Category Archives: Breathing difficulty

Resurrecting Spirit

Breathing difficulty, Depression, Psycho-emotional, Spirit, , , ,

As we come to the end of a cold, wet winter in southern Australia, many minds are turning towards spring. Before we leave the winter and the Water Element, let’s have a look at a powerful spirit point of the Kidney meridian.

Lingxu – Spirit Burial Ground – Kidney 24

2.17The character Lingxu is made up of two parts, ling meaning spirit, and zu meaning an old burial ground or a wild wasteland. Ling depicts three shamans dancing, supplicating the spirits for rain.[i] The character for doctor or healer also contains the image of a shaman. All of this puts me in mind of Kaptchuk’s description of JR Worsley, father of the modern Five Element tradition, as the greatest shamanistic healer he had ever seen.[ii]

Worsley’s background predisposed him to regard healing as more than just working with the physical and emotional aspects of a person. His acupuncture work retained the aspects of spirit that were excised by the Chinese communists when they created what they called Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the 1950s and 60s.

Most texts of TCM pay little regard to the esoteric aspects of the Kidney points of the upper chest, utilising them simply for physical conditions related to respiration, chest pain and vomiting. In the Five Element tradition, these points can be used to deeply touch a person at the level of spirit. Perhaps the most powerful of these is Lingxu – Spirit Burial Ground.

Lingxu, K 24, lies in the middle of a string of points that begins with K 22 Walking on the Verandah and ends with K 27 Store House. These points lie in the region of the heart and are a reminder of the significant relationships between Kidney and Heart, Water and Fire, jing and shen. K 22 is the exit point of the Kidney channel, where Qi moves to Heart Protector in the Wei Qi cycle. The remaining points on the meridian represent a mysterious journey of spirit into the darker regions of the human spiritual experience. “The spirit burial ground can appear as a dark foreboding place to those who have not cultivated the virtues of faith, wisdom and reverence for the will of heaven.”[iii]

One of the most profound uses of this point is to treat what is known as a spirit block. This is when the person’s spirit had become disconnected in some way from the bodymind. When it appears that a person’s spirit has died; when his life appears as a dry and barren landscape, lacking in direction and meaning; when the structures of the ego-self have obscured the True Self to such a degree that connection to True Nature has been lost, Lingxu has the capacity to restore a person’s connection to source.

The struggles of the spirit described here recall the notion of the dark night of the soul, first stated in a poem by 16th century Christian mystic John of the Cross. The main idea of the poem can be seen as the painful experience that people endure as they seek to grow in spiritual maturity and union with God. This journey through darkness to the spiritual light can be seen as an explication of these Kidney points of the chest, and of K 24 in particular.

In treating this point, the intention of the practitioner will determine the level of the client’s being that is addressed. If the practitioner uses the point with the intention of clearing a cough and improving breathing, the effects will be restricted to the physical level. There will be a very different effect when the intention is to revive a person’s spirit and his connection with the Tao.

[i] Ellis A, Wiseman N & Boss K, Grasping the Wind, Paradigm 1989, p. 380
[ii] Eckman P, In the Footsteps of the Yellow Emperor, Cypress 1996, p.173
[iii] Jarrett L, The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine, Spirit Path 2003, p. 452

2.18Location of Kidney 24

Located in the chest at the side of the sternum, the point lies in the third intercostal space and 2 cun lateral to the midline. Note that in males it is one rib space above the level of the nipple. Use direct, moderate pressure.

 

This is an extract from the forthcoming book ‘The Way of the Five Elements’ by John Kirkwood, Singing Dragon Press. Publication date November 21st, 2015. You can now pre-order this book at Fishpond, Book Depository and other online booksellers. (108 days to go!)

A Fork in the Road

Arm pain, Asthma, Breathing, Breathing difficulty, Constipation, Grief, Headache, Immune system, Psycho-emotional, Smell, Urination, , , , , ,

Lieque – Broken Sequence – Lung 7

6.11 It was Yogi Berra who advised: when you come to a fork in the road, take it! The Metal fork we are taking here lies on the pathway of the Lung meridian at the point Lieque – Broken Sequence. The break in the sequence refers to the fact that Qi exits the Lung meridian at this point, rather that the last point of the channel, and enters the Large Intestine meridian at LI 4 rather than the first point of that meridian.

The reference to forks doesn’t end here. The famous 12th century physician Ma Dan-yang, who included this point as one of his Eleven Heavenly Star points, described it as ‘a thunderhead splitting fire’. His description is derived from the fact that Leique was an ancient term for lightning which descends to earth in forked bolts. A look at the pathway of Lung channel at this point reveals a sudden deviation that resembles a lightning bolt.

As a significant point on the Lung channel, it treats respiratory conditions such as asthma, phlegmy cough, wheezing and difficult breathing. It is particularly useful for conditions of the nose, including loss of the sense of smell, nasal congestion, discharge and obstruction. Because of its capacity to expel wind, circulate the defensive Qi and stimulate sweating, it is often used in the early stages of colds and flu. For these its effectiveness is increased when used in combination with LI 4 and LI 20.

Not only is Lieque the exit point of Lung, but also the luo-connecting point which connects it to the Large Intestine meridian. This twin connection to its partner meridian makes the point doubly effective in treating conditions along the pathway of Large Intestine, including pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulder, throat and face. It also treats constipation and headaches, including migraines.

The emotion of grief is said to reside in the Lung and Lieque is helpful in releasing the oppression of grief and sadness that have been held inside. It helps to open the chest, improve breathing and can facilitate the release of grief by crying.

The influence of this point on Metal is only half of its story, for Lieque is also the master point of the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel). This vessel is an energy field covering the area from the perineum to the chin which unites all of the yin meridians. Lieque can release blocks throughout the Conception Vessel but has a particular effect on the chest, uterus, genitals and upon a wide range of urinary disorders such as difficult, burning and painful urination.

As the luo-connecting point of a yin meridian it has particular powers to treat psycho-emotional disorders. It assists in letting go of those things that are no longer serving us, making space for the new. It is also known for uncontrolled laughter and frequent yawning. And one final thing before I forget, it is noted especially for poor memory.

So if you forgot where you put that fork, try Lieque.

6.12Location of Lung 7

 

Located on the side of the radius bone, 1.5 cun above the wrist crease in a cleft between the tendons of brachioradialis and abductor pollicus longus. Use moderate, direct pressure.

 

 

News about the forthcoming book

Thanks very much to all who suggested titles. Your input is appreciated. My publisher and I have decided upon The Way of the Five Elements as a title.

Publisher: Singing Dragon Press (Jessica Kingsley Publishers), London

Publication date: 21 November 2015

Price: £14.99

Colour Hardback 240 pp.

Stay tuned for more news.