The Twelve Regular Meridian Channels
In this first part of our journey, let’s get acquainted with the twelve regular meridians. I invite you to approach your body as if it were an organization with a set of very clear departments, each dedicated to the various tasks of your life. I want you to come to know these various departments in a deep and personal way. The twelve regular channels fundamentally describe all the various working systems of being a human being in a living body.
The Life Energy Matrix and Its Functional Layers
As we dive into body of the work, I want to explain the basics in more detail. Qi describes a concept that comes to us from China, synonymous with life energy. This energy permeates all that we are aware of in the cosmos. It is ever present in nature as well as human nature. In the human, this life energy serves to animate and govern all the functions of the human being, from digestion to higher cognition. The ancient Chinese medical system describes a network of energetic pathways or meridians that run throughout the human being, animating all the various functions necessary to the life of the organism.
When we look at these energetic pathways and their material expression, we see an interconnected matrix of the energetic organization of our human form. This book is about exploring that energetic matrix, making sense of it for modern seekers, and displaying some of the benefits that knowledge of the matrix can offer in our pursuit of health, wellness, understanding, and optimal human functioning.
As we approach the topic of studying the matrix of the meridian channel system of Chinese medicine it is important to establish a couple of definitions that will guide us on our journey. First and foremost is the word meridian itself, and the ways in which we understand what a meridian is. And secondly, qi energy, what it is and how we think, feel and experience it. Let’s look at the latter first, because it is the “stuff” that flows through the channels of the system, and by knowing what the channel carries, our understanding of the channel itself is clarified.
The concept of qi is deeply rooted in Chinese philosophical history and understanding. It is not within the scope or intention of this work to fully explore all the permutations and expressions of qi. What is most vital to our discussion is to understand qi as an animating, governing force of life. As an animating, governing force, qi is pervasive. It is in evidence wherever and whenever we turn to look, and at the same time it can be unseen and elusive. Qi has many forms and manifestations.
In nature we see qi in all things, from the sustaining still presence within rock and mountain to the rushing torrent of the cataract. Qi shows itself in all natural phenomena of the earth. In the universe qi shows up in all observed phenomena—from the gross movements of the planets around the sun, to the burning of the sun itself, to the quantum levels of atomic particle physics—qi can be seen as the force within it all.
In the human body, as in all animate forms, qi is present as well. It is conceived of as that which animates and governs all the many functions of our being, physically, mentally, and spiritually. From sleeping and waking, digestion and elimination, to higher mental and emotional functioning, qi is the guiding force. When qi is clear and flowing properly, we have health and wellness, when it is blocked from flowing, or has become polluted or distorted, we have dis-ease or anti-wellness.
Now as qi flows through our body it is differentiated into various forms and disseminated throughout the body. As it enters certain pathways known as meridian channels, it becomes known as meridian channel qi. This highly specialized qi flowing through the channels has the task of governing the particular functions of the body, heartmind, and spirit related to the channel in question. The channel system circulates qi throughout the body from deep structures in the internal organs to surface pathways in the muscles, tendons, and cutaneous regions. The channels actually serve to link the deeper aspects of the body to the more superficial aspects.
There are many different kinds of channels within our human being, including regular channels, tendino-muscle channels, connecting vessels, divergent channels, and extraordinary vessels, and all are accessed through some 365 acupoints. In this work we will be studying the twelve regular channels, their trajectories, acupoint locations, and range of functionality. As we study, we will hold the understanding that each meridian channel can be seen as providing governing qi energy to its own range of functions on all levels of the body, heartmind, and spirit. Each channel has its own particular tasks to perform and those distinct tasks are woven into the extraordinary fabric of overall relationship to the whole.
The twelve regular channels have been correlated to the physical organs, and have become known by the name of the viscera most closely related to the range of functions that it governs. These are known in the classical nomenclature as the Zang-Fu. There are ten viscera of note: the Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach, Spleen/Pancreas, Heart, Small Intestine, Bladder, Kidney, Gall Bladder, and Liver. In addition to these ten, two systems identified as the Pericardium and Triple Warmer round out the system of twelve. These latter two have no identified organ correlate but rather define a range of identifiable functions.
Now the channel systems of Chinese medicine indeed have full medical and clinical applications, and a deep study of the systems is the foundation for a serious career as a doctor of Chinese medicine. Yet it is not the intention of this book to train you at the medical level. Rather, my intention is to open you up to the very natural level of accessibility to these systems. And in that opening at the natural level, you will be able to discover a powerful ally in your personal care, as well as something you can share with loved ones. And if you are already a helping professional, you will find this knowledge system a powerful ally in your ability to provide truly outstanding care to your clients and patients.
Because the meridians are named after physical organs, it may be easy to get confused that we are referring simply to physical structures of the body. I assure you this is not the case, and an important point to be clear about. The meridian itself is concerned with the governance of a range of functions from physical and mental to emotional and spiritual. And this makes them highly useful and accessible for any and everyone interested in deepening self-understanding.
In ten of the twelve systems, there is a physical organ that is responsible for the physical range of functioning. In two of the systems, there is not. These last two, by not being correlated to physical organs, help us to see that it is important to make sure that we are not confusing meridians with organs. Organs are physical structures acting on the material level; meridians represent a range of energetic function acting on material, as well as non-material levels.
As we study the meridian channels, we will find that each one follows a particular pathway along the surface of the body that can be related to the range of functions for which it is responsible. And along the pathway, acupoints can be seen as entry and exit points through which the qi within the channel can be accessed and manipulated. A variety of methods from exercise and meditation, to acupuncture and acupressure, to diet and herbs have been developed over the years to make use of the meridians and their acupoints to assess and treat a multitude of conditions of the body, heartmind, and spirit.
This work is an in-depth exploration of the range of functioning for each of the twelve regular channels. Along the way we will be glimpsing how the meridian channels fit into the larger theory of the five element energy transformations and a somewhat deeper look at the six divisions of yin and yang. The theoretical knowledge is presented so as not to limit its application in any way, but rather to provide the foundation understanding necessary for use of the meridian system in a variety of personal self-care and therapeutic settings.
The focus of this work is primarily on the meridian channels and functions. On this journey, it is important to realize that the meridian channels are an expression of natural energies that govern and animate all life on the planet. In Chinese philosophy and cosmology these energies are identified as the five elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. In a later chapter, we will engage in an entry-level journey into the five elements and let that take us to a deeper grasp of meridian function.
As we set out, please bear in mind that we are ultimately looking at an interconnected and seamless whole system rather than simply breaking things down into constituent parts. Ultimately body, heartmind, and spirit are one, and all the various functions deeply interwoven. Seeing the system as an interconnected whole helps the development of the insight necessary to perceive patterns of harmony and dissonance as they arise. This is a most important and critical skill. It is not simply that the individual part is singled out for treatment but rather treatment of the individual symptom is seen in the light of its affect on the whole person and on the re-establishment of equilibrium.