Heaven, Earth, and the Geometry of Being Human

#431

October 21, 2025

Cosmology, Philosophy

Heaven, Earth, and the Geometry of Being Human
Rory Hiltbrand

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Ever wonder if being human is less about mechanics and more about patterns? Not the kind of patterns you memorize in a textbook, but the ones that repeat like spirals in a sunflower, or the way a thought can shape the body before we even realize it.

In this conversation with Rory Hiltbrand, we wander through the field of being human—where Daoist numerics, fractals, and the golden ratio intersect with medicine and daily practice. Rory draws from both classical Daoist thought and his own clinical experience, weaving geometry, physiology, and spirit into something that feels both practical and mysterious.

Listen into this discussion as we explore the body as a field and the mind as its knower, how intention can be grounded in embodied experience rather than wishful thinking, why ministerial fire might look a lot like the nervous system, and the curious ways symmetry becomes a treatment strategy.

What I love in talking with Rory is how ideas that seem abstract at first end up grounding us in clinic. Patterns that echo through heaven and earth can also help us know when the best time to treat is simply when the patient is on the table.

In this episode, we discuss:

The Field of Being Human – exploring morphogenic fields and Gregory Bateson’s “pattern that connects,” and how Chinese medicine reflects these unseen dynamics.
Daoist Numerics and Fractals – numbers understood not as quantities but as relational laws, with fractals showing repeating patterns across scales of life and clinic.
Heaven and Earth Dynamics – the unmanifest qi of heaven mirrored in the manifest body of earth, illustrating how mind and body reflect larger cosmologies.
The Body as a Field – drawing from the Bhagavad Gita’s image of the body as farmland and the mind as its knower, where thoughts become seeds shaping physiology.
Mind-Body Interplay – how emotions like fear, worry, and love spark physiological changes such as adrenaline, gastric acid, or oxytocin.
Intention in Clinical Practice – shifting intention away from wishful thinking toward embodied, experiential awareness that can be transmitted through treatment.
Connecting Heaven and Grounding to Earth – theory may connect upward to heaven, but practice must ground downward into the immediacy of working with patients.
Ministerial vs. Imperial Fire – reframing imperial fire as metabolic heat and ministerial fire as nervous system energy, balancing physiology with consciousness.
Addiction, Trauma, and Guest Energy – how lingering patterns from past experiences (guest qi) can be felt in the pulse and shape health outcomes.
The Dong Han Four Gates – using Gallbladder 34 and Heart 8 to balance imperial and ministerial fires, calming nervous system stress and emotional turbulence.
Symmetry in Treatment – clinical choices guided by mirrored relationships in the body, where symmetry itself creates therapeutic effect.
Music, Emotion, and Numerics – how yin and yang qualities of emotion show up in song, with heartbreak woven into love and sadness shaping the most powerful music.

In pursuit of knowledge connected to Heaven, in clinical practice ground to Earth. Simplicity is a hallmark of deep wisdom.

Rory Hiltbrand, DACM, L.Ac

I received my doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts. I also spent a semester in China treating stroke patients at Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Teaching Hospital. For the past decade, I’ve been studying under Grandmaster Sung Baek, the 73rd Grandmaster of the Korean Daoist Lineage, the Dong Han Clan.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Economics from the University of Richmond, where I conducted Chaos Theory research for the National Science Foundation. I have a deep passion for decoding the timeless wisdom of the Dao through the lens of modern mathematics and physics, and I love exploring thematic principles and patterns that connect seemingly diverse paths, perspectives, and practices.

I hold a utility patent for a molecular water structuring device which supports a wide range of biological functions. I’m also one of the first Chinese Medicine doctors to corner professional fights on UFC Fight Pass, including events like EBI, Polaris, and Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds.

I actively train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, finding grounding and peace of mind through martial arts.