Tuesday, July 7 2009
Hello Everybody,
Summer has arrived! It’s a wonderful time for hiking, camping, vegetable gardens, backyard parties and barbeques. In the Five-Element Acupuncture tradition, the element of summer is Fire.
Fire represents warmth, love, connection, community, protection, communication and sexuality. There is a part of us that personifies all these characteristics and embodies the element of Fire burning within. I am talking about our Heart.
Enjoy,
Brad
The Emperor
I find the Heart to be the most fascinating and magnificent force within us that makes us who we are. Its dedication to our survival is unmatched. It constantly beats and pumps life through our bodies, whether we are asleep or awake, 24 hours a day, from the time we are in our mother’s womb till the day we die. To better appreciate what it takes to fulfill this role, make a fist, then squeeze and release it slightly in a rhythmic pumping motion. See how long it takes before you get tired. Our Heart is able to do this for a lifetime without taking any breaks. Amazing, isn’t it?
We put so much strain and pressure on our Heart both physically and emotionally. Yet, it doesn’t abandon us. Instead, it works to support us tirelessly with rigor and compassion. In gratitude, I have committed to return the favor and fuel my Fire with love, laughter, and joy. Through this relationship, I learned the true meaning of unconditional love…a love that I always have access to.
In Five-Element Acupuncture the Chinese refer to the Heart as the Emperor whose job is to rule the land with love and benevolence for the benefit of all its people. The Emperor’s ability to rule successfully is directly correlated to the quality of the Ministers (or Cabinet Members) surrounding him and how well they are able to work together. Prosperity is often predicated by their ability to listen and reflect the will of the people.
Our organs —liver, gallbladder, lungs, etc.—fill the role of the Ministers, each governing a certain function and territory within the body. As the Heart pumps, it sends out messages and commands (such as hormones), and delivers energy and nutrients via the blood reaching every corner of the body. In return the various areas of the body update the Heart on what is going on, by sending their own messages through the blood that goes back to the Heart. This communication process applies to the physical as well as the emotional and spiritual realm of the body.
The Heart has many duties and responsibilities to tend to, a couple of which are the producer of love and facilitator of joy. In a world where everything seems to be so serious, there is a heavy cloud of intensity that wraps around our Heart and Soul, suffocating them. Heart is Fire, and Fire needs oxygen in order to breathe, dance, survive, and thrive. Now more than ever, it is important to make time to laugh, have fun and be joyous.
Find an opening in the cloud.
Let the Heart breathe.
Feed the flames allowing them to grow and spread throughout yourself and to the ones you love.
In this season of Fire, be a burning log that helps to ignite others. Or find someone whose Fire is burning strong and embrace it.
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