Day 33: Wood energy; Liver/Gall Bladder
In the Chinese 5 Element theory, Water nourishes Wood. Please refer to my writing on the 5 Element theory and the five pointed star, Day 21. This is a fantastic picture of that. The Water below is nourishing the roots in the ground of the trees. In the Springtime, which is Wood energy time, the energy is strong enough to push the buds out of the trees and bushes, and the blades of grass through the dirt to the top of the ground. It is also strong enough to push someone over the edge if they are unstable. There is always a double-edged sword in Nature.
The tree pushes downward with its roots and at the same time pushes upward out of the ground, reaching to the sky. It is bending and yielding, but durable and strong. It is a great metaphor of a human living on earth and reaching to the heavens, and in growing gives birth again and again to new life each Spring season. It marks our seasons, and you can tell which season it represents just by looking at its stage of growth or death. Actually, the tree isn’t dying when it sheds its leaves, but letting the leaves go so that as the winter comes, the tree doesn’t have to nourish the leaves so that it can give it to the trunk and roots.
When Spring comes around again, the nourished and rested tree produces an even greater tree than the year before. Just a little hint about the next element story coming of Fire, which follows Wood, when the tree is done with life, it either is cut down, or falls down and surrenders itself to the element of Fire. It can be burned and still provide another cycle for us by keeping us warm. Its ashes will nourish the ground for the next thing that grows there.
If the tree is not healthy; hence, the person, this could manifest as off-balanced (which is why a person could be pushed over the edge). They feel disconnected with the earth, may feel dizzy, be confused, have trouble creating ‘roots’ for oneself and can be easily uprooted. If the tree has stopped growing, again the human, paralysis of any type can set in causing feelings of entrapment, feeling smothered, have nightmares of being trapped, abdominal pains, etc. If the tree, hence the human, didn’t get enough nourishment or sunlight, it can manifest in a weak spine, or limbs become inflexible, arthritic.
The Liver Yin Meridian begins at the top of the big toe Liv1, goes up the top of the foot to the medial side of the leg and thigh and up to the pubic region where it encircles the external genitalia then enters the lower abdomen. It connects to the liver organ and gall bladder, ribs, and connects with the lungs. The last palpable point that we can needle is Liv14 which is located right below the nipple, in the 6th intercostal region. Internal branches move through the throat and connect with the eyes. The Liver energy opens to the eyes, and that is why it is the Organ associated with having a Vision.
The Liver Organ pathologies can manifest as a vertex headache, hernias, dry throat, hiccups, enuresis, dysuria, and mental disturbances. If you cough up blood, that is Liver Fire Scorching the Lungs. You have to calm the Liver Fire to stop that bleeding. Pathologies along the Liver pathway can manifest as pain in the lower back (Kidney can produce that, as well), fullness in the chest, and pain in the lower abdomen. Because Liver is associated with Blood, it can have an effect on the menstrual cycles, as well, with cramps during the cycle.
The Gall Bladder is the Yang partner to Liver, and it is responsible to be the action part of the Vision, to carry the vision out. It begins its’ pathway at the outer canthus of the eye GB1 and moves down to the front of the ear, to the temple and zigzags over the side of the head and to the portion of the neck where the upper portion of the sternocleidomastoideus muscle inserts, then through the highest portion of the top of the shoulder and down the side of the body and the lateral portion of the leg ending at GB44 on the 4th toe. It is a very large pathway and touches a whole lot of body. One of the things typical in imbalance of this meridian is one-sided pain. If you have a headache only on one side of your head, it is probably the Gall Bladder Meridian that needs treating. If you have a Vision you can’t carry out, it is probably the GB meridian, but if you can’t SEE a Vision, it is more than likely a Liver meridian issue.
It has been known that if you are treating a person with certain type of ‘stuck’ issues, you may be able to affect a change by needling points on the meridian, itself. It may be enough to move the stuck energy in the meridian; thus, move the action needed to be taken to move you in life. I know that you have heard of phantom pain when someone has a limb amputated yet they still feel the pain as if the part were still there. That could be because the meridian doesn’t get cut off and the energy is still cycling through the pathways and it is stagnant. I have heard of acupuncturists actually needling the area where the leg or arm would be if it were still there and affecting a change. If a leg has been cut off, I’ve heard of the acupuncturist putting a mirror there to reflect the leg that’s still attached so they can be sure to get the actual point. I have not had that privilege so I can’t attest to that, but it makes total sense to me. People have said, “I don’t have a gallbladder anymore”, but I tell them they still have the energy pathway there.
Next Meridians will be Fire/Heart and Small Intestine. Does anyone have any questions for me? Please be sure to ask because I know this is a lot to learn if it is foreign to you. But, I hope you enjoy learning about how your body works Chinese style.
