The Five Spirits: Healing Through Sound and Spirit
by Jill N. Henry, EdD
In ancient Chinese medicine, healing was understood to be both physical and spiritual. Each organ was seen not only as a physiological structure but also as a home for Spirit. These are the Five Spirits — the Wu Shen — that guide our consciousness, embody our emotions, and connect us with the Tao.
Shen – Heart (Fire): Consciousness, eternal self, the God within
Yi – Spleen (Earth): Thought, intention, meaning-making
Po – Lungs (Metal): Corporeal soul, instincts, embodiment
Zhi – Kidneys (Water): Willpower, wisdom, destiny
Hun – Liver (Wood): Ethereal soul, vision, compassion
Spirits of the Yin Organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Our Jing (essence) comes from our parents at conception, while our Shen comes from Heaven, Tao, or the Universe. Together they weave the lessons of this life. As Ken Koles, PhD, teaches: “All illness is rooted in Spirit, and the Shen must be involved for healing to take place.”
When emotions flare — fear, anger, grief, or worry — these are not random disturbances but signals from the Spirits and their organs. By working with sound and conscious meditation, we bring the Spirits back into harmony, transforming both body and soul.
🔥 Shen – The Spirit of the Heart (Fire)
Organ: Heart
Essence: Shen is your eternal spark, the God within that always has been and always will be. It resides in the heart and blood, guiding clarity, awareness, and love. Shen chooses our parents and life lessons so that our soul may evolve.
Healing Sound for the Heart (Fire):
Sound: HHHAAAWWW
Transforms heartbreak, impatience, cruelty → into love, warmth, and respect
Supports blood vessels and emotional regulation
Meditation with Shen:
Visualize sparkling Source Light entering through the crown of your head. Welcome it into your heart and greet Shen. Feel this divine fire calm the body, radiating love and peace throughout every organ.
🌍 Yi – The Spirit of the Spleen (Earth)
Organ: Spleen
Essence: Yi is the Spirit of thought, focus, and intention. It digests not only food but also experience, giving us clarity and meaning. When Yi is strong, we act with integrity; when weak, worry and overthinking scatter the mind.
Healing Sound for the Spleen (Earth):
Sound: WHOOOUUUU
Transforms worry, disappointment, resentment → into openness and compassion
Supports muscles, digestion, and grounded presence
Meditation with Yi:
Place your hands on your spleen. Feel Shen’s fire transforming into Earth, like ashes settling into soil. Greet Yi, and allow Source energy to stabilize your thoughts and root you in clarity.
🌬 Po – The Spirit of the Lungs (Metal)
Organ: Lungs
Essence: Po is the corporeal soul, the body’s Spirit of breath and instinct. It grounds us in embodiment and connects us to grief and release. Po comes from the Earth at birth and returns to Earth at death.
Healing Sound for the Lungs (Metal):
Sound: SSSSSSS
Transforms grief, sadness, resistance → into courage, integrity, and letting go
Supports skin, breath, and healthy boundaries
Meditation with Po:
Place your hands on your lungs. Greet Po and feel Earth condensing into Metal. With each exhale, release grief; with each inhale, breathe in courage. Po awakens vitality through embodied presence.
🌊 Zhi – The Spirit of the Kidneys (Water)
Organ: Kidneys
Essence: Zhi is the Spirit of willpower, resilience, and destiny. It provides the courage to overcome fear and the determination to walk your life path. When Zhi is depleted, fear dominates and direction is lost; when balanced, it brings trust and steady progress.
Healing Sound for the Kidneys (Water):
Sound: OOOHHH
Transforms fear, dread, doom → into gentleness and wisdom
Supports brain, bones, nerves, and vitality
Meditation with Zhi:
Place your hands on your kidneys. Greet Zhi and let Source energy fill this reservoir with strength. Feel fear dissolving into wisdom, and willpower rising to guide your journey forward.
🌿 Hun – The Spirit of the Liver (Wood)
Organ: Liver
Essence: Hun is the ethereal soul — the visionary part of spirit that dreams, creates, and carries forward beyond the body. Hun connects us to compassion and higher purpose, transforming anger into forgiveness and kindness.
Healing Sound for the Liver (Wood):
Sound: SSSHHH
Transforms anger, confusion, shame → into kindness and clarity
Supports tendons, ligaments, and emotional flexibility
Meditation with Hun:
Place your hands over your liver. Greet Hun, and imagine Water nourishing Wood. Hun roots compassion into your being, guiding creativity and forgiveness, and carrying your spirit forward on its eternal journey.
🌀 Flowing the Cycle
Now, imagine Source Light entering through your crown and flowing through each Spirit-organ in turn:
Heart → Spleen → Lungs → Kidneys → Liver → back to Heart.
This waterwheel of Spirit circulates endlessly, clearing emotional blockages, nourishing the organs, and reconnecting you to your eternal self.
Healing begins when Shen is awakened in the heart. And when all Five Spirits are balanced, the body, mind, and soul live in harmony with the Tao.
🌟 Frequency, Vibration, and the Spirits
What I learned in my Frequency and Vibration training echoes this ancient truth: we are vibrational beings, and Spirit is at the root of both illness and healing.
Sound vibrations act as bridges, unlocking what the organs and their Spirits are holding.
When we change thought and behavior (Yi), we literally change the blood and the Shen within it.
When we voice our grief (Po), we allow it to transform into courage.
When fear is softened through resonance (Zhi), wisdom rises.
When anger is released through vibration (Hun), compassion returns.
The Five Spirits remind us that healing is not just repairing the body but awakening the soul. By working with sound, breath, and intention, we invite balance not only into our organs but into the deepest layers of our being.
When the Spirits are nourished, frequency and vibration become not just concepts, but lived experience: harmony within, harmony with Source, harmony with life itself.
