Neil Gumenick, MAc, LAc, Dipl. Ac.
The stomach, known as “The Official of Rotting and Ripening Food and Drink,” with its paired official, the spleen, represents the earth element within us. I discussed the Stomach Official in detail in the June 2017 issue, including its manifestations at the physical, mental and spirit levels. In the October 2022 issue, I discussed points 42-45. July 2023 included points 8-9, 11-12 and 14. July 2024 included points 20-25.
This article covers points 36-40. Like the others, these will have most impact if it has been determined, by traditional methods of diagnosis, that the earth element is the patient’s primary elemental imbalance.
ST 36: Leg Three Miles
This is a powerful point for energy and endurance. It helps provide the fuel for the body to do what is required, the mind to stay alert and focused, and the spiritual will and determination to endure a long haul. Three miles can be a long haul on foot. In ancient times, a merchant carrying goods to and from distant cities would need sufficient strength for the journey, as well as the mental strength and cleverness of doing business, and the spirit to keep the customers happy – no small task.
We tend to use the point on those earth-imbalanced patients who are facing an arduous situation and do not feel they have the energy to see it through to the end, as well as those who are in the midst of the journey – perhaps nearing the end, but are about to give up.
As the earth point, it is home and hearth to the Official, feeding it with the best of physical and non-physical nourishment. Its use reminds us of a good midwife coaching the mom-to-be through the last stages of labor. “You can do this! One more push! You’ve got this!”
ST 37: Upper Great Void
Like ST 39, Lower Great Void, this is a point for the emptiness and weakness an earth-imbalanced patient may experience. They may both be used in a single treatment, to fill “above” and “below.” We would tend to choose ST 37 if the emptiness were in the upper parts of the body, as in the chest, shoulders, upper arms, hands, heart, lungs, and head (physically). ST 39 could also be chosen for mental frailty, forgetfulness, confusion, difficulty in concentration, and inability to digest concepts and ideas.
From a spiritual perspective, this point profoundly aids in overcoming deficiencies in our openness to inspiration, and orients us to what is essentially nourishing and uplifting for ourselves and others.
ST 38: Branch Opening
If we imagine a vibrant tree, we can visualize its branches expanded and reaching upward to the sky, absorbing carbon dioxide and sunlight. The roots of the tree similarly expand into the earth from its base, absorbing nourishment and providing stability.
Lying between the points “Upper” and “Lower” Great Void,” ST 38 extends its branches in both directions, absorbing energy from heaven and earth. The branches bear leaves, flowers and fruits. Within the branches exists a world of insects and animal life.
We consider this point for the earth-imbalanced patient who is droopy, malnourished, unstable, and unavailable to the vitality and uprightness of a healthy tree. This might manifest as one who has neither physical appetite nor curiosity, and no fascination with new things or ideas, no hunger for knowledge, and no interest in pursuing deeper insights or attaining spiritual goals.
ST 39: Lower Great Void
An earth-imbalanced patient may feel empty at any level, unfulfilled, malnourished, out of “fuel,” and deeply fatigued. This point helps fill the emptiness, particularly if related to the “lower” nourishing realm of the Earth – the lower parts of the body, such as weakness or loss of muscle mass of the legs or feet (the parts that connect us to the Earth itself), or of the lower organic functions of digestion, elimination and reproduction.
The patient needing this point may complain of a general lack of motivation and instability, with little or no desire or energy to get moving.
ST 40: Abundant Splendor
This point name embodies what the earth element truly provides. It brings to mind a teaching from the Gospel of Thomas: “The Kingdom of Heaven is spread out upon the earth, and people do not see it.” We consider this point for earth-imbalanced patients who perceive scarcity, who cannot take in the richness and bounty of the harvest, who seem never satisfied, who feel no one cares for them. Even in the midst of material abundance, family, and friends, it seems never enough.
While there are those who are truly impoverished and in real need of material help and support, still many such people have the strength of spirit to be grateful for what they do have, and the will to better their circumstances. The patient needing this point, however, perceives scarcity far beyond what is appropriate and real, often accompanied by a litany of complaints, worry and anxiety.
This is spirit-level hunger, which external solutions and accumulations cannot fix. This point can help restore the internal sense of fullness, richness, gratitude, and glory of the harvest.
Author’s Note: There are many interpretations and uses of these points in various traditions; the preceding is not intended to encompass all possibilities. English translations of point names are those taught by Professor J.R. Worsley and appear in Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, Volume 1: Meridians and Points by J.R. Worsley; Element Books, 1982.
