Whispering of Willows

-        About the Weather

By Dr. Anna Zhao

During his work life, my father worked as a meteorologist, so I grew up running around the meteorological observatory. At that time, when making weather forecast in China, there was no fancy equipment such as satellites and computers, and mostly their forecast was based on basic data obtained from the observation sites.

In my childhood memories, my father was always contemplating the clouds in the sky, lost in thought.

When we were readying to leave for school, my father always took a glance at the sky first and told us if we needed to take an umbrella. He was right most of the time, but of course there were times when he made misjudgments.

I remember one summer night, we kids were lying outdoors on the bamboo bed trying to cool off, and my father was using a big old cattail leaf fan to drive away mosquitoes for us. I complained to him: "Dad, you predicted sunny weather yesterday, so we didn't take umbrellas. But it turned out it was raining cats and dogs, and we were soaked like ducks on the way back!”

My dad chuckled: Oh, my child, it is uncommon that I make this kind of mistake, because quite often my forecast is based on experience. I am not the one who really determines the weather.

"Who determines it then?" I asked curiously.

Glancing around cautiously he whispered: the Divine world.

Many years later, one day, a nurse came to see me. She worked at a cancer center in another province. I asked her about the prognosis of several common cancers. She replied quickly: According to my experience, no matter what kind of cancer it is, the prognosis is most related to one factor - the patient’s thoughts and emotions. For example, one Patient came in with a particularly serious case of breast cancer. However, her personality was super optimistic, and not only did she survive, she lived quite well with very few complications at all. Another who seemed to have a very mild form of cancer was extremely depressed and did not survive long...

Gradually, it dawned on me: we can perceive the human body as a small planet, subject to all sorts of weather: rain or shine or even storms. The weather creator is none other than the person him/herself. Doctors, nurses, and all other health care workers are merely weather forecasters, not weather makers – providing or repairing umbrellas for example.

Sometimes, when patients have low back pain, I tell them that this is likely not just a musculoskeletal problem, but kidney energy deficiency. They often look confused: What does this have to do with my kidneys?

Sometimes, I tell my eye patients that their eye diseases may stem from their liver energy stagnation, most of them are also puzzled: the eyes and the liver so far apart, what might be the relationship between them?

In fact, except for some rare cases, no matter which part of the body runs into difficulty, you should always connect it with your internal organs. It is more crucial to learn to listen to the language of the body than to learn a foreign language.

Since ancient times, Traditional Chinese Medicine always believed that there is a direct correspondence between the five internal organs and emotions.

What don’t your kidneys like? They would tell us: We don't like fear, and insecurity. If you keep being afraid, I'll be sick. And not only will I be I sick, but also my old pals who are close to me, such as your ears, throat, or reproductive, or digestive systems. Not to mention, low back pain and knee pain are related to me, even hair loss and dark bags under your eyes often accompany me.

What doesn’t your liver like? It would tell us: I don't like anger, or resentment. If you are always angry and resentful, I will get sick, and not only will I get sick, but also my close partners, such as your head, eyes, gallbladder, and even your fingers and toes, etc. Problems like thyroid, whether it is hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, are directly related to me.

What doesn’t your heart like? It will inform us: I don't like extreme excitement or agitation. If you are always agitated and restless, I will get sick, and not only will I get sick, but also my dear friends such as your mouth, tongue, and small intestine... Even the edema on your feet, varicose veins on your legs, insomnia, forgetfulness, and excessive sweating are all related to me.

What don’t your lungs like? They would tell us: We don't like being sad and depressed. If you are always sad and depressed, I will get sick, and not only will I get sick, but also my buddies will, including your nose, throat, sinus glands, and skin. Allergies are closely related to me, and even constipation is mostly caused by me.

What doesn't your pancreas like? It would tell us: I don't like it when you are ruminating and worrying. If you keep worrying and ruminating, I will get sick, and not only will I get sick, but also my comrades such as your lips, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, appendix, and intestines. Even weight gain, and hemorrhoids, these annoying problems are akin to me.

…

Patients often ask me what is best for their health, especially, making inquiries about what vitamins and supplements they should take. I would like them to realize: What you eat and drink is important but not the most important factor. Most essential is to learn to create your own weather in your inner environment. If it is the divine world that determines our world’s weather, it is you who determines the weather in your body.

When you are extremely unhappy, picture in your mind dark clouds rolling inside your body and a chilly wind howling. After such a violent storm, what you see are fallen branches and leaves; nothing but desolation.

When you are happy and joyful, of course the sky is clear and shines like crystal and the sparkling water droplets are glistening on the petals...

Indeed, sometimes we feel very small and helpless, and that the world is so transient, with so many things out of our control. But my dear friend, think about it: no matter when and where you are, there is at least one thing in your life that you can control, and that is the weather in your body.

As I wrote this, a scene from many years ago popped in my mind:

I went for a walk with an old friend, a man who has been completely blind since he was 18 years old. All of sudden it started to rain. I quickly opened my umbrella to shelter him, and as I did so I asked at the same time: isn’t it annoying that we have such frequent rainy weather?

He turned to "look" at me, then smiled: “Do you see only rain? All I see is sunlight.”