Tag Archives: Kidney Qi

Fire of the Gate of Life

Flexibilty, Low back pain, Pain Relief, Temperature regulation, Urination, , , , , , ,

Mingmen – Gate of Life – Governing Vessel 4

2.9There is surely no point name more exalted than Mingmen – Gate of Life. It goes to the very core of our existence on this plane, our life itself. It is a very powerful point which accesses the gate where we emerge from the void with our essence, our constitution and our destiny. This point can help us reach our full potential and fulfil our destiny.

Although according to the Five Elements the Kidneys belong to Water, they are also the source of Fire in the body, which is called mingmen, the “Fire of the Gate of Life”. This Fire is needed for our survival as warm blooded animals and fuels all activity. When the Gate of Life is open, it provides free access to this Fire and there is vitality, sparkle and zest for life. If the gate begins to close, there is diminishment and depletion.

Mingmen is a remarkable point for revitalisation. It can reconnect us with our essence, raise us to a new level of consciousness, and support the achievement of our highest potential. It is a point that helps us connect us with our original nature.

Lying as it does on the spine between the Kidney shu points (BL 23), Mingmen powerfully tonifies Kidney Qi and supports the Water Element. If there is timidity, it offers courage; if there is forgetfulness and disorientation, it clears the consciousness; if there is depression or emotional withdrawal, it coaxes the person to reengage with the world.

Gate of Life addresses the crucial Fire/Water balance in the body, and therefore treats both hot and cold conditions. It clears heat conditions such as a feeling of burning up as well as chills alternating with fever. More commonly it is used to treat cold conditions such as feeling cold all over the body, especially in the low back and belly, incontinence and abundant, clear urination.

It addresses reproductive disorders such as frigidity, impotence, infertility, irregular menstruation and menstrual pain caused by cold in the uterus. Other conditions include tinnitus, poor memory, haemorrhoids and prolapse of the rectum. It is an excellent point for stiffness, rigidity and pain in the low back and lumbar pain that radiates to the abdomen

This is an important point of focus in Qi Gong exercises and is known to be one of the places on the spine where it is more difficult to move energy, one of the three “tricky gates”. (The others are at the coccyx and the occiput.)

In people who have experienced a chronic, debilitating illness, this point is usually empty and needs considerable attention to persuade it to open. However it has the power to reconnect with the jing or essence and restore a person to health and vitality, a capacity reflected in its alternate name, Palace of Essence.

2.10

 

Location of Governing Vessel 4

 

On the spine, between the 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae, approximately at the level of the navel. 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. (123 days to go!)

Spirit of Water

Anxiety, Ear problems, Low back pain, Psycho-emotional, Reproductive, Urination, , , , ,

Zhishi – Residence of the Will – Bladder 52

SONY DSCZhi is the spirit of the Water Element. The most usual meaning of zhi is will, though it has also been translated as ambition, purpose, determination, knowledge, mind and memory.[i] The will that is referenced here is not that of willpower and effort where there is a forceful pushing and drivenness to achieve goals. Rather, it works independently of a person’s volition, operating virtually below the level of consciousness, a force which moves a person towards his destiny without much conscious thought.[ii]

Kaptchuck describes it as ‘the will that can’t be willed’,[iii] meaning that it is the kind of will that allows the person to move forward without pushing the river. A person with strong Kidneys has a strong Kidney spirit, a drive to be alive; one with less Kidney strength may have a lack of drive but overcompensate by pushing himself.

Underpinning the zhi is the innate power of life itself, life that wants to live, strives to stay alive and survive. It manifests in the human drive to reproduce and thrive, something we have been remarkably successful at as a species.

The classics say that the kidneys house the zhi.[iv] Therefore anything that injures the kidneys will also injure the zhi. Fear that does not flow freely and release from the body will dwell in the kidneys. Chronic fearfulness, trauma, ongoing stress, penetrating cold, addictions, overwork and insufficient sleep will all contribute to draining the Kidney Qi and therefore the zhi. The saying ‘burning the candle at both ends’ is an apt expression of such depletion.

If the zhi is imbalanced, the result is a move to one of two extremes. At one extreme there is a collapse of will, resulting in a lack of drive and determination, listlessness and passivity, weakness, withdrawal and even despair. At the other extreme there is a restless, unrelenting activity that derives from strong ambition and hyper-determination. Put simply, there is either lack of drive or overdrive. Both are symptoms of zhi out of balance.

Other possible outcomes of zhi imbalance are forgetfulness and memory lapses, the overuse of stimulants to provide false fuel for activity, addictive patterns, insomnia, and nervous breakdown.

What does zhi look like when it is in perfect balance? Such a person moves forward without seeming to move, as if propelled by some invisible force. This kind of will is unobtrusive and tends to go unnoticed because it is so natural. It is well expressed in the Chinese concept of wu wei, the action of non-action. Wu wei refers to the cultivation of a state of being in which our actions are quite effortlessly in alignment with the ebb and flow of the elemental cycles of the natural world. ‘It is a kind of “going with the flow” that is characterized by great ease and awake-ness, in which, without even trying, we are able to respond perfectly to whatever situations arise.’[v]

Ultimately the highest form of will arises when the personal will is in alignment with the will of heaven. The will of heaven is stored in our essence (jing) and exists within as a blueprint for our highest development. We must align our personal will with this blueprint if we are to manifest our greater destiny. The situations that life presents us with provide the opportunities for understanding the need for this alignment to occur. The more balanced is our zhi, the more there will be inner knowing of how this alignment can arise.

There is another important balancing function of the zhi which can be seen in its Chinese character, part of which represents the Heart. The relationship between the zhi of the Kidney and the shen of the Heart is paramount in maintaining the Water/Fire balance which in turn is central to a person’s yin/yang balance.

This balanced connection allows the will of the Tao to be mediated by and expressed through the human heart. Harmonious action naturally arises as a willing surrender to the dynamic force of the Tao.

A point that deeply supports the zhi is Zhishi – Residence of the Will. It is the outer shu point of the Kidney and lies on the Bladder meridian. At the physical level it treats lumbar pain, incontinence, impotence and infertility. More deeply, as its name suggests, it strengthens the will, allowing access to courage, determination and perseverance. It supports a person who is experiencing chronic fear and anxiety which are detrimental to the kidneys and Kidney Qi. In such cases this point can assuage fear by engendering basic trust in the inherent supportiveness of true nature.

2.20

 

Location of Bladder 52

The point is in the low back at the level of the junction between vertebrae L2 and L3. This is roughly at the level of the navel. BL 52 is 3 cun (four fingers width) outside the spine. If you are working on someone else, have them lie face down and apply direct pressure with your thumbs. If you are working on yourself, lie on your back, make fists and place your knuckles into the points.

 

[i] Jarrett, L.S. (1998) Nourishing Destiny. Stockbridge MA:Spirit Path Press, p.57.
[ii] Hicks, A., Hicks, J. and Mole, P. (2004) Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, p.163.
[iii] Kaptchuk, T.J. (2000) The web that has no weaver, Chicago:Contemporary Books, p.62.
[iv] Maoshing, N. (trans) (1995) The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine. Boston: Shambala, p.96.
[v] Reninger, E. (2013) Wu wei the action of non-action, viewed 4 August 2013, <http://taoism.about.com>

This is an extract from ‘The Way of the Five Elements’ by John Kirkwood, to be published by Singing Dragon Press (an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishing) in November 2015.