Magic Turtle Acupuncture and Cultural Turtle Stories

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The Ling Gui Ba Fa, or 8 Methods of the Sacred Turtle, is an ancient Daoist acupuncture protocol first written about in great detail by Yang Jizhou in "Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" (Zhen Jiu Da Cheng), written in 1601.5 This technique utilizes the confluent points of the Extraordinary Vessels combined with the theory of the 10 Celestial Stems and the 12 Terrestrial Branches. The Extraordinary Vessels are considered to be the original, primal energetic channels to develop in the body; precursors to the primary channel system.

Abdominal acupuncture (map of the Sacred Turtle and the Ba Gua map), including the Shen Que (Ren 8) channel system, the use of abdominal acupuncture to harmonize the Zang Fu, treat illness and strengthening the Yuan Qi is based on ancient theories of Daoism. In the past, old qigong masters imagined a three cun taiji (yin/yang) symbol centered below the umbilicus. Embraced in the center were two energy systems, one yang and one yin. Forming this they produced the yin and yang, the ascending/descending, the entering/exiting of qi and blood throughout the body.

For many tribes the turtle is one of their totems, as such they are dedicated to honouring and protecting it. One such group is the Arakwal people of Byron Bay. Their name for the Sea -Turtle is ‘Binguing’. The ‘Binguing’ is an important messenger that provides knowledge of the sea country. Surfers and swimmers often catch a glimpse of them coming to the surface for air in the Bay. The Arakwal people believe that the turtle should be respected and protected. 

Turtles are frequently depicted in popular culture as easygoing, patient, and wise creatures. Due to their long lifespan, slow movement, sturdiness, and wrinkled appearance, they are an emblem of longevity and stability in many cultures around the world.  Turtles are regularly incorporated into human culture, with painters, photographers, poets, songwriters, and sculptors using them as subjects. They have an important role in mythologies around the world,[4] and are often implicated in creation myths regarding the origin of the Earth.[5] Sea turtles are a charismatic megafauna and are used as symbols of the marine environment and environmentalism.

The Sanskrit word 'Kurma' (Devanagari: कूर्म) means 'Tortoise' and 'Turtle'.[1] The tortoise incarnation of Vishnu is also referred to in post-Vedic literature such as the Bhagavata Purana as 'Kacchapam' (कच्छप), 'Kamaṭha' (कमठ), 'Akupara' (अकूपार), and 'Ambucara-Atmana' (अम्बुचर-आत्मना), all of which mean 'tortoise' or 'form of a tortoise'.