Heart Constellation

Active Time:  11am-1pm
Element: fire
Fundamental Principle: yin
Season: summer

This is the second installment on the meridians used in my Inner Constellation work. The first article was on the Spleen Meridian. The week celebrating Valentine's Day seems the perfect opportunity to highlight the Heart (HT) Meridian. Interestingly, HT meridian consists of three branches. One travels to the small intestine, another runs upward past the tongue to just under the eye and the third branch crosses the chest and travels down the arm to end at the inside nail bed of the pinky finger. The heart is called "king" of all the organs and governs blood and pulse in addition to mind and spirit. The heart contains its own intelligence, with an electromagnetic current 45-70 times the amplitude of the brain. Our heart rhythms influence the brain waves of those within 8 feet of our center. Imbalances in HT meridian can often present as heart problems and symptoms such as dry throat, heart pain, palpitations, excessive thirst, pain in chest and forearm, yellow eyes and insomnia.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Heart meridian is a yin meridian associated with the element of fire and most active during the hours of 11am-1pm. This is an optimal time to work on HT meridian as part of a daily maintenance routine. For a quick boost it can be accessed at its end point, HT-9, located at the inside nail bed of the pinky finger. Tap on HT-9 for about seven seconds or consider tracing the Heart meridian in its entirety. The Heart constellation is a very easy path to trace--start at your armpit and follow down the medial or inner arm and off your little finger (palm facing up).

I often include HT meridian in algorithms I design targeting physical pain, speech impediments, circulation, insomnia, anger, grief or when releasing and letting go of something that no longer serves. Consider giving Heart meridian a little extra love this week for an especially happy and healthy Valentine's Day.