Your liver is the feng shui master of your body. It has the same needs as your surroundings and will function superbly if those are met. It likes a lot of space, prefers to be cool and be in a state of flow as it oscillates. Your liver is the control tower that directs traffic in and out via two blood lines, the hepatic artery bringing oxygen-rich blood from the heart and the hepatic portal vein. Within the parameters of our circadian rhythm, the liver expands and shrinks by 40 % in every 24 hour cycle. It is one of the busiest organs performing functions second only to the brain. Ancient civilizations from the Mesopotamians to the Greeks have recognized the mastery of the liver, and the Elizabethans called their monarch not the head but the liver of their state.
Feng shui receives vital information from Traditional Chinese Medicine and relies on the elements for creating beneficial qi. With its prowess and many talents, the liver is in the command position of the body. Does this remind us of our much sought after wealth corner and the manifold aspects of empowerment? Yes, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) correlates the liver with the wood element and adds the eyes as the visionary portals of the body. We know that the wood element is germane to everything that grows in nature, and the liver is the only organ that regenerates itself and re-grows if chopped in half. The wood element has visionary qualities that keep an eye on decision-making and futuristic projects. Natalie Angier reports in the New York Times that “the liver has the function of a military leader who excels in strategic planning,” and since it takes vision and foresight to plan and decide, it makes sense that the eyes, our organ of vision are connected and correlated with the liver.
You want your liver to be a workaholic, as is typical of the wood personality, yet be mindful of not overburdening its workload with too many toxic substances which could result in sclerosis and ultimate failure of the liver. In fact, it might be wise to nurture your liver with supportive tips from our arsenal of feng shui sapience:
• With the bagua in hand, check your layout and find all sectors attributed to the wood element.
• Check for balance! Is there too little or too much of wood-related shapes, colors, sounds or aromas?
• If needed, add air cleaning plants, wind chimes and refreshing scents like geranium or eucalyptus.
• Add a fountain where appropriate since water feeds wood.
• Check and see whether qi meanders gently throughout your space and remember that the flow state of your body, mind and surroundings is responsible for healthy circulation and immune responses on a cellular level. Connect your body/mind to your environment.
• As the master strategist of circulating blood, the liver keeps track of the body’s moment to moment energy demands and releases nutrients that might be required.
• Signals from the liver may dictate our dietary choices if we allow ourselves to tune in and listen to its subtle whispers.
• Research suggests that the liver may take a proactive as well as reactive role in the control of appetite and food choice. Therefore, it may be prudent to look to the vegetable kingdom in selecting your next meal. Fix a green smoothie or cook a cancer-busting green soup.
• Boost your immunity by wearing turquoise, a lush combination of green for wood and blue for water.
• Engage gemology with a marvelous turquoise gem stone.
• Keep in mind that the liver is your pharmaceutical manufacturer of hormones, enzymes, clotting factors, immune molecules, and blood chemistry. Perhaps you should be a willing participant by providing a healthy and toxin-free environment.
• Ultimately, call your feng shui consultant if you need more help in creating space for your liver.