to find them: these creations are sold directly by Nicolas Rivault, on his website nicolas-rivault.fr.
If we feature them here, it is simply because we find them exceptional… and because, by being displayed on our website, they bring it good Qi :)
Médecine chinoise et cuisine française (Chinese medicine and French cuisine), by Michel-Philippe Rastoul
Michel-Philippe Rastoul is an acupuncturist. In this book, he adapts the main principles of Chinese dietetics to our everyday cooking, with no impossible-to-find ingredients or exotic recipes.
Through ten precepts and plenty of practical advice, he helps you identify your dominant temperament among the five described by Chinese medicine, then support it with suitable food and recipes that follow the seasons.
This book is full of common sense and kindness. It goes well beyond the usual naturopathic advice, too often made of deprivation and guilt, and sometimes tinged with sensationalism. Here, you learn to eat better with pleasure, gently.
It is a clear and lively book, to keep for yourself or to give as a gift. Practitioners will also find in it plenty to help them advise their patients on their diet. Please note: the book is in French.
Where to find it: the book can be ordered directly from the author, by email at michelrastoul@orange.fr.