Meridian Energy Flow, Personality and the Five Elements
The study of self, self-expression, and character is perhaps one of the most compelling studies of humanity. How is it that we are all human and yet express ourselves and our character is such unique and various ways? How is that we come to be who we are, and come to know ever more deeply who we are as we progress through life? In this chapter, let’s take the awareness of meridians and the effects of qi energy even deeper with the study of constitution, temperament and personality through contemplations and meditations on the energy channels.
Over the years I have taught the following material many, many of times to hundreds of people. It is always deeply engaging and fascinating. As you read through what I share with you here, I encourage you to begin to realize that it is actually the distribution of your qi energy in various strengths and levels throughout your meridian system that makes you who you are. And the good news is that by working with the qi energy directly in your meridians channels, you can have a profound influence on who you are, the things you do or do not like about yourself, and how you show up in the world. You can use the information I give you here to re-shape your life so that you become more and more the person that you were meant to be in this life.
We all go through life trying to figure out in one way or another who we are and what we are here for. Family, culture, and society as well as pre-endowed characteristics of gender, ethnicity, shape, and size deeply influence our sense of self. And the various facets of our constitution, Temperament and personality can ultimately be seen as expressions of the energy of our meridian channels, both in what we are endowed with at birth, and what we choose to cultivate and develop over the course of our life time. Take this work to heart, and discover how you can put the pathways of qi to work for you in being the best you can be.
Functions of the Five Elements and the Twelve Regular Channels in Developing Personality
Each of the meridian channels has an influence over a wide range of human functions. By understanding the unique expressions of each, we come to understand that who we are. Every aspect of our being is shaped and influenced by the quality and quantity of energy in any given channel.
There are many systems of personality being promoted and taught in the world today, the enneagram, astrological signs, archetypes, and so on—all of these systems are similar in scope to the meridian personality system we will be exploring here, offered so you can have a deeper idea of how the meridian energies of life affect the person you are and the way you appear in the world. This in turn will deepen your practice of touch and meridian movements to help you discover deeper and deeper levels of self-realization.
Equipping yourself with this powerful system for self-reflection you can position yourself for tremendous personal growth. When I first learned this system, certain unruly aspects of my own character came into view. The knowledge I gained here helped me to learn to moderate those aspects and develop parts of myself that had long been neglected.
This is the personality system used in the therapeutic application of HeartMind Shiatsu. It is directly correlated to the pathways of qi at the core of the practice of HeartMind Shiatsu and Meridian Gesture Qigong and gives us a powerful set of tools for understanding the meridian energy flows and the various manifestations of excess and deficient energy patterns.
The meridian personalities described here are drawn from the works of the French acupuncturist and clinician Yves Requena with supportive understandings from the five element understanding of acupuncturists Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold. I have also brought in the insightful correlations of acupuncturist and psychiatrist Leon Hammer, the Master Japanese Shiatsu Therapist Shizuto Masunaga, as well as my own clinical and classroom experiences to bring this model into its current form.
The works of Requena, Beinfield, Korngold, Hammer, and Masunaga are all referenced in the bibliography, and you can find out more about each of these outstanding clinicians and their contribution to the field by acquiring their written works referenced there.
At the outset it is important to note that this work with human expressions of personality is being correlated to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The descriptions of such an understanding of the five elements and the twelve meridians and their relationship to personality given here are not drawn directly from ancient sources. Rather, some keen insights from Western psychology are overlaid on the Chinese channel system. Many scholars call this “forcing” and refute its efficacy on grounds that it is not thoroughly grounded in classical referents. Personally, I find it is important to acknowledge such comment and welcome it here as well. Such critical attention is crucial to the dialogue amongst professionals.
At any rate, it is extremely important to read any such material with a skeptical and critical eye. At the same time, direct clinical experience and application in the modern Western world is essential to maintaining the vibrancy of the model for Western sensibilities. With that in mind, let’s explore the system of personality types that I work from in the HeartMind Shiatsu model.
Constitution, Temperament, and Personality
To begin, it is important to note, as Leon Hammer states so eloquently, that “stereotyping someone is ultimately an abhorrent and dehumanizing process.”4 No one is a pure type; it is a form of injustice to reduce people to a given category or type. “However,” he goes on, “it is clinically useful.” In addition, I have found, and my colleagues agree, that even in applying this personality model no one actually appears as a pure type, but rather they show up as a composite of personality traits. Each of us actually has a range of energetic possibilities. In some cases, we are strong in one aspect but weak in others, but this does not mean that we cannot adapt and change given circumstances and proper skilled practice.
It is also important here to make a distinction between constitution, temperament and personality as I use the terms here. Generally, constitutional and temperamental factors are more directly attributed to the influence of the five elements and are present from birth. In Chinese, the word xing is translated as both as “constitution” and “temperament” and refers to enduring characteristics of a human being. What I’m interested in here are the more fluid aspects of human character that grow and develop over time. For the purposes of this discussion, I will use the word “personality,” referring to the more changeable and variable characteristics of our being with this term, granting us the possibility for a range of responses in any given situation.
These aspects of being are more directly related to meridian differentiation and have a certain degree of adaptability over the course of a lifetime due to conditioning and environmental factors. As to constitution, Beinfield, and Korngold maintain that your elemental type is “like your blood type.”5 You are born of a certain elemental constitution that will be your constitutional bias for life. I have found no significant evidence to the contrary. But at the level of personality as I am defining it here, there is a greater range of flexibility and the possibility for change over the course of time and circumstance. These constitutional archetypes are central to the character of any given person, and even these cursory descriptions may have already set off bells of recognition in your mind about your own way of being in the world or someone you know. As constitutional factors, they comprise the base note of each individual’s view of and contribution to life. As we proceed into the more detailed discussion of temperament and personality, we will certainly see these elemental characteristics reflected in each.
The constitutional types as outlined by Beinfield and Korngold are as follows: The Fire element creates the Wizard. These are the persons of great personal dynamism who can amaze and transform situations and lives through their powerful and charismatic Fire element affinities. The Earth element in abundance yields the archetype of the Peacemaker. Ever interested in the well-being and sustenance of all, the Earth element abhors injustice and therefore lends itself to the efforts of making peace in the world. The Metal element gives us the Alchemist. This persona has the ability to take base metals and transform them into gold. Concerned with propriety, etiquette, and morality, the Metal element grants the power to refine and mature to perfection. The Water element shapes the Philosopher. Concerned with the deeper pondering of life and death, the Water element runs deep, and its strong presence in a person’s energy field will yield the deep thinking and reflective depths of the philosopher. Finally, the Wood element gives us the Pioneer. Ever concerned with growth and change and forging forward into new ground, the Wood element brings forth the pioneering spirit in the individual, destined to lead the way and chart the course forward for all of humanity.
These constitutional archetypes are central to the character of any given person, and even these cursory descriptions may have already set off alarm bells of recognition in your mind either about your own way of being in the world or someone you know. As constitutional factors they make up the base note of each individual’s view of and contribution to life. As we proceed into the more detailed discussion of personality, we will certainly see these elemental characteristics reflected in each.
As we engage in the discussion of personality as compared to constitution, we will inevitably arrive at an important differentiation between the five element and meridian influences. To set the stage for that discussion it is important to see that elements have a wide range of governance, each having both yin and yang manifestations. When we expand our discussion to the more varied descriptions of personality we expand out in to the twelve regular meridian channels each of which is either yin or yang. This is an important distinction, for as we will see below, yin and yang and the various levels and qualities of the yin and yang have a strong bearing on personality.
The primary model I use here for differentiating the major aspects of personality is drawn from a body of Western psychology Requena masterfully reconciled to match the Chinese channel system. Central to this discussion is the work of “schools of objective experimental and quantitative psychology that include comparative and pathological psychology. Gaston Berger, a French researcher and protégé of Le Senne developed character types that were originally introduced by the Dutch school of Heymans and Wiersma.”6 This character system yielded eight “temperament types.” Requena ingeniously grafted these eight “temperament types” onto the energetics of the twelve regular channels. Following is a description of the methodology and thinking behind the definition of each type and its correlation to the meridian channels. And my invitation and discovery is to let go of thinking of these types as rigid enduring characteristics of constitution and temperament, and allow them to be the more malleable and adaptable characteristics of personality, growth and possibility.
Let’s explore how these various aspects of personality can be discovered and discerned. To arrive at eight distinct character types, Berger created “a method for determining the degree to which emotivity, activity, and resonance were expressed in an individual.”7 Each of these aspects of personal expression can be seen upon a continuum. Emotivity ranges from Emotional to Non-emotional, Activity ranges form Active to Inactive, and Resonance ranges from Primary to Secondary.
The first two aspects of Emotivity and Activity are relatively self evident, but the last quality of Resonance needs some discussion. Resonance is related to one’s reaction time to any given situation. Someone who is governed by primary influences is one who acts rashly and on impulse without much (if any) forethought. A secondary expression is descriptive of one who acts prudently and cautiously with meditative consideration. Given that this language seems to be a bit like jargon for academics, I have translated the terms “Primary” and “Secondary” into “Spontaneous” and “Meditative” respectively.
Now when we take these three qualities and their manifestations at the ends of their continuum and combine them into all possible combinations we get eight distinct expressions of character as follows:
- 1. Active, Emotive, Spontaneous
- 2. Active, Emotive, Meditative
- 3. Active, Non-Emotive, Spontaneous
- 4. Active, Non-Emotive, Meditative
- 5. Non-Active, Emotive, Spontaneous
- 6. Non-Active, Emotive, Meditative
- 7. Non-Active, Non-Emotive, Spontaneous
- 8. Non-Active, Non-Emotive, Meditative
To understand these eight characterizations more fully, imagine 1 as a person who takes action, imbues their action with emotional intensity or passion, and acts in a spontaneous fashion. Contrast this person with person 2, who takes action, imbues their action with passion, yet thinks twice before acting. Carry this forward for each of the eight characterizations and you will begin to see the shadings of character that manifest from one type to the next.
Now we graft these eight characteristics onto the meridian channel system with some creative imagination and scholarship. The first stop along the way is to see which of the expressive qualities relates to which meridian or elemental energy. Right away we determine that active and non-active is expressive of yang and yin, yin being non-active, yang being active. Therefore, all the Active-type personality characteristics are related to yang channels, and the Non-Active characteristics are related to yin channels. Emotivity is a quality granted to the Fire element. Think of the warmth and flash of emotional expression and you can see how Fire is the natural element governing this characteristic. Spontaneity is a factor descriptive of the Earth, Wood and supplemental Fire elements. Each of these elements govern the ability to act quickly and get the job at hand accomplished without a great deal of second guessing. Finally, meditative is a quality ascribed to Metal, Water, and absolute Fire. These elements are tasked with taking the long view, being able to step back from immediate engagement, and then support a well-thought out approach to a given situation.8
Knowing which expressive quality is granted by the elements and which by an attribute of the six divisions of yin and yang gives us the formula we need to correlate these aspects of personality to the meridians. To do so, we simply need to look at the ways in which the meridians are paired.
In five element pairings there are two meridians in each element, one yang and one yin. In the six divisions of yin and yang, the channels are paired up based on their level of yin or yang. We explored these levels earlier; Tai Yang, Yang Ming, and Shao Yang, and Tai Yin, Jue Yin, and Shao Yin. We can translate these as “most Yang”, “middle Yang,” and “least Yang”, and “most Yin”, “middle Yin,” and “least Yin”. The six divisions give us the following pairings.
Tai Yang includes the yang channels of absolute Fire and Water, the Small Intestine, and the Bladder. These are the yang channels of the “back” body.
Yang Ming includes the yang channels of Earth and Metal and the Stomach and the Large Intestine. These are the yang channels of the “front” body.
Shao Yang includes the yang channels of supplemental Fire and Wood and the Triple Warmer and the Gall Bladder. These are the yang channels of the “side” body.
Tai Yin includes the yin channels of Earth and Metal and the Spleen/Pancreas and the Lungs. These are the yin channels of the “front” body.
Jue Yin includes the yin channels of Supplemental Fire and Wood, the Pericardium and the Liver. These are the channels of the “side” body.
Shao Yin includes the yin channels of absolute Fire and Water and the Heart and the Kidneys. These are the yin channels of the “back” body.
Figure 15: This wheel shows the six yin and six yang channels and their corresponding element, meridian, and time.
With these pairings we now take the eight aspects of personality and graft them into place.
The Tai Yang pair is a combination of absolute Fire and Water. It is Active because it is yang, Emotive because of the presence of absolute Fire, and Meditative because Water and absolute Fire both share this characteristic.
The Shao Yang pair is a combination of supplemental Fire and Wood. It is Active because it is yang, Emotive because of the presence of Supplemental Fire, and Spontaneous because supplemental Fire and Wood both lend spontaneity to the character.
The Yang Ming pair includes both Earth and Metal. It is Active because it is yang and non-emotive because Earth and Metal are both Non-emotive. But there is a split that shows up here between Stomach and Large Intestine—because Earth is Spontaneous and Metal is Meditative, we end up with two distinct character types in the Yang Ming: Yang Ming Earth and Yang Ming Metal.
The Tai Yin pairing also includes both Earth and Metal. And now because it is yin, we see that it is Non-active. It is Non-Emotive because Earth and Metal both lend non-emotivity to the character, and here there is another split of the pair because Earth is spontaneous and Metal is Meditative. So we have the Tai Yin Earth and the Tai Yin Metal personality characteristics.
The Jue Yin pair is made up of Supplemental Fire and Wood. It is a Non-Active type because it is yin, Emotive because of the influence of Supplemental Fire on the pair, and Spontaneous as both Supplemental Fire and Wood lend spontaneity to the character.
The Shao Yin pair consists of both Absolute Fire and Water. Again, this pairing lends to the idea of being Non-Active because it is yin. Emotive because of the presence of Absolute Fire in the pair, and Meditative due to the presence of Water and Absolute Fire in the pair.
Of course it is laborious to draw this all out each and every time we discuss a personality characteristic, so fortunately there are descriptive adjectives that go with each type. The Tai Yang earns itself the distinction of Passionate, for the Tai Yang energy animates acts of passion. Shao Yang holds sway over Enthusiastic types, for their particular brand of behavior is marked by “enthusiastic and vigorous” displays. The Yang Ming Earth gains the distinction of Robust-Sanguine, for its fine animation of the appetite that is ruled by the Stomach. Like Seymour the man-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors, the personality governed by Stomach is happy to say “Feed Me! You look chunky!”9 And Yang Ming Metal animates the Precise-Phlegmatic aspect of our character, being ever concerned with the details and the rules of the game of life.
As we move into the Yin aspect of our being, we find the softer side of human personality. These tend to be the types that are less dominant in society, more reclusive and introspective. To begin, the Tai Yin Earth, Spleen/Pancreas quality grabs the title of Amorphous/Chameleon. The Spleen/Pancreas with its penchant for sweetness and pleasure assists us in knowing how to blend in with any crowd. The Tai Yin Metal, Lung quality governs the Apathetic/Aloof aspects of our nature, the aspects which hold themselves apart, seeing all clearly yet participating in none. The Jue Yin, Liver and Pericardium energy level expresses itself as Sensitive-Dramatic, having strong emotions, moody reactions, and spontaneous “flutterings.” And finally the Shao Yin, Heart and Kidney captures the expression of our Sentimental nature, ever expressive of our deep yearning for intimacy and the underlying connections with life and death, vitality, and introversion.
As we explore each of these aspects of personality, we see snapshots of ourselves and people we know. Keep in mind, however, the cautionary note sounded by Leon Hammer—we must beware not to dehumanize anyone with typology. And yet we may use the information clinically, finding it useful in looking at the patterns of personal expression and particularly how these relate to the relative balance of qi energy in the meridian pathways.
For example, if you find that you are too sensitive and dramatic (Jue Yin), you may indulge the development of your passionate Tai Yang nature to attain some balance. You do this by holding the qi energy of Liver and Pericardium in check while increasing the amount of energy in your Small Intestine and Bladder. If you find you are too lusty and sanguine (Yang Ming Earth), you may need to develop your sentimental Shao Yin aspects for greater depth and scope in your dealings with others. Here you curtail the unruly rumblings and compulsions of your Stomach and get quiet and inward with the true depths of your being as expressed through Heart and Kidney. If your enthusiastic Shao Yang nature has run like a bull through a china shop, it may be time to call upon the precise-phlegmatic Yang Ming Metal aspects of your demeanor and come into the bright, white light of accountability. In short, constrain your Gall Bladder and bring in the attention to detail and care that is granted to you by the power of qi in the Large Intestine.
These are just a few examples of how you might use your sense of meridian qi flowing through your channels to have an influence over the way you show up in the world. The combinations and interactions of the meridian energies are infinite. Studying them each separately and then discovering how they combine and work together in unique and powerful ways in each person gives us a powerful tool for growth, development and ultimately true self-realization.
It is important to note that we have all twelve meridian channels working within our system. So by extension, we all have all the energetic aspects of personality within us as well. Sometimes we are deficient in one and excess in another. Through directed and well crafted tonification and sedation we can work to achieve greater balance and harmony. Any of the aspects of our personality, if too strong or too weak can wreak havoc on our sense of balance in the world. And by the same token, each has a steady, healthy, balanced expression, for each has its task to perform. To have a full range of expression of all the channels is to have a full and satisfying life. And to recognize where we are weak and where we are strong gives us the chance to move and change and adapt to our circumstances leading to our highest cultivation and optimal health.
Short Listing of Personality Traits
Following are general short lists of personality traits that I have derived from a combination of sources. These exist within the realm of the “conditioned layer of health” discussed in chapter 1. This is the level of cultivation most closely related to the HeartMind and all its permutations and manifestations in thoughts, feelings, habits, attitudes, and beliefs. I invite you to pour over them and discover for yourself how the qualities listed correlate to the criteria of Active/Inactive, Emotive/Non-emotive and Spontaneous/Meditative that are hallmarks of individual personality.
Challenge your understanding to begin to see these attributes as being true to the understanding of the meridian channel functions explored in chapters 2 through 7. And finally, see how the various surface areas of the body, through which the meridians flow, offer a reflection of these facets of personality. This is truly learning to read body language in its many intricate and sophisticated, and often unconscious expressions.
Tai Yang Traits
Key Traits of the Small Intestine Hand Tai Yang: Passionate personality, seeks accomplishment, discerning, higher judgment, superior, ambitious, presumptuous, arrogant
Key Traits of the Bladder Foot Tai Yang: Passionate personality, most likely to succeed, brilliant, deep, driven toward goals, self-sacrificing, domineering, hypersensitive, grandiose
Yang Ming Traits
Key Traits of the Large Intestine Hand Yang Ming: Precise-Phlegmatic personality, keeper of the rules, reliable, anal retentive, perfectionist, persnickety, duty–bound, great sense of humor
Key Traits of the Stomach Foot Yang Ming: Lusty-Sanguine personality, ruled by appetite, opportunist, initiator, superficial, socially adept, born leader, ends justify means
Shao Yang Traits
Key Traits of the Triple Warmer Hand Shao Yang: Enthusiastic personality, protector of the body, sharer of warmth, can also give the cold shoulder, the betrayer and betrayed, exuberant, broad shouldered, hard working, optimist
Key HeartMind Traits of the Gall Bladder Foot Shao Yang: Enthusiastic personality, defender of the law, hyper-responsible, self-important, pretentious, assertive-aggressive, all sinew, hyperactive, party animal
Tai Yin Traits
Key HeartMind Traits of the Lung Hand Tai Yin: Aloof personality, house of the qi essence, polite, cautious, takes in qi energy, sighing, choking, breathing, thick skinned, ethical, creature of habit.
Key HeartMind Traits of the Spleen Foot Tai Yin: Amorphous-Chameleon personality, house of the Moisture essence, pleasure driven, sweet toothed, soft, comfortable, nourisher, nurturer, calm, humble, happy-go-lucky
Jue Yin Traits
Key Traits of the Pericardium Hand Jue Yin: Nervous-Dramatic personality, protector of the Spirit essence, emotional, moody, warm, compassionate, crimes of passion, circulation issues, anxious, erratic, needy
Key Traits of the Liver Foot Jue Yin: Nervous-Dramatic personality, house of the Blood essence, visionary planner, chief executive, addict, swears and curses, demonstrated anger and control, emotionally volatile or smooth as silk
Shao Yin Traits
Key Traits of the Heart Hand Shao Yin: Sentimental personality, house of the Spirit essence, sees the high truth, great interpreter, thrives in intimacy, rhythm master, hyper-emotive, joyful, excitable
Key Traits of the Kidney Foot Shao Yin: Sentimental personality, house of the Vital essence, strong constitution, introverted, dislikes crowds, strong, weak or balanced libido, hypersensitive, fearful, withdrawn
Practice with Meditation
Now it’s time to put all this contemplation to work in deepening self-realization through these specially crafted elemental meditations. I developed the meditations to allow you to have a deep experience in your body of the ways in which the primal elemental energies manifest in your daily life. By more fully understanding each of these qualities, you come into possession of a deeper self-knowing and are able to better understand why certain things happen or don’t happen in your world. With practice, you can begin to slowly shift your experience in life to get more of the things you want, and reduce the things you do not want. Allow these meditations to work their magic, and open your eyes to a whole new world of self-understanding.
A Six-Step Process to Greater Self-Realization
As we have been studying and discovering through our study of the pathways of qi, life energy runs through the body along specific channels, which animate and govern all of our life functions. The flow of this energy is much like the flow of energy in nature that moves the earth through the seasons of the year. The pathways can be seen running through the body, one leading to the other in an endless ongoing circulation of energy. The order in which the meridians and their governing elemental influences are sequenced follows the energy demands of an average daily life in a logical pattern. In addition, the meditations upon the elements which follow in the order of the daily cycle of energy flow constitute a thorough and profound energetic process to greater self-realization.
The meditations which follow will take you on just this journey. Follow them in this order, each one building upon the previous. You will begin at the surface with Metal, move deeper in with Earth, deeper still with absolute Fire and Water, and then begin your journey back out with supplemental Fire and finally Wood. Take your time; do them all at once in an hour or two, once a day for six days, or once a week for six weeks. Allow yourself time to walk into each level of your being with each meditation and see your whole being through this powerful lens.
An Overview of Elemental Meditations
and the Practice of Being Fully Alive
Go through the sequence of the six meditations of the daily cycle of energy flow and consider how the cycle takes you from the superficial to the deep and back to the surface again. You’ll go from acknowledging your boundaries, to seeing what you are made of, to giving yourself permission to hold yourself precious and protect and defend yourself.
Go through the meditations as often as you wish to fortify your self-understanding and to develop any areas in your being that are deficient and soften any aspects which appear to be excessive. Go over the following summary of the elements in the daily cycle and take time to note your perception of your strengths and weaknesses at this time in your life.
Metal: Perhaps you don’t have a sense of your own boundaries and too often you find yourself relinquishing any right to your own point of view. Or perhaps your boundaries are too rigid allowing for no influence whatsoever from the outside. This relates to Metal because of the nature of boundaries and connections. It expressed through the body in the Lung and Large Intestine meridians. By following this meditation, you will strengthen your sense of self.
Earth: Are you aware of what truly nourishes you in your life and do you allow yourself to receive it, or do you push it away? Do you deserve to be nourished? If not, you are starving. If so, you are thriving. In some cases, you may be stuffing yourself with things that don’t truly nourish you; though they fill you up, the feeling is temporary and in the end meaningless.
Fire (absolute): Who are you? Truly…what makes you tick? What do you believe in? What is your highest truth? If you are uncertain and wavering in your own viewpoint, you are deficient in this area. If you are way too sure of yourself, you may be just a bit overzealous and burning yourself out.
Water: What are your deepest innermost feelings of life and death? Do you cherish life or is it tedious? Do you even have any deep feelings about it, or are you just going along to get along? Are you driven to move forward in life, or would you rather just sit and watch the world go by?
Fire (supplemental): Are you prepared for life and all it sends your way? Does life warm you up, and surround you with feelings of safety and contentment, or are you always on your guard, waiting for the other shoe to drop? How much energy do you put into locked doors, safety deposit boxes, and security systems? Are you excessively overprotected and alone in the world? Or do you mingle in good company and experience the warmth of human contact? Do you consider yourself precious?
Wood: Do you know how to stand your ground and stick to your guns through thick and thin? Or are you a fart in the wind, a leaf on a lake?
Step One: Your Personal Boundaries—Journey into Metal
The Lung and Large Intestine are the representatives of the Metal element in the body. Metal is all that is precious. It is structure, interconnection and interconnectivity, the intricate webbing of life that stretches between all things.
Lie down in a comfortable position and focus inward on your breath. Watch the breath go in and out of your body. As much as you can, don’t try to control your breath, simply get out of the way and watch the phenomenon of breathing. The body/mind knows how to do this without your knowledge or consent. Though it may be difficult it is possible to observe without controlling. Once you have achieved this state, you will experience a sense of awe and wonder at the process of life.
Rest in that sense of awe for a moment, and then turn your mind to consider your personal boundary, the very edges of yourself, where you end and the rest of the world begins. See yourself as a sovereign nation and take a moment to place yourself in the role of the customs official, the border patrol of your own nation.
Start at the physical level. See the size and shape of your body-nation. Feel your weight as it presses into the floor. Sense the air as it flows around your body. Feel the edges of your physical being. In this state of awareness, consider your physical abilities, how much weight you can lift, how fast you can run, how high you can jump. Feel the edges, the limits of your physical abilities. Breathe in and breathe out, and slowly let that go as you return to simply being present.
Turn your attention now to the mental level of your being. Consider your thoughts and the limits of your intellect. What stimulates your mind? What do you find boring? What goes over your head?
How widely have you read? At what level of language do you converse? What is your IQ? Recall a mind teaser puzzle, are you quick to figure it out, or does it take you a great deal of time? Are you unable to figure them out? What are the edges of your mind? Breathe in and breathe out and ponder the limits of your intellect, and slowly let that go as you return to simply being present.
Now consider your emotional boundaries. How sensitive are you? Do you cry easily? How long was it since you last laughed out loud? Blew your top? Trembled and hid beneath the covers? What sets you off emotionally? Where is your emotional boundary? Where is that line between where your experience of the world spills over into the feelings that you have about the world? Consider your emotional boundaries, when, where, and how you allow your emotions to be acknowledged and expressed. Take your time. Breathe in and out and let that go as you return to simply being present.
Now consider your spiritual being. How big is your spirit, how vast? Where is the edge where your spirit meets the spirit of another, with the great spirit of all that is? Let yourself feel this edge if you can find it, or allow yourself to drift off into a sense of oneness with all that is allowing your boundaries to dissolve. Feel yourself floating on waves of universal life energy, rising and falling smoothly and effortlessly. Then let that go too and return to your breath.
Once more feel your body lying on the floor and recognize your being as a sovereign nation. See yourself in the role of minister of trade. As a human being you are not separate and autonomous, but rather you rely on a certain level of exchange with all that is around you in order to survive. Your Metal element is like the customs house agent, and the minister of trade that monitors everything that comes into you from outside and everything you give out to the world from inside yourself.
Do you have a trade deficit, or surplus? How is the balance of trade between your friends and family and the rest of the world? Breathe in and breathe out, and find yourself fully present to the moment right where you are, once more witnessing the miracle of breath without need to alter its course or judge its quality. Simply observe, without judgment, a sovereign being in the sovereign land of your own body, heartmind, and spirit.
Slowly come out of the meditation and take time to discuss your experience with a friend, make notes in your journal, or create a work of art that depicts your own personal boundaries.
Step Two: What are You Hungry For?—
Journey into Earth
Here we are focusing on the Stomach meridian and Spleen meridian, which are the representatives of the Earth element in the body and heartmind. They are the organ networks through which nourishment comes into our being. You can see this correlation with the earth when you think of the deep rich soil and foundation of our home planet that provides for our every need in life.
Turn inward once more, lying on your stomach this time. Breathe down and inward to your belly and as you inhale consciously expand your abdominal muscles pressing in the floor beneath you. Feel your spine rising toward the ceiling. Then release the breath and feel your abdomen deflating and your spine dropping toward the earth once more. Take in the feeling of the letting go of the out-breath and the feeling of surrender to gravity. Become aware of the subtle power of gravity holding you to the earth.
In this place, feel your belly and recall a time when you were extremely hungry. Perhaps it is right now if it has been a while since you last ate. Perhaps it was a time when you were intentionally fasting. Perhaps it was a time when you were simply ravenous and yet you couldn’t indulge your need to eat right away. Take time to recall the feeling of that strong hunger in your body and let your being become immersed in the feeling.
Then recall how you went about taking the steps to satisfy your hunger. Feel in your body the memory of the steps you took to acquire the food. What were your feelings as you went hunting about and selecting just the right food to satisfy your need? Recall the care and time you took in the preparation of the meal or the quality of the acceptance of the food that was served to you. Recall the very first bite and the feelings that it brought out in you as you began to feel the food go down inside you to meet the hungry feeling in your being. Recall the meal that followed that deep hunger, recall it completely from the first bite to the last.
Recall the variety of foods that were a part of the meal. Recall when in the meal you began to slow down and realize that you were very nearly satisfied. Remember the decision to keep eating until finally you knew it was time to stop. Were you saving room for dessert? Or did you have dessert anyway even though there was no room?
Now let yourself sink into the memory of your hunger being completely satisfied. For a moment, remember the feeling of being overstuffed. Take a deep breath and sigh, and let that go.
Come back into the current time and space and consider your hunger not just for food but for anything you might desire. What are those things in life you feel you must have in order to get through your life? Consider water, rest, touch, love, drugs, money, transportation, soaps, lotions, clothes, work, exercise, makeup, candy, ice cream, and toys. What are you constantly craving? How do you indulge it or resist it? Is it really necessary? Is it good for you? Do you have to have it? Does it nourish you?
What are you hungry for? Truly? Let yourself look at it. Do you need that? Could you do without? Honestly? What would that look like? Just for a moment, consider life without that thing that feeds you. What truly nourishes? Now let yourself have what you need, knowing that it is good, as it is good to be fed. It is right to be nourished.
Breathe deeply. Feel your belly press into the floor. Feel your spine rise to the sky. Fill up with breath deeper and deeper until you can’t fill up any more, then hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold on to it. Don’t let it go. Don’t let go. Hold on to it. Call to mind what you are hungry for and let the breath out, out, out, until you are completely empty and your spine has returned toward the floor.
Pause. Don’t take a breath in, just wait. Wait. Don’t do anything. Not even holding your breath now, just get out of the way and allow the air to come into your body all by itself. Watch it and feel the satisfaction that it brings as you fill up with nature. Then let it go again without effort. Breathe normally without control and just drift. Feel that all your needs have been met. Just float and drift on the waves of breath and life.
As you are ready, get up and share your experience with a friend. If there’s no friend present, write it down, draw it, and remember it. Capture the insight that you gained through this experience with your own deep hunger.
Step Three: Your Personal Truth—
Journey into Absolute Fire
On this third step of the journey we explore the realm of the Heart and Small Intestine. These are the meridians of absolute or sovereign Fire in the body, heartmind and spirit. This is where you take your throne and find the power to conduct the business of your realm.
Sit in a comfortable position and establish a connection with your breath. Gently close your eyes and focus inward on your body. See your in-breath going down into your inner body, and your out-breath coming out from your inner body. Feel the bottoms of your feet. Feel your sit bones pressing gently into the chair or floor.
Watch your breath for several cycles and then bring your attention to the area around your heart, behind the breastbone and to the left. See this area from the inside with your mind’s eye. Allow yourself to simply be present with whatever bodily sensations you have in this area. There’s no need to make anything up about what you feel or imagine anything in particular. Just simply open your awareness to what you do feel at this very moment.
Now send a wave of acceptance down and inward to your heart, fully appreciating it for all its long and steady service to your life. Appreciate its fundamental rhythmic beating that keeps your life flowing. Call to mind the very special nature of the heart muscle and its specialized intelligence.
It opens and closes rhythmically and precisely over and over again. It brings in venous blood (blood which has already circulated throughout your body) and sends it into the lungs for oxygenation, and brings in freshly oxygenated blood and sends it out as arterial blood back to circulate throughout your entire body.
The heart’s intricate knowledge system brings in exact amounts of your precious life fluid and pumps it out again in equal volume. There are no central nervous system tissues in the heart. In other words, your brain does not control it; it does its job on its own.
In this place of awe and appreciation, take a moment to rest inward into Heart space. Breathe in, fill the area around the heart, and then let the breath go slowly and evenly (the heart muscle is attached to the diaphragm, so each breath actually moves the heart). Breathe this way slowly and deeply repeatedly quieting enough to be aware of the beating of your heart. And now consider your heart’s truth—an idea, a feeling, a belief that you hold dear. Perhaps it has to do with your very identity as a person. Who are you? What is your heart’s truth? What are you here on the planet to do? What is the truth you hold most dear?
As you ponder these questions, notice any voices that come into your head, voices of authority figures in your life, people who have influenced your outlook on life. Notice how their influence has shaped your own ideas. Recall how you accepted ideas from one source but not from another. Take a journey in your mind’s eye to discover the shaping and the forming of your own unique sense of truth.
Recall a time when you held a truth that was in apparent opposition to the truth held by an authority figure in your life. How did you deal with this? Did you hide your truth to avoid conflict? As you recall this, notice the feelings in your heart. Did you question your own heart’s truth and give way to the other person’s point of view, allowing your own truth to be shifted? Did you hold your truth in and simply wait until that authority figure was no longer in your life? Did you confront the authority figure and let the chips fall where they may? At what point did you find the courage to stand in your own truth? And could you allow them to stand in their own opposing truth? Could there be more than one?
Breathe deeply and slowly and pay attention to the area around your heart. Notice the effects of this exploration on the quality of peace in your Heart. See yourself surrounded by people who share your truth, or are willing to allow you to have your truth even though it may be contrary to their position. Affirm your right to your own personal truth about who you are, what you believe, and what you hold dear. And affirm that same right to others as well. Appreciate your Heart, the central rhythmic intelligence of your life.
Take a few slow breaths and slowly come out of the meditation. Take time with your journal this time and write down or otherwise express your personal truth in some meaningful way. Then share that truth with a friend. After you have shared it with a friend, consider whom you might talk to who holds an opposing position. What would it be like to share your views with them? Take a few deep breaths at the thought, return your attention to your Heart, and just listen.
Step Four: Your Deepest Feelings about Life and Death—
Journey into Water
At step four, we allow the elemental power of Water to come through us, as we drop into deep awareness of Bladder and Kidney functions. These powerful energies rest at the core of our being, governing the powerful action of the autonomic nervous system and all the deep instincts associate with life and death.
Take a comfortable position either lying on your back or sitting still. Calm your breath and look down and inward at your body. As you turn your consciousness inward, begin to direct your attention to the back of your body. Feel the back of your head, the back of your neck, all the way down your spine to your tailbone. Take time with this journey down your spine. Observe one vertebra at a time, and feel your back at each point. Remove judgment and open yourself to simply feel what presents itself at this time. As Tibetan Buddhism teaches us, be openly attentive to whatever arises. Apply this attentiveness to your awareness of your body.
After you focus on your spine, extend your awareness out to the sides of your back taking in the areas of the back of your shoulders, ribs, lower back, and buttocks. Apply the same attentiveness to these areas as you gave the spine. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply and notice the effects of the in-breath and out-breath on the sensations you feel in your body.
Move from the buttocks down into the back of your thighs, feeling the hamstrings, then the back of the knees and into the calves, and finally track the sensations of your body down into the bottom of your feet. Let your consciousness rest on the bottommost point of your foot, and imagine your in-breath coming in through this point. Feel the breath rising up your legs to the small of your back, and then release the out-breath down through the legs and out through this very same point.
Feel yourself deeply surrendered to the pull of gravity, and in this place move your attention toward your own birth into life. The story of your own birth that you heard from your parents, along with your own inner feelings about your arrival into life as a human being. Was it a happy day … a challenging day … a day of darkness? Were you welcomed into loving arms, a welcome addition to the human family? Or was your arrival met with fears and suspicions about whether your life was a good idea or not? Were you an unwanted, surprise child, or was your arrival planned? Consider this first moment and explore your feelings of being cherished and celebrated or barely tolerated. How does this moment show up in your own feelings about life?
Recall the memory of your face in the mirror. As you look at yourself, recall the face of your mother, your father. Let yourself sit and breathe with each image one at a time. Consider how your parents together brought you life. Do you see your mother’s, your father’s face when you look in the mirror at yourself? Remember their voices and the things that they said to you, and then recall your own voice, and the things you have said. Recall their mannerisms, the ones that please and the ones that annoy, and compare them to your own.
Take a deep breath. Imagine your parents as infants with your grandparents looking down at them. Do they smile? Are they stern? How do your parents feel about being alive? Is it a good thing to be alive? What is it to be alive? How does it feel to you? Do you have feelings about life that look the same as your parents’ feelings?
Gently let the images of your parents drift away, and allow yourself to go further back, to grandmothers, and grandfathers, great-grandmothers, great-grandfathers … to the stories, the family photo albums, recall your ancestry, your roots. See your genetic lineage as far back as you may, and take time to breathe in and out with your thoughts and feelings revolving around your ancestry and its history.
Let this go now and turn your attention to your children. If you do not yet have children, simply consider the idea of having children and all that that means to you. Consider what you will hand down to your children, the ways it will be an echo of what was handed down to you, and the ways in which it will differ.
Breathe in and breathe out, and consider life … and death. What does it mean to you to have been given life? What does it mean to give life? And what of your own demise? Do you fear it? Do you court it? What does it mean to die … to live? Consider your deepest innermost feelings about life and death.
Now, go inward and imagine your own passing. Will it be gentle? Violent? Do you cling to life, fighting death to the last breath? Or do you surrender to death gracefully and with ease? Is death a large and looming figure calling you into darkness, or a bright and shining light of life beyond life? What will your funeral be like? Can you see it? Will the ritual be grandiose, attended by many who mourn your passing … or will you pass away quietly without mention? Would you like to die alone on a hillside watching the sunset or the sunrise? Or will your death be sudden and unexpected?
Take time with these contemplations. Without judgment, simply notice your deepest innermost feelings about life and death. Tune in once more to your back body and gently recall your feelings at the start of the meditation. Notice any changes and reflect upon how your thoughts and feelings affect your body, your being.
Be gentle on yourself as you gradually pull yourself back into the current time and place. Slowly open your eyes and bring yourself to waking consciousness. Proceed to your journal and write or draw any impressions you have from this exercise. Keep them to yourself this time. You need not share these thoughts and feelings with anyone. At a later time, you may choose to, but for now, keep silence and let your inner strength grow through being dammed up. After journaling, practice a few vigorous exercises and feel yourself fully alive.
In the midst of your exercise, yell out “Hoka Hey!” It is a Lakota saying which means “it’s a good day to die” which means it’s a good day to live! Sit with that for a minute and consider what it means for you and your life … and death.
Step Five: Protection of All That Is Precious—
Journey into Supplemental Fire
Supplemental Fire takes us through the realms of the Pericardium and Triple Warmer. These channels are said to the ministers to the throne in charge of regulations and communications.
Sitting comfortably once more take time to focus into your breath and become fully present. Allow yourself to be aware of the temperature of the room and your general level of comfort in your body. Notice the inflow and outflow of breath and see if you are aware of the rate of your heartbeat at rest.
Now imagine that you are on vacation staying in a small cabin in the mountains, surrounded by wilderness. You are there with a friend or two perhaps. Imagine the place fully and realize that you can relax here and there’s no pressure on you to be anywhere but here or to do anything. There’s a small fire stove and a simple kitchen you have stocked with all that you will need for the week. You have this time all to yourself to do with what you will.
The weather has been mild and gentle and you are feeling really good. One day you wake up and decide you want to go for a hike. Your friend isn’t interested in joining you, so you decide to go ahead anyway by yourself. You pack a daypack, a lunch, and cheerfully set out on your hike. The weather is beautiful and sunny and mild and you set out with vigor and enthusiasm. Take a note to monitor the feelings in your body as you begin to experience the physical exertion. You easily climb up and over rocks and boulders in the trail and are gifted with spectacular views. Excited and exhilarated you walk a long, long way.
After a while, hunger pangs make themselves more and more obvious, and you decide to sit down and enjoy the lunch you packed. Satisfied with your meal you lean back and relax in the midday sun for a refreshing nap. When you wake you are still feeling good and you decide to continue to hike on a little ways further. You don’t really have an idea what time it is, but it feels like there’s lots of daylight left.
You hike on a few more miles, and almost without your noticing the weather begins to shift. There’s a cloud or two that come into the sky. The sun is obscured and the air turns chilly. More clouds build up and as you stand on a high point and look around, you see the clouds really beginning to gather and darken. You decide you’d better turn back.
You didn’t expect this turn in the weather, and you’re a lot further away from the cabin than you thought. The weather worsens, getting colder and colder with winds from the north and heavier clouds. As you walk steadily along, you see snow beginning to fly.
Notice your breath and your bodily reactions to the cold. Note the steps you take to protect yourself from the weather and maintain your course. The storm is getting worse; the snow thickens from flurries into a blinding blizzard. It begins to accumulate on the ground. It’s all you can do to make out the trail at your feet. You walk more hurriedly now, hoping to make it back to the cabin before nightfall.
The skies are dark from the storm, and the blowing snow obscures visibility. The accumulation gets deep, deeper than you could have imagined could ever fall in such a short time. The going gets tough now, but you plow steadily forward. Notice your body, how it is working in these conditions. You keep going, one foot in front of the other. Darkness falls, and you wildly consider whether you’re going to ever make it back to the cabin. You are cold. Notice what part of your body most feels the cold.
Notice how you are dressed. Did you dress for the weather? Did you have an extra layer in your daypack to change into? How prepared were you for this change? Do you pat yourself on the back for being well prepared or are you angry with yourself for being ill prepared? For what it’s worth, you consider your options. How will you survive this night?
Just as you begin to cast about for some way to protect yourself in the wilderness, you spy a glimmer of light up ahead. You move closer toward it. Beyond your wildest dreams you realize it is your cabin! Feel your heart rate when you first realize that you’ve made it. You go to the door and you reach for the handle and as you open the door you feel it pulled open and there is your friend ready to take you in. There’s a crackling fire in the wood stove and you are welcomed back into the warmth and the light. You get out of your soaking wet clothes, your friend brings you a blanket and something hot to drink and eat. You snuggle up by the fire and recall the journey of your day, grateful to be safe and warm from the sudden storm. Breathe a sigh of relief and feel your body as it melts into the protection of warmth and friendship.
Take a few moments to come back to the room. Feel your body and mind in present time and space once more. Take a look at the question of how well you protect yourself. How well do you prepare for the unexpected? What warms your heart?
Take time to consider how it is you hold yourself dear, and how you take care of yourself in the face of the vicissitudes of life. What does it mean to protect yourself? How precious do you hold yourself to be?
Step Six: Standing Your Ground—A Journey into Wood
At this stage we take our stand with the energies of Gall Bladder and Liver, the hardworking first mate and the captain of the ship of your life. Gather up the energy you need to navigate the many passages of life.
This meditation is done in a standing position with the intention to strengthen your stance, sink your roots in the earth, and feel your branches reaching faithfully toward the sky. With this image in mind, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Feel the bottoms of your feet. Feel grounded in the place where you stand. Feel your legs are slightly bent at the knee, giving you stability and flexibility. Make sure that your knees are not locked. Feel that your pelvis is free, with the tailbone slightly tucked under and forward. Feel your spine is loose and relaxed and held in a stable upright position. Your lower ribs are not protruding in the front, and your chest is slightly expanded. Your shoulders are dropped and your arms are resting gently at your sides. Your head is lifted up from the back at the nape of the neck, elongating your neck. Your chin is tucked slightly back. When we explore our qigong work in the next chapter, you will come to recognize this stance as the Wuji posture. This is a posture designed to stack your bones, give you a flexible upright posture, and connect you with the vastness and oneness of the entire universe.
Take several deep breaths and feel yourself rooted into the place where you stand. Notice a gentle swaying of your body as you breathe gently and deeply in and out. Feel suppleness in your body, all your muscles alive in a state of tonicity. Holding only the tension necessary to maintain your upright posture with ease—no more, no less.
Rest in this upright posture for several breaths, feeling the positive benefits of stillness and the confidence it brings you. As this feeling
begins to permeate your being, allow your mind to become aware of the shape your body occupies in space, feeling the air around you. Feel your size and weight and contours and consider your strength.
Shift your weight to one foot and slowly slide the other foot out to widen your stance. Bend your knees more and tuck your tailbone forward between your legs. Feel as if you are riding on a horse. Allow your arms to rise up slightly to the side with your hands facing your hips. Develop an image of a Western gun fighter in your mind, and feel yourself getting ready to draw your guns.
In this posture, remember a time when someone crossed your path and deeply disturbed you. Feel the feelings of righteous anger that arose within you with this invasion of your territory. Recall whether you felt powerless at the time and the person walked all over you. Perhaps they were jealous of your territory and wanted a piece of it. Maybe they wanted what you had. Maybe their truth was in opposition to yours and they were working to dominate you with their point of view. Perhaps they wanted to intimidate you and threatened your very life. Perhaps they caught you unawares, coming in with honey and sugar and turning to vinegar, laughing as they stabbed you in the back.
Breathe deep. Allow yourself to feel the feelings in your body. Feel the bottoms of your feet. Feel your powerlessness as this person trespassed into your life. Now reimagine the situation and reclaim your power. Feel strength in your legs. Feel nimbleness and tonicity in your spine. Feel your arms in their power, ready to reach for your guns and defend your territory to the last. Notice the feelings that run up and down your body from the tip of your nose to the tip of your toes. Hold the person back. Hold your ground and do not allow them to walk all over you.
Breathe in, breathe out, and slowly resolve the situation. Stand firm in your place no longer threatened by the opposition. You have a right to your territory. You have a right to that which nourishes you. You have a right to your own sense of truth. You have a right to your own life, and your own death. You have a right to protect what is dear to you. And you have the strength to defend it. Feel your strength, and from your strength know your courage.
Come out of the meditation and take time to consciously write down or draw your experience of yourself, standing in your strength and holding your ground.
Reflections on the Journey
As you move through this elemental meditation sequence, see the progression from superficial to deep and back to the surface again, and see the importance of each facet in your life process. Where you find yourself deficient (a difficult condition to see) be gentle on yourself and simply seek out ways to acquire the necessary skills. Where you are excessive (a hard condition to admit) take the steps necessary to tone these aspects down. On the journey, cultivate an attitude of acceptance and change will come sooner. If you cultivate an attitude of intolerance toward what you may see as unseemly aspects of your being, you may find yourself fighting a losing battle with your greatest enemy—yourself. First accept yourself, and see why you behave the way you do. Only from this place can you make realistic and lasting positive change in your life.
Remember: what you resist persists. The harder you work to stave off what you most dread, the more likely it is to continue manifesting in your life. Make peace with this and all aspects of your being and you will see that as they soften they become weak, and as they become weak they can be overcome.
Elemental meditation, in the end, is a practice of liberation and freedom, freedom to feel what you feel and to find your own truth without fear of reprisal or the judgment of others. But this practice takes courage for you must be willing to look at yourself, listen to yourself, and discover ways of accessing yourself of which hitherto you were unaware. Other peoples’ notions of right and wrong have been delivered so deeply into your psyche that the process of relearning them can be deeply challenging. In the end, you may find that you agree with what you have been taught. Rather than simply mimicing those who taught you, however, you will own the truth for yourself. When you come to this place, no one can get to you.
Breathe deeply. Take your time. Go at your own pace. And learn what that is. Learn to walk to the beat of your own drum. It’s well worth the journey. Enjoy!
4. Hammer, L. Dragon Rises, Redbird Flies, Easton Press, Seattle, 2005, p48.
5. Beinfeld, H and Korngold, E, Between Heaven and Earth, Ballantine Books, New York, 1991, p134.
6. Requena, Yves, Character and Health: The Relationship of Acupuncture and Psychology, Brookline, MA, Paradigm Publications, 1989, p41.
7. Requena, Yves, Character and Health: The Relationship of Acupuncture and Psychology, Brookline, MA, Paradigm Publications, 1989, p42.
8. Requena, Yves, Character and Health: The Relationship of Acupuncture and Psychology, Brookline, MA, Paradigm Publications, 1989, p45–50.
9. Griffith, Charles B. Little Shop of Horrors, FilmGroup, Inc, 1960.