The Wu Shen are Five Spirits that correspond to Five Elements and Five Yin Organs of the body. Above are the Ethereal Spirits, gossamer and heavenly. Below are the Corporeal Spirits, keepers of the mortal nature of the body.
The Spirits correspond with images of nature:
- Shen: The sun, the moon, the planets and stars. Birds flying upwards towards the stars.
- Hun: Tree tops and clouds. Ever changing forms moved by the currents of wind.
- Yi: The earth beneath our feet and on the horizon. Stable, secure, home.
- Po: A canyon or a cave carved below the surface of the earth, mysterious labyrinths. Water sits on the floor of the caves. When the sunlight or moonlight illuminates the labyrinths the water, gems and minerals shine creating a sense of awe.
- Zhi: Water: dark, deep, mysterious, yet calming, cooling, and reflective. But also consider geysers, and the hot spring water rising up from the core of the earth.
The Spirits are connected with organs and elements:
The Heart beholds The Shen Spirits which are associated with fire.
The Liver commands The Hun Spirits which are associated with wood.
The Spleen grounds The Yi Spirits, earth.
The Lungs contain The Po Spirits which are associated with the metal element.
The Kidneys are keepers of The Zhi Spirits, associated with water.
Can we see the Spirits? You may conjure an image in your mind, but start by imagining the elements themselves. See the Spirits as elements in nature.
I will introduce each Spirit with its Chinese character, ancient and insightful descriptions. I have created a set of Flying and Swimming Dragon forms expressing in mindful movement the nature of each Spirit. A brief description of each form will be included.
The SHEN Spirits
The character for Shen combines the concepts of a divine alter or influences from the heavens, and also expanding, reaching and rising like fire. Shen is the spark of self awareness, the ultimate "I am."
We stand on the mountain top, gazing upward, in awe of the expansiveness and mysteries of the cosmos. The Shen Spirits long to fly amongst the stars. Like fire, they naturally ascend. But as long as we're alive, the Shen stay tethered to our heart where they return to rest and reflect. When we die, they become free, flying.
On the mountain top, looking towards the heavens we begin to have insights, and inspirations. We feel as though a star has touched us, we shed a tear, we laugh, we feel healed.
When the Shen are out of balance they are like fire, potentially out of control, rushing in and out of emotions and relationships, boundaries are blurred.
But, when the Shen Spirits are balanced:
- We easily communicate our feelings.
- We have control of our passions.
- We balance our passions without smothering our enthusiasm and excitement.
- We see the Shen Spirits shine in the eyes. I love it when I see eyes smile.
- Young children's eyes shine with curiosity, joy and delight as they connect with their people and the world.
- Adolescents may show signs of curiosity and idealism as they develop passionate friendships and experiment with romance.
- As we mature our eyes may communicate insight and intuition born from experience.
As we age, the light of Shen will soften due to illnesses, losses, disappointments, suffering. It may experience a period of dormancy.
But the light, after being immersed in darkness, blossoms once again from the heart space.
This is the “Birth of the Golden Flower.” That period of dormancy has nourished the Shen.
We will practice two Qigong forms: Dragon Holds a Pearl and Dragon Under a Rainbow. The pearl is a Qi ball. We first think it is a reflection of the moon on the surface of the water. We take hold of this ball of energy, raise it up to the Lower Dantian, to the heart, and finally to the heavens. From above we expand and contract the ball of Qi and see ourselves standing under the stars, the moon, the Milky Way, the planets...
While remaining tethered to the heart, we are in awe of the heavens above.
The HUN, the Ethereal Soul
The character for Hun is made up of two radicals. On the left, Yun, clouds. On the right, Gui, ghost.
Like clouds, the Hun transform as we breathe: changing shape, color, vanishing, reappearing.
The ethereal Hun is the Yang soul. It is the spiritual, heavenly aspect that continues after death.
The Hun is made up of three Spirits:
You Jing = “Secret spirit.” Attraction and sexual orientation. The "Secret Spirit" leaves the body frequently visiting people, places, or things it is attracted to.
Tai Guang = “Light of the fetus” or "Brilliant Light." Spark of life, life force.
Shuang Ling = “Bright Spirit” This part of the soul determines intellectual ability, it leaves the body at night, becoming dreams.
Wood is the element associated with the Hun. But we reference clouds when talking about the Hun. Wood is also associated with Spring, birth, reaching upwards and expanding outwards. The Hun and the Wood element embrace a certain randomness as they grow and expand like clouds; always shifting, changing, disappearing,
If growth is impeded, we hear "no!' as though a small child is told to do something, or "move out of my way.” Anger, irritability, forgetting about our visions of the future take control. It’s like we’re sitting in traffic.
If the Hun is balanced:
- We see the colors of the world.
- We dream and imagine how we can manifest our vision.
- Appreciate inner vision and imagination.
- Clear away muddled thinking like the liver cleans blood.
- Envision possibilities and weave dreams.
- Experience passion, excitement, zest and an unshakable "joie de vivre."
I typically get a good night's sleep. Looking at the graphic below, DEEP and CORE sleep are times when the Hun are back home at the liver, resting. The REM time? The Hun are out wandering, visiting, exploring. The AWAKE time? We sleep with our dachshunds, say no more.
I feel particularly drawn to the Hun. It most likely has to do with my passion for laying in the hammock next to the tree in our backyard. I watch the clouds through the branches.
To cultivate a healthy Hun eat smaller meals; practice mindfulness; bathe in nature, the colors, the warmth of the sun, the breeze and the movement of tree branches. The Hun is very appreciative of birdsong.
During our practice we will first cultivate the gentle flow of clouds with Cloud Hands. Our lower hand brushes the treetops while the upper hand moves with our breath like clouds, the palm facing our heart. Our weight shifts along with the upper hand. The palm faces our heart.
Then, the upper hand turns so the palm is facing out as we practice Green Dragon Breathes Clouds. Our weight shifts away from the upper hand as we exhale and a cloud is formed. The “shhhh” sound will supports the movement as well as the liver organ.
YI Spirits, Between the Ethereal and the Corporeal
The character for Yi is made up of an open bowl symbolizing the heart. Above it is the radical for sound, a musical note, a chant, a poem. This note is the link between inspiration and intention, between insight and dreams of the Shen and the Hun, and the seeds of matter.
Earth: balance, groundedness and center; harvest time, gathering, planting of the seeds of our creativity and labor. Our pockets are filled with seeds of light, gifts from the Shen Spirits. The soil is fertile, thanks to the drifting clouds of the Hun above, and the light of the Shen.
The Yi Spirits are tethered to the spleen, associated with sympathy but also worry, obsession and brooding about your problems. It's difficult to digest experiences because we perseverate and obsess.
But in balance:
- We long to plant and cultivate the seeds of our true purpose.
- Our thinking is clear, spacious, and our concentration is spot on.
- We act altruistically, giving without expectations.
- We're true to ourselves and others.
- We set boundaries saying "no" as we avoid over-committing.
- We say it, and stay with it.
- We take baby steps to complete goals.
It took me getting sick to learn from the Yi Spirits. Being diagnosed and then beginning treatments for a rare form of cancer, I initially misplaced my sense of purpose and felt as though my body no longer belonged to me. My mind escaped to the ethereal realms of the Shen and Hun where I could laugh and dance in the clouds and stars.
Then, I lost all strength in my lower body. It truly gave out. An insightful acupuncturist saw what was happening and directed me to practice Qigong Earth Forms and go walk in the grass barefoot.
I realized it was time to reacquaint myself with the Corporeal Spirits, Po and Zhi. We'll meet them next.
We will practice a form called Spirit Dragon Shakes Its Spine. This form conjures images of planting seeds, and also collecting what we no longer need and composting it back into the earth.
The PO Corporeal Soul
The character Po shares the radical Gui with the character Hun, “ghost” or “spirit." This character conveys the corporeal nature of the soul, which is associated with the physical body and its instincts.
The radical Gui is combined with bai, "white," the color of death, bones.
Associated with the lungs and the Metal element, the Po is responsible for physical vitality, bodily sensations, survival instincts, and the process of returning to the earth after death. A balanced Po spirit leads to a strong connection with the physical world, while an imbalance can manifest as grief, disconnection, and physical or lung-related issues.
Read my bit about body-centered psychotherapy, (yet to be published) you will be introduced to the my own experience with the Po Spirits. The Po are buried light of spirits, existing in labyrinths and caves, half asleep, silent. They hold somatic memories, even those that your consciousness chooses to hide, to keep silent until you are ready.
The Po Soul is related to our autonomic nervous system. Seconds after we are born, the Po directs us to breathe. The newborn is drawn instinctively to the mother's breast. As we grow, we rely on an animal-wit, a body-sense about other people, knowing what is right and what is wrong. These are all born from our Po nature.
When in balance:
- We heal by allowing ourselves to venture into the depths of our unexplored psyche.
- We inhale the light of the Shen and exhale what we no longer need to carry.
- We see the preciousness of the moment.
- We have a zest for life and feel back on track.
- Colors are more vibrant.
- Sounds touch us.
- We feel and see texture.
- We are more aware of scents of nature.
Similar to the Hun's Three Spirits, the Po is made up Seven Spirits. These reflect function, instincts, and emotions.
Spirit Dragon Transforms Qi will foster the sense of letting go of old ways to foster new. We'll also experience nervous system response of finding our breath after holding it briefly. Some friends who I practice with f compare the form to “the big bang theory.”
ZHI Spirits
The character for Zhi is made up of the radical for the open bowl of the “heart” below and a new green plant growing towards the sun above. This character exemplifies the connection between the "will" and the yin essences. The upper character also speaks of wisdom. Like flowing water we are determined as we shape our lives.
The bowl of the heart. Think of a singing bowl: vibration, sound: songs, mantra, prayers, poetry, words.
Water takes on many forms: lakes, rivers, rapids, and even geysers.
When the Zhi of the water element is not in balance you might feel exhausted from trying to control what is beyond your control. You might feel brittle, both emotionally and physically.
But, when balanced:
- You're okay with saying "I don't know, and that's okay."
- Silence is a haven.
- You are curious, but patiently curious.
- You actually enjoy waiting for the right moment to arise.
- You listen to your body.
- You accept the passage of time, the seasons, night and day.
During our practice we will embody the Swimming Dragon. Slow, easy, curious, patient.
We will swim at the surface and then dive to the depths of the water.
Steam rising, heated by the fire of the core of the earth, by our own inner fire. Swimming Dragon will ascend from the sacrum, up the spine, to the Bai Hui, the crown.
While water can rise as vapor, the natural direction of movement is downward. Water has long served as an example of moving around, over and even breaking through potential obsticles. A rock, a log, a dam, may “get in the way”, but water finds its way around, committed to its purpose of flowing towards the sea.
Winter becomes still, dark, quiet. Water transforms into ice on the surface, but its purpose is unimpeded. Life still exists under the surface, as does potential. Wuji.
When I first learned of the association of water and winter, I was confused. I worked through my questions by writing a post “Water Flowing Underground.”
Flying Dragon Qigong Forms have accompanied our journey down the mountain. We will now allow our dragon to swim below the surface of the water, exploring and playing. Our playful Swimming Dragon encounters a current of rising water, heated from the core of the earth. The dragon rises with the current, spiraling, ascending the mountain, ascending back up the spine, ascending to the crown. We’re back at the peak of the mountain. The Flying Dragon and the Shen Spirits have anticipated our return to the peak.
They lead us home, back to the heart.
This journey has also been told with reference to the Neijing Tu, a Taoist depiction of the body as a microcosm of nature.
I have written a bit about the Neijing Tu and dragons:
May your journey be fruitful, leading you back to your heart.
Brian
