The Spleen Official: Office Administrator

Any office needs someone whose job it is to run the office:  Make sure workers have the supplies they need, that the coffee is filled and working, that the holiday party gets organized and has the right food, that birthdays are recognized.  They also have the important role of making sure various items don’t pile up around the office.  That there is processing of all items coming in.   

A balanced office administrator always keeps the coffee cabinet filled.

Note that in Chinese Medicine there is no pancreas.  The Spleen Official encompasses both pancreas and spleen.  

Our bodies need nourishment so we can nourish each other… And it’s the Spleen Official’s job to make sure that our bodies get the nourishment they need.  That’s why it’s known as the official of “transformation and transportation.”  Transform food into energy and other nutrition and then direct transportation to the areas of the body that need those materials.  The stomach helps, but the Spleen’s job is more encompassing.  A Spleen that is imbalanced will produce “dampness” and “phlegm” which can present as excess weight, cysts, lipomas, mucus, or any other type of fluid or tissue aggregate.

Thoughts and events need to be digested too… The Spleen controls thought as well.  Worrying in a circular thinking pattern can show a Spleen that is imbalanced and not transforming those thoughts and events into lessons and memories.  People can also become “foggy brained.”

Why the “office administrator?”  Every company needs someone who can keep the workers happy.  You want your sales people making sales, yes?  Well every minute they are getting pens they aren’t selling.  Every day they are unhappy because their birthday was forgotten they have less motivation to sell.  Every department wants to remain happy.  There needs to be someone looking out for the workers just like there needs to be an organ simply looking out for the body.  Much like a mom who simply loves to feed the family and watch them grow, the Spleen loves just helping the body and watching it thrive.

There a classic Acupuncture text named All sickness is home sickness.  This book is based on the fact that the Spleen runs the body, makes it a home, and puts the person at ease so they can thrive in the world.  Take care of your body, love it, and let it nourish itself in the best way possible.