The Eight Extraordinary Meridians aren't like the other channels. They're special. They're extraordinary!

These channels are the spiritual skeleton of your system. Deep, old energy is stored here, including ancestral trauma, karmic patterns, and repressed emotions. This is also where you can find deep reservoirs of your vital energy, and your energetic connection to Spirit.

By opening and clearing these channels, we access information and energy that can give us insights into blockages, outdated patterns, and pain.

These blockages and patterns can manifest energetically--as in when you feel stuck in your life, unable to break out of unhealthy relationships, or plagued by self-criticism--or physically, as different tissues or organs are affected by these energetic movements (or lack thereof).

By recognizing the blockage and engaging the energy with journaling, acupressure, and meditation, we invite the energy to clear and move, and we pave the way to create a new, kinder, deeper, and more loving relationship with ourselves.

And that's really the core of it---our relationship with ourselves. This is what determines the quality of your life, and your relationships with others, and your ability to show up fully in the world.

Here's an overview of the eight channels in question:

The first four meridians deal with our basic identity, patterning, and karma.

Governing Vessel-- Starting in the low abdomen and running up the spine, this channel offers us inspiration, creativity, and momentum. It initiates action and provides a spark that spreads to other channels.

Conception Vessel- This meridian takes the spark of energy from the Governing Vessel and consolidates that energy into manifest reality. Issues around nourishment, nurturance, and boundaries are often implicated when this channel is out of balance.

Penetrating Vessel- This channel is strongly associated with reproduction, and therefore also with any creative processes. It is deeply connected to our sense of identity as well.

Girdling Vessel- This is the only channel in the body that runs horizontally, like a belt around the hips. We can tuck or hide emotions or experiences here until we are ready to process and release them.

Then we move to to the Wei Mai and Qiao Mai, which help us move through the world and manifest our dreams. This is where yin and yang interact with the outer world to create a full life.

The Yin Wei Mai and Yang Wei Mai maintain the balance of the body's yin and yang. They relate to the immunity, boundaries, the aging process, and other necessary transformations that define our human journey.

The Yin Qiao Mai and Yang Qiao Mai govern motion, and help us move through the world (physically and spiritually). By opening the Qiao Mai we are able to walk our path freely and move forward in our lives.

We are living in extraordinary times, as we collectively deal with a viral pandemic. Every human being on earth is affected by this. You are probably aware of how these energies are blocked in you, either on energetic or physical levels (or both!)

I designed my course, Extraordinary Times, to help you open and heal the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. The energy we can tap into together will enable your healing, expansion, and growth.

Courtney Moore is a licensed acupuncturist in San Francisco, California specializing in spiritual growth. She loves sharing her passion for natural approaches to women’s health through her online articles and classes. Schedule a remote session or visit her clinic in Bernal Heights, San Francisco by clicking the booking link.