This year Li Chun or “the Beginning of Spring” starts on February 4. Li Chun (立春) is the first of the 24 solar terms that make up the Chinese solar year. Usually falling between 3rd and 5th of February, Li Chun can be before or after the Lunar New Year, which is the second new moon after the Winter Solstice. A lunar year with two Li Chun is considered auspicious, and is called Double Spring Year, such as it was in 2017. It looks like 2023 is another such year, with Lunar New Year on January 22, 2023 and February 10, 2024.
For most of the world, the idea of Spring early February is rather ridiculous. The Chinese Solar Year reflects the position of the Sun and light. Since Winter Solstice, daylight has been increasing as has Yang energy. With the start of Spring, Yang energy is now stronger than Yin energy, moving towards maximum Yang in the summer.
In the Movement of Five Elements, Spring is Wood Element and corresponds with Liver and Gall Bladder energies. The colour is green and the energy is upward, like that of a young shoot in Spring.
My own practice is Jin Shin Jyutsu, which includes elements of Chinese cosmology and western astrology. Jin Shin Jyutsu is a simple way to balance our energy. For the Spring, for example, harmonizing the Liver and Gall Bladder Function Energies can enhance our overall well-being. When we do this, we are also harmonizing the attitude of Anger.
☞ Gall Bladder & the Wood Element
The Thing About Anger
Anger gets suppressed a lot, an emotion that’s not “acceptable” in polite society or in women. It’s such a strong energy that we don’t have control over. Phrases like “burning bridges”, “it’s unbecoming”, “don’t bite my head off”, “fit to be tied” come to mind. Is it any wonder that so many people are not comfortable expressing it or being around it? Anger can quickly escalate and turn into a physical confrontation and violence. Like all emotions, it is not logical and cannot be rationalized. And it shouldn’t be. Generations of suppressed anger is now being expressed in the descendants of people who could not.
When our boundaries have been crossed, we get angry. It alerts us to the body not feeling safe, that something is not acceptable or right for us. The question is – what then is our response?
Do we turn this anger inward? Do we find someone to unleash this onto? Turn it into a story of victimhood? Bolster against it with a stronger armour? And how do we turn this incident into pattern of response or our larger narrative?
It is also helpful to remember that emotion is an energy that moves. Emotion is a wave that brings us into the lows and highs, so we can experience the entire range, allowing us to tap into deeper and deeper understanding. Not identifying with an emotion as who we are or with any part of the emotion wave as certainty helps us reach clarity over time.
Jin Shin Jyutsu & Anger
In Jin Shin Jyutsu we work with five attitudes – Worry, Fear, Anger, Sorrow and Trying-to. Each of these relates to a pair of Organ Function Energies, such as Anger relating to Liver and Gall Bladder. With Li Chun and the start of Spring beginning February 4, this is a great time to start supporting these energies.
Harmonizing Liver, Gall Bladder & Anger
I invite you to try the following suggestions to naturally and energetically release blockages to these function energies. Give yourself this opportunity to explore the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu this Spring. Also any time you are feeling effects of these energies becoming disharmonized or when you feel anger is becoming your pattern to face the world and deal with challenges.
- Hold your middle finger
- Place your left hand on the middle of your neck (on the left side) and your right hand on the area above your right eyebrow (for Gall Bladder) and switch hands for the other side
- Place your left hand on the left occipital bone (that bump at the bottom of your skull) and your right hand below your right collarbone (for Liver) and switch hands for the other side
Be your own testimony and enjoy this exploration. Take this opportunity to hear and listen to your body to see how long to hold, where exactly to place your finger tips, which part of the middle finger or which side to hold, etc. Spend some time, even if it’s a few minutes at a time, with yourself and see what shows up after practicing this regularly.
If you desire to explore this more deeply, if you have other specific concerns you’d love to address, or if you are curious how Jin Shin Jyutsu can help you create shifts in your life, I’d love to hear from you and let’s see if we are a good fit to work together. You can always leave me a voicemail. In the meantime, enjoy Jin Shin Jyutsu and being with yourself. Happy Spring!
