The ancient Chinese saw human beings as the interface between heaven and earth, giving and receiving energy to and from the ground beneath our feet and the sky above our heads. We take in energy from the earth directly through the entry point of the kidney meridian, Bubbling Spring, located on the sole of the foot, (and through the Stomach and Spleen meridians), and via the food and water we consume, which come from the earth. We also receive energy from the realm of the sky, through the breath, and through the top of the head via the point called One Hundred Meetings on the crown, and points in the upper part of the body known as the Windows of the Sky.
In Western culture, the notion that humans are fed from above and below seems to have been longstanding, at least until the modern era. The Standing Stone Circles show us that ancient peoples acknowledged and studied the Sun, Moon and planets, and we know from written material from Plato onward that the energetic nature of the relationship between heaven, humans, and earth was of great interest. This linking persisted through the Middle Ages and well into the Renaissance. The association of spirit with breath is shown in Western languages: spirare (Latin: to breathe), leads to inspirare, meaning “inspire, inflame, blow into”. Spirit, the “animating or vital principle in man and animals,” comes from the Latin, spiritus, meaning soul, courage, vigor, breath.
Next time you get a headache, see if using your imagination to open up the energy center (chakra) above the top of your head allows something to come in from above, some inspiration, some new idea or insight. If it’s that type of headache, the pain will ease as you let the information down and into your consciousness.
I’ve been getting into on the body as an interface between the inner & outer for a long time now as I head to sleep of a night. Nice to read that ancient cultures were so aware of this, I knew they were to an extent….. I am actually hoping to do my honours on this topic because I think you can actually verify this relationship with psychology & science.
Great site!!