MacroLife – Marijke de Coninck – Macrobiotic Counsellor and Healer

One of us human being’s most fundamental passions is the desire to make love.  How many among us recognise the dynamic effect from this powerful energy in the body?  Sexual energy is the original nature of all desires.  It works in co-operation with two other primary demands, breathing and eating.  Without good health there is unequal polarity between the sexes.  Examples of disturbed sexual energy is impotence, swollen testicles, cysts, fibroids, vaginal discharge.  Often the result is separation, fights, jealousy, rivalry, egotism, loss of faith and broken hearts and families.

 Healing our sexuality is first of all trying to regain our general health and our full potential.  Sexual energy is very closely related.

 A newborn baby is totally loaded with sexual energy.  It radiates wanting to live the spirit of adventure and astonishment.  Lots of people deny or even suppress their sexual desires by eating.  This often happens with teenagers as well.  This ‘hunger’ or craving we have, disappears if we satisfy our sexual desires.  Overeating, eating in the evening, eating chewing gum are examples of suppressing sexual energy.

 Outer food comes mainly from eating, drinking and breathing.  Inner food comes from energy, energy that is formed through the outer sources (we use the inner organs and the inner breathing (the movement of Ki).  They recharge each other.  The co-ordination of this inner and outer food is the study of how our body is constantly searching for the deep inner breath of harmony.

 Most diseases are the process of re-harmonisation.  The sexual organs are playing a double role:

 1)         Reproduction and

2)         Elimination

 In men, through the prostate liquid, in women through menstruation.  Those areas are often “used” to eliminate unwanted substances from the blood.  By re-harmonising the body, if we recognise these symptoms, we can prevent chronic disorders by changing our lifestyle, diet, our inner and outer food.

 Finally, sexual health results in new dimensions of our sexual energy!  Those forces are inseparable from our spiritual consciousness.  Children use their sexual energy to grow, as adults we should use our sexual energy for our spiritual growth.  We can do this within or without a sexual relationship.  Both ways ask for conscious effort.

 Most people are happy with small pleasures.  They don’t search for higher development, some of us though are attracted to spiritual concentration (ecstasy) which brings life to a new dimension of happiness (sacred sex).

 THE ENERGY OF THE ORGANS

 In Chinese Medicine, we know 6 primary organs, Kidneys, Liver, Heart, Spleen/Pancreas, the Lungs and the Heart Protector.  The fundamental quality they share is density (yang organs).  These dense organs have a complementary energetic affect with the 6 hollow organs (yin organs) which receive and pass food on into waste.  The Bladder, Gallbladder, Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Stomach and Triple Heater.  From the vital power of the first group of organs (we call ki, chi or prana), there are three organs who give the most energy to the sexual organs in men and women.  These are the Kidneys, Liver and Spleen/Pancreas.

 The other three organs have supportive tasks.  Also the hormonal system is governed by the energy of the 6 dense (yang) organs.  The Kidney’s play a major role in our sexual health.  They cleanse the blood.

 Kidney’s hold our:

• Life force
• Power to reproduce
• Ancestral energy
• They store energy (adrenal glands)

 Kidneys nourish the bones and brain and make the connection between the sex chakra and the crown chakra.  Chinese Medicine says that the Kidneys form a spiral of energy that gives the power to the vertebrae and the possibility we can use our spine as our support pillar for our physical shape.  The spine is situated between the two Kidney’s and make the shiatsu point GV4 the “gate of life”.

 The testicles are governed by the Kidneys.  The possibility to produce sperm and to transport through the duct is regulated by the Ki of the Kidney.  In the same way, the ovaries are governed by the same Ki.  If we overwork or weaken our Kidney energy the natural healthy condition of those two primary sexual organs becomes unbalanced.  Swollen testicles or ovaries can be the result.

 The Liver provides the sexual thrust energy.  Liver strengthens our muscles and controls the erection and the contraction of the uterus.  The Liver charges the prostate and takes care of the cervix.  The Liver meridian runs through the prostate and uterus.

 The Liver helps us cleanse the blood and regulate fat in the body.  If we abuse the Liver by overeating or using too much animal fat, the Liver slows down and the result can be felt in developmental problems and in the reproductive organs.  Vaginal warts, herpes, fibroids, breast problems, PMT, problems in the menopause are the result of a damaged Liver.

 Several energies support the sexual fluids, however the Spleen/Pancreas guide the whole process.  We need warmth and humidity to make the sexual fluids flow well!

 During sexual activity, the Spleen supports the “lighter fluids” during the initial phase of excitement.  In women it is the Spleen that regulates the changes in the endometrium during the menstrual cycle.

 In men, the Spleen produces the seminal fluids which are collected in the testes, these fluids are more yin than the fluids produced by the prostate, together they help move the sperm.  Without the power of the Spleen energy these three energies would be strongly reduced.

 If we suffer from an imbalance in Kidney and/or Liver energy, there will always be reduced sexual power, as in the case of diabetes (an imbalance of the pancreas).

 The many emotions we carry, worry, concern, jealousy, doubt, obsession, being suspicious, are so connected with the Spleen/Pancreas energy and are often the cause of cravings and not eating very well.  The final result is that the Spleen and Pancreas cannot nourish the sexual energy.

 To make our sexual energy as powerful as possible, we have to treat our organs the Kidneys, Liver, Spleen/Pancreas with deep respect and also nourishment.  In the second place we have to look at our Heart, Lungs and Heart Protector and recharge these organs.

 The food we eat, the activities we do, the air we breath, the sleep we take and the feelings and emotions we are processing are responsible for creating health in this area.  Sexual energy is the transformation of all these factors e.g. when we are fasting our sexual drive drops and when we are not well.  The body uses all the energy to survive or to heal.

 Healing sexual energy, on a physical level, has to do with choosing the right food for us such as whole grains giving us stable vitality, vegetables, beans, seeds and nuts giving us enough protein and fat without forming stagnation.  Fruit gives us quick energy and extra fluid.  Seaweed gives us minerals, more strength.  Fish, seeds, soups, root vegetables, beans, seaweed, strengthen Kidney energy.  The right amount of salt, shoyu, miso, pickles and seaweed is essential for good health.  We’d better avoid meat, dairy and sugar as we all know.  Strengthening  Liver energy, we do by eating barley, lots of leafy greens, sauerkraut, to nourish our Spleen energy we eat sweet and creamy dishes such as pumpkin and onion dishes.  Also, nice desserts with local fruit and amasake.  Often, we are caught in a pattern to keep our health weak.  If our condition is poor, we have something to complain about.  This is a certain way, for some of us to make contact with other people and with their weaknesses, or to have the attention (love??) from others we want so much.

 This is also true for sexual problems.  Sexual problems often have to do with feelings of shame and shyness.  When we have been injured in the first and second chakra in the past (being raped, being looked at or touched in inappropriate ways, lack of security, trust and safety in our upbringing etc) especially for the first chakra it will be difficult to ground fully in the body or in the moment.  We often become very intellectual, out of touch with deep emotions and we are living in a fantasy world.  Rage that is suppressed damages the Liver and we need a healing touch.  Lots of mothering and seeing a woman healer if possible.  Being confused in the second chakra can result in either passivity, lack of will power, determination and lots of buried anger or aggression; too much will power, ambition and sexual aggression without associated feelings of love and care for others.

 In both cases, there is a lot of buried anger and love, all being held in the pelvis and second chakras.

 In order to heal, we need lots of hands on healing, especially by placing hands over the second chakra and the legs and feet to pull the energy down.  Lots of exercise, massage, shiatsu, acupuncture, foot baths, all in an attempt to pull the energy down into the pelvis, perineum, legs, feet and into the earth.

 The quality of the energy we take in determines our sexual receptivity.  Another way to recharge the body and our sexual energy is by breathing.  The art of breathing is central in for example yoga.  Nowadays, we often breath very shallowly.  A natural way of breathing is breathing from the hara.  Where we concentrate our health, is where we concentrate the Ki.  Our hara is our vital centre because this is the place where Ki and Blood are recharged (small intestine).  Without deep breathing, we get easily tired, over-sentimental and out of balance.  We can help ourselves by using breathing techniques such as Chakra Breathing.  Once you learn how to do Chakra Breathing, you will really notice the difference.

 We can use breathing techniques whilst making love and synchronise with our partners rhythm of breathing.  We can study this Taoist way of breathing, healing and making love.

 Sexual health of the man

Nowadays, even young men (in their twenties) experience prostate problems.

 The prostate is the most yang male organ.  It is dense and is situated deep in the body.  When a boy reaches puberty, the prostate starts to become active, so he becomes more yang.  If he takes lots of yin food, for example ice cream, sweets, soft drinks, drugs, often the excretory organs get blocked and overworked (Kidneys, Liver, Lungs and the skin).  The body looks for other ways to get rid of the excess of waste (through the prostate etc).  This can lead to inflammation of the prostate.

 In our culture, we have a picture of romantic love making, starting with a candlelit dinner and a bottle of wine.  Wine often weakens the male sexual power and this can lead to premature ejaculation.  Wine pushes the energy up the body and the prostate (where most of the energies come together) cannot deal with the alcohol.  Wine makes us super sensitive.  He could offer her a glass of wine and enjoy her yin nature and be nourished by it.

 Another problem is infertility which often has to do with the poor amount of sperm.  The production of sperm is strongly related to the quality of the blood of the man, new sperm is produced daily.  Our blood quality is made from the food we eat and depends on the appropriate functioning of the blood cleansing organs: Kidneys, Liver and Lungs which eliminate poison, excess waste out of the body.  The high consumption of junk food affects these organs and weaken them.  Infertility is the result.

 Sexual health in women

 A woman’s health is related to her constitution.  The constitutional nature of a woman is yang.  The uterus and ovaries are lying deep in the body which makes a woman, by birth, more yang.  Therefore, she is more attracted to yin food.  She develops during puberty, more yin on the outside, breasts, hips becoming rounder.  Menstruation starts.  It is a discharge (yin) from blood (yang).  This is a very natural process.

 PMT is seen as a common and accepted problem, an imbalance of the body, difficulties with menstruation as well.  Menstruation is a natural way of elimination.  In menstruation, we get rid of the most dirty and weakest substances of blood.  So the body has to make new fresh blood.  On a deeper level, this is strengthening for the body.  When the blood quality is strongly out of balance, due to too much yin (sugar) foods and too much yang foods (meat) or both, problems can emerge with menstruation.

 Menstruation can be too late (more than 28 days) caused by too much raw food, too little salt, no cooked food and more yin factors.

 A short cycle (less than 28 days) is often caused by too many yang foods.

Cancer of the cervix, cramps, endometriosis, fibroids are common problems these days.  Endometriosis is an imbalance of Spleen energy, while fibroid are an imbalance of Liver energy (we will go into all these problems in detail in our Women’s Day on 13^th October.

 In general, for all these conditions, we have to eat very well, slow down, living a less fussy and aggressive lifestyle in order to heal.

 So we can say that sexual energy is the sum of the total energy in the body, channelled by the three primary organs: Kidneys, Liver and Spleen/Pancreas.

 Each organ in its particular way sends energy to several areas in the reproductive organs.  An orgasm is the unique oneness of all this energy – it is more than a release of energy.  It is the gate of spiritual consciousness.  If you experience this as a couple, you will experience oneness and divinity.

 A man receives the essential yin nature from a woman and gives his yang nature to her.  At that very moment, they are both bigger than the sum of each individual.  The deepness of this experience, depends on the capacity from the man and the woman to love, to share and to give.  For a woman, an orgasm is the unification of the six main energies in total oneness with the six male energies.  That movement of energy causes the woman’s body to make rhythmic movements from the sexual organs to the head.  If there is stagnation in her body, the energy cannot flow freely through her body.  So it doesn’t satisfy her.  Having a little yin before making love can help her to become more excited and receptive.

 There are lots of fascinating sexual practises to reach higher aims but to reach them, the health of our inner condition is the most important.

 With love Marijke