“When you have the courage to open your heart
completely to love, a miracle happens.
You start perceiving the reflection of your love in everything.
Then eating, walking, talking, singing, dancing, working, playing – everything you do becomes a ritual of love.”
– Don Miguel Ruiz

 

Well put. I thought Don Miguel Ruiz’s words would be an appropriate way to begin this article about the Fire element that shines throughout the summer months, highlighting love and social connection.

 

According to traditional Chinese medicine, each organ is not only identified with it’s physical structure and function, but also with seasons, emotions, color, sound, and elements (fire, earth, metal, water and wood). Since it is summer, the season of growth, I’d like to dedicate this article to the related organs: Heart, Pericardium, Small Intestine and San Jiao. All together, these organs correspond with summer, the fire element, the color red, the sound of laughter, and the ability to communicate and authentically connect with people. The Fire element corresponds to the more active and social aspects in life, quite the opposite of the Water element that is associated with the introspective and quiet season of winter. We are all familiar with these two very distinctly different experiences and see that both are just as important as the other. There are also those moments where we feel more outgoing in the winter, or more introspective in the summer, depending upon life circumstances. In any event, balance is key. When we are in touch with what the seasons have to offer, and correspond to them openly, we then know that the organ(s) associated are also in balance.

 

When summer time comes around we usually experience that increased desire to socialize, dance and play. “Joy deprivation is a very dangerous thing” – statement from Chris Blankenship, and again, I couldn’t agree more. Research has proven that social connectedness is one of the most important factors in keeping the functional aspect of the Heart healthy. The Heart also has a strong connection with the mind, however in this case the mind is not only thought of as brain function, but more of the relationship between the two. In Chinese medicine this relationship between the Heart and the mind is referred to as Shen. The Shen is revealed through the eyes.  We can see how someone is feeling on a mental/emotional level just by looking into their eyes.

 

In addition to the Heart, there are three other organs involved within the Fire element. The one physically closest to the Heart is the Pericardium, an organ that is seen as the “Heart Wrapper” and functionally protects the Heart. As we look at our own “Heart Wrapper” we can ask ourselves, are we protecting ourselves too much / not enough or is there an appropriate balance of both? Next, the Small Intestine is the Yang paired organ to the Heart. All organs have a paired organ, and the physically hollow organs are considered Yang, the more solid organs considered Yin. The main function of the Small Intestine is to receive food from the stomach, further digest and absorb it, then send the residue to the large intestine and urinary bladder. Essentially, the Small Intestine “separates the pure from the turbid”. Emotionally, the Small Intestine involves the ability to provide ourselves with clear boundaries. For example, sometimes there is a need to separate the many different roles we play, such as in the work place and at home. If it is difficult to separate each role appropriately and we find ourselves mixing the roles together, the purity of theses roles dissipates and becomes muddy and unclear.

 

The last organ is the only one not recognized in Western medicine, and therefore has no direct english translation. It is the San Jiao, the Yang paired organ to the Pericardium. There are three jiaos, each pertaining to the organs located in the torso – upper, middle and lower. The image of a pot of rice cooking seems to best convey the work of the San Jiao; the lower jiao, or area below the umbilicus, represents the fire below the cook pot. The middle jiao, approximately between the umbilicus and below the sternum, represents the bottom of the cook pot containing the rice and water. The upper jiao, located in the chest, is the area where the steam rises up within the cook pot just under the lid. To summarize this into a very small nutshell, the San Jiao connects all the organs, and has a strong connection to water; (the human body is about 72% water) “the San Jiao is the irrigation official who builds waterways”. This purpose of the San Jiao to essentially keep proper functioning and communication between the organs might be translated emotionally to that aspect that keeps us physically and spiritually connected with the people close to us, and also with the community. Structurally, the San Jiao reminds me of the diaphragm. The diaphragm connects with and impacts organ function.  Read more about the diaphragm here http://daisylear.com/the-diaphragm/. Together, the organs related to the Fire element help us to keep our actions, words and thoughts clear and full of loving intention.

 

Before engaging in conversation, or any other action, it seems important to ask the question of intention…what are my intentions? do my intentions come from a place of love? compassion? do my intentions positively affect the people I love AND the wider community? If they don’t, then why bother? When we proceed with loving intention, we are witness to the feeling as it vibrates throughout our life, the people around us and into the community.