Review and Reflect on What You Learned
Conception
During conception, three spiritual energies are given to each individual from the divine to create and maintain the existence of the Eternal Soul. The second spirit most affects your emotional health and is described as follows:
The Si Ming (The Administrator of Destiny) resides in the Heart and Middle Dantian, regulates the body's Qi, and is the source of the mind and its emotional connections. The Si Ming is considered the Eternal Soul (some believe that this soul reincarnates). The Si Ming controls the spirits Wu Ying and Bai Yuan, that directly affect the body's Jing, Qi, and Shen. The Si Ming challenges our reactions to various internal and external obstacles.
Relevant Phases of Gestation for Mental Health & Happiness
In the sixth lunar month of creation, the mother's Stomach Channels create the fetus's muscles. The Metal Jing is established in the fetus's body, stabilizing the sinews and connective tissues.
The Metal Jing energy is also responsible for fetal formation and the ability to form and maintain emotional bonding with others. Any faltering of the Metal Jing energy is associated with problems of emotional attachment (e.g., autism).
MONTH SEVEN
During the seventh lunar month, the mother's Lung Channels create the bones, skin, and hair. The Wood Jing is beginning to be accepted by the fetus's body.
The Wood Jing energy supervises the assertion and direction of the fetus's emotional/ spiritual aspects. Any faltering of the Wood Jing energy is associated with severe psychological problems (e.g., passive-aggressive personality disorder).
MONTH EIGHT
In the eighth lunar month, the mother's Large Intestine Channels complete the formation of the fetus's skin, harmonizing the Heart (the Shen), and quieting the breathing. As the fetus receives the Zong Qi-Essential Qi (energy collected from Heaven and Earth and accumulated within the chest) from the mother's Spleen, the Earth Jing begins to be accepted by the fetus's body, completing the formation of the skin.
The Earth Jing energy supervises the quality and maturation of the fetus's emotional and spiritual bonding and boundaries. Any faltering of the Earth Jing energy is associated with problems of severe psychological disturbances (e.g., schizophrenia). These psychological disturbances may be evident at birth or develop later in life.
THE SEVEN CORPOREAL SOULS (Po)
The Seven Corporeal Souls are closely linked to our body's Jing-Essence. The Po manifest the body's Essence in the form of hearing, sight, and tactile sensations.
The Po pertain to the animal nature of man's instincts and drives and are considered inferior souls to the Hun. The Po are passionate and advocate experiencing life in its fullest measure. They are, however, in a constant state of dying. The Po will return to the Earth with the body after death. The Po have the following associations: heavy, Yin, Earthly Spirit, Essence, and negative emotions, and feelings.
The Po are a composite of Seven Corporeal Souls, which originate from Earth, reside in the Lungs, and resonate from specific areas in the body. The Po can be accessed through the Pohu BI-42 (Door to the Po) point on the back of the body (between the shoulders).
This point is used clinically to treat energetic imbalances of the Lungs. The Po respond to the Earth's energetic grids and cause each to resonate in harmony or disharmony to certain ecological configurations. An individual's attraction, or feeling of not belonging, depends on the vibratory affinity, or lack thereof, between the body’s Po and the environmental energy of a particular area.
When the fetus begins its movement, its Yin energy tranquilizes the Po, which act as guardians of the fetus's body. The Po's nature is one of survival, and their energies can be directed towards self-preservation or self-destruction (devouring and robbing the body of life-force energy).
The Seven Po are located along the line between the Huiyin CV-l and the Baihui GV-20 points, embracing the body's Taiji Pole (also called the Center Thrusting Channel) at the following locations:
1. The Po of Essence (Soul of the Five Element Earth) is located at the midpoint of the Taiji Pole. This Po is the counterpart to the Hun's Earth Agent (the Virtue of Trust). This Po manifests through the acquired emotions of worry, regret, remorse, obsessiveness, and self-doubt.
2. The Po of Qi (Soul of the Five Element Wood) is located below the diaphragm. This Po is the counterpart to the Hun's Wood Agent (the Virtue of Kindness). This Po manifests through the acquired emotions of anger, irritability, blame, rage, resentment, and jealousy.
3. The Po of the Spirit (Soul of the Five Element Metal) is located posterior of the Tanzhong (CV-17) point, inside the mediastinum, near the Middle Dantian. This Po is the counterpart to the Hun's Metal Agent (the Virtue of Integrity). This Po manifests through the acquired emotions of grief, anxiety, sadness, shame, disappointment, and guilt.
4. The Po of Yin (Soul of the Five Element Water) is located posterior of the navel, in front of the Taiji Pole. This Po is the counterpart to the Hun's Water Agent (the Virtue of Wisdom). This Po manifests through the acquired emotions of fear, loneliness, and insecurity.
5. The Po of Yang (Soul of the Five Element Fire) is located anterior of the Mingmen (GV-4) point behind the Taiji Pole. This Po is the counterpart to the Hun's Fire Agent (the Virtue of Order). This Po manifests through the acquired emotions of nervousness, shock, and excitement.
6. The Po of Sex (Soul of Heaven) is located below the Baihui (GV-20) point in the Ni Wan (Upper Dantian) area.
7. The Po of Life (Soul of Earth) is the only one not located on the Taiji Pole but is located at the bottom of the feet in the Yongquan (Kd-l) points and is considered a neighbor of the Soul of Essence.
The Seven Corporeal Souls (Po) are also called the "seven animals," or "sentient souls of the body," and "seven turbid demons."
When afflicted or restless, the animal nature of the Seven Po quickly becomes hostile, and their names change to express the different negative thoughts and emotions expressed from each Po soul.
Each Po has a favorite mantra that it whispers inside a person's mind to influence the individual. The Po's Seven Turbid Demon Natures are described as follows.
1. The Flying Poison (or Quick Evil) suddenly explodes with rage and venomous thoughts of evil intention (e.g., "I’ll kill you for that!" "How dare they!").
2. The Unclean Evil (or Shame) entices by tempting and luring an individual into a place or situation from which escape is difficult, and then creates distress in the form of guilt, which generates shame. This spirit creates a feeling of being discredited, dishonored, or disgraced (e.g., "I'm worthless;" "No one has or will ever love me.").
3. The Stinking Lungs (or The Smell of Death) destroys hope, which can lead to a sense of despair (e.g., "I just want to die;" "Just kill me and get it over with!").
4. The Corpse Dog (or Being Scorned) is like a dog that has been beaten and starved, the presence of this spirit intensifies depression by despising itself and holding itself in contempt to a point of no return (e.g., "I'm not worth keeping alive;" "Leave me alone to die!").
5. The Fallen Arrow generates the foregone conclusion that attempting goals is fruitless (e.g., "I’ll never be able to accomplish that." "Why even try? I’ll never make it.").
6. The Yin Bird (or Night Tormentor) harasses the individual, causing him or her to experience extreme pain and severe anguish (e.g., nightmares and restless sleep).
7. The Devouring Robber (or Sipping Thief) steals the individual's life-force energy by devouring it through negative emotions such as jealousy, envy, and bitterness (e.g., "You love him/her more than you do me;" "I’ll never forgive you!").
The Seven Po help in developing the growth of consciousness by providing obstacles to test the individual's faith and devotion. Many times, the Seven Corporeal Souls will work in conjunction with outside spiritually hostile forces to test the individual's spiritual endurance.
After the child has been born, enlightened parents can assist the child in facing his or her own internal demons. Once the child is self-aware, he or she can be taught to restrain and control the Seven Po to prevent them from taking control. To minimize the effects of these souls on the body, one can learn special meditations, involving visualization, imagination, positive affirmation, and mantras (literally "protections of the mind" or "mind protectors").
A mantra is a word, phrase, or sound, repeated silently or aloud, that one can be consciously use as a tool to guide one's own mental, physical, and emotional states. People naturally repeat both positive (self-affirming) mantras and negative (self-destructive) mantras as part of their internal self-talk.
When positive mantras are used by an individual who holds them in high regard, they enable that individual to combat the Seven Corporeal Souls' mantras. These mantras also facilitate connecting the individual to the divine. Used consciously, mantras and/or prayers can uplift and maintain the individual's self-esteem.
The Chinese view meditation as a deep spiritual contemplation that results in openness to the divine. They view prayer as energy focused towards the divine. Individuals choose what to focus their attention on; therefore, any chronic detrimental thoughts can be countered with positive affirmations to change self-destructive habits.
Citation: Johnson, J.A. (2012). Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy.