Tag Archives: hun

Staying Flexible

Anger, Detoxification, Flexibilty, Planning, Wood Element, xi-cleft points, , , ,

Liver 6 ~ Zhongdu ~ Central Capital

Boy, what a spring it’s been in southern Australia: powerful forces blowing through, upending the calm serenity, unexpected gusts shaking things loose. I’m not just referring to the weather here, though it has been very windy and stormy of late; I’m also talking about the uprising, often jerky energies of the Wood Element that create a surging force, putting pressure upon any of our Wood issues that are unresolved.

I mentioned last time my unexpected gall bladder protestations. In response I’ve begun taking some supplements that cleanse and support the liver and gall bladder, only to find that my dreams have been unusually frequent and vivid. Sleep sometimes feels like a long-running Netflix drama series. This is because the liver houses the hun, spirit of Wood, which organises our dreams at night. Flushing the liver can affect the dream life.

Anger has also been prominent for many people this spring as the rising tide of Wood energy lets us know how balanced is this Wood emotion within us. I’ve had many clients comment on their frustration levels recently. And I’ve noticed that these emotions are spilling over into angry public protests over the Covid lockdowns.

Which brings us to an acupoint that can address some of these issues, the xi-cleft point of the Liver channel: Liver 6, Zhongdu, Central Capital. Its name refers to its location in the centre of the shin bone, to the cleft or hollow in which it is located, and perhaps because the xi-cleft point is where Qi accumulates as does the population of a capital city.

As a xi-cleft point, it is very good for clearing stagnation along the whole length of the Liver channel, starting at the big toe, travelling up the inside of the leg, around the groin, into the abdomen and through the diaphragm before finishing below the breast. It is particularly known for treating acute conditions of the genital area, urinary pain, uterine pain, and lower abdominal pain. It can also address numbness in the hands and feet and emaciation of the legs.

An overarching function of the point is that it spreads and smooths Liver Qi. One of the main functions of the Liver official is to promote smooth flow of blood and Qi throughout the body. Central Capital is a significant point to support this function. One of the ways that stagnant Liver Qi can present is in constant sighing, brought on by tightness in the diaphragm which prevents Liver Qi from ascending. Another point we’ve looked at in the past, Liver 14 in the chest , can be paired with Liver 6 to address this condition.

Zhongdu can also treat stagnation at the psycho-emotional level which might present outwardly as frustration, irritability, anger and judgement of others; or internally as collapse, hopelessness, despair, and judgement and criticism of oneself. For some, there is a flipping back and forth between the two responses. In both scenarios, the Liver Qi is not moving smoothly up the body as it needs to.

One of the major issues that the Wood Element presents us is about how we manage the limits and boundaries we encounter. How we deal with the inevitable roadblocks we meet in life will tell us much about the health of our Wood. When you meet an obstacle to your forward movement, how do you tend to respond? A healthy Wood will be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances. If plan A isn’t working, we look around, make wise assessments, change the plan, and move forward. If you collapse at hurdles or try to crash through them, consider alternatives and work around the barriers. Working with Liver points will support your adaptability and flexibility, and Central Capital can be central to this support.

Location of Liver 6

The point lies 7 cun above the prominence of the inner ankle bone. As there are 15 cun from the knee crease to the ankle on the inside of the lower leg, the point is slightly less than halfway up. It lies on the back border of the tibia bone in a hollow between the tibia and the gastrocnemius muscle.

It makes for a nice pairing with Gall Bladder 36 which we looked at last time. GB 36 is at the same level as Liver 6 but on the outside of the leg.

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.