*notes from classicalchinesemedicine.org
The Healthy Tiger Inside: Key Qualities of Lung Physiology
Power and vitality of the physical, acuity of animal instincts, being fully in the body; ferociousness.
Wildness, nature bound, freedom, need for breathing space, territorial, clear sense of personal and professional boundaries.
Vanguard, authority, status, charisma, confidence of rank and place, self-worth, commanding respect, sense of nobility; military power.
Bound to earth but yearning for heaven, attraction of opposites, yin/yang (male/female) magnetism, sexual prowess, rainmaker.
Radiant complexion, attractiveness, appearance, adornment; imposing posture; knowing how to strike a pose, natural ability to act; rare, prized, expensive.
Surface, outer layer, skin, protection against external pathogenic influences, protector of nature and natural laws, weaponry, killing, just wrath and vengeance, punishment, justice;
Symbol creation, civilization, knowledge.
General yang quality balanced by a yin side: patience, quietude, solitude, hermit behavior; sudden and brief display of force (bursts of activity) following resting (breathing) phase; associated with yang-East (position in the 12 Earthly Stem Cycle), but also with yin-West, the mountains, and the fall season (position in the 5 Phase Element cycle).
The Sick Tiger Inside: Key Qualities of Lung Pathology
Physical weakness, reduced immunity, reduced instincts, slowed reactivity, feeble voice, pale complexion.
Inability to defend oneself against all types of invasive challenges, especially those into the privacy of the human body (including viral attacks) and the home turf of home and relationship; lack of boundaries; letting things get “under the skin.”
Poor growth of body hair, especially in males. On the other end of the spectrum: excess growth of body hair.
Inability to breathe, claustrophobia, sense of impinged freedom.
Wind diseases, such as getting winded, symptoms characterized by unpredictable onset and movement (allergies, especially affecting the respiratory tract and skin).
“Demon invasion,” such as the sudden and violent onset of epidemic disease, especially affecting the respiratory tract and skin.
Lack of self-worth; physical, social, and financial impotence; inability to establish oneself and find one’s place in society; sense of being an outcast. On the other end of the spectrum: megalomania; seeking the limelight, ambition to be in the public eye.
Emotional wounds around respect; inability to command respect; lacklusterness, especially with regard to body color, choice of clothing, aura strength, and vocal expression; inability to connect with others and to attract a mate; loner behavior; poor body language; poor verbal expression (with regard to both the spoken and the written word); disheveled looks (clothing, hairstyle, grooming).
Sexually amorphous (especially with regard to body shape, skin characteristics, clothing, and voice).
Morally ambiguous, without clear sense of right and wrong; disregard for the law. On the other side of the spectrum: being a stickler for rules; rigidity and inflexibility.
Ill at ease in the physical body; disjointed and stiff body movements.
Superficiality (obsession with expensive jewelry, clothing items, or other material trophies; inability to make deep and intimate connections); cheap and unrefined taste (wearing ostensibly fake jewelry and poor quality imitation designer brands); thick and gaudy make-up; vanity, narcissism; aloofness; preoccupation with nobility (buying false aristocratic or scholarly titles); arrogance; sensation of being common and unattractive.
Sudden and unexpected outbursts of anger and shouting; vengefulness; obsession with punishing others; obsession with weapons, killing, and death; obsession with hunting large game or domesticating dangerous exotic cats.
Sensation of being unsafe and ill at ease; anxiety (associated with sensation of being overwhelmed, unsafe, alone, or having no place, no power, no money, no peace); grouchiness, frequent moaning and groaning; tendency to dramatic display of emotion.
Disregard for nature, resulting in the destruction of wild spaces and extinction of rare animal species.
