Category Archives: Earth Element

Completing a Cycle

Blood, Digestion, Earth Element, Knee problems, Menstrual disorders, Oedema, Reflux, Tiredness, Transitions, xi-cleft points, , , , ,

Here we complete the year-long series of blogs on the xi-cleft points. Under the microscope today are the Earth points of this category. If you are puzzling over why I’m considering the Earth Element in the late winter in the southern hemisphere, it is because we are now in the 18-day transition phase between winter and spring. For those in the northern hemisphere, the transition is between summer and autumn, namely the late summer, that is more usually associated with Earth. The previous blog looked at how the dates of these transitions are calculated.

The xi-cleft points, sometimes known as accumulation points, are places where the Qi of the channel accumulates and dives more deeply down. They are known to treat acute conditions of the organ.  They are also known to treat stagnation, both in the organ and in the corresponding emotion.

Stomach 34 ~ Liangqiu ~ Ridge Mound

The mound here refers to the rectus femoris muscle of the thigh, which is adjacent to this point. There are many acupoints with mound in their names. Mounds are raised places where we can see further and find greater perspective. Liangqiu can support us in finding balance and perspective around nourishment, both in what food we eat, how we eat, as well as the nourishment we get from relationships and other influences that we let into our lives. One of the ways that Earth can be thrown off its axis is when there is an imbalance between receiving nourishment from others and giving of ourselves to others. Another translation of Liangqiu is “Beam Mound”. A beam provides both support and balance, and this point brings both of those qualities to this issue of nourishing self and others.

Stomach 34 is known for treating a wide variety of stomach related conditions including epigastric pain and swelling, and rebellious Qi conditions such as regurgitation, acid reflux, nausea and vomiting. It treats swelling, stiffness and pain in the knee, difficulty with flexion and extension of the knee, and coldness in the knee and leg. It is also used to treat stagnation in the breasts, which lie higher up the Stomach channel. Mastitis, swelling, pain and abscesses in the breasts can be addressed.

Location of Stomach 34

2 cun above the top of the lateral border of the patella, in a depression between rectus femoris and vastus lateralis. The height of the patella, top to bottom, is considered to be 2cun and so can be used as a guide.

Spleen 8  ~ Diji ~ Earth Pivot

The name of this character, Diji, has many translations: Earth Pivot, Earth Cure, Earth Crux, Earth Motivator, Earth Basket.

Earth Pivot echoes the name of Stomach 25, Celestial Pivot. Indeed, the ancients saw three Earth points as representing the upper (SP 21), middle (ST 25) and lower (SP 8) aspects of the human body, corresponding to Heaven, Human and Earth respectively. Thus, Diji treats conditions of the lower body. The 16th century physician Yan Zhen-shi went so far as to claim, “There is no condition of the lower region that cannot be treated with Diji.” Big call!

The xi-cleft points of the yin meridians are famous for treating blood disorders, especially blood stasis. Since the Spleen is responsible for producing blood and for regulating the distribution of blood and fluids, it can be deduced that Spleen 8 will be particularly useful for blood issues. Any menstrual irregularities therefore respond to this point. This includes irregular, painful or scanty periods. It treats pain and distension of the abdomen, diarrhoea, leucorrhoea, oedema and difficult urination.

If we consider the alternative name of Earth Motivator, we can see how it can be used to energise the Earth Element, clearing stagnation, and resolving damp and its accompanying sensations of feeling drained and lethargic. It supports the healthy quality of Spleen that provides upward lift. One of the problems that can occur when Earth is out of balance is that of inertia. Inertia is often interpretated as doing nothing, an inability to get moving. However, it really refers to things continuing in their current state, so it equally applies to the person who can’t stop moving. This point therefore supports appropriate rest and movement.

This last thought makes me think of the tussle that occurs in the transition from late winter to early spring. One day we are pulled to outside activity on a bright sunny day, only to be driven indoors the next by a cold and rainy day. This back and forth between winter and spring can make for some frustration, so I’ll be using Spleen 8 in the next week or so to help me through this transition. Let’s see if it works.

See you again in our southern spring when I’ll be starting a new round of season-related blogs.

Location of Spleen 8

5 cun below the knee crease on the inside of the leg. Divide the distance between the knee crease and the ankle into three parts. The point is one third down from the knee and on the back border of the tibia bone.

Charting the Seasons

Cross Quarter Days, Earth Element, Equinox, Seasons, Solstice, Transitions, , , , ,

Note: this article references the seasons in the southern hemisphere. Our northern cousins need to reverse the seasons.

One of the questions I am asked most often is, “When do the seasons start?” Given that treatments are stronger when an Element is treated in its own season, it is important to know when each season begins. Here in Australia the spring is considered to begin on September 1st, summer on December 1st, autumn on March 1st and winter on June 1st.  Some sources suggest this is a historical convention because the soldiers who guarded the convicts in the early years of European settlement changed from winter to summer uniforms on December 1st and from summer to winter uniforms on June 1st.

Meanwhile, in Europe and North America, the start of each season is based on the solstices and equinoxes, so spring begins on the spring equinox, March 21st, summer on the midsummer solstice, June 22nd, autumn on the autumn or fall equinox, September 23rd, and winter on the midwinter solstice, June 21st. (These dates can change by a day depending on which time zone you live in.)

Neither of these conventions describes the charting of the seasons in the Chinese medicine calendar whose method presupposes that the midwinter solstice marks the middle of winter, and the midsummer solstice marks the middle of summer. The clue is in the name!

Let’s begin with this chart of the solstices where the midsummer solstice at the top represents the peak of summer, of the Fire Element and of the greatest yang. The midwinter solstice at the bottom represents the depth of winter, of the Water Element, and of the deepest yin.

Now let’s add the midpoints between the solstices. These are the equinoxes. The word equinox means equal night; in other words, the days and nights are of equal length and the time of the sunrise in the morning matches the time of the sunset in the evening. While these may seem to be the same thing, energetically, things are rising at the spring equinox with the Wood Element (yang), while things are falling at the autumn equinox with the Metal Element (yin).

Next, we can divide these four “quarter days” to find the “cross-quarter days”. It is these dates which give us the start of the seasons in the Chinese medicine calendar. Thus, August 8th is the start of spring, November 7th the start of summer, February 4th the start of autumn, and May 6th the start of winter. If this seems far too early, consider that in the ancient Celtic tradition of northern Europe, the Celts also had an eye for these cross-quarter days, but they celebrated them even earlier. For them, Imbolc (lamb’s milk) started spring on February 2nd. The Christian church adopted this as Candlemas and now in North America it is Groundhog Day. The Celtic Beltane on May 1st marked the beginning of summer and the betrothal of young couples. Lammas on August 1st marked the start of autumn and the harvest time. Finally, Samhain on October 31st was the beginning of winter when livestock was brought in from distant pastures. Now of course, this is celebrated as Halloween.

So now we have four distinct seasons representing four of the Five Elements: spring is Wood, summer is Fire, autumn is Metal, and winter is Water. But what of the fifth Element, the Earth? The classic text, Neijing Su Wen tells us that Earth corresponds to late summer. (Su Wen chapter 4) This is the harvest time, sandwiched between summer and autumn. But why is such an important Element only given a sandwich instead of a whole meal? Elsewhere the Su Wen tells us, “In the division of the four seasons, the time of the [Earth] is the last eighteen days of each season.” (Chapter 29) If we add up the 4 x 18 days we get 72 days altogether which gives the Earth its full quota. So instead of just being the late summer, it is also the late autumn, the late winter and the late spring.

These four blocks of 18 days are periods of transition, a time when one season is blending into the next. Transition, connection, mediation, these are all good words to describe the qualities of Earth and its central role of connecting the four seasons together.

Finally, then, we can calculate the dates of the beginnings of these four transitions by counting back 18 days from the cross-quarter days. The late spring begins on October 20th, late summer on January 17th, late autumn on April 18th, and late winter on July 21st. This latter date has just passed and provided the impulse for this blog.

Clinical applications

Going back to the classic, Su Wen chapter 22 advises that spring is the best time to treat conditions of Liver and Gall Bladder, summer is the best time to treat Heart and Small Intestine, late summer is the best time to treat Spleen and Stomach, autumn is the best time to treat Lung and Large Intestine, and winter is the best time to treat Kidney and Bladder. The cosmological Qi is at its strongest in the organs that correspond to the season and so treatment gets an extra boost. Moreover, it is my experience that the boost is stronger in the first half of the season; past the half-way point of the season, this power begins to wane.

If we take this information in conjunction with Su Wen 29, we can infer that treating the Earth organs of Spleen and Stomach will also have more power in those other periods of 18 days when Earth is mediating the transition between seasons. As it is now.

A simple way to support the Earth at these times is to hold the Earth points on these Earth meridians. They are Stomach 36 and Spleen 3. If you need a reminder of their location, just click on the links. I wish you well in this time of transition.