Enlivening the Organs with Energy

Many people exist without a conscious connection with their internal organs – the organs seem to exist in some kind of inner nebulousness that people just seem to hope do not trouble them too much.  Most people cannot even really say what is really in there, or where anything is, or what its size and shape is. This is strange; one would think that anything so vital to survival and happiness would receive a little more attention.  This is a feature of the modern world’s inculcated lack of a substantive mind-body connection. Without this connection, we miss the subtle messages that our bodies send us. If we were listening to these subtle messages, we would know better what we needed, or need to avoid; we would have early warning if anything was going wrong, before it became a serious problem, and would know what to do. A strong mind-body connection is the best kind of preventative medicine.

According to the Taoists, the internal organs are not just seen as physical entities but as energetic centres that are closely connected to emotions, mental states, and spiritual wellbeing. Each organ is associated specific qualities and emotional states, which can either be in balance or out of balance, leading to health or disease. 

The Taoist system categorises the organs into Yin and Yang pairs, each associated with one of the Five Elements—Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal [1] . When these organs are balanced and energised, they promote health, emotional stability, and clarity. When out of balance, they can lead to physical ailments, emotional disturbances, and disharmony in the body’s Qi flow.

Emotional & Energetic Associations of the Organs

Earth Element (Yin: Spleen/Pancreas | Yang: Stomach)

• Balanced State: Stability, groundedness, nurturing, and the ability to process life experiences with ease.
• Imbalance: Worry, overthinking, obsession, or feeling uncentred.
• Physical Signs of Imbalance: Digestive issues (bloating, poor appetite, indigestion, diarrhea), weight fluctuations, and muscle weakness.
• Energetic Role: Supports digestion, transformation, and assimilation of both food and experiences into nourishment for the body and mind.

Fire Element (Yin: Heart | Yang: Small Intestine)

• Balanced State: Love, joy, enthusiasm, warmth, and strong interpersonal connections.
• Imbalance: Sadness, hate, impatience, cruelty, or emotional instability.
• Physical Signs of Imbalance: Heart palpitations, hypertension, irregular heartbeat, poor circulation.
• Energetic Role: Governs blood circulation, spirit (Shen), and emotional harmony, allowing for deep connection and passion in life.

Water Element (Yin: Kidneys | Yang: Bladder)

• Balanced State: Gentleness, calmness, adaptability, and a deep inner strength.
• Imbalance: Fear, agitation, insecurity, and resistance to change.
• Physical Signs of Imbalance: Kidney stones, urinary tract infections, hormonal imbalances, reproductive issues, sexual dysfunction.
• Energetic Role: Stores vital essence (Jing), regulates fluid balance, and supports resilience and longevity.

Wood Element (Yin: Liver | Yang: Gall Bladder)

• Balanced State: Kindness, generosity, vision, and assertiveness.
• Imbalance: Anger, frustration, jealousy, irritability, or indecisiveness.
• Physical Signs of Imbalance: Liver disorders (fatty liver, hepatitis, jaundice), eye problems (dry eyes, blurry vision, eye strain).
• Energetic Role: Governs detoxification, planning, and forward movement, allowing for the smooth flow of energy and emotions.

Metal Element (Yin: Lungs | Yang: Large Intestine)

• Balanced State: Courage, righteousness, clarity, and the ability to release what is no longer needed.
• Imbalance: Grief, depression, sadness, or feeling powerless.
• Physical Signs of Imbalance: Respiratory issues (asthma, chronic cough, bronchitis), skin disorders (eczema, dryness, acne), digestive issues (constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diarrhea).
• Energetic Role: Regulates breath, Qi circulation, and elimination, helping us let go physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Creating a conscious connection with one’s vital organs is an important part of wellbeing. To do this, we need to spend time with our inner organs, get to know them. Only then will we be able to listen to them and receive the messages they send.

In the following lessons are some exercises to improve one’s connection with one’s inner organs.

To give you an example of a more thorough mind-body connection, after many years of building this connection, I now get very strong messages from my body regarding what food to eat and what to avoid. When I walk into a supermarket, I can feel how my organs react to the different foods that I look at. Some foods are certainly very inviting – I can feel my insides glowing and radiating, it feels like they are opening up to receive them. I know then it is good to buy. This feeling lasts just as long as I am contemplating the food, looking at it while it is on the shelf. When I turn to look at something else, the feeling goes away. Then other foods cause a definite internal contraction.  Sometimes, when looking at a food, I can feel a shudder in my pancreas, sometimes there is a bolt of sharpness that comes and goes very quickly. I know to avoid those foods at those times.

Through experience, I have come to understand that these internal feelings are a sped-up, energetic version of the processing of the food that would actually happen if I did eat it. I know this because sometimes, in testing these feelings, when I do take and eat these foods (both the good ones and the bad ones), I do get the same feeling during digestion, but much more drawn out and intense.

(Interestingly, different reactions to the same foods occur at different times. On some days, I may get an internal rejection of a food, whereas at other times when I look at that same item of food, I do not get the same sense of rejection, then I feel it is ok to eat that food at that time.)

So because of this internal connection, I am able to bypass the whole minefield of dieting and food fads. My body tells me directly what is good for me and what is not at any particular moment.

[1] According to the Taoists, in the beginning there is formlessness, nothingness, emptiness (called wuji). This gives rise to the Absolute (Taiji), which in turn gives rise to two forms, named Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang, in their interplay, further give rise to the Five Phases (Wu Xing), which are the elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.