Apr 2012
Emergence of Spring
19/04/12 14:10 Filed in: Asheville Acupuncture
Welcome this fresh verdant season of Spring! Spring is the season associated with the Wood element and the Liver and the Gall Bladder organs. The Liver is considered the General as well as the Architect within ourselves. It is this vital energy of the Liver that guides us in finding our way in the world, shaping what it is we want to do with our lives. The Liver energy fuels our sense of vision to create a plan. Our creativity, imagination, and our dreaming are all reflective of the Liver energy. The Gall Bladder is the paired organ with the Liver. The Gall Bladder is considered the general contractor or builder whose job it is to carry out our Liver’s plan. The Wood Yin energy needs to be anchored deeply and securely within the core of our being so that the expansive, outreaching, flexible Yang aspect of the Wood can be effective and far reaching in its power.
There are many ways we can cultivate healthy thriving Wood energy in our bodies, minds, and souls. Within the framework of acupuncture, it is very empowering to have the Wood points on the Wood channels needled in the time of Wood (spring time!) This allows us to honor and acknowledge the rhythms of nature, in terms of Spring’s arrival both without and within us. These points are Liver 1 and Gall Bladder 41. It is also beneficial to needle the last point on the Liver channel, Liver 14, whose name is Gate of Hope, Qi Men. The Liver is the last of the 12 channel pathways in terms of Qi flow, rendering the last point on the last channel a very powerful one. Being named Gate of Hope, it is fitting that as our Qi (energy) completes the cycle, we do so with a sense of hope as we let go of all that has transpired in the previous cycle of time, and begin our renewal of Qi/ life energy with fresh hope.
We also nourish and honor our Wood energy by getting enough sleep and reveling in the magical world of dreams. The Hun is the spirit of the Liver and it is the Hun that rules our dreamtime. This is the aspect of the Liver that needs to be deeply rooted in our core so that we can go forth boldly. We can honor the Hun’s amazing dream capacity by welcoming our dreams, writing them down, and gathering gems of inspiration from the symbolic dream world.
A nice way to gently invigorate the Liver Qi is with the flavor/essence of bergamot. Bergamot smoothes Liver qi, keeping the Qi moving, preventing any stagnation. Healthy Wood is flexible and pliant, and bergamot promotes that flexibility. Bergamot is found in Earl Grey tea, which is black tea with essence of bergamot. Bergamot essential oil can also be applied to the previously mentioned Liver points instead of acupuncture needles.
A haiku for Spring:
green hope emerging
from the gate of hope, renewed
once again, born free
There are many ways we can cultivate healthy thriving Wood energy in our bodies, minds, and souls. Within the framework of acupuncture, it is very empowering to have the Wood points on the Wood channels needled in the time of Wood (spring time!) This allows us to honor and acknowledge the rhythms of nature, in terms of Spring’s arrival both without and within us. These points are Liver 1 and Gall Bladder 41. It is also beneficial to needle the last point on the Liver channel, Liver 14, whose name is Gate of Hope, Qi Men. The Liver is the last of the 12 channel pathways in terms of Qi flow, rendering the last point on the last channel a very powerful one. Being named Gate of Hope, it is fitting that as our Qi (energy) completes the cycle, we do so with a sense of hope as we let go of all that has transpired in the previous cycle of time, and begin our renewal of Qi/ life energy with fresh hope.
We also nourish and honor our Wood energy by getting enough sleep and reveling in the magical world of dreams. The Hun is the spirit of the Liver and it is the Hun that rules our dreamtime. This is the aspect of the Liver that needs to be deeply rooted in our core so that we can go forth boldly. We can honor the Hun’s amazing dream capacity by welcoming our dreams, writing them down, and gathering gems of inspiration from the symbolic dream world.
A nice way to gently invigorate the Liver Qi is with the flavor/essence of bergamot. Bergamot smoothes Liver qi, keeping the Qi moving, preventing any stagnation. Healthy Wood is flexible and pliant, and bergamot promotes that flexibility. Bergamot is found in Earl Grey tea, which is black tea with essence of bergamot. Bergamot essential oil can also be applied to the previously mentioned Liver points instead of acupuncture needles.
A haiku for Spring:
green hope emerging
from the gate of hope, renewed
once again, born free