18. Metal – The Organs
Chapter contents
Introduction137
The Lung – receiver of qi from the heavens137
The spirit of the Lung – the po139
The Large Intestine – the drainer of the dregs140
The time of day for the Organs140
How the Lung and Large Intestine relate141
Introduction
The Metal Element embraces two Organs. The yang Organ is the Large Intestine and the yin organ is the Lung. In ancient texts, the Chinese, probably because the writers were more function oriented, usually spoke of the Lung as a single organ. From the Nei Jing onwards, however, they often say that the Lung is divided into two parts (Larre and Rochat de la Valleé, 1989, p. 56). People in the West speak of the lungs, in the plural. The trachea divides into the left and right bronchi, which divide into bronchioles that in turn are designated as the left and right lungs. For this reason we tend to say that we have two lungs. In this book we will sometimes refer to the Lung and sometimes to the Lungs (Table 18.1).
| Organ/Official | Colloquial name | Description from Su Wen Ch 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Lung | Receiver of qi from the Heavens | The Lung holds the office of minister and chancellor. The regulation of the life-giving network stems from it |
| Large Intestine | The Drainer of the Dregs | The Large Intestine is responsible for transit. The residue from transformation stems from it |
The Lung – receiver of qi from the heavens
The character for the Lung
 |
The character for the Lung is fei (see Weiger, 1965, lessons 79G and 65A).
This character has two parts. On the left is the flesh radical. This indicates that the Lung is not just a function, but also a part of the body. The right part of the character represents plants branching up from the soil. These are not plants that grow upwards but are ones that creep along the earth multiplying indefinitely (Larre and Rochat de la Vallée, 2001, p 1).
The multiplying branches of the plant are probably a physical analogy with the trachea that branches into the bronchi that in turn branch into smaller bronchioles. The trachea is a tube that, by branching, ends up in many extremely thin-walled sacs or alveoli. In books on Western medicine this structure, rather than being plants proliferating along the ground, is sometimes described as an upside down tree (Thibodeau and Patton, 1992, p. 372).
Su WenChapter 8
Minister and chancellor
In Su WenChapter 8, the function of the Lung is described as follows:
The Lung holds the office of minister and chancellor. The regulation of the life-giving network stems from it.
(Larre and Rochat de la Vallée, 1992b, p. 45)
The location of an organ is relevant to its function. The Lung is in the upper part of the body close to the Heart. Functionally, the Lung begins in the nose and ends in alveoli. Being in the upper part of the body, the Lung connects more with Heaven than Earth.
The notions of a minister and chancellor suggest a hierarchy. If the Heart is the sovereign, then the Lung is the minister to the sovereign. The minister (Lung) converses with the sovereign (Heart), takes instructions and carries these out. There is an image here of the closeness between the beating of the Heart and the rhythm of the respiration. Although the sovereign is higher in the hierarchy, the two are interdependent. What is a sovereign with no officials to carry out any work? What is an official like a minister and chancellor who has no instructions to perform? The interdependence is obvious when we consider that the Heart controls Blood and the Lung controls qi, two of the key ‘substances’ that constitute a person.
The receiver of qi from the heavens
In other contexts, the Lung is said to be ‘The Receiver of qi from the Heavens’ (Larre and Rochat de la Vallée, 1992b, p. 54). Within this brief phrase there are at least two important ideas. The first is that the Lung is important in the act of breathing and is given credit for bringing in air for the creation of qi. The control of breathing is shared, however, with the Kidney, which is said to ‘grasp the qi’ and hold it down when we breathe in.
The physical level of the Lung
If the Lung is weak, and thus the physical taking in of breath is weak, people will end up with weak qi. Shallow breathing leads to weaker qi. If the Lungs are weak, people can breathe more consciously and this will partially compensate. Without stronger Lung qi, however, people’s energy will remain low. Strong Lung qi enables people to naturally breathe deeply and make use of the additional air they take in.
The Lung and inspiration
The second idea relates to what people take in on a spiritual level. The Lung receives from the Heavens and what it takes in is broadly covered by the word ‘inspiration’. People frequently consider the world in terms of how it may satisfy them in a material way. They look at goods in a store and feel a desire to own them. In contrast, however, people may look at a scene in nature, observe a painting, listen to music or be given a compliment by someone they trust and feel lifted in their spirit. In this case there is nothing to own and nothing to possess or use up. The essence within them has been touched. They are nourished in their spirit and those elusive nuggets of gold in the Chinese character have been brought within their sight. They thought they saw the mountain, heard the music or received some heartfelt appreciation, but really they felt their own nuggets of gold.
The healthier the Lung qi, the easier it is to be inspired and feel vital about life. People’s contact with their sense of quality, or their nuggets of gold, is a condition of feeling vital and alive. When the Lung qi is weak, access to the nuggets of gold is much more difficult. It is blocked by clouds of oppression and sadness. How appropriate that the second acupuncture point on the Lung channel is called ‘Cloud Gate’ – a gate in the clouds through which we can see the Heavens.
J. R. Worsley connected the functioning of the Lungs with contacting our Father in Heaven. He says:
The Metal Element represents the Father within us, the connections with the Heavens, which gives our lives a sense of quality and higher purpose. The Receiver of Pure Qi Energy from the Heavens is the Official [Organ], which establishes and maintains this connection. Examples draw us to religious experience for illustrations, where an almost literal spiritual void has been filled suddenly and completely.
(Worsley, 1998, p. 14.7)
It is this lack of feeling of connection to Heaven, this lack of inspiration, which is one of the characteristics of Metal CFs. They may try very hard to compensate for this feeling by searching for meaning in their lives or by forming relationships with people they respect and admire. The drive to fill that void becomes one of the most powerful influences on their lives.
The Lung and ‘Defensive’ qi
The Lung also has the function of spreading or dispersing what is called ‘Defensive’ or ‘Protective’ (wei) qi all over the body. This Defensive qi, a subcategory of our overall qi, lies just under the skin and protects us from climatic conditions such as Wind, Cold and Damp. If these conditions penetrate through the Defensive qi, they can result in infections and achy joints. A person with weak Defensive qi (through weak Lung qi) will frequently catch colds and flu and be more likely to have allergic responses.
The Lung as the ‘fragile’ Organ
The Lung takes in air directly from the outside. If airborne pollutants or harsh climatic conditions are taken in, these go directly to the Organ. Hence, the fragility of this Organ. When the weather is cold in China, Chinese people are frequently seen wearing facemasks to protect themselves from the entry of the cold into the lungs. The Lung’s fragility can also be sometimes seen in the person’s spirit as they struggle to come to terms with the grief and sadness that lies deep in their personality.
The spirit of the Lung – the po
The character for the po
 |
The Lung houses the ‘po’ or physical (corporeal) soul. The character for the po has two parts (see Weiger, 1965, lessons 88A and 40). On the left is the character for ‘white’, the colour resonating with Metal. On the right is the radical for gui or spirit or ghost. So the po is a white ghost (see discussion of the po in Maciocia, 2008, pp. 264–272). This ‘corporeal soul’ is linked to the body and might be described as the organisational principle of the body.
The functions of the po
The po and physical activity
With reference to movement, the corporeal soul ‘Gives the capacity of movement, agility, balance and co-ordination of movements’ (Maciocia, 2008, p. 265). Any physical activity that is designed to improve the alertness of the senses, develop awareness of the body and promote the ability to move in a co-ordinated way, helps to develop the po. Martial arts training is one example of this so it is not surprising that many martial and meditation traditions include breathing exercises.
Two other functions of the po are of particular importance.
The po and psychic protection
This function is similar to the ‘Defensive’ (wei) qi referred to above. On a physical level the Lung gives us the ability to ward off infections like coughs and colds. Because they are vulnerable to these ‘attacks’ by infections they are called the ‘fragile’ Organ. On a mental and spiritual level we are also fragile and the po gives people protection from attack on these levels.
People who have strong Lung qi often have a natural ability to protect themselves. People with weak Lungs, however, are often more sensitive to criticism or emotional assault. This is often hidden by the fact that many Metal CFs appear to cope well and be very competent in many areas of their lives. Their somewhat deadened spirit is often capable of lessening the intensity of the feelings to the extent that they can avoid revealing much to others and possibly to themselves.
The po and animation
The po also gives people the capacity to have clear sensations. A strong po means that people’s physical senses are keen and this in turn allows them to be physically and spiritually alert and animated. The Chinese say that someone has ‘po li’ when they have high spirits that lead them to become vigorously involved in an activity.
The Large Intestine – the drainer of the dregs
The character for the Large Intestine
 |
The character for the Large intestine is da chang (see Weiger, 1965, lessons 60 (da), 130A (jou) and 101B (chang)).
Su WenChapter 8
As always in Chinese medicine, the yang paired Organ has a much simpler description than the yin Organ. In Su WenChapter 8, it says:
The Large Intestine is responsible for transit. The residue from transformation stems from it.
(Larre and Rochat de la Vallée, 1992b, p. 103)
In Chinese medicine texts, this function is broken into three separate functions: the Large Intestine:
• receives transformed food and drink from the Small Intestine;
• absorbs the remaining pure food and nourishment;
• excretes the dirty wastes
Another shorthand description used in Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture is that the Large Intestine is the ‘drainer of the dregs’.
The drainer of the dregs
The ‘drainer of the dregs’ works by eliminating physical matter and fluids from the body as faeces. In the same way as the Lung works on the mind and spirit as well as the body, so the Large Intestine also works on all three levels. It also drains the dregs from the mind and spirit.
This Organ can be compared to dustmen or garbage collectors who regularly empty people’s bins. They receive very little recognition for the important work that they do. If the dustmen go on strike, however, people begin to appreciate what they do. After a few days overflowing bags of rubbish fill the streets. This builds up and in time the rubbish starts to rot and the smell starts to pervade the area. If this waste isn’t cleared it rapidly becomes a health hazard, creating yet more illness and disease.
We can compare the situation arising when the dustmen strike to what happens if the Large Intestine becomes imbalanced and no longer ‘lets go’ of rubbish inside us. Instead of being evacuated the waste matter starts to physically build up inside the body and cause internal pollution. This may result in many symptoms especially in areas such as the bowels, skin and hair. It is also reflected at the level of the mind and spirit. People start to become congested and ‘mentally constipated’ and unable to let go and move on in their lives. They may also become increasingly negative in their thoughts and feelings.
As J. R. Worsley says:
We are surrounded in our modern society by all kinds of sordid and unpleasant material… Many people with sick Large Intestines may literally become foul mouthed, the bad language, dirty jokes and nasty comments about friends and colleagues all point to the garbage piling up inside.
(Worsley, 1998, p. 14.3)
Deciding what to discard and let go of is therefore the role of the Large Intestine. Some people find it difficult to fully access their grief. For others the struggle is to come to terms with the loss, accept that the situation is now changed and be prepared to move on and form new attachments. When a patient appears to be struggling to ‘let go’ in this way this may indicate that the Large Intestine is in need of treatment.
The time of day for the Organs
Each Organ in the body has a 2-hour period of the day connected to it. During this time the Organ is at its peak and it has extra qi flowing through it. The 2-hour period for the Lung is 3–5 a.m. and for the Large Intestine is 5–7 a.m.
Impaired breathing that consistently occurs around 3 a.m. may point to a weakness of the Lung, but does not necessarily point to Metal as the CF. It is interesting that 3 a.m. has traditionally been the time in many monasteries and convents throughout the world for the monks and nuns to rise. At this time they may meditate, pray or focus on their breathing. This time is favoured as the time when people can most easily receive inspiration from the Heavens and concentrate awareness on the rhythms of breathing and of the body.
On a more mundane level, it is striking that, in countries where people rise with the sun, between 5 and 7 a.m. is the time when people generally open their bowels.
How the Lung and Large Intestine relate
The Lung takes in both air and inspiration from the heavens and the Large Intestine lets go of the dregs. There are many ways to describe the relationship between taking in and letting go.
• Both Organs, although predominantly either taking in or letting go, do some of both. The Lung exhales as well as inhales. It lets go of toxins in the process of exhaling. The Large Intestine absorbs fluids and thus takes in.
• The Lung contacts Heaven. The Large Intestine, as the final stage in the digestive process, contacts the Earth.
The practitioner can often observe the relationship between the Lung and Large Intestine by the ways in which the people relate to change in their lives. The tendency to withdrawal is common in Metal CFs. For some this is predominantly due to their difficulties in receiving. This may manifest, for example, in regard to intimacy, taking on board new ideas, accepting praise or receiving gifts. Some, however, struggle to take on something new because they cannot find a way to let go of what is no longer relevant to them. They cling to what they feel they might lose. This may be a belief or a relationship, and it is as though there is no room for something new to be created.
On the other hand some people are reluctant to let go of their attachment to something until a replacement has been found. For example, when a much-loved pet dies, some people immediately obtain a new pet in order to help them come to terms with their loss. They choose to receive in order to help them let go. Others feel that getting a replacement is almost disloyal to the memory of their beloved pet and may continue to feel the loss for an extended time. It is inappropriate for them to receive until they have managed to let go.
Sometimes it is difficult to understand these kinds of processes, but if the practitioner can gain insight into how the process of taking in and letting go operates much can be revealed about the nature of a patient’s Metal Element.
Summary
1 Su WenChapter 8 describes the Lung as holding ‘the office of minister and chancellor. The regulation of the life-giving network stems from it’. It is sometimes known as the ‘Receiver of qi from the Heavens’.
2 The po is the spirit of the Lungs. It gives the capacity of movement, agility, balance and co-ordination of movements.
3 Su WenChapter 8 describes the Large Intestine as ‘responsible for transit. The residue from transformation stems from it.’ It is sometimes known as the ‘drainer of the dregs’.
4 The time of day associated with the Lung is 3–5 a.m. and that for the Large Intestine is 5–7 a.m.
