Category Archives: Body Organs and Watersheds

Lindsey:

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While learning about the two organs, a simile to describe the two working organs; they are similar to a house with its front and back windows open, proper air and energy is flowing through providing a good environment, where as, if one of the windows is closed, it disturbs the flow and creates an unbalanced system.

Allysa’s Symbolic Representation of the Lungs and Large Intestine

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What I’ve gathered is that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, organs can be grouped into complimentary pairs that work together and compliment each other, like the concept of yin yang. In the body, yin is about accepting and storing, in this case, the lungs. You breathe in, holding the air, your body directing it throughout you wherever it needs to go, before breathing back out and doing it again. Yin allows our bodies to take in what we need. To compliment yin, yang is about transport, in this case our large intestine. This organ transports and expels from our bodies what does not serve us. It is a cycle of in and out that the lungs and large intestine work together in.

Riley:

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   The lung is a delicate organ, referred to by ancient texts as the lid of qi which allows the flow of life force to radiate through the rest of the entire body. It is responsible for the ingoing and outgoing of vital universal energy. Associated within the spiritual bounds of the white tiger, the element of metal, and the eight petaled white flower. The western element of metal is tied to the season of autumn and crisp air. Metal is known as the mother of water, and thus the lungs are the mother of the kidneys.

“guard your lungs as all you do flows from it”

Sorrel’s Symbolic Representation of the Lungs and Large Intestine

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I decided to do a symbolic drawing of the L&LI together. The discussion of energy flow and breath made me think about plants, and the relationship we have with them due to our gaseous exchange- humans need oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, plants need CO2 and ‘exhale’ O2. Additionally, decomposition and waste nourishes the soil, creating a richer environment for plants.

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Nicole St. Clair
I found many pictures online similar to this, and this idea really stood out to me as a connection to the metal element. It has an obvious breathing component to it, but it also shows the breath going deeper into the body than just the physical lungs. This means that the breath is not just air, but it is energy that is spread throughout the body. The peacefulness of being alone is symbolic to the fact that we alone have control over our energy, life, and healing.

Abigail’s Symbolic Representation of the Heart

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The complex spiral of the heart is composed of inner segments that loop in a sacred helical form. The muscular helix of the heart homes the Spirit (Shen), and is the center of the body. Our DNA is of an identical shape, and is kept in the heart of every cell. Much like the heart is home to the spirit, the nucleus of the cell is home to the genetic instruction that allow life to live, grow, and reproduce. The helix reflecting the heart, and our DNA helps to illustrate the idea that everything in nature is reflected in something else.

Sorrel’s Symbolic Representation of Heart and Small Intestine

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I made a representational drawing of the Heart and Small Intestine using a vulture feeding on a pile of dead fish to illustrate the connection between these two organs. When I thought about the way these two organs assist in the distribution of nutrients throughout the human body, it reminded me of how scavenger animals assist in the distribution of nutrients wherever they live and feed.