The Emperor and the GeneralPart 1
Just before I began to learn Acupuncture I was introduced to the idea that all the organs have a personality. At first I admit I found the idea a little childish, especially coming from a Western medicine background. However over the years I started to glimpse the genius behind such a simple concept.
Each of the 5 main organ groups was given a position within the royal court. This initially simple idea can provide great insight into how the body works, and more importantly how the different organ groups interact and effect each other. One of the most common imbalances is often seen between the Emperor and the General, so lets dive in and learn a little more.
When thinking of an Emperor it may be tempting to see Napoleon on a white horse or Alexander the Great leading his army across Persia. However in this case I want you to think of a child Emperor or Empress. This powerful, regal child is your heart, and symbolizes the positive and negative attributes that this organ possesses. So why a child I hear you ask? In this case the child signifies, innocence, openness and also playfulness, all qualities the heart has in abundance when in balance. Add to this the quality of the Emperor and now this child has tremendous power to change the whole Empire. Of course in this instance the Empire is you, not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually.
In British politics the Prime Minister is often referred to as "first among equals", the Heart can be seen in the same position. In many ways the bodily organs are equal, they all perform a specific function that we need. However within this group of equals the Heart is first, this is due to the influence the Heart has over health and emotional wellbeing. Its often said in Taoism that if the Heart is happy everybody is happy, if the heart is depressed everybody is depressed. So I hear you ask, where does the General fit intoall this?
Well, within Taoism the General is the Liver and he takes on all the qualities you'd expect from a good general. The Liver is tough, he doesn't get overly emotional, he pushes through and gets the job done. He's incredibly good at logistics, at organizing people or projects and has the strength to see it through till the end. I think you'd agree he's quite a useful asset to have in your corner.
So what would cause an imbalance between the Emperor and the General? There are a number of ways this can happen but today I'm going to share with you the most common.
The situation generally goes like this, we're doing well in life, happy and feeling good, then something happens that makes us feel vulnerable. The key word here is vulnerable, as powerful as the Heart is its innocence creates a vulnerability. If we visualize that royal court again for a minute we can imagine the Emperor turning to the General and asking for help. The loyal General steps forward and says "leave it to me". At this the Emperor leaves the court and seeks some solitude where he can feel more at ease. Until the Emperor decides to return the General is in charge of the Empire. Now at first this is a pretty good deal and enables us to push through the trauma, to stay productive and to feel strong. However over time things will slowly change, the General finds himself in a position he's not trained for. His ability to be tough and push through after a while becomes a burden and can begin to suck the joy out of life. The qualities the Emperor provided such as laughter, joy and passion for life begin to dry up and all we are left with is THE FIGHT.
At this point a number of things begin to happen, we may find that irritability and depression become issues. Self criticism is also a very common result, nothing you do is up to standard and as such our self worth also begins to plummet. The General is trying his best but is unable to cope with the responsibility of the Emperor. I often
say its like asking a plumber to fix your electrics, he'll do the best job he can but at some point the electrics will probably fail. In our case its not our electrics but our physical and emotional wellbeing. We may develop digestive issues, such as IBS, bloating and even Crohns. Our energy will become low and if continued Adrenal Fatigue will result where even thinking can feel draining. The General has reached his limit, war weariness has set in and something needs to change. At this point what we need is the carefree, joyful attitude of the Emperor to return and bring peace to the Empire. However, what if the Emperor doesn't want to return, what if that feeling of vulnerability persists and is hard to overcome. Now we find ourselves stuck in the fight, unable to move, unable to find peace. At this point depression and hopelessness can become big issues, our attitude can become bitter and aggressive as we try our best to push through life.
So how do we remedy this situation. In a very basic sense the Emperor needs to return back to the Royal Court. The Emperor and General need to start working together again to find an harmonious solution to the problem.
In part 2 of this article I'll point out the steps we can take to encourage the Emperor to return and keep the these two important organs happy and productive.