GIVE ME THE "BIG PICTURE" PLEASE
Five Spirits, five elements, five seasons, five yin organs, five colors, five emotions...
In Mandarin Chinese "Five Spirits" translates as "Wu Shen."
The Five Spirits represent different aspects of the human psyche. Each spirit is associated with an organ system and a specific role in the conscious and subconscious mind.
If you're familiar with the emotions associated with each of the five elements, you've basically met the Wu Shen. Or, you've seen them at a party.
The mind, body, and spirit are an interconnected network. The Wu Shen weave this network together, creating a holistic vision of the psyche. While the Wu Shen are anchored to Yin organs of the body, they move freely within two realms: the ethereal and the corporeal.
Movement catches and then holds my interest. Movement is what drew me to Qigong and to the Wu Shen. Yes, I was that kid, I couldn't keep still, I was always moving. Was?
INTRODUCE ME TO THE FIVE SPIRITS
- Shen (Mind/Spirit): Fire element. Associated with the Heart; governs consciousness, the mind, and spirit.
- Hun (Ethereal Soul): Wood element. Associated with the Liver; governs dreams, creativity, and planning for the future.
- Yi (Thought/Intellect): Earth element. Associated with the Spleen; governs thinking, memory, and intellectual processing.
- Po (Corporeal Soul): Metal element. Associated with the Lungs; governs our physical connection to the world, sense of self, and grounding.
- Zhi (Willpower/Wisdom): Water element. Associated with the Kidneys; governs willpower, life force, and instinct.
I've introduced the Spirits in keeping with a practice I've created called "Descending Kunlun Mountain." The graphic below introduces the Spirits as we descend from the ethereal to the corporeal or material realms of the psyche.
The image here places the Spirits near their corresponding Yin organ.
Po = Lungs
Shen = Heart
Hun = Liver
Yi = Earth
WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF THE FIVE SPIRITS?
The concept of the Five Spirits in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was born in ancient Taoist psycho-spiritual-alchemical practices.
Theories suggest roots in ancient Siberian shamanic traditions, later blending into Taoist thought. The practice of "awakening the spirits" is compared to "calling in the spirits" in a shamanic ritual.
WHAT DREW ME TO THE FIVE SPIRITS?
Short answer: body centered psychotherapy.
I wrote an article called DESCENDING INTO AWARENESS describing my experience with Hakomi Therapy.
When I first stumbled upon a book Five Spirits: Alchemical Acupuncture for Psychological and Spiritual Healing by Lorie Eve Dechar I was beyond intrigued. For one year, I studied each Spirit individually, trying to make sense of something I knew would offer more color to my jigsaw puzzle called life. My library grew, I was obsessed. At times I thought, this is too much, how can I make sense of it all. The puzzle pieces began to fall into place and I realized, "it's actually not that complicated."
While I don't anthropomorphize the Spirits, animating the elements with Spirit essences makes them much more accessible. You see, I think like a dog, I think in pictures rather than words. Seeing essences allows me to integrate the Spirits into my daily life.
That's the easy stuff, let's get dirty.
"SHEN" IS "SPIRIT." HOW DID WE END UP WITH FIVE SPIRITS?
Chinese Medicine considers Shen to be one of the three treasures that constitute life: - Jing, the essence
- Qi, the life force
- and Shen, the Spirit
The Spirit, the Shen, is the most observable. We can see Spirit in people's eyes, in their posture, the way they move...
The Spirit reflects emotions. The home of your psyche is the heart/mind. The heart, not the brain, is the home of Shen. The brain is a tool for the mind.
To distinguish the various "colors" of the psyche or the Shen, we explore the Five Spirits.
SPIRITS AND SOULS, WHAT'S WITH THAT?
The Hun and the Po are Souls, although each contain three (Hun) to seven (Po) Spirits. The Chinese character for these two Souls includes a character, Gui, "ghost." Oh oh.
Gui = ghost = independent existence, beyond our consciousness. Not controlled by the mind.
Let's use familiar terms: subconscious and conscious.
The subconscious relates to both Hun and Po. Hun governs dreams and the ethereal mind. Po manages physical sensations and primal drives. When in harmony the Hun and Po represent the interplay between the ethereal and the corporeal.
The subconscious soul is Yin, being substantial (somewhat tangible or humanly).
The conscious mind interacts with the Shen, Yi, and Zhi. Spirit is classified as Yang: insubstantial, intangible, heavenly.
The soul is eternal and can never be damaged or broken.
The spirit can be crushed, lost, torn, stolen or affected by life's circumstances.
It's tricky.
SPIRITS, ARE THEY GHOSTS?
I have introduced the Five Spirits to students. More than once the question has arisen: wait, spirits, are they ghosts? I'm afraid of ghosts, they're evil.
And yes, I did refer above to "Gui," ghosts.
When we die, the Hun leaves the body and ascends to the heavens. Unfinished business? Yes, the Hun may take the form of a ghost and hang out in the earthly realm.
When we die, the Po remains with the corpse and decomposes into the earth. And yes, there are those who believe that if the body is not properly handled, or the spirits are unable to pass on due to a violent death, unfinished business, or an improper burial, the ghosts may return to earth.
The Shen merges with the universal Tao (the cosmic life force) or joins the ancestral realm, becoming part of the flow of existence. The individual "self" does not remain.
The Yi simply dissolves as its function in the body ends.
The Zhi returns to its source, water.
THE FIVE SPIRITS FOR CANCER PATIENTS
First off, everybody has a different experience with cancer. I was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia in 2022 and then another more aggressive cancer, Merkel Cell Carcinoma in February of 2025. I've described my journey so far, and also what I've learned so far from friends with cancer in another article Qigong for Cancer Patients
A cancer diagnoses brings up many emotions. Life is unfair
I'm a victim of this horrible disease
I want to hide
Life can seem colorless
The HUN and the SHEN may become withdrawn.
When a person is in distress, the Hun will flee causing lack of concentration, procrastination and boredom. The Shen, rather than taking flight in the stars, may hide in the safe harbor of the heart.
Unless, you're me.
When I began treatments, I divorced myself from my body. My body no longer belonged to me, it belonged to cancer. But, friends and doctors were in awe because I was smiling. I had found refuge in my dreams and in the ethereal realms of the stars, the moon, the clouds, and in my hammock under the tree in our backyard. While that seems like a lovely place to be, I lacked harmony and paid the price.
THE FIVE SPIRITS AND RECOVERY
Just as with cancer patients, every story is different regarding substance abuse recovery. When I decided to "go sober" over a year ago, it was easy. A good friend helped by asking me "why do you want to be sober?" rather than "why do you want to quit drinking." I gave up alcohol, told my friends I'm no longer drinking, and a more healthful way of life began.
But, some people have chosen recovery because they've lost their job, their marriage is failing, they've lost their driver's license, they've spent time in prison. Giving up their substance(s) has become a matter of life or death.
Recovery isn’t just about not drinking or using— it’s about reconnecting with the body, the nervous system, and our psyche. These have been under strain for a long time.
Leading Qigong practices with people in recovery I see the initial expressions of fear, lack of control, giving up, feeling defeated, lacking hope.
I begin with connecting with the breath.
Mindful breath work accompanied by movements encourages looking inward with a gentle focus. Of course, harmonizing the ethereal and material encourages the practitioner to feel supported and expansive.
Back to that initial question: why do I want to be sober? I want to support my health and live with integrity.
I wish the same for you.
Brian
