Each of the hundreds of acupuncture points has a variety of
functions on a body, mind, and spirit level.
Today I am moved to focus on the spirit of a point that embodies the
gifts and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The point is on the meridians associated with the Spring, or wood,
element. Take a moment to think about
the energetic of the springtime – it is about change, growth, rebirth, and
action. When you think about a sapling
growing up and out of the earth, what qualities makes that sapling surge
towards the sun? It is the way it is
flexible (growing around rocks, twisting and turning effortlessly in order to
reach towards the sun), the way it is as strongly rooted as it is growing
towards the sky, and its determination (it never forgets that its job in the
moment of spring is to GROW).
It is not hard to understand why I chose points on the
meridian associated with spring to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Springtime within us, when in balance, brings
rise to action, change, benevolence, justice, leadership, flexible
determination, perspective. It is
beautiful that dreams themselves are associated with the Springtime
element. The two meridians associated
with Spring are the Liver and the Gall Bladder.
It is the spirit of the point called Gate of Hope that is called to mind
as I honor MLK today:
Liver 14, Gate of Hope:
In pain and darkness, it is hope that brings the possibility of
light. Hope gives us a reason to wake up
every day, to envision greater possibility in our life and in the world, and to
strive for this vision. When we walk
through the Gate of Hope, we leave behind the belief that things cannot change
and that my actions do not matter, and rather focus on possibility and how we
can make change manifest. The Chinese
say that when we find hope we should share it with those we meet because we
need more hope in the world. It is easy
to see why the spirit of this point comes alive within me when I think of the
hope and dreams of one man that so fearlessly led a nation marching towards a
vision of peace and greater possibility.
The Liver brings rise to dreams while sleeping and the ability to make
these dreams manifest while awake. Feel
the urgency and the power of walking through the Gate of Hope with these words
from his I Have a Dream speech: Now
is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the
sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands
of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make
justice a reality for all of God's children.
This point is found on the torso, on the paramedial nipple
line, in the 6th intercostal space.
