Traversing the cycles of the year to the rhythm of the seasons, we are time and again reminded that each element has multidimensional connections that shape our lives. The Spring season corresponds to the element of Wood, representing rebirth, growth, and creative power. It is the audacity to hope and the structure to support it. The Hun (Ethereal Soul) is the Spirit of Wood, which resides in the foremost organ of Spring—the Liver, overseeing intuition, inspiration, life visions, and ideas. It is therefore the Hun that imparts to us the highest blessings of Wood, allowing us to walk with purpose and a sense of guidance on our unique journeys.
Because the Hun is ethereal in nature, it depends upon the health of the Liver to stay rooted in our bodies. Associated with the levity characteristic of Heaven, but paired with the proximity to Earth, the Hun straddles the realms of above and below with an energetic signature similar to a cloud—the Hun can actually float away. It is said to wander at night and bestow us with guidance from dreams, navigating and enriching our layers of consciousness. Disturbed sleep and dreams can be an indication that Hun is suffering from imbalance, connected to a lack of vision and guidance that can lead one to feel hopeless, lost, and depressed. As Hun resides in the Liver, any imbalance on this spiritual level is also connected to the physiological health of the Liver, which determines how grounded we feel in our purpose, able to dream new possibilities into being.
The organ system of the Liver is responsible for regulating the smooth flow of Qi and Blood, additionally serving as our most important detoxification pathway. As part of these duties, it also governs emotional regulation, especially as related to the balance between depression, anxiety, and anger. This is intimately connected to the coordinated role of the Liver in processing emotions, which can be understood as part of detoxification beyond just physical accumulations. Indeed, when a creative impulse or emotion is repressed, it accumulates in the Liver as stagnation, causing rising heat that manifests as anger. As the emotion associated with disharmony of the Wood element, anger must be acknowledged and either processed or transmuted. It can be processed through a variety of therapeutic practices, or channeled into corrective actions, such as standing up in service of one’s values.
When the Hun and the Liver are properly supported, we feel courageous, inspired, confident, passionate, and compassionate. We feel connected to our highest imaginative powers as the antidote to hopelessness, and clear about our purpose. Symptoms of injured Hun include rage, insomnia, nightmares, lack of dreams, aimlessness, and depression. Additional signs of Liver disharmony also indicate disharmony of the Hun, and include headaches/migraines, painful menstrual cramps, irritability, vertigo, hay fever, short temper, PMS, and sleep disorders.
Practices that Nourish Hun:
- Stimulate acupressure point Bladder 47, called Gate of the Ethereal Soul, which tonifies the Liver and harmonizes the Wood element
- Make time for play and creative pursuits that engage the imagination
- Cultivate practices to support and explore your dreams, including by recording them in a journal or incorporating herbal support for dream enhancement, like Mugwort or our Shen blend
- Allow your emotions to be expressed, whether by voicing them, establishing boundaries that help prevent resentment, or practicing emotional release techniques (e.g., breathwork, EFT, etc.)
Tonic herbal support: Schizandra, Chaga, Reishi, Rose, Cordyceps, Deer Antler Velvet, Eucommia, He Shou Wu, Pearl, and Pine Pollen.
