Our Heart is the Wellspring of Life

“The heart is the sovereign of all organs &
represents the consciousness of one’s being.
It is responsible for intelligence, wisdom &
spiritual transformation.” Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine

“Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life” Proverbs 4:23

Essence of Healing

The character of a human being in Chinese shows the image of a person standing in between heaven and earth. What does this portray? To me this signifies our most basic purpose and relationship. We are meant to receive guidance from Heaven as we stand upon the earth in stewardship. In Chinese medicine, the Heart is a vital center. “It is a sacred vessel, holy land of each being....It contains and controls the Heaven/Earth exchange that makes us human and keeps us alive...”1
An inspired heart is the center of our being and our true source of inspiration is God, whose Word and purpose for us is written and enkindled in our hearts. The seed essence of our being is planted in the Kidneys, and brought forth through the Liver’s ability to plan and execute our vision with the creative, integrative and transformative ability of the Spleen. This is the healthy flow of spiritual energy coming to fruition through us on earth. The old adage, 2% inspiration and 98% perspiration is so aptly put!
Health, in Chinese medicine, is harmony flowing from appropriate relationship. Our individual harmony originates from being rooted in God and thus knowing who we are, our purpose and place in life. Self-knowledge alone is not complete because we cannot only be in harmony with ourselves; we’re not a closed loop. There is an infinite mystery pressing on our hearts, hoping to awaken us. Our Hearts are meant to pulse to the steady beat of God’s Heart, who gives us life and whose Word gives us the rhythm, beat and measure of our lives. Rooted in Spirit, we are able to receive the needed guidance as to how to be good stewards of the earth and of those placed in our care – each other.
Harmony to the ancient Chinese has to do with “the just rightness of things” (chung) in balance with “everything in proper proportion” (ho). In otherwords, harmony is a process of appropriateness and moderation. There is a maturity and depth gained when one learns to express oneself appropriately and with sensitivity to those around us, rooted in the knowing of our Heart.
It is through relationship with each other that we grow, learn and refine our being. We have many different relationships, such as those with friends, family, co-workers, animals, plants, forests, the planet, water, and even with our purpose for being here. Who are we in each of these relationships? Each relationship calls something forth from us and teaches us something. Each relationship has its own joys, its own challenges. How do we meet these teachings, joys and challenges? How can we move with integrity, truth and compassion to create harmony in our relationships so that all are nourished and honored appropriately? It’s the details of daily work and relationship that offer us the greatest opportunity for expressing God’s love on earth and for growth, maturation and healing. We cannot bulldoze over these in search of something greater because anything greater depends upon this foundation.

The art of the heart is mastery of life.
Our Heart can lead us to communion with God or our Heart can lead us astray. To remain tender-hearted amidst the challenges of life is our task because only then can we hear the quiet voice of God’s guidance in the stillness of our open heart and be nourished by that. It is said that a person with moderate emotions, content with a simple life, can achieve inner and interpersonal harmony. To understand our place in the world is humbling, grounding and basic to our healing. With a simple heart, we can truly rest in Christ’s command to be anxious for nothing and trust wholly in Him. Aptly, joy is the emotion of the Heart, as when we live in harmony with the Divine, we can know the peace and joy that passes all understanding. This is the Divine Fire that enkindles and inspires us, moment by moment so it’s no surprise that the Heart belongs to the Fire element in Chinese medicine.
This communion in our Heart, then sets up an energetic resonance in our body, a flow of energy and spiritual force through the organ systems. This affects the rhythm of the endocrine and nervous system directly and through various pathways including the hypothalamic-pituitary-pineal axis. One aspect of this, is that the Heart has a direct energetic relationship with the Kidney. Relevant to our discussion, there is a specific pathway through which energy and nourishment are sent from the Heart to the Kidneys. The Kidneys both Biblically and in Chinese medicine are considered the deepest energy in the body, the seat of our personal will and our emotions. In the New Testament, the Greek word “nephros” or kidney, was translated as the inmost mind and as the “reins”. The Kidneys are also the place where our spiritual essence resides. When they rest in trust and are nourished and moist with spiritual force (Yin), they receive Guidance sent down from the Heart. As the energy of our personal will (Yang) comes into alignment with God’s reason in the heart, our emotions (energy in motion) are reined in and directed, like horses. This establishes the basic energetic foundation for our life, health and well-being. Fear, doubt and anxiety keep us from receiving and engaging this spiritual force which is the most basic food of life. Personal will and desire in the Kidneys can override the rightness and reason in the Heart, which then becomes a place of great deceit (Jer 17:9) and imbalance ensues. In harmony, however, the seed essence energy of the Kidneys then gives support to the visioning and planning energy of the Liver to carry out the guidance initially received in the Heart. Known as the General, the Liver is in charge of the smooth flow of Blood and Qi in the body and the ability to plan and to bring our life vision to fruition.
This energetic flow influences the biochemical, neurological, endocrinogical, and nutritional systems of the body. The Chinese medical paradigm is inclusive of the dynamics of our spiritual and physical being. While the essence of healing is rooted in Spirit, all levels must be addressed to restore health and well-being. We are complex beings and must address our healing in the fullness of who we are. Our work is a process of finding balance and harmony in our being, in our relationships and as the bridge between Heaven and earth, day by day. Rooted in our connection with the Divine, we have a direction and purpose in life and are sustained along the path, no matter what hardships we meet because we draw from this deep well of sustenance.
1 Rooted In Spirit: The Heart of Chinese Medicine (Chapter Eight of Huangdi Neijing Lingshu) Trans by Claude Larre & Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallee