Halloween and the Five Spirits of Traditional Chinese Medicine
How often are we struck with a lightning bolt of revelation, as to how we can better approach the difficulties in our lives,
and yet, when these challenges catch us off guard, our instinctual selves swell to overwhelm our higher knowing?
We react, shut-down, disassociate or mask our truth behind polite banter.
We all do this.
Sometimes in big earth-shattering ways. And yet, more often, in countless subtle ways every day. In many instances this occurs in the arena of close relating; among those whom we feel safest with - our families, partners and children.
For change to become deeply rooted in our lives, it involves a multi-layered, integrative process. The firey Yang energies of inspiration must unite with the Yin of our embodied wisdom.
After harnessing our intuition and insight, we must distil its light into clear and focussed intent. And, with steady nurturance, we sew these seeds of intention into the practice of our daily lives.
As change deepens, we must listen patiently to our instinctual self as she shifts and stirs around the growing roots of these new intentions. Cradling her encoded truths, we can discover the deeper layers of story in our bones.
Slowly, as these stories are integrated, we unveil a more authentic willingness; a willingness that will enable us to anchor again and again, as we cultivate this new way of being.
Sometimes it is necessary for this dance of congruence to happen in the opposite direction. The more Yin aspects of self - our body and its instinctual responses - call to the Yang energies of our higher mind to illuminate their messages. Often these calls can come through illness and repetitive cycles of emotion.
In Ancient Chinese Medicine this dynamic process is presided over by The Five Spirits.
Similarly, to the Vedic Chakra system, the Five Spirits exist in our subtle energy field, interfacing our physical body with the realm of spirit.
However, unlike the chakras, each of these Spirits are personified; individual entities that we can call upon, with their own unique qualities and preferences. Each Spirit carries the resonance of a different emotion and has a unique psycho-spiritual function.
Without the coordinated wisdom of the Five Spirits, we find ourselves stuck.
We may be continually using our willpower to override the wisdom of our physical body.
We may be adrift in ideas, which never crystallise into reality,
Or we may be left perplexed by the way our instincts rebel against our firm commitments.
The Po Spirits
The Po spirits are the messengers of our somatic wisdom. Yin in nature, they are linked to our physical body and it’s autonomic nervous system, our unconscious behaviours and our instinctual responses. Residing in the Lungs, they are also involved in the body’s involuntary, life giving functions, such as breathing and peristalsis.
The Po speak to us through the language of
sensation
movement
emotion
and inclination.
In Western culture we are so reliant on the lens of intellect, through which we navigate our lives and relationships. It’s easy for us to forget that we are first and foremost sensory beings.
From the moment we encounter a new person or situation, before we have even had the opportunity to formulate an intellectual judgment, our body is has already begun to respond - opening in receptivity, or closing with reservation. Our pulse shifts and the symphony of our endocrine system attunes. Modulations that go predominately unnoticed.
To varying degrees, most of us have been socialised to ignore these deeper instincts.
Being told to sit still when our bodies seek integrative movement;
coerced to eat contrary to our own desires;
urged to smile at or respect those whom haven’t yet earned our trust;
our emotional impulses restrained with rationalisation, or in some instances threat.
Still in the early stages of cognitive development, young children navigate the world through their sensory awareness. Despite what the adults around them choose to reveal, children’s bodies listen for the deeper and more honest nuances. This is how we commune with the Po Spirits.
In “Five Spirits” Lorie Eve Dechar writes:
The Po follow their path through the dark recesses of our somatic unconscious. Part, animal, part human, part spirit, part stone, part flesh, part bone… these mysterious animators of the deep psyche, represent the aspect of our unconscious that speaks to us through our desires, obsessions, psychosomatic symptoms and the wordless stories of our bodies
Halloween and The Gui
In the Southern Hemisphere, we have just passed through the gateway of Samhain, otherwise known as Halloween. Despite it being an Autumn Festival, Australia has taken to celebrating Halloween in conjunction with the Northern Hemisphere, placing it confusingly in the midst of our Springtime.
Traditionally Samhain celebrates the midway point between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice.
In some mythologies this is the point at which we cross the threshold of the horizon line – the stone gate – on our descent into depths of winter; our metaphorical underworld.
It is here, in the Earth’s womb, that we encounter the Po Spirits.
Just as has been popularised by modern Halloween celebrations, Samhain is considered the time of year when the veil thins, and the spirit realm is palpable.
Contained within the character of “Po”, is the Chinese Radical for “Gui”. In Chinese mythology, Gui are the ghosts of disenfranchised and unhappy ancestors, who are tethered to the physical realm by unresolved business.
As the etymology suggests, the concept of Gui lends itself to our understanding of the role of the Po spirits.
In a psycho-emotional sense we are all haunted by Gui. They represent the parts of ourselves that we have relegated to the shadows; the parts we have deemed wrong, unacceptable and un-loveable. They are the ghosts of our ancestral trauma – patterns of being and responding that have been passed on through the culture of our families. They are the somaticised imprints of stressful occurrences, that we didn’t have the resources the process.
Over the past few days, you may have noticed the surfacing of your own Gui.
They may have appeared in the form of a disproportionate reaction to an everyday stressor, belying a deeper emotional scar; in the emergence of old pains or injuries; or perhaps through a heightened sense of anxiety.
But if we have the courage to face our own imperfections;
if, instead of judgment we employ compassion and curiosity,
we will see that beneath each rupture of our conscious intent,
are the tremors and seismic shifts of our deep, instinctual self.
If we can embrace the medicine of this season,
The Po will support us to breathe the light of our awareness
into these shadowy recesses of ourselves,
unlocking treasures of vitality and of self-knowledge therein.
As we journey towards the Winter Solstice, here are some ways that we can support ourselves and our children to cultivate a relationship to the Po, and the body’s wisdom.
dance(!) or any other movement practice - particularly those which support improvisation, or movement as an enquiry
touch - from professional bodywork to self-massage. I have found the simple practice of rubbing oil into my children’s feet at bedtime is a powerful way to support them to connect to their bodies . We use this beautiful product: https://luminousyouth.com/product/comfort-infused-oil/
developing a language for sensation - taking a moment, perhaps at the end of the day, to observe the sensations in our bodies. Introducing our children to a variety of words that can better illustrate and expand their sensory awareness, such as hot/cold; full/empty; tingly/tickly; hard/soft; stuck/moving. Focussing on sensation can also be an amazing regulatory tool when either ourselves or our children are experiencing big emotions.
indulging in our senses - taking a single moment in our day where we intentionally slow ourselves down to linger in a sensory experience. There are infinite ways to do this… inhaling the fragrance of an oil or a flower; relishing in the taste of our favourite meal or a cup of our favourite tea; dressing in fabrics that feel pleasurable to our body; lying in the grass and allowing the sun to warm our skin; letting our gaze linger on our children’s faces whilst they talk to us, breathing in all the tiny details.
If you feel called to continue this Autumn journey through the elemental lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine, pop your email into the link on my home page to receive my weekly reflections on the element of Metal.
Bless x