Large Intestine Constellation

Active Time:  5-7 am

Element: metal

Fundamental Principle: yang

Season: late summer

Our guts are a freak of nature! The small intestine is about 20 feet and large intestine is about 5 feet—“large” referring to width versus length. So, the Braveheart movie did not over exaggerate Mel Gibson's innards! As far as meridians go, the Large Intestine (LI) meridian is actually short by comparison to the other energy channels. It begins at the inside nail bed of each index finger (closest to thumb) and travels directly up the arm to the hinge of the elbow, over the bicep to reach the outside of the shoulder. Here it diverges into two branches, one that goes into the lungs, diaphragm and large intestine, and the other continuing up the neck, across the upper lip to end at the flare on the opposite side of the nose. LI rules elimination, deciding what is needed for nutrition and letting the rest go. Emotional indicators of a LI out of balance might include controlling qualities or difficulty letting go of something that no longer serves a purpose, even to the extreme of retaining what is known to be toxic. In its balanced state, LI rises to the occasion in challenging situations and helps us notice, digest and process the take-away lessons.  Physical disharmony is indicated by illnesses of the head, face and throat area, often showing up as toothaches, runny noses, yellow eyes, excessive thirst and sore throats. Pain in the shoulders, arms and index fingers as well as intestinal problems can be indicators of LI out of balance.

Large Intestine is a yang meridian, most active during the hours of 5-7am. It’s associated with the element of metal. When I include LI meridian in the tapping sequence, I like to access it at LI-1 or the inside nail bed of the index finger. It can also be easily found at the flare of the nose, or LI-20. These beginning and end points are practical points for targeting a sore throat, runny nose, or flu like symptoms like diarrhea or intestinal upset. Fall is the season tied to the element of metal, and it’s this time of year when the associated meridians are most vulnerable. It makes sense that autumn is often when cold and flu season kicks off.  May your next flu season be avoided with a preventative tapping boost to your Large Intestine meridian!

Lung Constellation

Lung Meridan
Anterior (Front)

Active Time:  3-5am

Element: metal

Fundamental Principle: yin

Season: autumn

Next up is Lung meridian. Lung meridian is extremely easy to access at the endpoint located at the base of the inside thumbnail (LU-11). In fact, you can tap or pressure this point as you’re reading this article to give your breathing a quick boost. The primary functions of Lung (LU) meridian is regulating and moving breath throughout the entire body. We can find ourselves unintentionally holding our breaths for a number of reasons, the causes I primarily see are due to pain, stress or trauma. A good way to work with LU meridian is to take a full breath and then rate it using a 0-10 scale, 0 being shallow to flat-lining (yikes) and 10 being full and uncompromised. From here, take full and easy breaths while tapping or pressuring the LU-11 point. If your breath catches, that’s OK, just keep breathing and tapping. After about six breaths, reassess the number. If it hasn’t improved significantly, proceed through the entire basic recipe of the meridian sequence or consider doing the Collarbone Breathing Technique (stay tuned for a future article on this treatment or contact me to learn more). Often when I’m working on a client, full breathing is the first thing I notice naturally return to the body. I like to call breath, “nature’s self-correcting mechanism.” Symptoms of imbalanced LU meridian can present as distension or a full sensation in the chest, asthma, allergies, coughing, restlessness, skin issues and fatigue. From an emotional perspective, LU upset can often show up as excessive grieving or extreme rigidity. When LU meridian is balanced a person is organized yet flexible, with heart-felt sensitivity toward others.

LU is a yin meridian associated with the element of metal and is most active during the hours of 3-5am. Tracing LU meridian is very easy and you can follow the diagram above, starting at the front of the shoulder and tracing down the medial side of the arm and off the outer thumb (LU-11).

Well, that’s it for today, IC peeps. Are you still tapping LU-11? How’s your breathing? May it flow with ease today J. 

Liver Constellation

Active Time:  1-3am

Element: wood

Fundamental Principle: yin

Season: spring

The liver is the largest organ in the body and has many functions. The major role of liver is to remove toxins and assure the flow of blood throughout the body. It also controls immune response as well as the sinews and is associated with the eyes. Where Gallbladder meridian is associated with looking outward, Liver Meridian is associated with looking inward. Deficiencies in LR meridian flow can lead to moodiness, depression and guilt, whereas an excess of liver energy can lead to excessive drama and anger, especially against oneself. Physical Liver (LR) meridian issues often appear as problems in the liver and genital systems. Symptoms may include dizziness, high blood pressure, hernias, distended lower abdomens in woman, nausea, allergies, incontinence and eye problems. This is also an effective meridian to treat if you have poor blood circulation, exacerbated by damp conditions.

Liver is a yin meridian, most active between the hours of 1-3am. It’s associated with the wood element. To trace the LR meridian start at the inside of your big toes and travel straight up the insides of the legs, flaring out at the hips, then back underneath the ribcage in line with the breasts.  In the tapping algorithms, I like to access the ends of this meridian at LR-14 which are directly below the nipples, typically where a women’s bra line might be (men, use your imagination:).  Often this point is avoided by practitioners of meridian tapping because of the sensitive location (close to the breasts), however, it’s a vital point, especially tied to women issues, and I include it in the basic recipe of tapping that I use with clients.  

Beware Lycanthropes--Fullest Moon in 15 Years!

I just got a call from a dear friend informing me the moon is 14% bigger and 30% brighter tonight! It hasn't been so full since 1997 and won't happen again until 2016. The best viewing is supposedly at 8:35pm PST as it's rising for the night. Waves will be more intense as will dreams. Before fading off to the otherworld, get out there and enjoy the illumination. Here's a poem to get your moon juices flowing....

Silent Remedy

©Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

In moon’s fullness,
Silhouette wades along water’s edge,

Fills vial with water,
Adds powder to liquid.

Swirl, swirl, swirl.

Night reflections mingle inside, 

Illuminating a wizened face.

Threads of melody,

Escape toothless smile

Voice high, then low.

Ancient water song accompanies waves,
Lapping shore.

Gallbladder Constellation

Active Time:  11pm-1am

Element: wood

Fundamental Principle: yang

Season: spring

The Gall Bladder is in charge of making and storing bile required to digest and metabolize fats and oils. It works closely with the lymphatic system to clear toxins, thereby eliminating muscular aches and fatigue.  On rare occasion, when I break down and eat McDonald French fries (I hear you groaning, but what can I say), I’ll activate the GB meridian as my saving grace! From an emotional angle, gall bladder governs decision making, judgment and courage (think of the saying, “a lot of gall”). Gall Bladder (GB) meridian is rather lengthy, and if you’re interested in tracing it, is probably best understood by watching this brief youtube video at 6:46. The prime time of GB meridian is between the hours of 11p-1a. If GB is deficient, a person may wake very early in the morning and be unable to fall back to sleep. Other symptoms of imbalance in GB meridian is frequent sighing, headaches, jaw pain, swelling in glands, fever and nausea. Emotionally, GB out of balance might present as indecisiveness, mental instability and being outwardly focused to the point of rage and judgment toward others. 

GB is a yang meridian associated with the wood element. I most easily access the GB meridian by holding or tapping the GB-1 point, referred to as the side of eye point, in the flat area right in front of the temple. Interestingly, people intuitively go to GB-1 and massage at the onset of stress or when experiencing a headache--which is indicative of GB meridian imbalance. At the onset of a tension head-ache, give GB-1 some attention and see if relief follows.

Da-Dum...Da-Dum....Da-Dum Da-Dum Da-Dum!

In my new adventure of living by the motto: everything is energy and the body is the interface, I learned something unexpected today while visiting a Microbiology lab--sharks have a sixth sense. They have small (is anything small on a shark?), pore-shaped canals that pepper their snouts and heads enabling them to detect electricity. All living creatures create their own electric fields, and fish are no exception (Inner Constellation Truth No. 1--Everything is energy....). When fish swim or slightly move, for instance, breathing through their gills, a change is created in the surrounding electric field. Sharks, by virtue of the hundreds of electrically sensitive, gel filled canals in their heads, detect this shift. How cool is that?

Imagine experiencing a shark's sensory world. Brandon Brown from University of San Francisco wished to do just that and extracted gel from sharks' snouts (died naturally, of course). He found that the gel behaves similar to a thermostat, detecting the slightest temperature changes given off by prey and translating them into electrical signals. Perhaps shark should be the IC mascot--they are a supreme example of, "Everything is energy, and the body is the interface."

Did you feel that? Da-Dum...Da-Dum...Da-Dum Da-Dum Da-Dum!

Rub Buddha's Belly

I haven't written a Freedom Series article since end of January, and when I read this quote from Gautama Buddha, I knew he needed to be our celebrated Inner Constellation hero for the month of April:

"Do not believe a thing simply because it has been said.
Do not put your faith in traditions only because they have been honored by many generations.
Do not believe a thing because the general opinion believes it to be true or because it has been said repeatedly.
Do not believe a thing because of the single witness of one of the sages of antiquity.
Do not believe a thing because the probabilities are in its favor, or because you are in the habit of believing it to be true.
Do not believe in that which comes to your imagination, thinking that it must be the revelation of a superior Being.
Believe nothing that binds you to the sole authority of your masters or priests.
That which you have tried yourself, which you have experienced, which you have recognized as true, and which will be beneficial to you and to others; believe that, and shape your conduct to it."

Buddha knew that experiential understanding is far superior to outside authority. I received my fair share of outside authority first thing this morning--emails, factoids, media all accessed at the click of a mouse or touchpad. And then, I stumbled across Gautama Buddha's words and remembered my motto: Everything is Energy; the body is the interface. All this information streaming in 24/7, what do I wish to give energy to and multiply? What's my Inner Constellation saying right now if I stop and go inside and reconnect to my North Stars...."that which you have recognized as true, and which will be beneficial to you and to others; believe that, and shape your conduct to it." Laughing Buddha wears a smile because he has identified his North Stars, charted his course and has arrived. May his jolly happiness rub off on you today.