WHAT TIME IS IT?
THE MERIDIAN CLOCK AND OUR PERSONALITIES
This post is contributed by One Drop member – Cherie Tseng.
One of the core ethos that underscores Traditional Chinese Medicine is the idea of balance. That idea is illustrated most prolifically by the ideas of Yin-and Yang, the feminine in counterbalance with the masculine. When we fall ill or are out of sorts, we can assume that some part of our body is out of balance, out of sync and needs rebalancing.
This is an internalization of the natural world, like night and day. They do not oppose each other, in so much as they are always seeking to be perfectly complementary to each other; one cannot exist without the other — separate yet interdependent where one gives the other meaning.
Our body is home to 14 meridians: 2 centerline or principal meridians called the central meridian and governing meridian — and 12 other meridians that exist in pairs: Each pair comprises of a Yin meridian and a Yang meridian is mirrored in both sides of our body. Each meridian corresponds to an internal organ and each organ, in turn, bears its own physiological and “invisible energy functions” that is dependent on other organ systems and the greater meridian network. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The meridian pairs are:
- Spleen Meridian (Yin) – Spleen Meridian (Yang)
- Heart Meridian (Yin) – Small Intestine Meridian (Yang)
- Kidney Meridian (Yin) – Bladder Meridian (Yang)
- Pericardium Meridian (Yin) – Triple Burner Meridian (Yang)
- Liver Meridian (Yin) – Gallbladder Meridian (Yang)
- Lung Meridian (Yin) – Large Intestine (Yang)
The Yin is the force that causes things to expand and rise, the Yang is the force causes things to contract and descend. The Yin meridians are the feminine meridians that move upwards, like the Central meridian which runs upwards from our belly button upwards in the direction of our chin. The Yang meridians are the masculine meridians that move downwards, like the Governing meridian which runs from about our lower back upwards, over the crown of our head to our forehead.
Other than direction, the Yin and Yang meridians are also opposite in nature. The Yin meridians are dispersive in nature and function, the Yang meridians are more consolidating by way of being. The Heart Meridian and the Lung Meridian are classic examples of Yin Meridians that are dispersive; pumping blood and breath throughout the body. The Bladder meridian and Stomach Meridian are vessels that hold fluid and food. If a system is too Yin, the runs happens. The converse overly Yang system results in constipation.
If you were to track your body’s ups and downs and match them against the meridian clock you could get a sense of whether your body might be leaning Yin or tending Yang. Rebalancing the system seems logical from a physical point of view, if it is too cool, warm it up; if it is too warm, cool it down. Most people do that by way of changing diet or taking herbs and supplements to counter a surge or dip.
A personal meridian log can also shed light on your personality. A Yin person sees things in its component parts and often finds themselves feeling exhausted depleted from giving too much, being too much. After all, their personality tends to be akin to an outpouring of assistance, emotional help and people look to them to “hold space” for them, or to “be there to pick up the pieces”. They get invested and take on spill-overs from other people. They stand in the gap usually as supporters and partners that often bear the brunt.
A Yang person is more consolidating in nature, they help make sense of the whole. The meta what their Yin counterpart sorts through. Their tiredness is more from being overwhelmed and inundated with too much being piled on them, with people and projects looking to them to “keep things together” and help “make sense of things.” They tend to get embroiled to fix issues, win the day and to clean up the mess. They are exhausted from being overwhelmed and smothered.
Understanding your body’s reaction against the study of the Meridian clock can give you insights into your personality and its subsequent accompanying emotional (and situational) issues. It can also give you valuable insight into how you might rebalance your system not just on a physical level but an emotional and lifestyle level too. Or you can consider applying to the various meridians. General, broad spectrum application oils include Lavender, Cedarwood, Frankincense and White Angelica. Other good neutral oils to have in your corner include Tangerine or citrus fresh.
For more specificity, consider oils like cypress, roman chamomile, lemongrass of you need to “cool the system down” and essential oils like ginger, rosemary and thyme and Aroma Seiz to “warm the system up.”
If you like Cherie’s articles and would like to purchase the Young Living oils or have further clarifications, please contact Cherie here. If you are ready to sign up as member to purchase, you can click here to join Cherie and her team.
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