Heart and Kidneys

Home , Li Shizhen, Microcosmic orbit

The Alchemy of the Organs with Peter Firebrace The Red Bird and the Dark Stag: the Heart and the Kidneys Vancouver, September 2012 TOPIC BREAKDOWN Day 1 Part 1 0-30 mins Overview. Inner alchemy tradition uses images such as the red bird and the dark deer for the heart and kidneys. Alchemical tradition texts eg 2nd cent AD Wei Bo Yang’s Cantongqi, 4th cent Ge Hong’s Baopuzi. Chinese herbs and food part of the external alchemy tradition, Waidan, using what is outside you. Neidan, Inner alchemy uses what is inside you, working with the ingredients of jing, qi, shen, blood, ﬂuids. Sun Simiao (7th cent), King of Medicine, encyclopedic author, included ideas from alchemy, as did Li Shizhen, famous16th century herbalist and author. Preserved in centres of learning such as Baiyunguan, Daoist Temple of the White Clouds in Beijing,

30-60 mins Guan, important concept, to see like a bird, bird’s eye view, to observe, observatory, Si guan, 4 methods of observing, diagnosis in medicine. Overview of Neijingtu, Map of Inner Streams or Inner Landscape, that is regenerative and self-perpetuating. Water is crucial to this and the microcosmic orbit. Overview of Xiuzhentu, Map of Cultivating Perfection, Authenticity, realising true nature as human being. Importance of time and timing, solar and lunar periods.

60-90 mins The organs and guardian spirits for heart, lung, spleen, liver, gallbladder and kidneys. Five elements, in central stove, three passes on spine, three dan tian on front. Kidneys, crucial to this process. Alchemical text Huangtingjing, Yellow Court Classic. Neiguan, inner observation, essential, the quiet meditative mind. Li, conscious awareness and attunement. All part of the Yang Sheng, Nourishing Life tradition. Recommended literature: Catherine Despeux, Isabelle Robinet.

Day 1 Part 2 0-30 mins Space, luopan, fengshui compass. Bei nan, north and south, cold and heat, light and dark, still axis of compass, of heart and kidney. Xuan, dark, undifferentiated mystery of the origin. Xuanlü, dark deer of the kidneys. Daodejing ch 6: ‘Gushen, the spirit of the valley, never dies, it is Xuanpin, the mysterious female’. Cf woman as the holder of the future, bearer of the child. Yuan, source, origin can be located between the kidneys. Also Ren 4 Guan Yuan, gateway to the source, yuan qi with Kid 13 and St 28 on same line, all points for fertility, link to ﬂuids. Xuan wu, dark warrior of the north protecting against darkness. Snake and Tortoise of the north in united embrace.

30-60 mins Tortoise, slow, long-lived, wise, knows when to retire. Hibernates, suspended animation, retreat, regeneration, tortoise breath, contrast to yang lifestyle, night work, not sleeping, which destroys kidney yin. Cf wu wei, non-action, non-reaction. Snake sheds skin, also symbol of renewal, but fast, yang. Winter solstice, Cyclic characters,

1 The Alchemy of the Organs with Peter Firebrace The Red Bird and the Dark Stag: the Heart and the Kidneys Vancouver, September 2012 TOPIC BREAKDOWN cycle of sixty, hours, days, months, years. Tian gan, 10 heavenly stems, water stems 9, ren (Bl) and 10, gui (Kid). Tian gui and fertility.

60-90 mins Fluids related to the kidneys, eg, fluid in mouth, of different quality dependent on state of mind, central to inner landscape map, and vaginal fluids, wetness of woman in sexual arousal. Essential for regeneration and the generative power to give birth. Fire stems 3, bing (SI) and 4, ding (Ht). Di zhi, 12 earthly branches. Gb first branch, zi, water energy, another link with kidneys, initiator, opposite wu, fire branch 7, heart. Metal branch 10, you, is kidney branch, distilling, keeping, preserving.

Day 1 Part 3 0-30 mins Trigrams and hexagrams. Yinyang, sixiang, four images, bagua, eight trigrams and relation to ﬁve elements. Li, ﬁre, needs the yin within to burn. Kan, water, contains the yang line within the yin, like electric power latent within the dam. Li image of beautiful bird, brightness. Kan man fallen into a pit, danger. Li and kan retain opposite positions in both anterior heaven (horizontal, sleeping) and posterior heaven (vertical, awake) sequences, an inseparable pair.

30-60 mins Exchange between li and kan is central to the alchemical process, reconciliation of opposites, jing shen. Hexagram 29, double water, is danger, difficulty. Hex 30, Li, double fire is brightness, clarity of mind. Hex 63, Jiji, fire below water, is already completed, the perfect hexagram, but finished. Hex 64, Weiji, water below fire, is not yet complete, sign of potential. Neijingtu, Inner Landscape Map, shows embryo within a sac or container. Water seen in sea of marrow (brain), spinal stream with its three passes, sea around island of immortals, sea of kan below, spring in cave of mouth. Waterwheel treaders raise water up to nourish the brain and irrigate three dan tian.

60-90 mins With a quiet mind, regenerative water collects in mouth. Fire seen in true dantian below and ﬁre of mingmen. Cf use of moxa in exhaustion and for longevity eg on Ren 6, Ren 4, St 36, Du 4. Landscape should be moving, (wheels turning, ploughing etc). Stillness in mountains above. Teacher and pupil, Laozi and Boddhidharma. Xiuzhentu, Cultivating Perfection Map, kidney only organ to be represented. Dark deer text similar to text of Huangtingjing, Yellow Court Classic, written by Weihuacun, woman in 4th cent AD. Dark deer two headed. Wu shaman, connects heaven and earth, danced for rain, fertility of land.

Day 1 Part 4 0-30 mins Xiuzhentu text on the kidneys. Xuanlu two-headed deer, like Janus, Roman god who gave his name to January, looking back at old year and looking forward to new.

2 The Alchemy of the Organs with Peter Firebrace The Red Bird and the Dark Stag: the Heart and the Kidneys Vancouver, September 2012 TOPIC BREAKDOWN One of its names is Linger, magical child, either real child or inner child, regenerate being within, able to be spiritually effective, with magical powers.

30-60 mins Discussion of Daoist concept of the immortal embryo, rising to head and exiting out of head to the nine realms of heaven, achieving true or authentic human nature. Aims are health, longevity and immortality. Ascension of water back up to head starts in Weiluguan, the lower pass at the sacrum. Two kidneys authentic water and authentic ﬁre, left, gate of kidneys, right, gate of destiny (ming men). Palace of qi of life, gate of qi of death. Zhi - wisdom to unfold life as it should be unfolded, eg jing, unfolding cycles of life in innate wisdom. Kidneys related to triple heater, ﬁre organ with water energy, moves water as mist, pool and canal. 9 secretions.

60-90 mins Xuanpin, mysterious female linked directly to kidneys. Three hydraulic carts moving downwards for procreation, upwards (reversed) for immortality. Kidneys link to brain, eyes, mouth, under tongue to Yu quan, Jade Spring, revitalising fluids. Cf Ren 23 for dryness and restoring saliva flow. External kidneys are the testicles. Cruciform flower lower part related to kidneys, jing, kan trigram, lower dan tian. Phrase written there: ‘when the body does not move, the jing becomes firm on its own’. Stillness preserves and firms the jing.

Day 2 Part 1 0-30 mins Kidney character, service and ﬁrmness. Nanjing 36 hexagram picture. Two kidneys, original couple, yin yang harmony, true yin, true yang. Bi cang, closing and storing, ineffective in old age, incontinence, dribbling, Kid 3, Tai Xi. Kid 23, Shen Feng, Spirit Sea, sealing and enclosing in scattered shen, nervous, anxious. Kid 24 Ling Xu, Spiritual Space, space to allow restoration of ling, spiritual power. Kid 25 Shen Cang, Spirit Store, storing the shen. All with respiratory or cardiac problems. Stillness, bu dong, ﬁrms the jing, essence. Zhi, willpower, will to live, standing up for yourself, determination, gives unparalleled stability. Ling shu 47 quotation on importance of zhi yi, will and intent.

30-60 mins Poem on Zhi yi, will and intent. Points to help zhi, will. Du 4, Bl 23, Bl 52. Discussion of kidney link to gallbladder, Gb 25, Gb 24, Gb 13. Zhi includes memory of what happened in past, keeps you on track. Zhi, wisdom, kidneys have deep- seated inherent body wisdom to unfold who you are through stages and cycles, cf jing. Fear, two types. Kong freezes, immobilises, paralyses, ‘inauthentic yin’. Jing, uncontrolled movements, twitching, jumpiness, nervousness, panicky, fright, scattering shen, ‘inauthentic yang’. Kid 4 Da Zhong, Large Bell or Goblet. Luo point to Heart protector and lumbar area, excellent for anxiety, fear, lack of self- conﬁdence, esp when exhausted. Sun Simiao combination Kid 4 + P 4, mine Kid 4 + Ht 5. Kid 4 in premature senility, dementia with Du 20, Du 16, Gb 39.

3 The Alchemy of the Organs with Peter Firebrace The Red Bird and the Dark Stag: the Heart and the Kidneys Vancouver, September 2012 TOPIC BREAKDOWN 60-90 mins Ren 15 Jiu Wei, Dove Tail, alternative name Shen Fu, Spirit Storehouse, good for panic attack, unreasonable fear and anxiety. Kidney couples, soft and hard, hair and teeth, bones and marrow, skull and brain. He Yin Yang, sexual texts in Mawangdui tomb. Sex for mutual regeneration, not depletion and frustration. Retaining essence to nourish the brain. Ejaculation control, Ren 1, Hui Yin. Man, hard erection, woman, softness and ﬂuids. Fertility, kidney link to uterus, bao luo. Points for infertility, esp Ren 5, Stone Gate (esp blockage), Kid 14, Si Man, Fourfold Fullness (esp stagnation), Kid 13, Qi Xue, Qi Hollow, alternate names, Zi Hu, Child, Door (right), Bao Men, Uterus Gate (left) (esp depletion and cold). Cases, amenorrheoa and infertility. Shou Xing, God of Longevity, archetype of longevity, full retention of functions and Xi Wang Mu, Queen Mother of West, ever-youthful, grows the peaches of immortality in her garden in the Kun Lun Mountains.

Day 2 Part 2 0-30 mins Xin, translated as ‘heart’ in medicine, is often ‘mind’ in philosophical texts. Seat of feelings, but also of transcendence, a place of peace. Lord and sovereign, needs to be taken care of. Responsible for shen ming, radiance of spirits. Shen etymology connected with light. Heart is link with the formless. Governs blood, sacred ﬁre ﬂuid, home of shen, key to woman, who has special relationship with heart and liver (as man does with jing and kidneys). Heart sometimes represented as young girl. Bao mai link to uterus. Woman meditation - hands at heart and breast level.

30-60 mins Joy is the natural quality of heart. Xi, excitement, stimulation, elation, and le, deep inner joy. Etymology of both related to music. Xi - dependent on external stimulation for joy, party, drink, sex, drugs, food… Le - contentment, independent of circumstance. Ht protected by heart protector, xin bao, ‘pericardium’, esp against heat and phlegm. Phlegm blocks, obstructs, affects the mind. Dian kuang, manic depression, dian doubling of yin, withdrawal, kuang, doubling of yang, fury, rage. Gui ghosts, demons, possession. Haunted by events from past. Gui points like P 5, P 7, P 8, Du 26, Ren 24, Du 16, Bl 62.

60-90 mins Xiuzhentu, Map of Cultivating Perfection, Buddhist and Daoist inﬂuences, the void, emptiness important. See it with heart. Red bird, Li trigram with yin centre to calm. Name shouling, Guarding Spiritual Power. Heart as lotus. Seven openings, if blocked, low, and if open, high intelligence. Cf idea of phlegm. Middle dan tian, scarlet palace around heart or stomach and spleen area, two different traditions.

Day 2 Part 3 0-30 mins Points around heart area. Du 10, Ling Tai, Spiritual Tower, clears heat from blood, detoxes, puriﬁes, so clears heart. Du 11, Shen Dao, Spirit Way, restores connection to shen, depressed, anxious, fretful, nourishes heart. Bl 43, Gao Huang Shu,

4 The Alchemy of the Organs with Peter Firebrace The Red Bird and the Dark Stag: the Heart and the Kidneys Vancouver, September 2012 TOPIC BREAKDOWN protects deepest level of life, life-saving point, chronic illness, cancer, exhaustion, emaciation. Penglai Island of the immortals, protected space. Taiji, pole beyond duality, Image of heart, beyond yin yang duality to singularity. Stillness in motion. Boy in circle of seeds.

30-60 mins Heart place of tranquillity. temple on the stream behind heart. Stars of bei dou, Northern Ladle. Man seated in meditation. Ht is like a monkey, yi (intent) like a horse. Yi, focussed concentration. Three monkeys of the senses, don’t be overtaken by them. Quotation Daodejing 12, Ht needs restraint. Ht as lotus ﬂower upside down, with leaves of lung (for qi) above and liver (for blood) below.

60-90 min ‘When the yi does not move, the shen become spiritually effective, ling’. ‘When the heart does not move, the qi becomes ﬁrm’. Discipline and freedom. Dangers of overstimulation through ears, eyes, tongue. Monkey King in The Journey to the west, anarchistic, mischievous, wild, but can see through demons, gui, so helps to protect. Horse Taming is training the yi, focussing the mind.

Day 2 Part 4 0-30 mins Classical quotations related to the heart. Nei Ye, Inner Training, by Guan zi. Danger of uncontrolled emotions. Huainan zi’s Yuan Dao, Original Dao, not taken by a particular joy, you reach the ultimate joy. Suwen 1, in peaceful calm, void and emptiness, the authentic qi ﬂows easily, illness cannot arise, jingshen kept within. Zhuang zi’s wild stories, no limits writer.

30-60 mins Zhuang zi mentions ‘xin zhai’, the fasting of the heart, sitting and forgetting, ‘zuo wang’ in meditation, ‘xin yang’, the nourishing of the heart. Emptying the heart nourishes it. Wu wei, not reacting to life, zi ran spontaneously coming back on track, of its own accord. Love, loss and heartbreak, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen songs. Heart points. Ht 4, Ling Dao, heart pain, fearful, melancholy. Ht 5 Tong Li, free-ﬂow to deepest aspect of Ht. Luo, returns to true nature, returns home. Feeling lost, desolation, depression, Speech problems, stroke, silence of denial.

60-90 mins Ht 6, Yin Xi, deﬁcient yin, night sweats, menopause, and stuck blood in Ht. Ht 7, Shen Men, all Ht syndromes. Can open door to let shen in or close door when shen scattered to keep them in. Calming, connecting. Pericardium or Heart Protector points. P 3 Qu Ze, high fevers, hot skin problems. P 4 Xi Men, angina, good for acute heart pain, irregular pulse. P 5 Jian Shi, messenger to the heart, gui point, possession, post traumatic stress disorder, negative states of mind, haunted by the past. Protects Ht, clears past. The point for phlegm. P 6, Nei Guan, Gate to the Inner, master point of Yinwei mai, gathers all the yin, good in radiotherapy, chest pain

5 The Alchemy of the Organs with Peter Firebrace The Red Bird and the Dark Stag: the Heart and the Kidneys Vancouver, September 2012 TOPIC BREAKDOWN and digestive problems, also loss of conﬁdence, fearful, depressed, irregular heartbeat. P 7 Da Ling, Big Mound, in classics was source point of Ht, deeply protects Ht, gui point, clears in negativity, loss, past trauma, tears and fury, dian kuang.