In this exclusive MysticMag interview, Josephine Spilka shares her transformative journey from patient to professional in the field of Chinese medicine and holistic health. Discover the personalized approach she takes in her one-on-one retreats, her unique Body Geography course, and her passion for mentoring others in the art of internal cultivation and healing.
What did your professional beginnings look like and how did you get into this line of work?
Long before I became a professional, I was a patient dealing with various health problems. In my 20s, I sought help from an acupuncturist, and the transformative experience led me to explore Chinese medicine, which resonated deeply with me and inspired my journey into holistic health and healing practices. It was poetic, beautiful, and it made complete sense to me.
What are your one-on-one retreats like and how do you personalize them to get the most benefits for each individual client?
A one-on-one retreat means just me and one person for a minimum of one day, but often for multiple days. Whether they come for meditation or health, I provide a full Chinese medicine diagnosis and tailor the food, activities, treatment, and teachings to their specific situation. Typically on a given day, we have a couple of meals together, a treatment or meditation session, a workshop on diet, exercise, or spiritual interests. Additionally, I incorporate photography to help clients see themselves more deeply. Every aspect of the retreat is designed to support the client’s unique journey.
What can people hope to learn through your mentoring?
In the way I like to work, mentoring is less about learning in the usual sense and more about internal cultivation, which means finding and empowering you on your own path. I mentor people in both Chinese medicine and meditation, deepening their existing skills, expanding their idea of what is possible, and bringing together the many streams of interest and experience that make the river of life. My role is to help people see where they are on their path and navigate the terrain towards their desired destination. Together, we use various tools and practices to enhance their journey, often building on what they’re already doing and addressing any new needs that arise.
What is Body Geography and how does it work?
Body Geography is a course I designed to introduce people to the five-channel system of classical Chinese medicine. In classical Chinese medicine, we see the body in a dynamic and dimensional way, with different layers. Where in Western medicine, we have muscles, nerves, and the skeleton, very physical aspects of the body, in Chinese medicine we include not only the structural physical aspects but also the dynamic energetic aspects of bodies. We define the outer layer which protects us, the nutritive layer which nourishes us, and the essence layer which gives us our uniqueness. The course presents the ways these layers interact through the 3 structural channel systems in concert with the two on-demand systems that assist the body in responding to pathological situations. This approach to the body, both its health and its pathology is powerfully effective under almost any circumstance.
Apart from Body Geography, what other courses do you offer?
I have three online courses in Chinese medicine; Body Geography, The Nectar of Plants, and The Three-Legged Vessel. The Nectar of Plants features essential oils and Chinese medicine. You can find this course on its own website: https://www.thenectarofplants.com/. The Nectar of Plants is ideal for beginners or for experienced practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of how to use plant medicine in the context of classical Chinese medicine as it introduces a lot of foundational concepts. The other is called The Three-Legged Vessel: Classical Thinking for the Primary Channels. For those who are unfamiliar, a three-legged vessel was a special kind of cooking vessel from ancient China. You can find some beautiful pieces of this kind of vessel in many museums. In the course, we use this image to fashion the treatments based on the three times: past, present, and future.
Currently, I offer a number of courses both online and in-person for those wishing to engage in the path of meditation. Most recently, I started offering retreats focused on Guan Yin, a Bodhisattva of Compassion, a Goddess of Mercy and Grace. Guan Yin is a beloved figure from Chinese culture who responds to anyone in trouble if they simply call her name. Doing her practice frees you to embody love and compassion benefiting yourself and your world.
What is your favorite part of your profession?
My favorite part is that it’s always changing. It’s always different. It’s amazing to watch how people and their bodies evolve over time. There’s so much room for growth and exploration, and it’s very exciting to me. After 30 years, I’m still fascinated by the expression of yin and yang in the world because it’s endlessly, infinitely changing and beautiful.
Is there anything else about your work that you’d like to share that we haven’t covered?
We’ve touched on the main aspects of my work, which include one-to-one retreats, primarily health-focused, and group meditation retreats. Additionally, I write on Substack, Monday Morning Notes, offering (mostly) weekly insights to help people integrate Chinese medicine, and meditation perspectives into their lives.
To learn more about Josephine’s work, you can visit:
– Substack: josephinespilka.substack.com
– One to One Retreats: www.josephinespilka.com
– Courses and Group Retreats: www.essencepresence.com
