Every Breath is Still in the Air to Breath

Autumn wind is a brazen creature. So lively we can almost see it with our human eyes, its curiosity palpable as it tries to plunge into our uncovered ears and necks.  

Barrier systems and protective shields are themes, both energetically and emotionally. East Asian medicine calls this our Wei Qi, the defensive energy that uplifts our immune system and acts as a sort of force field. In this Metal Element/autumn season, our Wei Qi is needing time and support to transition to cooler breezes and lower light levels.

Themes of skin, nose, lungs, and immune system all arise this time of year. On the trembling edge of my awareness, I perceive the strange vulnerability of my lungs, so deeply protected in my chest, and yet entirely available to all of life.

Every time you and I breath, we are taking in over a quadrillion atoms breathed by the rest of humankind within the past few weeks and more than a million atoms breathed personally by each and any person on Earth. The math of this equation expands tremendously when we remember ourselves as part of the living world, all the shared Maple tree breath, Humpback breath, and Geese breath. Every breath ever taken is still in the air to breathe.

Your lungs want to know: have you been breathing? Like really breathing through your full bounds? Do you let yourself inhale and exhale everything, taking and accepting all that life brings you?

 The fall winds tell me we are in the long exhale part of the cycle. There is a contraction happening, a falling downwards towards the ground, a letting go, perhaps even a soft sense of loss. 

At the same time, the energies of the Metal Element offer a sleek clarity, encouraging us to cut back until we discover what feels absolutely essential. Like the suddenly naked trees, let us find discernment and cull the unnecessary from our lives.

Supreme Abyss- Taiyuan (Lung 9)

Your body is a vast, rolling landscape of consciousness and hidden in plain sight, the acupuncture points are gathering places of potentiality. 

If we follow the surface currents of the arm, somewhere at the inner wrist we will suddenly be plunged into the dark, sacred waters of Lung 9. The energies of this point are potent, abundant, and submergible, hence one of its names, “Great Pool.” Who wouldn’t want to go for a swim here? Potentially the most nutritive point of the Lung channel, it is traditionally used for lung weaknesses of all kinds, coughing, wheezing, and fatigue. 

Like most acupuncture points, this wee eco-region of the body holds undiscovered riddles and multiple names. One of its alternative names is "Supreme Abyss," the yawning void of when we are opened up to a great intensity of feeling or experience. Like staring into the black of an eclipse. On the psycho-spiritual level, this point can be used when someone’s grief feels like too much to bear or there is a fear of never being able to crawl back out of some underworld chasm. This point is excellent for reminding us to breathe, lifting us out of isolation or immovability, and providing a container to hold all the tears. And also, I can’t help but wonder about the necessity of occasionally touching into this intimidating inner yin cave, the birthing place of something uniquely potent, creative, and alive.

Located at the radial side of your hand (towards your thumb), you can find this point by running a finger tip over the inner wrist crease until you drop into a noticeable divot. This point is excellent to use with flower essences or therapeutic essential oils, such as Saro, Eucalyptus or Fir.

And just in case you need a gentle reminder: 

"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things." ~Mary Oliver

Holding you with a sense of autumnal tenderness,

Kendra

Excerpt from the Seasonal Love Letter: Metal element style, '24

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