The Zen of Healing

Chinese Medicine and particularly Five Element Acupuncture recognizes a fifth season, that of the Late Summer, which we are in now… belonging to the Earth Element.

It’s a transitional time not only between Summer (Fire) and Autumn (Metal), but some texts also put Earth as a transitional element between the other elements as well… giving them ground, stability, and the unconditional love and attentiveness of the Mother.

So for those of you worried that summer was over and autumn on our doorstep… don’t fret, we’re not quite there yet! And this is such a beautiful time of year in Seattle.

According to the theory behind Classical Five Element Acupuncture, each of the five elements has a particular emotion related to it. The emotion of the Wood Element is Anger. First let me say that all five of the emotions are healthy to feel and express… despite our Western culture being particularly hard on Anger and Fear (the emotion of the Water element). Though like everything else, can manifest to an excessive degree, a deficient or repressed degree, or as we talk about in Zen… finding the Middle Way. So looking at anger for example… anger in excess may come out as sheer rage, or perhaps holding a grudge for too long or have you known someone to just seem angry ALL the time no matter what they’re doing? Unexpressed or what we may term as “lack of anger” isn’t balanced either. Perhaps you know someone who always just appears to be seething underneath, ready to blow their top at any moment. Or on a more a subtler note, we have passive aggression… which was new to me being from NY!

As I said earlier, anger can absolutely be a healthy emotion. If someone steals from you, hurts someone you love, you get wrongfully fired from your job, etc. Of course, no one would expect you to be jumping for joy. If that were the case, I’d be more concerned about how your Fire meridians were functioning, but that’s a whole other story. So when it comes to all emotion I find it helpful to keep two things in mind – how are you keeping your mind and how is the emotion expressing itself? In reality, the former will usually dictate the latter. When the mind is still and not latching onto any one thing (idea, preference, opinion), our situation can appear before us more accurately, then allowing for just the right amount of anger, fear, sadness, etc. to show up, be communicated to those involved, and then let go. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Of course, it’s easier said than done, but this is why it is so important to be engaged in body/mind/spirit practices, because it takes “practice”.

Let’s take a peak at Nature… the tree is a wonderful and ideal representation of the Wood Element. Its nature is to be strong and forward moving, with an energy that is outward and expansive… I liken it to being “assertive”. In the picture below, look how this tree branch has actually split and grown through a massive rock! (click to enlarge)

In bamboo, while possessing many of the great qualities of the Wood element we can also see an assertiveness turning into an anger-like energetic. If not appropriately taken care of or controlled, bamboo can run rampant, often resulting in difficulty for the surrounding plants but also frustration and anger for those growing it! The key here is flexibility – if we hold ourselves too rigid, we will break and crumble… if we are too loose and wobbly, then there is no growth and real potential for change. So a key point to finding the Middle Way within the Wood Element is in our ability to be flexible. Flexible, but engaged. Remember the Wood Element is also a time for Rebirth, Vision, Planning and Decision-Making… big changes happen during this time of year. So we must be assertive yet flexible, and continuously have our eyes on what is truly in front of us!

bottom-photo courtesy of David Ford

More of Nature is showing herself through the Spring season and energy of the Wood Element. Many people are experiencing major shifts in their life right now… as Nature opens its seeds and pushes through the ground to share it’s newfound glory, as should we! One of the best ways to kickoff or enhance these processes is to cleanse our body/mind/spirit of unwanted “funk”.

As mentioned in my last post, the meridians responsible for all the functions of the Wood Element in the human body are the Liver and Gallbladder meridians. I’d like to take a moment to focus on one aspect, and that is detoxification. So I’m sure many of you know that this is a chief role carried out by these Officials on a physiological level, and many people choose this time of year to do a “cleanse” or “detox”.

Detox regimens can really vary. On the extreme end, there is the Master Cleanser, essentially the only nourishment that you take in is a lemonade concoction made from lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water, six to twelve glasses per day for a minimum of 10 days (you can Google “Master Cleanser” for more details). I don’t recommend this as a first-time cleanse option. On the other end of the spectrum, you can simply take two weeks to eat only organic, whole grain foods, cutting out sugar/caffeine/alcohol, minimize meat and dairy, and only drink water or herbal teas. For something in the middle, I did a 10-day cleanse last year and it was great. Here’s the schedule:

Day 1 – fruit, raw or cooked vegetables, whole grains, half your body weight in water
Day 2 – fruit, raw or cooked vegetables, half your body weight in water
Day 3 – vegetable or diluted fruit juice, half your body weight in water
Day 4, 5, 6 – 8oz of water per hour
Day 7 – same as Day 3
Day 8 – same as Day 2
Day 9 – same as Day 1
Day 10 – slowly start to incorporate beans and other proteins

Some things to keep in mind with ANY cleanse:
- Getting enough water is REALLY important – half your body-weight in ounces at a minimum
- Having a lighter schedule from both a work and emotional standpoint would be ideal
- Incorporating a fiber supplement can also facilitate the process (I like the product G.I. Gel + Fiber, from The Herbalist, here in Seattle)
- Our skin is our largest eliminative organ, so dry skin-brushing is great
- Oxidative stress is a huge player in toxins being built up in the body – I carry two products called OPC-3 and ORAC from Nutrametrix which are superior anti-oxidant supplements (you can access my Nutrametrix web portal from my Downloads-Links page)
- While a controversial topic, many people have found exploring colon-hydrotherapy as a means to detox from many things, including heavy metals – for those in Seattle, check out the Tummy Temple
- From a Chinese medicine standpoint, the strongest time for our Gallbladder and Liver meridians is from 11pm-3am, so being in bed by 11pm and allowing our body to rest can really allow these physiological and energetic processes to happen in the most efficient ways
- Keep up with or possibly add to your mind/spirit nourishing activities – meditation, qigong, tai-chi, yoga, artwork, music-playing, etc.
- Because you are going to also be detoxing the mind and spirit, its good to let people know you are doing a cleanse. Most common reactions to the body detoxifying include headaches, changes in energy levels, fluctuating emotions, and changes in bathroom activity. Sometimes having a friend or partner do it with you can be a really great option to keep you on track and supported in all the right ways. Having professional work can also be a very powerful adjunct, either through bodywork (e.g. acupuncture, massage, reiki, etc.) or exploring more mind/spirit related avenues such as going to a spiritual center or working with a counselor.

For suggestions of some practice centers and/or practitioner referrals in the area, check out my Downloads and Links page.

Finally, Spring (Wood) and Autumn (Metal) are the best times of year to not only declutter our bodies, but also our surroundings. Take some time and see what you can let go of and how you can breathe new life into your home and office. Watch the profound effect it can have on your body, mind, and spirit!

Though it may not feel like it for those of us in Seattle… the tulips, daffodils, and crocuses are telling us loud and clear that Spring is here. With that, comes all of the very powerful energetics of the Wood element and the meridians that govern that energy within us, the Liver and Gallbladder.

We’ve had a few months of turning inward, cultivating a kind of energetic potential that only comes with the depth and stillness of the Water Element. But then as the seed pushes through the ground to show itself, as is our responsibility to as well. The “movement” of this time of year is forward, outward, and expansive – an explosion of rebirth and vibrancy. Its time to take whatever you have been mulling over and/or insights gained over the past several months and put them into action.

On a psycho-emotional-spiritual level the Liver meridian is our divine architect… the Planner. And the Gallbladder meridian, the foreman carrying out our cosmic blueprints. This extends far and wide – helping not only our ability to plan our day-to-day activities, but to help guide the way toward manifesting our authentic self and highest destiny.

This is the time of year to stretch our branches in an entirely new way and to greater lengths than ever before. The sensorial organ of the Wood Element is the eyes. So this is the time to nourish our vision on all levels… physiologically yes, but more importantly on the other levels of sight – hindsight, foresight, insight!

How do we go about doing this? Well, there are many, many ways… but here are some suggestions. If you’ve been journaling, dig it out… and see what things you can take from the paper and put into action. Or if you’ve been using the same journal for a while, perhaps refresh your envisioning process with a brand new one that brings with it the vibe of a more current “YOU”. Start a vision board – get a whole bunch of magazines, and cut out words, pictures, articles of things/people/activities: you currently love and are grateful for, those that inspire you, and finally those that you’d like to manifest more of in your life. I like using a cork board because you can then move them around if you want to… allow it to change, as you change. Perhaps consult with someone that has particular gifts in communicating with and/or exploring the Universe beyond our small self. There is a lot to be gleaned from those properly trained in astrology (of various traditions), shamanic medicine, and the I-Ching.

Most importantly, just get out there and start to show up in new ways. Bring a new intention, a new momentum, a new wisdom to everyday life! And truly SEE what shows up in front of your beautiful eyes…

Click here for more information on the Wood Element from the Classical Five Element Acupuncture perspective.

Here we have the final installment on the power of the Water Element. I’ve talked about the “Will” of Water – the innate force of Nature that can overcome all things; the “Essence” of Water – our inherited storehouse of vital energy that holds the blueprint to our very being and gives us access to our inner magic. Finally, I’d like to briefly talk about the unique qualities that are contained within our Water meridians that have a deep and profound effect on our Spirit.

This post will have a slightly different tone than the others, whereas this will be a bit more technical in Nature into the practice of Classical Five Element Acupuncture. One of the major differences between Five Element Acupuncture and other systems of Chinese Medicine, is that we largely use the points for their psycho-spiritual-emotional functions rather than their physiological ones. Not to say one approach is better than another, its just a different way to connect with a person’s energy according to their individual need.

The Kidney (KD) and Urinary Bladder (UB) meridians contain some of the most powerful of these Spirit Points. They have the ability to help resurrect, restore, navigate, inspire, and brighten the Spirit in ways that no other points can do. In most cases, if your Five Element diagnosis is Earth for example, we mainly only treat the Earth meridians because that is where the system’s root cause of imbalance is. The KD and UB meridians are the only exception to this rule, whereas regardless of a person’s Five Element diagnosis, these Spirit Points can and may need to be accessed to bring the system back into balance. And there is a wide range of actions – perhaps what’s needed is an energizing tonic point for all the major meridians like “Rich for the Vitals”, on the other hand, maybe a deep resurrection of Spirit needs to be called upon with “Spirit Burial Ground” – here lies the subtle yet beautiful art of this medicine.

I’ll leave it here, take in and observe some of these other names of Spirit Points on the Water meridians and see what comes up within your Spirit…

Spirit Hall
Spirit Storehouse
Amidst Elegance
Spirit Seal
Thought Dwelling
Walking On The Verandah
Soul Door
Spiritual Soul Gate

As previously mentioned… I feel Water is the most powerful of the five elements. In my last post, I talked about the “will” of water, its sheer power to overcome anything that comes in its path. This is an example of its power from Nature’s perspective. Let’s bring it back into the body (which is still a part of Nature, by the way). The acupuncture meridians that govern the energetics of Water in the body are the Kidney and Urinary Bladder Meridians. An extremely important function carried out, particularly by the Kidney meridian is the housing of our Essence, sometimes called our Ancestral Qi. There are many areas where Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine intersect, see each other, and nod in agreement. In the case of our Essence, this is not really the case, although one could liken aspects of it to our adrenals (which just happen to sit on top of the Kidneys).

At the time of conception, there is a finite amount of this ancestral qi that gets passed down from one generation to the next… the seed of life. It is rich, super-concentrated, and powerful, but it is also precious, and should be expended mindfully… for once its used, with the exception of certain forms of “cultivation” (i.e. years of qigong practice), it cannot be reclaimed. On a day-to-day basis, our reservoir of Qi is being tapped into and then replenished via sleep, the food we eat and the air we breathe (referred to as our Acquired Qi). But when we need to go beyond our everyday limits, it is this storehouse of ancestral reserve that needs to be invoked. And while it can be summoned on a physical level, more often than not, there tends to be more of a mental or spiritual need. Think of it like an energetic bank account – where our principal is the allotment of Essence, and the interest is the acquired qi that gets recalculated and adjusted on a daily basis… well, we want to be living off the interest as much as possible and letting the principal just be.

Above I mention our adrenals… the main contributor to adrenal fatigue is stress and/or pushing ourselves to unhealthy levels. We can see this sort of excess behavior in many, many aspects of our lives – too much eating, thinking, partying, sex (particularly in men…sorry guys), drama, work, exercise… yes, exercise! In true times of stress our sympathetic nervous system triggers what’s called “fight or flight” mode and redirects all power (from digestion, sex organs, etc.) to our extremities, giving us the ability to do what’s necessary to save ourselves if we were being chased by a lion. Even though we are not being chased by lions all that frequently, our current culture all too often has a mindset that creates a reality that thinks it needs to be on red alert WAY more often than our bodies are designed to handle. The end-result is fatigue, illness, premature aging, and bunch of other things we’d all like to stave off for as long as possible.

So how can we conserve our Essence (and our adrenals)?? The core teaching that came from the Buddha 2,500 years ago was that of the “Middle Way”. The main treatment principle in Chinese Medicine for close to 5,000 years is to attain (and sustain) balance and harmony with one’s own environment. Our western society has fallen into a place of extreme lifestyles… some too sedentary, others too overworked and overstimulated. Finding a cozy place in the middle can really open up our hearts, minds, and bodies to a life that is satisfying and vibrant. So am I saying not to party, have sex, work, or exercise?!?!? Of course not. But I believe there is a lot to learn from the wisdom of those that not only came before us, but who really benefited from these disciplines in deep and profound ways.

I briefly talked about “will” as it pertains to the Water Element in a previous post, however lets now take a closer look. Of the Five Elements, Water is the most powerful. Let’s look at it from Nature’s point of view. On the one hand, we are well aware of its destructive capacity when the oceans are stirred… it simply cannot be stopped. On the other end of the spectrum, look at how water can wear away at rock faces over years and years of rubbing up against each other. I really appreciate this aspect – it is quiet, still, patient… yet unyielding, determined, and again, unstoppable. Its qualities of fluidity and adaptability result in a type of sheer will that should be respected.

So now here’s the really wild part. Since we, as humans, are also a part of Nature and made of the Five Elements. All the qualities of Water I was just talking about also flow within us. When it is bogged down and swampy or choppy and turbulent, then that aspect of will and motivation can look something more like mental confusion/stuckness or fear-driven paranoia or even an unhealthy lack-of-fear rage (like doing dare-devil stunts). HOWEVER, if the Water flowing within us is calm, clear, and settled… then there is a tremendous ability to literally overcome all that is put in our way. What once seemed deep, dark, unknown, and scary is seamlessly navigated and taken head-on… only to come out the other side in the light and having cultivated wisdom.

What can you do to ensure a clear, vast ocean of clarity and movement? This is the time of year where we need to be expending less energy… that of introspection, reflection, and stillness. Meditation is one of the greatest activities to take up during this time of year to connect with these aspects of self (sure, I’m a little biased). Other slow-moving meditative activities as well… such as yoga, tai-qi, qi gong… really any of the more ‘internal’ martial arts. If you are currently a martial artist, consider focusing more of your attention to your forms or katas over the next few months. In truth, no one practice is better than another for everybody… it is an individual resonance, an individual choice.

See the “Downloads and Links” page for some great referrals to some of these services.

The leaves, fruits (except for a few persimmons – see previous post), flowers, all of Nature’s gifts have fallen to the ground, and found their way back into the earth, back to its source… the Tao. The cycle of life, like the calendar year, has reached both an end, and a new beginning. This new beginning, both literally and metaphorically, starts with a seed. A seed that is deep and still… and simultaneously gathering power, amassing tremendous potential, to finally manifest its will in the coming of the Spring. We see this same potent power in the deep ocean – wherein also lies the capacity to be still, deep, and reflective… yet at a moment’s notice, it can be turbulent, unyielding, and even destructive.

As for US during the year, this is a time of going inward… connecting with our own capacity to be still and go deep within ourselves. It is a time of reflection, cleansing, and cultivation. Reflecting on this year’s harvest – its moments of growth, connection, nourishment, inspiration along with its moments of chaos, loneliness, starvation, and letting go. Then can we look in the pond and see ourselves staring back at us in the present – who am I today, what have I become, and finally… what is to come?

Its an uncharacteristic winter here in Seattle. We generally don’t see temperatures below freezing, let alone snow (usually small amounts) until the mid to end of the season. I did a bit of digging and this is the whitest Christmas in the Pacific Northwest since 1861… estimating between 10-20″ (depending on how north) inches of snow thus far!

What does this have to do with persimmons?? With the unusual low temperatures and large amounts of snow… when you’d think all organic life is either hibernating or has returned to the Earth for ‘recycling’, there remains a good number of persimmons still holding onto their branches here at Blue Heron Zen Community. Zen being a constant practice of inquiry and investigation, I was curious as to why? And if I asked this question to one of my teachers… they would surely say something like, “Go ask a persimmon.” So I layered up and ventured outside to converse with some persimmons… ask, “what are you holding onto? and why?”

I only received a glimmer of an answer. An insight into the oneness of all things… that I and the persimmon are not different or separate. By asking the persimmon this question, I was actually asking my own mind. At this point, the only appropriate thing to do was bow and say, “thank you for your teaching.”

To explore this from a less esoteric and more cognitive view – Five-Element acupuncture and philosophy puts the Winter season as the time of the Water Element. I’ll be doing a whole post dedicated to the Water Element and its associated meridians of the Kidney and Urinary Bladder. There are two energetic aspects of the Water Element that came up for me in relation to the persimmons… Fear and Will. These are big topics that could (and probably will) be entire posts of their own. But here I ask my own mind, and maybe you find yourself asking your own, the following:

What are you afraid of? Can you let go? Are you afraid of the fall? Is it the unknown of where you’ll land or the unknown of the journey down? Say you let go, fall, and land… then what?

Do you have the will to overcome? Is it your will in imbalance that keeps you hanging on? Can you find the willingness to fall, change, even decay… but then transform and give birth to something new, vibrant, and powerful? Is there trust in this natural process that has happened countless times to numberless beings over infinite time and space? Harnessing the will of Water allows us to transcend the fear of the unknown and come out the other side with wisdom and insight.

Just like us, some persimmons fall when ‘nudged’, come back to Source and transform into something new. Others take a bit longer. Still others will continue to hold on. No situation better than the other… they are just as they are. No matter what, they will continue to change moment to moment to moment… what will you do with this one right here, right now?

Jennifer Dubowsky L.Ac, a wonderfully experienced practitioner out of Chicago, does a great job of talking about the esoteric concepts of Yin and Yang:

The concept of Yin and Yang is said to date back nearly 6,000 years and has been attributed to a philosopher named Fu Shi. It is a familiar symbol that expresses constantly changing interactions.

Yin and yang have no fixed, precise definition. Instead, they refer to two complementary concepts which include the relationships of: positive and negative; dynamic and inert; creative and destructive; obvious and subtle; and kinetic and potential.

It reminds us that seemingly opposing forces are bound together and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn. The concept lies at the heart of many branches of classic Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The basic premise of yin and yang is the notion that the only constant factor in the universe is change. Nothing remains the same; no disease, no condition, no emotion, no treatment or diagnosis. Everything is constantly changing.

Yin represents that which endures, nourishes and supports growth. It also refers to something contracting and moving inward, such as calm rather than activity.
Yang, on the other hand, is all that is creative and generating; it develops and expands.

Here are a few examples:

Yin:
Earth
Autumn
Dark
Female
Left
Low
Moisture

Yang:
Heaven
Spring
Light
Male
Right
High
Dryness

It is believed that yin and yang exists in everything.

Yin and yang are not static concepts. They are constantly influencing each other. There is always some element of yin within yang and vice versa. Look closely at the picture of the Yin and Yang symbol and you will see the dot of Yin within Yang and the dot of Yang with Yin.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, yin and yang refer to energies and functioning modes of organs and body functions. Your healthy state is created by the right balance of yin and yang. Therefore, it is advisable to make choices that contribute to balance in our lives.

Jennifer’s blog is Acupuncture Blog Chicago, check it out!