From ‘Daoist Nei Gong for Women – The Art of the Lotus and the Moon’ by Roni Edlund and Damo Mitchell

—Before starting, just a brief note for those not familiar with Daoist terminology who could misinterpret the meaning of ‘spirit’ and be taken off track. Please read ‘mind’ whenever the concept of ‘spirit’ appears in the following transcription.—

(..) It is stated in classical texts from both Daoist and Chinese medical traditions that regulation of the health of the Blood is vitally important for women. In part this is discussing the health and flow of menstrual Blood as discussed above, but it is also pointing towards the the important link that exists between Blood and Shen.

Ultimately, Blood is understood to be something of a crystalline substance which takes the form of a liquid. It is also the root or the ‘anchor’ of the spirit. Every aspect of consciousness has a root within an element of the physical body, but the basis for the overall state of a person’s spirit or Shen lies in the health of the Blood. In Chinese medicine, it is often stated that if the Blood is weak or deficient, then the spirit becomes unrooted. The result of this is that a person can loose their sense of ‘grounding’ psychologically. This can lead to emotional swings, illogical thought patterns or behaviour and at its most extreme, mental illness.

In the case of men, Blood is still the root of the spirit, but male Blood is not so prone to flux. Women have the combined effects of the cycles of the moon and the loss of menstrual Blood prior to menopause, both of which contribute to a weakening of the root of the spirit. For women to stabilise their consciousness and govern their emotional centre, they need to focus on the health and flow of the Blood within the body. This will then enable them to find a higher degree of harmony within the spirit, which will assist with work at the level of the middle Dan Tien. The practice of moon gazing from Chapter 4 of this book, combined with a regular Nei Gong practice and a healthy diet, will help to maintain the strength of the Blood. There are many Chinese dietary books with comprehensive lists of Blood-building foods; these are sensible foods for women to include in their diet in order to help the overall state of their health.

Returning to the concept of Blood being a crystalline substance, we can use this to understand exactly how the Shen moves through the Blood. As unified spirit moves into the Blood, it refracts into manifestations of the five spirits of Shen, Hun, Yi, Zhi and Po. These aspects of spirit then carry with them the various aspects of emotions information that contribute to the shedding of emotional pathogenic information during the course of menstruation. (..)