We are in a time where our daily life moves around a word – Coronavirus. The unknown and fear can shake our very foundation.
In the healing wisdom of Five Element Acupuncture, the classics speak of twelve Organ Officials. Each has responsibility and distinct relationship with one another. The Heart Official has a special relationship the Kidney Official, the Kidney Official to the Bladder Official and the Lung Official, to offer a few examples.
Each official helps and supports different body systems. There are unique “virtues” offered by every Organ Official.
The gifts and offerings of the Kidney Official are potent for our world today.
“The Kidneys are responsible for the creation of power. Skill and ability stem from them.”
From the Su Wen and the Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor
To learn about the Kidney Official is like going on a mystery ride. The aspect of the element – Water, is often deep, dark and mysterious. Dive into the unknown. Lose yourself to find the power within you.
The Kidney Official calls us to a place of being that is larger than we can imagine. It is our connection to the oneness with the whole of the universe. Deep reservoirs of energy in the kidneys store Jing, our essence. It is this vital essence, ancestral Qi, which is our finite endowment from our parents. Acquired Qi is what we receive from our environment. Acquired Qi can be renewable or at least spent well. Ancestral Qi is a one time offer. Jing holds our incredible potential; the blueprint for life, fertility, virility, potency. It holds the building blocks of the power house which empowers growth, birth, maturation and reproduction.
The Kidney Official offers a knowing that comes from our very core – our DNA and beyond. This is the source that has the wisdom to discern danger. In Chinese medicine, the adrenal glands are connected to the kidneys – “flight or fight.”
The virtue in the deep reservoirs of the Kidney Official is when there is fear to find courage and move through the unknown. Through the cycles of the seasons, we know the cold dark Winter (the element of water) will end and the light of Spring will burst forth again.
When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take that step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen: there will be something solid for us to stand on, or God will teach us to fly.– Unknown Author
There are two points on the Kidney Meridian I would like to offer to you. The spirit of these points tap into the gifts of courage, trust and faith.
KI 1 Bubbling Spring
Just the sound of the name brings joy. This point brings the water up to the surface and literally touches earth (on the soul of the foot). Bubbling Spring offers rootedness. It is about knowing ‘who I am and where I’m going’. It brings the gift of hopefulness and a promise of things to come.
KI 3 Greater Mountain Stream
This point taps into the deep ancestral Qi. Imagine standing in a cool, clear mountain stream. The power of the water at your ankles (this point is found around the inside of your ankle area). It is a reminder to be responsive rather than reactive. To be fluid with the events of life and its changes. To let go of fear and breath. To trust…all will be well.