Introduction

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine as articulated by Giovanni Maciocia CAc Qi-Energy has the following types: organ qi, channel qi, ying (nutritive/construction) qi, wei (defensive) qi, zong (ancestral/gathering) qi. The functions of these types of qi are as follows: moving, warming, defending, transforming and holding.

Shen is our spiritual aspect and the vitality of consciousness behind both jing and qi, residing in the heart’ Shen governs thinking:

• Memory (dull or clear)

• Consciousness (thought/perceptions, awareness, insight)

• Cognition (perceiving, conceiving, responding to stimuli)

• Sleep, intelligence (heart, mind, essence)

• Wisdom (applying knowledge critically, wisely)

• Ideas (mind governs ideas/goals/life purpose)

Expression of Spirit as they relate to other organs:

Liver     Hun      (Yang) Ethereal Soul

Lung     Po        (Yin) Corporeal Soul

Spleen  Yi         Intention

Kidney  Zhi        Will Power

A Philosophical Explanation 

Many people ask what they can do to protect themselves from outside influences (peoples energy (qi [chi], sick and or evil). During my seven year period of working (Engineering) and training (Kung Fu and Qi Gong) USA. My Instructor Sifu Ahles from the Blue Dragon School of Martial Arts introduced me to a course of Continued Personal Development (CPD’s) by an author named Sifu Robert Brown. To some up what I learned philosophically as it relates to Acupuncture and Tuina Massage please see the following:-

The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. (One must meditate and or pray’ this should improve intuition and focus)

The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. (One should have a solid understanding of self and were you are on your path of understanding [there is always something new to learn])

Since beginning less time, darkness has thrived in the void both micro and macro, but always yields to purifying light. (Light up the darkness with your practice)

In the era before the major deities, we had the ability to manipulate not just the physical plain, but the qi-energy within ourselves, on many levels. (We were more in touch with our internal powers/gifts [psychic] and nature)

In some cases to bend another’s qi-energy, your own spirit-energy must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted (sick qi) and or destroyed by evil qi. (any one working with people (close or loss body contact) should develop qi-energy protection, potentially failure to do so may result at best in a feeling of continuous  fatigue’ or at worse’ absorption of negative harmful qi-energy on the five levels (physical, conscious, subconscious, higher self and spiritual self).

In modern energy Healing modalities, it would not be considered unusual to hear of energy fields or auras. Even in Traditional Chinese Medicine the wei qi field is known to have a boundary that extends past the skin and its purpose is to offer protection. Pathogenic factors can enter in when our wei qi is weak. In addition to the wei qi field associated with the physical body, Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson defines a second and third wei qi or energy field associated with the mental/emotional and spiritual. With the spiritual energy field begin the furthest energy field out, next is the mental/emotional, and the physical energy field being the closest to the body.

This Meditation is great to do before beginning your day of Healing work. There are also certain places that one can use additional protection like entering a hospital, subway or airport.

Additionally, if you have tendencies to a weakness in any of your energy fields, adding this Meditation to your daily routine would be well advised. This particular Meditation called the Wu Zang protection Meditation comes from the Ming Dynasty. In hospitals in China, doctors would perform the Meditation before treating patients. In Chinese, Wu means five and Zang means Organs; thus, the Meditation is a protection for your five organs and also links you to the protective energies of Heaven and Earth. The Spleen's energy is associated with Earth. In Chinese philosophy, the Big Dipper was considered the centre of the universe so it is used to create the connection to Heaven although one could certainly substitute any spiritual connection one feels an affinity with. The five element qualities, as well as the Shen attributes, is used to create the connection to each organ. So the Yi connects to the Spleen, the Shen connects to the Heart, and the Zhi connects to the Kidneys, the Hun connects to the Liver, the Po connects to the Lungs.

When any exercise is done with feeling, it will increase the potency of the exercise. So be sure to feel the wisdom of Chinese philosophy linked with the archetypical energies of the animals, directions, colours and spiritual qualities of the organ energies; this will help make the Meditation even more powerful for you.

Wu Zang Protection Meditation Instructions

Start by focusing on the centre of your body. Imagine opening up the top of your head and being to pullqi from the heavens. Imagine the divine light as a bright shining light, filling your entire body through the top of the head. Imagine this white light energy coalescing into the body's centre core, forming a tube of heavenly energy that extends from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.

Imagine the following by focusing on each organ, one at a time, as described below:

• Imagine a golden yellow mist of qi arising from under the Earth and filling your body and connecting with the Spleen organ. Feel this golden light of earth energy envelop your centre core (sea of qi to Ht chakra) of divine white light energy, merging together. This represents the energy of your intention (Yi) to root and stabilize your power.

• Begin to focus on your heart and imagine a portal opening and the qi flowing out your heart like a red swirling wind in front of you, full of power, protecting you with your spirit (Shen) in the form of a fiery red phoenix. The red phoenix represents your innate spirit, alive graceful and powerful.

• Focus on your back, especially the kidneys. Imagine a portal opening and the qi flowing from the kidney area like water. From this water grows an enormous black turtle and snake. The shell of the turtle protects you like a mighty shield, and the snake is poised to attack anyone who approaches from the rear. The turtle represents your ancestral energy, protecting you and supporting you as well as your willpower (Zhi) to survive.

• Place your attention on your lungs and visualize a portal opening on the right side of your body under the right ribs. Imagine the lung qi flowing out the right side of your body like steam forming a white tiger as strong as steel. Imagine the tiger with four claws and teeth equalling five weapons. The tiger represents the material soul, the body's animal nature (Po); it guards and protects you with an animal passion for survival, but it should be noted that the Po has since been moved to the GB’ but the energy exit point could remain the same.

• Place your attention on the liver and visualize a portal on the left side of your body under the left ribs (the yang energy of liver is energetically on the left). Imagine the liver qi flowing out the left side of your body like steam’ (even thou the physical location is on the right), forming a green dragon, sinewy and resilient. Imagine the dragon with four claws, teeth and tail to make six weapons. The dragon represents the body's divine nature (hun), guarding and protecting you with a spiritual passion for victory.

Imagine the animals begin rotating to the left (counter-clock-wise), each one protecting, stalking and defending the previous animal's position. Slowly being to circle these archetypical energies and gradually increase their speed until they are spinning faster and faster. As they spin faster and faster and whirl around you, the colours and powers blend together into a cocoon of protective energy.

After forming a protective rainbow energy bubble around your body, inhale deeply and draw the energies back in through the pores and return the energy of each organ back to its origin. (red to heart, dark blue to the kidneys, green to the liver, and white to the lungs). As the colours return back to their organ of origin, exhale and imagine steam flowing up out of the pores and filling up the energy bubble in your energy field created by the animal's rotations. This forms a solid connection between the body's internal organs and the body's external field of energy.

When the protection of the body with the Five Elements is done, imagine the seven sparkling lights of the Big Dipper shining above your head like diamonds. The illumination of these seven sparkling stars represents your spiritual connection to the will of heaven. You can now perform your activities knowing that you are physically, energetically and spiritually protected.

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Johnson. A, (2002) Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy Volume 3: Differential Diagnosis, Clinical Foundations, Treatment Principles and Clinical Protocols. Institute of Medical Qigong Publishing House Inc USA                                                                                                                                                                                                             Ody P, (2014) Chinese Medicine for everyday living.  Bounty Books London UK     

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