Tag Archives: Wood Element

Hun – The Spirit of Wood

Anger, Depression, Five Elements, Insomnia, Psycho-emotional, , , , , , , , ,

Tia In the cycadSpring is now well advanced and will soon be merging into summer. Before we leave the realm of Wood, let us go a little deeper and explore this Element at the level of spirit.

In Chinese medicine, each of the Five Elements corresponds to one of the five spirits. In a way, the spirit is more fundamental; the qualities and attributes of an Element arise out of the nature of its spirit.

The spirit of Wood is hun which occupies the realm of the clouds, lighter than earth but containing enough density to keep it near the earth and not fly away to heaven.

Of all the five spirits, the hun is closest to the western concept of the soul.  In fact the character hun is usually translated as Ethereal Soul. The hun enters the body after birth and at death it leaves through the top of the head. It then ascends to the stars whereupon it reports to the spirits that preside over destiny on the degree to which each of us has cultivated virtue during our life.

During our lifetime, it is the hun which bestows the gifts of Wood upon us. A healthy hun allows us to be clear about our purpose in life, find our path, know where we’re going and orient ourselves in that direction. It is what helps us to navigate the rapids of life. The hun is like the map and compass of our soul.

It is said that during the day the hun resides in the eyes to help us to see how we can act in ways that best serve our life purpose. At night when we sleep, the hun descends to the liver where it organises our dreams. Thus the hun acts as an intermediary between our waking and sleeping states.

If the hun is imbalanced, then our sleeping and dreaming may be disrupted. We might suffer from sleep disturbances, sleepwalking, intense dreaming or no dreams at all. In extreme cases we may find it difficult to distinguish between dreams and reality. Out of body experiences, near death experiences, seeing ghosts and spirits, are all associations of the hun.

The classics say that the liver houses the hun, therefore anything that damages the liver also injures the hun. Anger that does not flow freely and gets stuck in the body will damage the liver. It is also easily upset by alcohol and drugs. Marijuana is particularly harmful to the hun. While it might seem to endow us with cleverness, creativity and vision when we are intoxicated, over time these very qualities are eroded and we lose both purpose and vitality.

The hun can also be injured by psychological scarring. In childhood the hun needs psychological support. If a child is severely constrained in his freedom, constantly criticised for his actions or emotionally deprived, the hun cannot develop freely. If there is alcoholism or abuse in the home, the development of the hun is harmed. In later life too, overwhelming emotional experiences can disturb the hun.

The hun spirit needs a healthy liver to be invited to stay in our body. Hun’s nature is to wander like a cloud. When its home in our body is unhealthy and uninviting, it will tend to fly away, leaving us bereft of its capacities of clarity, vision and purpose.

The hun spirit is what allows us to bring our heavenly nature into earthly form and manifestation. When in balance it is the source of our dreams and visions, aims and projects, our creativity and ideas, all of which can find expression in physical form in life on earth. A healthy hun is what we need to live a conscious and effective life as a being of spirit in a physical body.

Supporting Hun with Bladder 47 – Hunmen

This point on the Bladder meridian is called Gate of the Ethereal Soul. It lies at the same level as the Liver Shu point (BL 18) and lateral to it.

Hunmen is a great point for cleansing the liver organ, treating addictions, and for supporting the healthy functioning of the spirit of Wood. By clearing away this stagnation in the Liver Qi, Hunmen can resurrect the spirit and activate the core of a person’s being.

This point also treats sleep disturbances and insomnia by settling the hun spirit during the time of sleep and allowing us to access the wisdom of dreams as they pertain to our life purpose.

When anger and resentment have solidified and been turned inward upon oneself, Hunmen can be used to release and mobilise this energy into the service of taking action. Wood that has become rigid and inert can become supple and active, providing the means to express the uniqueness of our individual self in the world.

Location of Bladder 47

BL 47Located on the back, about two fingers width below the bottom of the shoulder blade and four fingers width (3 cun) out from the spine. It is level with the space between the 9th and 10th thoracic vertebrae.

Surviving the Spring Wind Invasion

Headache, Neck pain, Pain Relief, , , ,

windy dayStrong, gusty winds are a hallmark of spring in many places. Last weekend, blustery winds toppled trees all over the Adelaide Hills and I lost my broad bean crop when the slender canes snapped in the gale.

Wind can have a detrimental effect on humans as well as vegetation. In Chinese medicine there are conditions known as wind invasion and wind stroke where wind penetrates the body. All of us are familiar with heat and cold invading the body, producing heatstroke and chills, but it is less well known that wind, the climate of the Wood Element, can also enter the body and produce symptoms of imbalance.

Some people love the wind and are impervious to its influence while others are sensitive and dislike going out in windy weather. Some are so sensitive that even looking out of the window at the wild, windy weather can bring up feelings of unease.

One of the classic places for wind to invade the body is through the neck, particularly in the upper part where the skull joins the cervical spine. There is an acupoint at the base of the skull in the large depression known as the occipital hollow. Fengfu or Wind Palace, is a point on the Governing Vessel (Du Mai) and is particularly susceptible to wind invasion.

Symptoms of pathogenic wind invasion include pain and stiffness in the neck, headaches, mental disturbance or fogginess, dizziness, blurred vision, shivering, sweating, aversion to cold and a general feeling of heaviness in the body. This condition can arise from prolonged exposure to blustery winds. It can also be caused by sitting or lying in a draft or in air conditioning.

Fortunately, the wind can be encouraged to exit at the same place it entered. Sustained pressure at Wind Palace allows the wind to clear from the body. You can use finger pressure, but another useful technique is to lie on your back with a tennis ball pressing into the occipital hollow. The weight of your head creates the pressure and you can relax without having to do anything.

If you are prone to neck problems I recommend wearing a scarf when going out into the wind. Make sure it covers the very top of your neck where the wind likes to sneak in. If you have a very strong dislike of the wind, it may be that there is some internal wind that needs to be cleared. Work on Wind Palace for a few minutes each day over the next week and see if you become less disturbed by the wind.

Location of Governing Vessel 16

Tennsi Ball GV16The point is located on the midline at the nape of the neck in the large hollow immediately below the external occipital protuberance. Use your middle finger to trace up the middle of the back of your neck until you encounter the large bump at the back of the head. The point is in the depression immediately below. You can hold it with finger pressure, lie on a tennis ball, or ask someone to hold the point for you while you lie back and relax. You can hold the point for 3 minutes or longer if you wish. If you are using the tennis ball, don’t fall asleep on it as you may get too much treatment.