Jingming – Bright Eyes – Bladder 1
Winter is here. While it might not feel like the deep of winter just yet, the seasonal calendar marks the start of winter as May 6th, the midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. The ambient energy of the Element of any season is strongest at its beginning. Right now Water is in its flood. Time to catch the wave.
Winter and Water invite us to go within. Indeed the fundamental movement of the Water Element is inwards. This means turning our gaze from the outer to the inner. Of course most of us need to earn a living so we cannot totally retreat from the world and hibernate for three months. But if we are to live in accord with the seasons, our predominant focus during winter will be on our inner terrain.
The acupoint Jingming – Bright Eyes, first point of the Bladder meridian, is one that can help us make this inward turn. Traditionally it is used for physical problems of the eyes and is very good for tired eyes, redness, pain, itching and excessive or deficient lacrimation of the tear ducts. It helps with blurred vision, visual dizziness, colour blindness, photophobia and near sightedness. And when eye problems are the result of an external pathogenic invasion, by cold, wind or heat, this point is ideal.
Jingming has an influence far beyond its role as a Bladder point. It is like Grand Central Station in that many other channels and vessels pass through it. It is a meeting point with Small Intestine, Stomach, Gall Bladder and Triple Heater meridians; it is also a point of the Yin and Yang Motility Vessels. And as the entry point of Bladder meridian, it receives Qi from the Small Intestine exit point SI 19. Therefore when we hold it, we are having an effect on many energetic pathways.
You have probably seen a person take off his glasses and place thumb and forefinger to the inner corners of the eyes as a way of soothing tired eyes. This is the body’s innate intelligence at work to touch points that are needed at the moment. And you may have noticed people adopt this same posture when going within to ponder a problem.
Which brings us back to the notion of the inner eyes, for it is here that the deeper power of the point can be mined. Jarrett refers to its capacity to ‘empower the accurate perception of truth’, suggesting we can turn our bright eyes to the conceptual level of seeing what it true. This requires inner reflection and examination, things that are profoundly supported by the deep yin of winter when there is less going on in the outer world to distract us.
The more we can plumb these inner depths, contemplate the fears, dark memories and traumas that have been secreted in our inner cupboards and hidey holes; and the more we can clarify and perceive what is true about our nature, the greater will be the strength and clarity of purpose and vision that will sprout with the spring.
Location of Bladder 1
Medial (inside) and superior to (above) the inside corner of the eye. Use light pressure. The little finger is good for this point because of the proximity to the eye.