Have you heard about the organs of the body being companed to a Kingdom – a metaphor for the inner workings of the body.
The Heart – The heart was given the gift of consciousness. To govern the intelligence, the spirit and the wisdom of the Kingdom.
The Lung – The lung had the task of advising the heart, as the heart had a very important job. It did this through Qi.
The Liver – A general was needed; the courageous and smart liver was appointed the job.
The Gallbladder – Ruled decision making, judgement and discernment.
The Pericardium – A jester was needed in the Royal court, to keep the spirit lively and entertain the King.
The Spleen and Stomach –The spleen and stomach chose to store the food and essence, extracting and using their given powers of absorption and digestion, it was their task to provide for the Kingdom.
The Small Intestine – like an apprentice, would aid the spleen and stomach in its tasks of absorption and digestion, further filtering and extracting the purities available and passing on the turbid.
The Large Intestine – managed these impurities for the Kingdom, safely disposing of waste and turbidity and so it could effectively be disposed of by the Kingdom.
The Kidneys – would harness vitality and ensure enough resources would reach the outskirts of the Kingdom, this ensured the extremities had enough and exterior forces such as bandits couldn’t damage the Kingdom also keeping the King safe. Memory, willpower and coordination was necessary.
The Sanjiao – Ran a series of canals throughout the Kingdom. It would ensure they were kept clean, and the water was clear and healthy.
The Bladder – would discharge waters no longer needed by the Kingdom, so the water could flow and remain fresh. This would eventually reach the sea.
The decision making was the King’s responsibility, to have a harmonious Kingdom there was much he needed. What Kingdom would not want to last through the ages. His experiences and choices affected the many.
Physical, mental, social, moral and spiritual health were of paramount importance. Even a King needs a little help along the way, especially when keeping a Kingdom happy.