Editor’s Note: This is the third article in a series on pelvic health from a five-element perspective. Part 1 (“The Spirit of the Points and the Pelvis”) ran in the April 2025 issue; Part 2 (“The Wood Element and the Pelvis”) ran in the June issue.
While there aren’t any meridians associated with fire that cross the pelvis, that doesn’t mean the lower tan tien is void of fire. Let’s explore the compelling and symbiotic relationship between the fire element and the pelvic bowl.
Fire has a more ethereal quality to it in relationship to the pelvis and can be connected through discussion of the lower tan tien, the lower san jjao, the ming men, and the bao mai. In this article, we’ll journey through the anatomy of subtle fire in the pelvic bowl and look a bit at how it is kindled, carried and cultivated.
Lower Tan Tien
The lower tan tien is located 1.3 inches below the navel and 1 inch deep. It is often referred to as the golden stove, or the cauldron of the body. In Taoist traditions, the lower tan tien is the first of the three. Thus, it is the foundation of nei dan or inner alchemy; building the practices of self-devotion requires the foundation to be constructed first so that the center may hold.
The lower tan tien is of course the closest in proximity to the kidney center where jing is housed. Jing is the repository of sexual energy, fertility and vitality. In the simplest of concepts, the kidneys have a strong association with water, as the lower tan tien; and the heart has a strong association with fire as the middle tan tien.
But in the ancient practices of New Dan meditation, one is taught to bring the fire of the heart / mind into the center of the lower tan tien, which is why we so often see fire depicted below a cauldron in classical drawings. This energy is the basis of transforming jing to qi, then qi to shen and shen to dao. And it all begins in the pelvis.
Lower San Jiao
While the jjao in the Western medical model are intangible, to us as practitioners of acupuncture and qi gong, the jjao have corporeal functions beyond their energetic role. The lower jjao is located below the naval, associated with the lower digestive organs of elimination and the reproductive organs. We recognize the three burners as heat, water and harmony, and associate them with respiration, digestion and elimination.
Each of the body processes requires warmth to carry out its duties in relation to the Body Kingdom. Specifically, the lower san jjao serves as a gateway of elimination and a reservoir of vital essences. Its very nature is to optimize the release processes and enhance vitality.
Ming Men
We know the water of the kidneys is the origin of tian gui, but the kidneys are also the source of physiological fire, which plays an important role in menstruation and fertility. The fire of the ming men or minister fire represents the fire that exists within the water / kidneys; it arises from the area between the two kidneys (GV 4). This is the origin of the “formless” minister fire which generates water; hence the kidneys are the source of both water and fire.
The minister fire is called “formless” because it is a non-substantial fire which actually generates water, rather than overcoming it. The formless is prenatal.
The emperor fire (heart) is called “with form” and is a substantial fire which overcomes water, is formed after birth and is therefore postnatal. The minister fire warms the uterus and balances the yin influences; it makes conception possible and is related to sexual desire. In Chinese medicine, it is believed that it is through the ming men fire that the tian gui / heavenly waters become blood.
Bao Mai: Heart Uterus Vessel
Bao mai translates to uterus vessel. In the Chinese medical tradition, the bao mai is a direct connection between the heart and the uterus or “room of essence.” When balanced, there is a free-flowing energy between the heart and the uterus.
The heart, associated with the fire element, governs blood and houses the shen. When the heart is disrupted by emotional stress or imbalances in fire, it can impact the receptivity of the uterus, thus impacting menstrual health and fertility. Heart qi must descend for menses to occur; harmonizing the emotions of the heart harmonizes the uterus.
Though not governed by fire directly, the pelvis is far from devoid of fire. It is home to a quiet, generative flame that sustains life, transformation and essence. This fire is more than physiological; it is deeply spiritual and energetic.
The points that reside in the pelvic landscape act not only as regulators of bodily function, but also as gateways to emotional release, ancestral healing and spiritual embodiment. When we approach these points with reverence, we begin to understand the spirit of the points: how each location holds a unique story, a vibration, a capacity to awaken what lies dormant and returns us to wholeness.
CV 4 (Guan Yuan; Origin Pass; First Gate)
CV 4 is located 2 cun above the pubic symphysis along the midline. It is the small-intestine front mu point; a point that brings fire and the nature of the small intestine. This is the first gate, the entrance to the lower tan tien and thus where the fire is lit. It warms the womb and opens to the heart.
CV 5 (Shi Men; Stone Gate)
Stone Gate is located 3 cun above the pubic symphysis along the midline. It is the san jiao front mu point and thus brings with it the energy of fire and spirit of the triple burner. The name “Stone Gate” suggests that when this gate does not move freely, warmth, qi and vitality are unable to pass through.
This point has been said to connect the womb and the heart. Further exploring the idea of the stone, one can conjure that the stone could be protective and the blockage could serve as a safety. But once that safety is no longer needed, for the system to function properly, the gate must open and close candidly.
UB 27 (Xiao Chang Shu; Small Intestine Shu)
Xiao Chang Shu is located 1.5 cun lateral to governing vessel line (center of the posterior spine), level with the 1st posterior sacral foramen. This point brings with it the energy of the fire element and the nature of the small intestine. It helps one to sort pure from impure, regulating and moistening the intestines and waterways.
GV 4 (Ming Men; Life Gate)
Life Gate is located along the spine between the spinous processes of L2 and L3. This is a potent revitalization point and lifts the spirit. J.R. Worsley said this point “brings one into the full potential and the full richness of living.” As a gate it opens oneself to the depths of vitality. It warms one to the joy within.
Engaging the Spirit of the Points in the Pelvis
The fire of the pelvis is sacred and mysterious; eclipsed, but essential. It is not a roaring blaze, but a steady ember that supports conception, creativity and the cycles of life, which we tap into as acupuncturists. When we engage the spirit of the points in the pelvis, we are not only treating tissue and qi; we are tending the inner cauldron, the source of both vitality and spirit.
Resources
- Towler S. The Tao of Intimacy and Ecstasy: Realizing the Promise of Spiritual Union. Sounds True, 2014.
- Maciocia G. Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chinese Medicine. Churchill Livingstone, 1998.
