LIV-1 Dadun - Great Esteem

Great Esteem is the Entry point and the Wood point of the Liver, Wood within Wood, and it gets the meridian started with a push. It is about standing up for oneself: only through doing it does it arrive, and it teaches a person to be able to put their foot down. They get self-esteem when they do it; it's an energetic thing. It prunes away the dead branches and shakes the dead leaves loose, like a tree covered with debris that must be shaken off so it can breathe, and it lets the person see and breathe more easily. It is about taking up one's own space: giving a person the esteem to stand on their own, or to pull back in proportion, to take a stand and express self-esteem clearly without spilling over into others, and to take responsibility for themselves with the majesty of a great tree in the forest. It helps a person discern which parts of themselves can safely be compromised and which cannot: in pruning a plant you may cut unneeded branches so growth bears more fruit, but the roots that anchor it must never be compromised. It is the energy of clear vision that brings determination: seeing the way, the plan behind the plan, and moving past the "what ifs" and the "who are you to think you could do this?" to go for it with confidence. Wood must be planted in Earth, fed the right trace elements (Metal), given the right moisture and the right warmth; lacking any one, it lacks substance or quality. Rooted in the big toe, the point empowers the self-esteem that comes from seeing the principles arising from one's essential nature.

• Worsley pictured Wood within Wood in both directions. With too little Wood, the wood turns fragile and crumbly, pithy, with nothing solid in it. With too much, the tree stops drinking in water and hardens like stone or bone, when healthy wood ought to give and sway.

Location: At the nail point on the outer (lateral) side of the big toe.
Needle depth: 1 fen
Moxa: 5-7 cones

• When a person cannot stand up for themselves or put their foot down
• When there is a lack of confidence, or the person feels oppressed
• When someone cannot grow or change, or cannot see a future
• When frustration and anger have led to depression and the person cannot plan, make decisions or carry plans out
• When the Hun is disturbed and the spirit needs calming
• For hopelessness and chronic depression with a Wood imbalance
• When a person's Wood is pithy and fragile, or dry and hard and unyielding; it revitalizes the tree and gives it substance
• When a person's own view is the only one they can hear and they take up too much space
• When a person needs to claim the right to their own opinion and regard for themselves
• When Wood's energy is bottled up and suppressed and needs expression; it brings a sense of value and worth
• When the person needs to trust themselves about where to go and how, surging or cautious as fits
• When a person lacking Wood lacks self-respect, struggles to choose a direction, is easily frustrated and tends to compromise their integrity
• When basic principles have been compromised, as often happens in betrayal, and self-esteem has slowly eroded until the person compromises themselves ever more easily and loses sight of their true nature
• When a person treats any compromise at all as a personal affront

• LIV-14 Gate of Hope with LIV-1: opens the whole length of the meridian when plans and insights cannot flow freely because of mental obstructions

• Entry point, Wood point, Well point and Horary point of the Liver (1 to 3 am)
• Not particularly directed toward the spirit, but a very powerful and safe point that sends a strong surge of energy; often used
• Restores a sense of identity and self