Glossary

名奇恆之府 literally means "Mansion/Organ of Constant Strange Reputation" and can be translated as "House of Eternity", "the Curious Organs", or the "Ancestral Fu" and are introduced in the Su Wen ch. 11, Further Discourse on the Five Depots, which says they are "born of the Earth's Qi, hidden in the Yin and their appearance is of Earth. They store but do not drain."

These organs all have a close connection with the Heart and Kidneys, the Shaoyin Axis and, like the Extraordinary Vessels, which are also "Curious" 奇 ("Qi") and have strong associations with spiritual cultivation practices like Neidan and Qigong. They consist of:

The Marrow (髓 Sui)

Formed out of Kidney Essence (精, Jing), which subsequently generates the Bones, Blood and Brain, the Marrow is the basis of most of the other Curious Organs. It is often "cleansed" for Neidan practice in exercises known as "Marrow Washing" 洗髓 Xi Sui.

It is mainly influenced through the Hui-meeting point of Marrow GB-39: 懸鐘 Xuanzhong and Kidney points, but since the Marrow is the source of the Bones, fills the Brain and generates Blood, it can be combined with the points that affect these Organs too, depending on what aspect one wishes to affect. An alternative name for Kid-14 髓府 Suifu meaning "Marrow Palace" (Huangfu Mi, 3rd Century) suggests that this point has a particular influence over the Marrow too.

The Bones (骨 Gu)

The Bones are governed by the Kidneys and formed from the Marrow, but are also the containers and protectors of Marrow. In Neidan practice they are the Foundation of posture that must be erected before the Work can begin.

The Bones also represent the evolution of the universe from the Dao to the Myriad Things and the influence of Heaven on Earth. Some of this derived from Jeffrey Yuen teachings heard in discussion by his students, with the remainder on my own interpretation and meditation on this idea:

• It is said in the Dao De Jing that: "The Dao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced the Myriad Things."

• Each limb extends from the trunk with a single bone in the upper part of the limb (the humerus and femur), which then becomes two in the lower part of the limb (radius and ulnar, or tibia and fibula). Combined, this makes three.

• These then spread into the five metacarpals and metatarsals, as representatives of the Five Phases that govern the Myriad Things.

• In the wrist, the eight carpal bones, arranged in two rows of four, represent the two (Yin and Yang) becoming the four cardinal, then ordinal directions, to form the Early Heaven Bagua (八卦). This is then projected onto the palm in the Later Heaven Bagua sequence which is used in palmistry.

  

• The seven bones of the ankle, share a connection to the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper (七星 Qixiang), along with the seven cervical vertebrae and seven sensory orifices of the head. The Seven Stars of the Big Dipper have special sacred significance in Daoism, revolving around the Pole Star and are paced by Daoist adepts in ritual to connect them with these sacred stars. The Qiao Mai Extraordinary Vessels also run a course from the ankles to the head and eyes suggesting that these Vessels are connected to the cosmology of the Big Dipper. They also form an anatomical representation of the character for Dao 道 which is a head over a foot implying a "path" or "way" of life rather than a physical pathway.

• The five metacarpals/metatarsals then represent the manifestation of the Myriad Things governed by the Five Phases. These are formed from Bagua map of the palm above:

  • The thumb represents Earth
  • The index finger represents Wood
  • The middle finger represents Fire
  • The ring finger represents Water
  • The little finger represents Metal
  Other attributions may exist in different models.
• The digits of the fingers and toes then represent the Five Phases extending to have Yin and Yang aspects which form the Ten Heavenly Stems.
• Finally, there is a system of mapping the Twelve Earthly Branches onto the fingers in a circular pattern.
• Both the hand and the foot represent the the descending influence of Heaven on Earthly reality, via the Bagua and Qixiang and are themselves a fractal of the body's dividing from the centre into:
  • Upper and lower, or head and trunk representing the "one becoming two" forming Heaven and Earth, with the Windows of Heaven points influencing this dichotomy
  • The Three Jiao relating to the "two becoming three" and the Three Treasures
  • The Five Phase groupings of the Zangfu and their Yin/Yang pairs that relate to the Ten Heavenly Stems
  • The individual Twelve Zangfu Organs assigned to the Twelve Earthly Branches
  • The extension of the Meridians into the limbs whereupon the scheme of division begins again, like a fractal pattern.
  There are also further numerological connections with the vertebrae:
  • 7 cervical for the Seven Stars (with 8 articulations, 7 with other vertebrae and one with the skull, that may indicate a way of uniting the Big Dipper with the Bagua)
  • 12 thoracic for the 12 Earthly Branches
  • 5 lumbar vertebrae for the Five Phases
  • 8 sacral foramen for the Late Heaven Bagua

As well as being influenced by the Marrow points above, as the Bones originate from Jing and Marrow, they can also be influenced by:

The Hui-meeting point of Bones

Bl-11: 大杼 Dazhu

and points with 骨 Gu ("Bone") in their name, such as:

LI-16: 巨骨 Jugu
SI-4: 腕骨 Wangu
Bl-64: 京骨 Jinggu
Bl-65: 束骨 Shugu
Kid-11: 橫骨 Henggu
GB-12: 完骨 Wangu
Ren-2: 曲骨 Qugu

and points with 髎 Liao ("Crevice") in their name, such as:

LI-12: 肘髎 Zhouliao
LI-19: 口禾髎 Kouheliao
St-3: 巨髎 Juliao
SI-18: 顴髎 Quanliao
Bl-31: 上髎 Shangliao
Bl-32: 次髎 Ciliao
Bl-33: 中髎 Zhongliao
Bl-34: 下髎 Xialiao
SJ-14: 肩髎 Jianliao
SJ-15: 天髎 Tianliao
SJ-22: 耳和髎 Erheliao
GB-1: 瞳子髎 Tongziliao
GB-29: 居髎 Juliao
Du-25: 素髎 Suliao.




As also mentioned above, the Qiao Mai Extraordinary Vessels have a close relationship to the Bones and Brain and can be used to access issues relating to the Bones, Brain and Marrow.

The Brain (腦 Nao)

Described as the "Sea of Marrow", this is where sense perception and consciousness (Jingshen 精神 in Chinese) are formed from the mingling of Jing 精 and Shen 神 in the upper cavity of the skull. The spinal cord is also considered an extension of the Brain where consciousness flows into the body.

In Neidan practice, the Brain is the Fire (☲ 離 Li) of the mind, which must be lowered under the Water (☵ 坎 Kan) of the Uterus in order to extract True Yin (☷ 坤 Kun) and True Yang (☰ 乾 Qian) and form the Immortal Foetus in the Uterus.

It is mainly accessed through the Sea of Marrow points:

Du-20: 百會 Baihui
Du-16: 風府 Fengfu

Points with 腦 Nao "Brain" in the name:

GB-19: 腦空 Naokong Du-17: 腦戶 Naohu

Those with strong effects on the senses and consciousness such as:

GB-20: 風池 Fengchi
Du-26: 人中 Renzhong

As well as all the scalp points of the Qi Streets of the Head, the Du and Qiao Mai Extraordinary Vessels.

The Uterus (女子胞 Nu Zi Bao)

The reproductive functions of the Uterus are governed by the Kidney Jing while its nourishment comes from the Blood making it a place in the lower cavity where the Shaoyin combine. The Extraordinary Vessels of the Ren and Chong also connect here and its ability to retain or discharge is governed by the Dai Mai, giving this Organ spiritual connections, especially in early Chinese religion that was mainly centred around ancestral worship, when this is the Organ that enables the ancestral line to continue.

Although the original text specifies the Uterus with the phrase "woman's seed womb", some have suggested that in men the spermatic system should constitute an equivalent Curious Organ too, or that the Uterus is still energetically present in that space in men. This is especially prevalent in the focus on the Lower Cavity to form the Elixir and generate the Immortal Foetus in later Neidan practices. Instead the character for "Woman" 女 is read as referring to the feminine, Yin, generative principle that is universal in all people. This then makes Uterus into the Water (☵ 坎 Kan), under which the Fire (☲ 離 Li) of the mind, centred in the Brain, must be placed in order to extract True Yin (☷ 坤 Kun) and True Yang (☰ 乾 Qian).

It is mainly accessed through the Extraordinary Vessels of the Ren, Chong and Dai Mai but some specific points relating to the menstrual cycle can be determined from the alchemical text Zhouyi Cantong Qi (周易參同契 attributed to Wei Boyang, 2nd century CE) . Here, the lunar cycle is represented by a sequence of 6 groups of 5 days governed by the waxing and waning trigrams. These correspond to a rotating cycle of the Early Heaven sequence, with Kan in the west and Li in the east governing the whole Yin and Yang parts of the cycle respectively.

These attributions can be mapped onto the body with the inner trigram representing the Early Heaven trigram that rules the period of 5 days and the outer trigram being its Late Heaven pair, corresponding to the Channel that governs that period. This results in a sequence that has relevance to the menstrual cycle which also corresponds to the moon.

• ䷭ Xun within Kun : Days 1-5 : Danzhong Ren 17 Front Mu of Pericardium, Hui of Qi and Sea of Qi point. Gathers Qi to make Blood.
• ䷠ Gen within Qian : Days 6-10 : Pishu Bl-20 Back Shu of the Spleen. Raises and holds the Blood by strengthening the Spleen, completing the endometrial lining and holding it in place.
• ䷇ Kun within Kan: Days 11-15 : Taixi Kid-3 Yuan-Source of Kidney, Kidneys govern fertility and this point in particular tonifies Kidney Yang as well as Yin, initiating the return of Yang from within Yin, representing ovulation and the start of the Yang part of the cycle.
• ䷚ Zhen within Gen: Days 16-20 : Yinbai Sp-1 Return of Yang. This point has many indications for stopping bleeding, especially uterine bleeding which would indicate a disorder of Yang failing to uphold the Blood. It is also a Ghost Point so has an influence on the Shen.
• ䷼ Dui within Xun: Days 21-25 : Jianshi Pc-5 Strong regulator of the Shen and menstruation for the pre-menstrual phase.
• ䷍ Qian within Li: Days 26-30 : Tongli He-5 Luo of the Heart, a strong invigorating Blood point to govern the days of the period.

One notable pattern that emerges is that the points which govern the 5 day periods corresponding to the ordinal directions only involve the Spleen and Pericardium, which are the channels that were chosen to open the Chong Mai and Yin Wei Mai. The cardinal directions of north and south are governed by the Heart and Kidneys that make up the Shaoyin Axis.

Another pattern is that the Yin part of the cycle draws upon the Ren, Du and Kidneys that connect to the Jing, while the Yang half of the cycle comprises of points that affect the Shen. This connects them to the principle of the Curious Organs.

The two directions that are not part of the waxing and waning trigrams are Kan and Li. These govern the 15 day Yin and Yang halves of the cycle as a whole and correspond to:

• ䷮ Kan within Dui: Days 1-15 : Chize Lu-5 Water point of Taiyin, which is a term for the moon, thus representing the moon's influence on the tides and its corresponding influence on Yin aspects of the body.
• ䷶ Li within Zhen: Days 16-30 : Xingjian Liv-2 Fire point of Jueyin, reverting Yin, representing the return of Yang. Clinically this point clears Liver Fire, spread Liver Qi and stops bleeding due to Heat and so is appropriate for any number of issues stemming from overactive Yang in this half of the cycle.

The Vessels (脈 Mai)

Governed by the Heart, the Ling Shu ch. 8 says "the Vessels (脈 Mai) house the Spirit (神 Shen)" and so the Vessels provide the means for the Shen to be infused throughout the body, connecting with the Jing in places like the Brain. Diseases that affect the Vessels produce "Strange Diseases 奇病" using the same character 奇 as used in the Extraordinary Vessels and Curious Organs, connecting the Vessels to these states of disorder. In Neidan practices the Heart, and hence the vessels must be quietened in order to focus on the generation of the Elixir.

They can be accessed through:

The Hui-meeting point of the Vessels
Lu-9: 太淵 Taiyuan

Sea of Blood points:

Bl-11: 大杼 Dazhu
St-37: 上巨虛 Shangjuxu
St-39: 下巨虛 Xiajuxu

Heart, Pericardium, Spleen and Liver points with a strong influence on the Blood or the Vessels, especially those with 血 Xue ("Blood"), 脈 Mai ("Vessel") or 沖 Chong ("Surging") in the name such as:

Sp-10: 血海 Xuehai
Sp-12: 沖門 Chongmen
St-30: 氣沖 Qichong
St-42: 沖陽 Chongyang
He-9: 少沖 Shaochong
Bl-3: 眉衝 Meichong
Bl-62: 申脈 Shenmai
Pc-9: 中衝 Zhongchong
SJ-1: 關衝 Guanchong
SJ-18: 契脈 Qimai
GB-9: 天沖 Tianchong
GB-26: 帶脈 Daimai
Liv-3: 太沖 Taichong
Liv-12: 急脈 Jimai

The Luo and the Extraordinary Vessels which are also 脈 Mai, especially the Wei Mai and Chong Mai.

The Gall Bladder (膽 Dan)

The Gall Bladder is said to store Jing and also has a complementary relationship to the Heart in terms of the Earthly Branches, being opposites on the Chinese clock and therefore having complementary I Ching Hexagrams. It is also a Shaoyang Organ and so shares the Shaoyin property of being a Pivot. This Yang Pivot and the Gall Bladder's the ability to make judgements, enables consciousness to extend outwards to connect with the regular meridian system so it can act upon the world.

Having its own channel, it can be accessed easily through its own points and many of its points also connect to the other Curious Organs. These include:

The Brain

Du-20: 百會 Baihui
GB-19: 腦空 Naokong
GB-20: 風池 Fengchi)

The Marrow

GB-39: 懸鐘 Xuanzhong

The Bones

Bl-11: 大杼 Dazhu
GB-1: 瞳子髎 Tongziliao
GB-12: 完骨 Wangu
GB-29: 居髎 Juliao
Bl-32: 次髎 Ciliao

The Vessels

GB-9: 天沖 Tianchong
GB-37: 光明 Guangming

And the Uterus, via the Dai Mai

GB-26: 帶脈 Daimai
GB-27: 五樞 Wushu
GB-28: 維道 Weidao
Liv-13: 章門 Zhangmen

This makes the Gall Bladder a central Pivot connecting the Curious Organs to each other, as well as the Meridian system as a whole.