The Spirit

Five Elements Perspective

• Buried spirit (spiritual death): When life has weighed on someone so heavily, or hurt them so badly, that they have all but given up, the spirit lies buried where we cannot reach it. Some become loud and uncontrolled, others silent and resigned; they can move, talk and reason, and determination may even make them seem fine, but there is no core and no spark, an empty shell going through the motions. A person can go on existing without spirit, but that is not living. KI-24 Spirit Burial Ground stands in a class by itself here: it breaks open the ground where the spirit lies and brings it back to life. We have to unbury the spirit before we can treat it, and we must support the person afterward or they go right back into the grave. If KI-24 or REN-1 has had no effect, UB-42 Soul Door can open the eyes of a patient who has given up; UB-47 Spiritual Soul Gate follows after these. KI-22 Walking on the Veranda helps a person who has been resurrected take the first step back among people. Points: KI-24, REN-1, UB-42, UB-47, KI-22
• Loss of connection to the Source: When shock or trauma breaks through the Heart's defenses, the bond with the source of love, both inside and outside us, can be torn. The person feels lonely and cut off, without inspiration, afraid and hollow, unable to love, without compassion, warmth or joy; the other Officials become unruly and panic stricken; or the person stands at the edge of the grave, and it looks inviting. The Heart is cut off, or their heart just isn't in it anymore. HT-1 Utmost Source reconnects the person with the Source, a hotline to God, the Emperor; it revitalizes and resurrects, but the person has to be ready. It is also used in the Spleen–Heart block, when the spirit is cut off from the Heart. HT-4 Spirit Path guides a person who has lost their way back to the path. Points: HT-1, SP-21, HT-4
• Spirit locked in or locked out: When the spirit is shut out of its home, or the gate is jammed open, it can never settle; the person is always restless, unsteady and uneasy, or very talkative and out of control, high spirited but with nothing to say. When the spirit is shut in, the person can't reach the love, joy, inspiration and fun inside them, and hungering for contact with the spirit may drive them to destructive substitutes such as drugs, alcohol, overeating and promiscuity. HT-7 Spirit Gate restores a gate that opens and closes properly. Points: HT-7
• The homeless spirit: The spirit is unsettled and out of control and cannot find its way back home; it seems to cry out for direction. The Emperor has been jarred and displaced, and chaos spreads through the kingdom. Sometimes the spirit is present within but cannot express itself outwardly. UB-44 Spirit Hall gives the spirit a home where it can live in peace, security and warmth, and restores order; a person whose spirit is at home is at home wherever they are. Points: UB-44
• Spirit depletion: Daily demands and occasional traumatic events can drain the spirit's tank. Each Official runs on spirit; with too little, its work loses its joy, the smallest job feels like too much, and the person meets life with apathy, resistance or stubbornness. The person may improve physically yet still not feel better in themselves. REN-8 Spirit Deficiency, moxa only on salt in the navel (from 3 to 30 cones, depending on the degree of deficiency), fills the tank; with high blood pressure or a protruding navel use REN-14 Great Deficiency instead. When the spirit is alive but undernourished, KI-25 Spirit Storehouse fills the reserves before it becomes buried. The upper Kidney points all give an extra spirit charge. Points: REN-8, REN-14, KI-25, KI-22, KI-23, KI-24, KI-26, KI-27

See also the Five Elements section.