Feb 9, 2023·edited Feb 9, 2023Liked by Alexa Bradley Hulsey
oh to get to the heart of the matter - balancing the fire so the decisions are not to rash and not to dilly dally. I love the gentle support of bitters to help my gall bladder get the timing of things right and I love the automatic feedback from my bowel movements about just how much bitter I need in my diet - especially as I get older. Right now I'm humming happily with Oregon grape, with that beautiful golden thread of berberine running just under the surface of the rootlets and rhizomes that I harvest to make into a delicious woody tincture - a perfect reflection of the gallbladder and liver officials!
wonderful connection about the head meridians being about all those decisions! And such a great way to describe it! I have that visualisation with me now always. Its something we check up on as a herbalist about headaches and shoulder pain as well as twisted ankles - all possible indications of gall issues.
I had to come back to this one - I seem to be having lots of issues with gallbladder channel! I'm going to google your site for gallbladder and see what else I need to be reminded of.
Yes the Gallbladder is a fascinating meridian and organ system! It seems to be where a lot of us get stuck. If you have any questions about it, let me know!
Oh so many questions. I realized this week the first time I had an anxiety attack was a few days after my gallbladder was removed. I've struggled with it off and on in the 10 years since then. Monday my acupuncturist focused on gallbladder on left (heart on the right she said to balance) - and my hip/side/leg feel better! But when I got home I couldn't lift my left arm because some point at the top of my shoulder (that didn't have a needle) hurt so bad! I massaged it for a while and it calmed down. Since then I've had all this energy - and anger! I'm starting to think I have a lifetime of bottled up anger being managed by my gallbladder meridian. So my question is going to be how do I work with this at home gently and skillfully to begin coaxing it to clear without forcing or creating a massive flood in my body.
And - that's a completely unfair question! Obviously I will bring this up with my acupuncturist next week too.
I love balancing out the Gallbladder and Heart too. The sore point at the top of your shoulder was likely Gallbladder 21, which where many of us hold our stress and emotions. Anger is the emotion of the Wood element and the Liver and Gallbladder (also associated with the spring season, which is another reason why all of this is coming up now at the start of spring). And yes, the Gallbladder meridian becomes a container for stored anger.
So, it's good to remember that the Gallbladder's partner, the Liver, is responsible for smooth flow of everything in the body: qi, blood, emotions, cycles, everything! When the Liver and Gallbladder systems are out of balance, things don't flow smoothly. That's why we get bursts of anger and floods of emotion. Change seems to happen in fits and starts with these systems. Gentle coaxing and clearing just don't always happen, despite our best efforts. And that's due to the very nature of these systems. Especially when you're moving anything that's been stagnant for a while. So go easy on yourself and don't try to force movement. Ask your body what it needs and try to respond in a way that feels intuitive and loving. Know that when these floods do happen, it's an earnest effort by your body of trying to heal.
Interesting. During my life so far I've had the opposite experience of making decisions too quickly, some would call them "rash decisions", oftentimes poorly thought out, impetuous, too much action and not enough forethought. What kind of relationship with the gallbladder is that?
Oh yes, that's another example of a disconnect in the Gallbladder channel. But instead of stagnation, it's more of an excess Gallbladder fire type pattern. Fire is yang, all action, whereas thought is yin. So too much action and not enough forethought comes from Gallbladder yang in excess, without sufficient yin energy of its partner the Liver to temper it. Practices that are more yin in nature like meditation, breath work and grounding exercises all help bring down that excess yang of the Gallbladder. The wisdom and perspective of age help too ;)
oh to get to the heart of the matter - balancing the fire so the decisions are not to rash and not to dilly dally. I love the gentle support of bitters to help my gall bladder get the timing of things right and I love the automatic feedback from my bowel movements about just how much bitter I need in my diet - especially as I get older. Right now I'm humming happily with Oregon grape, with that beautiful golden thread of berberine running just under the surface of the rootlets and rhizomes that I harvest to make into a delicious woody tincture - a perfect reflection of the gallbladder and liver officials!
wonderful connection about the head meridians being about all those decisions! And such a great way to describe it! I have that visualisation with me now always. Its something we check up on as a herbalist about headaches and shoulder pain as well as twisted ankles - all possible indications of gall issues.
Beautifully said Natasha!
I had to come back to this one - I seem to be having lots of issues with gallbladder channel! I'm going to google your site for gallbladder and see what else I need to be reminded of.
Yes the Gallbladder is a fascinating meridian and organ system! It seems to be where a lot of us get stuck. If you have any questions about it, let me know!
Oh so many questions. I realized this week the first time I had an anxiety attack was a few days after my gallbladder was removed. I've struggled with it off and on in the 10 years since then. Monday my acupuncturist focused on gallbladder on left (heart on the right she said to balance) - and my hip/side/leg feel better! But when I got home I couldn't lift my left arm because some point at the top of my shoulder (that didn't have a needle) hurt so bad! I massaged it for a while and it calmed down. Since then I've had all this energy - and anger! I'm starting to think I have a lifetime of bottled up anger being managed by my gallbladder meridian. So my question is going to be how do I work with this at home gently and skillfully to begin coaxing it to clear without forcing or creating a massive flood in my body.
And - that's a completely unfair question! Obviously I will bring this up with my acupuncturist next week too.
So interesting, and a totally fair question!
I love balancing out the Gallbladder and Heart too. The sore point at the top of your shoulder was likely Gallbladder 21, which where many of us hold our stress and emotions. Anger is the emotion of the Wood element and the Liver and Gallbladder (also associated with the spring season, which is another reason why all of this is coming up now at the start of spring). And yes, the Gallbladder meridian becomes a container for stored anger.
So, it's good to remember that the Gallbladder's partner, the Liver, is responsible for smooth flow of everything in the body: qi, blood, emotions, cycles, everything! When the Liver and Gallbladder systems are out of balance, things don't flow smoothly. That's why we get bursts of anger and floods of emotion. Change seems to happen in fits and starts with these systems. Gentle coaxing and clearing just don't always happen, despite our best efforts. And that's due to the very nature of these systems. Especially when you're moving anything that's been stagnant for a while. So go easy on yourself and don't try to force movement. Ask your body what it needs and try to respond in a way that feels intuitive and loving. Know that when these floods do happen, it's an earnest effort by your body of trying to heal.
THANK YOU so much Alexa. This is so very helpful!
Thank you Alexa! It was very interesting information! ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it Alla!
So interesting. The qi Gong I did this morning he spent time knocking down the sides of the rib cage.
Yes, I love that knocking on the sides of the rib cage during qigong! It really frees up stagnant liver and gallbladder energy
Interesting. During my life so far I've had the opposite experience of making decisions too quickly, some would call them "rash decisions", oftentimes poorly thought out, impetuous, too much action and not enough forethought. What kind of relationship with the gallbladder is that?
Oh yes, that's another example of a disconnect in the Gallbladder channel. But instead of stagnation, it's more of an excess Gallbladder fire type pattern. Fire is yang, all action, whereas thought is yin. So too much action and not enough forethought comes from Gallbladder yang in excess, without sufficient yin energy of its partner the Liver to temper it. Practices that are more yin in nature like meditation, breath work and grounding exercises all help bring down that excess yang of the Gallbladder. The wisdom and perspective of age help too ;)