The Seven Emotions - Heart & Elation

Jul 9, 2022

4 min read

Updated: Oct 22

Disclaimer: The information provided is for general educational purpose only and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised care or if you have any health concerns.

This is now the second part of the seven emotions. The first part addressed Liver and its associated emotion, anger. We will now look at the Heart, the emotion joy, and ways to support it.

Experiencing these emotions is a normal part of life, with its ups and downs, but to know harmony, we must be able to transition away from excessive emotional disturbances that do not serve us well. If we linger in one state for too long and too frequently, it can be harmful to our mind, body, and spirit.

The Heart, in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), can be overwhelmed. When it is overwhelmed, the Heart can lose connection in the emotional, mental, and physical.

It is important to have some form of grounding in our environment; whhich can be found through our friends and family. When practicing any energy/spiritual systems, knowing how to remain grounded during that exercise is necessary. This is so we remain connected to our roots and help to prevent unsettling the Heart and spirit.

Below, I have listed the emotions with their relative Yin organs:

Liver - Anger, Heart - Joy, Spleen - Worry, Lung - Grief/Sadness, Kidney - Fear/Fright.

The only one that has a positive emotion is Heart, with Joy. It would be a reasonable question to ask: how can joy have a negative effect? This will be, as with everything, its relationship with qi.

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Summer, associated season

Summer is the moment at which the Yang energy of the earth is at its strongest point of activity. It is at the stage of full splendour as nature bursts out, displaying the richness of the land, with the lively activity of wildlife. As we are undeniably, intrinsically connected with nature, we will have similar traits. We will be more energetic; we may want to do more activities, stay up later, have stronger desires to be outside, be adventurous, and more sociable. We can feel that vibrant pulse within and around us; this is what we experience during a Yang season. There is still the calming and cooling influence of Yin, because it is always there and needs to be there to steady the rudder. If there was a complete absence of Yin, or an insufficient amount of its quality, this can have a worrying effect on the environment and our physical and mental health.

Shen, associated spirit

As I mentioned in Part 1, each of the five Yin organs houses a Shen. The names for each of the five Shen are: Liver (Hun), Heart (Shen), Spleen (Yi), Lung (Po), and Kidney (Zhi).

They are named the five Shen, but the Heart spirit is also called Shen. This Shen helps to mediate and regulate all the emotions, making sure we are appropriate and not laughing out loud in solemn occasions, having the right timing with our responses and actions, and having healthy relationships.

Joy and Heart Qi

You may have heard of the term 'heart centre' used in other traditions. This is a wonderful term that conjures up images of compassion, devotion, and openness radiating from the whole body.

In the Chinese system, this is represented by joy and enjoyment for life, showing that the spirit (shen) is anchored, keeping a connection of the three levels; heaven (the universe), human (us), and earth (the environment). It is reflected in our eyes, in the way we carry ourselves, and in how we experience things around us.

When all our emotions are balanced, there is an awareness of self in this space and time. The interaction with the world is harmonious, considerate.

When the Heart is overwhelmed, its Qi slowly scatters, and the Shen is no longer anchored. With an imbalance you may see symptoms like insomnia, poor memory, a lack of concentration, or an inability to gauge appropriateness. On the more critical side of Shen disturbances, there is a loss of connection with reality, mania, or even talking in tongues. When this happens, the treatment can be difficult and a slow process.

(Back in ancient China, there were male and female shamanistic practitioners called 'Wu Yi'. This Wu translates as 'magician or sorcerer' and Yi translates as 'doctor of medicine'. One of their skills was working with the Shen and restoring harmony. Primarily, they worked for the emperors and were highly respected for their advice in many areas, like war, health, and agricultural matters).

Blood

Another important factor in the health of your Heart and body is your Blood.

When the Blood is nourished through supportive foods, exercise, and rest, the body feels invigorated and your mind is more present. Exercise helps to strengthen your digestive system while supporting the function of the Heart to circulate the Blood around your system.

In TCM, Blood is a substance that nourishes the organs, tendons, muscles, hair, bones, and brain.

And it has a strong relationship with Qi and Shen. When there is harmony with Blood, Qi, and Shen, it will benefit your mind and body.

The state of the Blood shapes the spirit, The movement of the Qi defines the Blood

Food For Blood Health

A small example

Dark leafy green
Lots of fresh vegetables
Aduki beans, kidney beans
Dates, figs
Dandelion, nettle
Seafood and meat
All of the above, organic, were possible.

Poor For Blood Health

Processed food
Too much fried food
High salt and sugar

Activities For Heart Health

Exercise
Rest, especially in the afternoon.
Meditation
Yoga, Qi Gong, and Shiatsu

As you go through the seven emotions, you will see that we are a combination of all of them in different degrees, constantly fluctuating. There is a constant interplay physically and emotionally of Yin and Yang, Qi and Blood, as we respond to our social environment and tussle with internal dialogues.

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