The Pericardium: A Way Back to Consciousness

A model used for the study of acupuncture points. (Photos.com)

I was eating breakfast in a cafe near the clinic where I work when a woman who I had treated for hay fever and weight loss came in.

She approached me in an agitated manner and said, “Look Roberto, I am a bit worried!”

While listening, I thought to myself, well, what a novelty! Who is not worried in this day and age?

I asked her what had happened, and she said, “Yesterday after I left my consultation, I blacked out for two hours. After that, I don’t remember anything that transpired during that time frame. I don’t know what could have happened. Perhaps in my Pilates class, I made a wrong move that made me lose consciousness.”

To which I said, “How odd!” I then remembered the previous day’s treatment was directed at the pericardium meridian.

She continued, “In fact, I feel more fresh and rejuvenated. In terms of allergy symptoms, they’ve completely disappeared, and it looks like I have lost weight very quickly! Then what might be the problem?”

Seeing her face ever more alert, I told her not to worry and that everything was normal and good. She appeared thankful and quietly relieved at those words. It seems as if we give more importance to the views of others rather than our own.

What happened to this lady is a very special case of a trance caused by the state of deep calm that one gets after a hectic day at work. At that moment, the subconscious takes over the body to readjust it.

The majority of people achieve a state of deep calm while remaining conscious. This situation is ideal for connecting with the wisdom that lies latent in the human body. This can be explained by the heart and its pericardium meridian.

In Chinese, Xin Bao, or envelope of the heart (the pericardium), also known as master of the heart, is said to be the meridian connected to deep dimensions of being. It is very difficult to know its precise mechanism of action.

Different understandings point to the pericardial sac as being the place where the spiritual aspects of the heart, the state of consciousness, one’s philosophy and thoughts, and all emotional states can be found.

The pericardium is also described as a box of records where every life a person has lived is registered—something like the black box of an airplane. Ancient physicians believed that life experiences were embodied in a specific area of the body.

Treatment of the pericardium meridian has very broad therapeutic results throughout the body, regulating and improving many physical and emotional illnesses, which are difficult to treat by other measures.

Treatment of the pericardium meridian is indicated for serious illnesses, depression, anxiety, asthma, and allergies. It is also indicated for heart problems, hypertension, digestive issues, bleeding from any part of the body, breast or menstrual problems, neurological disorders, and skin problems.

At the top of the back, at the level of the third thoracic vertebrae, where the shoulder ends, there is an acupuncture point called gaohuang. It is where all emotional and mental information of the individual converge to be filtered by the pericardium.

It is a very deep point, where everything is recorded, and it is said that all diseases come through this point, and all diseases can be treated from this point.

The pericardium’s symbolic animal is the serpent. This animal is considered extremely intelligent.

Intelligence and excessive knowledge can on many occasions be a source of lies and deceit. For example, saying one thing and thinking something completely different, giving half-truths for selfish purposes, envy, resentment, cunning, seeking to gain a certain social position, power, or fame, and being excessively ambitious.

These are caused by a deep anxiety of the heart and are the source of all known and unknown diseases of modern science.

The “movie” recorded by human history—built on a foundation of lies using knowledge and cunning to achieve its own purposes—has resulted in an increasing loss of knowledge and collective wisdom, drawing to it all sorts of trials and tribulations.

Humanity needs more than ever a change of consciousness guided by the wisdom of the principles of the universe oriented toward virtue, compassion, and generosity, which govern the balance of life.

Watching the news, we see how each day the Earth trembles. Earthquakes and tremors paralyze cities and roads. Bleeding in the form of volcanoes paralyzes the airways. The pericardium of Earth’s heart is sick.

The body is a world, and the world is a body. Until we heal ourselves, the earth won’t heal.