Color plates 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 illustrate the points made in this chapter.
The meridian system is at the foundation of traditional Taoist medicine. Charts depicting the flow of energy in the body have been found not only in ancient China, the birthplace of Taoism, but also in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Tibet, and Nepal, with influences of energy flow being evident as far back as ancient Egypt. Even though the energy flow varies according to different schools of Traditional Chinese Medicine, throughout the ages, the principles and the general idea behind the meridian system have remained the same: Life force circulates in our bodies to all our internal organs through channels along our system of connective tissues, fasciae. This flow of energy and information, Chi, gives us our health, our morphology, our structural alignment, and is even responsible for our psychological profile and our emotional patterns.
Many Taoist monks and mystics, the scientists of those ancient times, noticed that particular parts of their bodies were systematically affected when their internal health was affected. For example, they realized that taking a walk after a meal helped their digestion and improved their mental acuity. This is because the Stomach and Spleen-Pancreas meridians, in charge of digestion, and the Liver and Gallbladder meridians, which control the nervous system and the brain, run through the legs. Low energy and old age are also felt through the legs because the Kidney and Bladder meridians, which hold vital force, also run in the legs. Arm and hand movements express our ability to trade and exchange, our communication skills, and manifest in our conversations and our ability to reach out and be in touch with our physical and social environment. This is because our Heart meridian, which reflects our inner Fire and our passions, our Heart Controller meridian, in charge of our endocrine system and our communication skills, and our Lung meridian, in control of our emotional life, are located in the arms and hands.
Still widely used today, the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach defines the most evolved and precise meridian system in existence. This meridian system is used in the meditation at the end of this chapter.
Plates 9 and 10 outline the twenty-four-hour biological clock and the structure of the meridian system. We are all part of nature and our lives follow the cyclical rhythms of the universe: the cycle of day and night, the cycle of seasons, the periodic cycle of lunar phases and ocean tides.
Thousands of years ago, our Chinese forefathers in Chi-Kung and Taoist yoga became aware of correlations among the diurnal phases, the physical and emotional needs of the body, and its corresponding flows of energy. They began to chart these correlations. They discovered periodic fluctuations of a “fluid,” an inner flow, which are precisely governed by the movement of the sun rather than of the moon. They also noticed that their moods and physical needs changed regularly every two hours or so, consistently every day, regardless of the season or geographical location. In addition, certain parts of their body were energized, while other parts were at rest. Thus came the discovery of the fluctuations of the Chi flow within the acupuncture meridian system.
They also observed that the most severe breathing problems would appear around 3:00 in the morning, as did the most severe cases of nightmares. However, by 5:00 a.m., dreams would improve and bowel movements would be very satisfying. They then established that the hours between 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. would mark the high tide of energy for the power of Metal, the alchemical force that rules breath and elimination. Thus the peak of energy in the Yin Metal organ meridian or Lung meridian, is between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., and the peak of energy in the Yang Metal organ meridian, also called the Large Intestine meridian, is between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Not having a bowel movement early in the morning sets us up for constipation.
After the first bowel movement upon arising, the next physical need is for food. Not just any kind of food, however, and not necessarily a big meal, and not always eaten in the company of others. We all have specific needs for breakfast, specific habits that aren’t easily changed. Breakfast is a matter of preference, corresponding to the need for personal nurturing that requires satisfaction and establishes the quality of appetite for the rest of the day. Have you ever noticed that if you eat a very small meal or skip breakfast altogether, you won’t be hungry for the rest of the day, or you will have poor digestion? But if you have a big satisfying breakfast, you will be hungry for lunch just a few hours later, and most likely, you will be able to enjoy a nice dinner early in the evening without experiencing any feeling of excess or digestive problems. So, the early Taoists decided that the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., which set the appetite and the rhythm of digestion for the whole day, would belong to the Earth elemental force, with its supportive attributes of balance, comfort, consistency, harmony, nurturing, satisfaction, and solidity. The hours of the Yang Earth organ meridian, also called the Stomach meridian, are between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and the hours of the Yin Earth organ meridian, or Spleen-Pancreas meridian, are between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
At the end of the morning, it is time for a mid-day break, time for socializing and eating lunch in the company of others. We are willing to make some concessions with the food as long as the company is good and the atmosphere light-hearted. This is the time for sharing a meal—high noon, the time of Cardiovascular Fire, where the spirit soars. It is a good time to exchange pleasantries over a hearty meal, as well as a good time to spend with family and friends. Our Taoist forefathers established that this would be the time of the Yin Cardiovascular Fire meridian, or Heart meridian, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and the time of assimilation and digestion, with the Yang Cardiovascular Fire meridian, or Small Intestine meridian, between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Next comes a very important time where our personal reaction is going to determine not only the quality of the rest of the day, but also of that evening. At the beginning of the afternoon, many of us become tired, so this is naturally a time to break for either a siesta, or for tea or coffee. It is actually the time to regenerate, the time of the Water elemental force. A nap taken during the afternoon will refresh our life force because this is the refreshing time of Water, with the Yang Water meridian, or Bladder meridian, between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., and the Yin Water meridian, or Kidney meridian, between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Water is life. If life is not too stressful, such as when we are vacationing by the sea in a warm climate, and we need an extra boost to walk to a nearby beach, and have a nap there, then coffee is fine. However, if we need coffee in order to stay awake to meet a deadline at work, and we are under pressure, coffee will only cause problems by keeping us in the stress response and preventing us from resting even if we have the opportunity to do so. Take the break, but not the coffee! It is indeed much healthier to have a short nap instead, or just some rest and quality quiet time. Exhaustion shows around 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. when we work too hard.
The next period of time is the most outgoing social time of the day, the precious happy hour of Endocrine Fire, the social fire of communication, between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. for the Heart Controller meridian, also called the Yin Endocrine Fire meridian, and 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. for the Triple Heater, or Yang Endocrine Fire meridian. This is the time when we don’t care what we eat as long as the company is pleasant. It is the time for candlelight, intimacy, and socializing. In fact, preparation of the meal should focus primarily on social interaction and enjoyment. Sophisticated dishes, rare wines, exquisite desserts, and fine liqueurs are for dinner that is to be shared in good company. If we are rested and our mind is clear, we can really enjoy ourselves and one another. If, however, the day has been long, and we had to have a coffee boost earlier, we now feel rather wound up and tired at the same time. Therefore, we might feel the need to self-medicate with drinking a little too much alcohol and smoking tobacco to achieve a more manageable pace. In this case, our social interactions might not be very authentic or favorable.
Soon 11:00 p.m. rolls around. This is the Yang Wood time of the Gallbladder meridian from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., and the Yin Wood or Liver meridian time from 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., the peak time for our nervous system and mental activity. If we had a pleasant social time earlier, we’ll fall asleep very content. If we had a little too much to drink, though, and we didn’t have a satisfying social interaction, we’ll be obsessing about it until 2:00 a.m.! If we are not in bed yet, this is the time when conversations turn into arguments, and mere thinking turns into obsession. This is Wood time—time for growth and creativity when we are well rested, and time for obsessions and phobias when our nervous system is overstimulated, and we are tired. The best works of literature and fine art, and any kinds of projects, musical compositions, and planning have probably been conceived during the Wood time between 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. So, too, were all works of art representing obsessions, morbid themes, violence, destruction, and doom a result of stress and mental exhaustion. If our mind is able to rest and recuperate by sleeping during Wood time, then everything settles down during the subsequent Metal time of dreams and abstraction (3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.). Then, upon arising, we find it easy to make clear decisions about the project at hand, as this is Earth time (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.), when creativity manifests effortlessly and spontaneously.
This twenty-four-hour clock shows how the meridians connect with one another. Like the old vinyl records with several songs recorded on one uninterrupted groove, the meridians are linked to one another in three solid and symmetrical loops, one on each lateral side of the body (left and right). Each loop consists of four meridians: two pairs of Yin and Yang meridians going from head to feet and from feet to chest, and from chest to hand and from hand to head.
To be more precise, the Stomach meridian from head to feet (Yang Earth, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.) runs down each side of the front of the body (left and right) and down each leg to the feet where it connects to the Spleen-Pancreas meridian from feet to chest (Yin Earth, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) at the big toes, going up to the chest to connect to the Heart meridian from chest to hands (Yin Cardiovascular Fire, 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), ending at the little fingers, connecting with the Small Intestine meridian from hands to head (Yang Cardiovascular Fire, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.), and going to the sides of the face. This is the first loop of the meridian system, the daytime loop (see Plate 12).
Then the meridian system continues from the face into the Urinary Bladder meridian from head to feet (Yang Water, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.), going down the back of the head and back of the body to the little toes to connect to the Kidney meridian from feet to chest (Yin Water, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.), starting at the bottom of the feet and running up the very inside of the legs to the base of the collarbones in the chest. There it becomes the Heart Controller meridian from chest to hands (Yin Endocrine Fire, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.), running down the arms to the middle fingers, and turns into the Triple Heater meridian from hands to head (Yang Endocrine Fire, 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.), which runs from the back of the ring fingers up to the sides of the head, encircling the ears where it connects to the Gallbladder meridian. This ends the second loop of the meridian system, the evening loop (see Plate 13).
From the head the meridian system becomes the Gallbladder meridian from head to feet (Yang Wood, 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.), running from the cranium down both sides of the body to the fourth toes, and coming back up the inside of the legs as the Liver meridian from feet to chest (Yin Wood, 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.), from the big toes to the chest where it connects to the Lung meridian. The Lung meridian from chest to hands (Yin Metal, 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.) runs along the arms to the thumbs, connects to the Large Intestine meridian from hands to head (Yang Metal, 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.), coming from the index fingers and going to the sides of the nose where it connects to the Stomach meridian. This completes the third loop of the meridian system, the nighttime loop (see Plate 13), and the process starts over for the next day.
Now that you are familiar with the meridian system and your biological clock, it is important to be in touch with it and to learn to respect its internal rhythm. Once you know your rhythm, you’ll be able to play with it and compensate for excesses or deficiencies without running the risk of getting sick. For example, you might need to meet a deadline for an important project. Knowing your internal rhythm will allow you to know when to work and when to rest for optimum efficiency without the need for artificial stimulants with their negative side effects. Or perhaps you wish to celebrate and participate in sharing meals, wines, and activities that might be enjoyable, but that might not agree with your digestive system. Being in touch with your internal rhythm and body’s reactions, you will be able to pace yourself and to combine food and drink, activities, and resting times, in a manner that supports and stimulates your system and prevents you from getting sick.
My old master use to say, “For good health and longevity, everything in moderation, including moderation!” Indeed, in order to enjoy life to its fullest, we never want to exceed in moderation! Doing your practice regularly, you will be able to strengthen and cleanse your body well enough to endure occasional excesses, which, of course, you will be able to fully enjoy without remorse.
Knowing your meridian system and the direction of its flow, you’ll be able to make yourself healthier by using the power of your mind. Use the meridian charts at first to learn to guide your energy in your different body systems and to increase your intuition about yourself. Soon you will no longer need the charts because you will be able to feel your own meridians. With regular practice, you might even be able to feel the fluctuations of your Chi, predict when you are starting to get sick, and be able to prevent and reverse illnesses.