Continuing on with the spiritual significance series, I decided to do the spleen this time.
The spleen is a little different than the previous articles as it is an organ that people don’t really pay attention to, nor know when there is a problem with it until something is seriously wrong with the physical body.
Unless you are aware of the aura over the spleen and/or can directly feel the spleen (through Goenka’s style of vipassana for example) you may only have hints of how the spleen is functioning via other issues happening elsewhere in the body.
Typically gut issues, liver issues, general issues with getting infections and fighting off infections or taking a look at the spleen meridian can help you see if you have spleen issues, before something more serious can manifest.
As before, I will start with some established anatomy and physiology before getting into the spiritual significance of spleen problems.
The spleen has a lot of close relationships with other organs of the body, especially the intestines/gut and liver, so please take a look at those when I get around to writing them.
Anatomy & function of the spleen
The spleen is a kidney bean shaped organ that is usually about the size of your fist. It sits within the lower rib cage, below your left lung, in front of the left kidney and behind the top part of your stomach.
It is considered an immune organ that is part of the lymphatic system. It filters, breaks down and stores blood cells in the red pulp portion and specialises in making white blood cells (immune cells) and antibodies in the white pulp portion. The white blood cells are called lymphocytes and they travel in the lymphatic system.
This is why the spleen has such a big role to play in digestion and gut health as a large proportion of those lymphocytes perform immune functions in and around the intestines. They are highly active if there are bacterial colony and leaky gut issues.
It is important to point out that in some Eastern teachings, the spleen is considered to be another lobe of the liver or even the same organ. This makes sense from a Western perspective too as it is well-known that many functions of the spleen can be taken over by the liver and vice versa if either organ is damaged in some way. That is why it is possible to live without a spleen if you are born without one or if it becomes damaged or removed, as long as the liver has had time to take over its functions.
I highly recommend looking at liver issues if you suspect spleen issues and vice versa. I will write about liver issues at some point in the future. Also because the lymphocytes the spleen makes travel throughout the lymphatic system, I recommend looking into lymphatic system issues too, especially regarding infection or cancers there.
General advice for a healthy spleen
Generally speaking, anything that helps you fight infections or keep the cells of the body generally healthy so they are less likely to become victim to bacteria, funghi or viruses (if you belief in them) will reduce pressure on the immune system and hence pressure on the spleen.
Movement is a big part of helping the lymphatic fluids flow and hence lymphocytes better move around the body to help cells in need, as well as preventing stagnation that can cause toxic harm to cells, again reducing pressure on the spleen. This doesn’t necessarily have to be exercising in a class or gym. Even just a small brisk walk each day and making sure you get up and stretch gently or move around, especially if you are sedentary at work, can create fantastic benefits.
Breathing in a relaxed and deep way can more directly massage the spleen as well as improving fluid movement throughout the body. As I’ve said many times, don’t underestimate the power of breathing!
Diet. Obviously what you eat has a huge effect on the spleen due to the fact that such a huge amount of white blood cells are in and around the intestinal walls. Certain foods encourage the growth of unwanted bacteria or yeast that cause stress and harm to the gut, even to the extent of causing holes in the intestines where unwanted bacteria, proteins and other molecules & chemicals can go straight into the blood or lymphatic channels.
This causes a lot of inflammation and immune cell activity around the body and many people have this without being aware of it. They simply feel very fatigued after eating dairy or grain-based foods for example and think that they are reacting to the food or components of it (such as gluten) rather than realising that actually they have holes in their intestines that is commonly referred to as “leaky gut”.
In addition, certain nutrients are needed to build and maintain a healthy body not just a healthy immune system.
There is a huge amount that can be said about diet and all the different gut complications and diseases that can affect and stress the spleen. Way more than I can cover in several articles even, so I recommend getting in touch with an experienced naturopath or nutritionist, preferably outside of the established medical institutions unless they have questioned what they have been taught.
There are other things that can help with spleen health but apart from the above advice, they are mostly indirect. Generally speaking simply aiming for better overall health will help the spleen, as it will for all other organs too.
The spiritual significance in general
Just like there is a lot of overlap in the physical functioning of the spleen with the liver, there is a lot of energetic overlap with the liver too.
I would also say that many of the organs in the middle of the torso have a common energetic theme, closely related to the solar plexus chakra in many ways.
1. Power.
All of the middle torso organs directly or indirectly provide, filter or balance in some way the blood’s constitution. The blood being a big source of nutrients and energy for the physical body is reflective of how much power we believe we have. As such, all the organs in the middle of the torso, including the spleen, reflect our beliefs about how how much power we have or not. A weaker spleen can highlight weak beliefs of our power not just in the physical world but also mentally, emotionally and in the astral.
Problems can also occur when someone feels all powerful not just powerless. Dominating controlling and harming others will create a more inflammed spleen and set someone up for more infections and diseases there.
Learning about power, what it is and what it isn’t is important. I say this because a lot of people I come across with energy blocks in their spleen often fear power, like they may become a “bad” person if they use their power. This can often tie in to observations of family members, politicians or famous people from history who abused their power.
Sometimes people fear that their power to create the life may interfere with other people’s lives or stir people up in some way. So they step back because they don’t want to be a bother to anyone.
There is a lot to be said about this but essentially you cannot do anything in this reality without affecting others. You’ll benefit others much more by following your true desires and becoming the person you wish because you’ll be setting a good example for others, and even if you don’t see directly how it positively affects others, know that energy radiates out into the collective consciousness of humanity making it easier for others to also become the best version of themselves.
You cannot control completely what others think about you nor how they may react. Always remember that so long as you are not wishing to harm others and setting an intention to help yourself and by doing so better help others, you are likely on the right path and are not abusing your power.
2. Defense/immunity/protection.
This is a bit more specific to the spleen due to its obvious immune function but there is overlap with the liver and other immune organs such as the thymus gland. As has been shown in independent scientific studies, your beliefs in your ability to protect yourself has a big impact on how many immune cells you produce. If you believe you can fight off infections or not get them in the first place (I’m a good example of this!) then you’ll have a good functioning spleen and have less infections in life.
Those who fear other people, fear that they wouldn’t be able to handle dangerous situations, survival situations, life or death situations or even indeed smaller challenges such as relationship arguments or the boss being demanding etc will often have weaker spleens.
In the spiritual world too this is true. I have come across a great many people who fear things in the non-physical worlds such as astral parasites or etheric entities like ghosts or archons etc and they all had some weakness or another in the spleen. Especially if they believed that they couldn’t fight against or solve those issues.
Testing your beliefs on whether your defenses work or not, modifying them and eventually venturing into questions about whether you actually need protection or not, especially if they are psychological rather than a real threat, is important here. Very often limiting beliefs based on previous traumas are not actually relevant in your current life because those threats don’t actually exist anymore.
I have written a lot about perceived threats especially in the spiritual world in past blog articles. That sort of advice can also be relevant for the physical world too, so please have a look at those.
3. Receiving.
The fears mentioned above can reflect into other organs of the body related to being able to receive from this reality, other realities and those people or beings in them. These include the stomach, intestines, lungs, eyes and anything else where you receive nutrients or information in any form.
While the spleen itself doesn’t directly relate so much to the ability to receive, the beliefs related to it do have an impact on your ability to receive.
Generally speaking those limiting beliefs about other people/beings/things in any reality and the fears related to them mean that you resist them. This results in slowing down or even blocking energy of all kinds. Hence you greatly limit what you can receive in the process.
It must be understood that receiving is not the same as taking on or becoming the vibrations of energy you don’t wish. If you are truly in allowance of the energies coming your way, whether emotional, mental or spiritual, then you can easily let them pass through you without effect or transmute them into the vibration of energies you do wish. Very much like your digestive system treats the food you eat.
Again testing and questioning your beliefs is important here so that you do not become victim to others via your own judgments.
4. Relationships.
I often say that life is all about relationships. Relationships with yourself, others and other things in this and other realities. Again all of the middle organs and in fact much of the rest of the body too are closely related to relationships.
Within the context of the spleen, a lot of the limiting beliefs about power, control, dominance, hierarchy, defense, protection and so on are due to our experiences, judgments and thus beliefs about others. Thus your spleen can very much highlight how well you get on with others or not.
If you worry about other’s perceptions of you, feel you cannot express yourself fully around others, cannot stop others harming you, forcing you, choosing for you etc then that can reflect as a weakened spleen.
If you have ease around others and even better, are able to receive from them even if they are very different from you and even if they are not friendly towards you at all, then you are likely to have a well functioning spleen.
Many of the beliefs and habits you have with others takes time to change in life and again requires self examination, honesty, questioning and curiosity.
5. Decisiveness/choice.
This ties into the subject of power mentioned above because those fears mentioned above often stop people from being able to make decisions.
I also mention this because people quite often say or feel that they are not powerless yet they can often be indecisive in a way that can hide the fact that deeper down they indeed do have power issues.
I was a good example of this as I would always say that I was ok with whatever others suggested to do without realising how much I was being pulled along other people’s paths in the direction of life I didn’t truly wish.
Hidden beneath my conscious mind was a wounding where I experienced being powerless because I wasn’t allowed to choose what I wished at a very young age. This continued through early life because I became what parents, teachers and “those in power” wanted me to become and where I finally felt appreciated by doing what was expected without realising that my true desires were quietly being silenced in the process. To the point that I had trouble connecting with my emotions and thus true desires. Hence the indecisiveness.
This is a common issue in adults due to the processes of growing up and what we start to believe or are told is normal. This is especially through state schooling where we are conformed to being what governments and society at large wants us to be. I’m not saying all of it is bad but it is well known that markers/traits of being a genius drop from around 90% in preschool years to less than 5% by the time we finish school. We become less creative, less in tune with our emotions and desires and thus start becoming further from what we wish whilst becoming numb to them.
Learning to notice your thoughts, dreams and emotions and/or doing new things so that you can gain contrast in life, can help you better know yourself and your desires and hence better guide you in making choices in the direction of life you truly wish.
6. Obsession, control & fear of loss of an attachment.
This ties in both with power and relationships mentioned above. Often if we have a lack of power we become reliant on others or on other things to make up for that lack power. Or we try to control as many little details in life or other people around us for us to feel safe.
This could be in the form of a person who helps us financially, with tasks, helps you feel safe in the world or around others etc. It could also be in the form of a home that helps us feel safe and supported. Sometimes it can be in the form of an object such as a teddy bear as a child, or for us spiritual types, a crystal pendant or other object we may feel lost without. Sometimes it can be about many different things that need to be right in order for us to feel safe which can manifest as being obsessive in a way that is akin to ADHD or ADD etc.
Learning to question and test whether we really do need that other person or thing, or for every little detail to be right for us to feel safe & supported is important here. Sometimes it’s about learning to be self-sufficient. Sometimes it’s about learning that many of the fears we have aren’t actually relevant and are just psychological rather than real. Learning to trust life and enjoy the journey can be very useful too.
7. Courage & fear
This is a common factor in all middle organs of the body and again is related to beliefs about ones own power.
Courage is the ability to acknowledge the limiting thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and spiritual on-goings that might prevent you from doing what is best and regardless of them, choosing to do what is best for you and others anyway.
People often view courage through the concepts that come up in films and books such as superheroes saving the population. However I have found that often one person’s courage to speak up and say “no” can be a bigger challenge for some than another person who may be charging head-on into an army of demons.
It may seem so simple and easy for many people but the energetic charge or resistance behind saying “no” can be massive, so don’t underestimate other’s challenges even if it seems simple for you!
There is a lot I can say about courage and what you can do to gain courage but essentially, it’s about acting/moving forwards despite those things that might stop you and those things can often be summed up in one word – fear.
It is important to test your beliefs. Facing fears is a way to do this. If you find your boss scary for example, face that fear and talk to him/her anyway. Speak up and state yourself clearly. They might make things hard for you but usually it is a psychological rather than a real fear.
Either way, the more you learn to express yourself the way you wish, whether there are uncomfortable setbacks or not, you’ll start to realise that actually the core of who you are cannot be harmed and that actually you do have some ability to create life as you wish.
As my snowboard instructor said when I was young “Feel the fear and do it anyway!” Those who are more stable/successful/happy in life are those that have been more willing to face their fears and have done so more often.
Lets look into more specifics with each spleen disease now:
Enlarged spleen (Splenomegaly)
There a a lot of causes for the spleen to enlarge. It is important work out why the spleen has become enlarged first and resolve what is causing that. An enlarged spleen is more likely to burst or rupture in response to trauma or increased pressure inside and outside of the body and this can be fatal.
The main symptoms are abdominal pain and a feeling of fullness even if you haven’t eaten so for a lot of people there are not many obvious signs.
An experienced doctor or osteopath for example may be able to feel or see indications that a spleen has grown down and towards the intestinal area but often it could easily be missed.
Causes of an enlarged spleen can include:
- Blood cancers such as leukaemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and metastases from other cancers in the body that get trapped in the spleen.
- Blot clots in the spleen or liver.
- Anemia.
- Cystic fibrosis.
- Infections such as mononucleosis, syphilis, malaria, endocarditis or any other significant infection that puts a lot of stress on the immune system. Those that put strain especially on the lymphatic system are more of a problem.
- Liver issues such as fatty liver or cirrosis.
- Inflammatory diseases such as sarcoidosis.
- Metabolic disorders including amyloidosis or Gaucher disease.
As you can see, the main reason the spleen enlarges is to try to boost immune function to fight off infection or repair the body.
On a physical level, sorting out the source of the problem and getting that solved will be the first port of call. Many of the above causes can be solved with antibiotics and other drugs especially if it is life threatening without them. Afterwards, looking at the advice above both physically and spiritually becomes important to stop things from returning rather than relying on the established medical system.
Of course there may be circumstances when you have to rely on them depending on your situation – I am not a doctor nor medical physician of any kind so the information in this article and all my others is just opinion. I wonder how many times I’ll have to write that?!
In addition to the general information, an enlarged spleen is representative of increased efforts to bolster immunity, protection, defense, relationship problems, power and so on. However it also suggests that you are fighting to get stronger without really looking at what is really causing the problem or ignoring making the effort to change. Have a look at the general advice and see what is highlighted for you and where you can make some changes in life physically, emotionally, mentally to reduce pressure in your life rather than keeping the fight going.
Looking up what each causative disease of splenomegaly means energetically is advised too. Some of which I will list below.
Functional asplenia – hyper or hyposplenism
This is where the spleen doesn’t work fully as intended. This may manifest as an underactive spleen and hence lower immunity and increased risk of infections. This could also mean that it becomes overactive which can result in red blood cells being recycled i.e. destroyed to frequently, resulting in fatigue or similar signs to anemia.
An accident or other trauma directly to the spleen, damage or issues in blood supply to and/or from the spleen (splenic infarction), coeliac disease and sickle cell anemia are common causes of this physically. Making efforts to mitigate or solve those is the key practically. Going to A&E is essential if there has been any kind of trauma or damage and there is abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
An underactive spleen highlights lower beliefs about power in relationships and in life and protection/defense in general. Look at the general section above and see what methods you can employ to step into your power and improve your relationships with others.
An overactive spleen represents desperation or excessive efforts to gain power/control in life causing harm in the process. Ask yourself where can you simplify things by making changes based on the general section above rather than fighting against other people/beings/things/situations with the current methods you use that obviously don’t really work in the long-term.
Damaged or ruptured spleen
This is usually caused by a car accident or any other blow to the abdomen. It is a serious injury and can cause death through internal bleeding, so it is best to sort it out at A&E where a surgeon can help you.
Symptoms can include pain under the ribs on the left, nausea, dizziness and a quick heart beat. If there is also damage to the blood supply to the spleen than there may be nausea and vomiting too.
Energetically accidents are related to unawareness. While we tend to think of this as short-term awareness especially in the physical world, ask yourself why that might have manifested for you.
Usually reality will try to show you signs of this or that problem in life. Very often we are unaware of all the little signs our physical, emotional, mental or spiritual bodies try to tell us or of the world around us that is reflecting back at us what we believe or are manifesting. A sudden disease or accident may come out of nowhere it seems to us but it is usually the universe saying “ok, you ignored all the other signals, now are you paying attention?!”
So after any accident that causes a ruptured spleen, have a look at the general section above and take a deep look at yourself. Were you fighting too much in life, overusing or abusing your power with others or were you feeling powerless to the point that you feel you would be defeated by others as examples.
Splenic infection
This is inflammation cased by an invading bacteria, fungi or viruses (if you believe in viruses!) and there are many possible sources. Symptoms include fever, shivers, abdominal pain and fatigue and you should definitely get yourself checked out by a doctor!
Practically antibiotics or other drugs may be needed, especially in an acute situation.
Energetically like with any infection elsewhere in the body, it is related to annoyance, anger or irritation. With the spleen especially it is in relation to defending yourself against someone or something. Often it is due to the belief that you are in some way weak or defenseless.
These statements about infection become even more relevant when it is affecting the spleen itself because one of the spleen’s main functions is immunity or if you like defense of the body.
Because there is always some level of inflammation related to infections you also may also have some suppressed anger and an overreaction to your challenging situation, people or environment.
In addition to the advice in the general section, ask yourself whether you are overreacting or not. Anger is the emotion we get when we are not getting what we want from life so ask yourself whether the methods, habits and actions you are taking in this situation are working or not.
The true self cannot be destroyed, so choose to speak, act and live life from the true you, or if you like the person you truly wish to be. Obviously this should include looking after your physical body by getting good rest, sleep, food and exercise which in turn will benefit your health and reduce pressure on your spleen!
Splenic Abscess/Cyst
An abscess is a collection of pus that has formed in response to an infection, usually of bacterial origin and after a prolonged or intense fight with your immune system. Fever, chills, abdominal pain and fatigue are the symptoms just like any other spleen infection and you should absolutely get yourself medical help ASAP as it can turn into a life threatening situation.
A cyst is an air, fluid or even solid material filled sac within the body. Usually it is formed due to an infection or toxic environment that the body does not have to power or resources to overcome at the time it was formed. Thus a cyst can be thought of as the body encapsulating a problem to stop the damage or infection from spreading or getting worse, or until such time that the body can deal with it. You may have the feeling of fullness abdominal pain or discomfort if the cyst presses against anything in your body.
Often however cysts stay within the body throughout life as the immune system struggles to get inside of a cyst as it is effectively sealed off from the rest of the body. They can only usually cause problems if they press against certain tissues in the body preventing effective functioning or causing pain. You can also get energetic cysts in the aura which I did a YouTube video about here if you are interested.
I have put abscesses and cysts together as essentially most cysts start off as an abscess before being encapsulated.
Energetically, the same advice as given for splenic infection above applies here as both are mostly caused by an infection. Energetically the same advice applies but even more so.
If a cyst is present then the body has stopped it from potentially becoming a big problem however it highlights that there have been some decisions that have been detrimental in the past which may reoccur if you don’t look into it. Physically this may be poor diet or other lifestyle factors affecting immunity and health in general whether long term or short term before the cyst formed.
Energetically it may be seen as an unresolved mental, emotional or spiritual problem that you have decided, consciously or not, to put aside until you can better face it. Maybe the methods you employed at the time of its formation where not ideal, maybe you didn’t have the tools, experience or knowledge to cope with that challenge.
While physically we don’t generally see cysts as a problem, energetically it ties up some of our energy and causes inefficient energy flow in the aura. Resolving this can free more energy and help us feel freer and more capable. So ask yourself about whatever previous situation it was that happened around the time of the cyst’s creation and see if you can resolve any of those issues with yourself or others now. Do you have the resources or courage to face that now?
Splenic cancer
Cancer anywhere in the body is an uncontrollable division of cells due to genetic mutation that in turn is caused by localised toxic effects.
Cancer of the spleen is a rare form of cancer. Usually it is related to cancers elsewhere in the body that may bud-off and travel into the lymphatic system or blood and thus get lodged in the spleen. Lymphatic system cancers such as chronic leukaemia are more likely the cause and not all of these types of cancer are serious.
Persistent abdominal pain, weakness, fatigue and unexplained weight loss are all possible symptoms of cancer of the spleen though of course you can get these symptoms from other spleen issues and other diseases and cancers around the body.
Sorting out your general health and doing anything to resolve the original cause of cancer elsewhere in the body is important for helping the body fight off the cancer. As I’ve mentioned many times I consider chemo and radio-therapy to be barbaric and likely to cause more cancers in the future even if they appear to initially help so say the established medical profession!
Surgery is often a good option if done right but anything you can do to improve your body’s own chances of clearing it before it gets serious is very important and of course also during and after medical intervention. Toxic exposure and/or stagnation due to poor fluid movement in the body are key physical factors to look into with any cancer.
Energetically all cancers are related to self-hate or if you like a lack of love for an aspect of yourself. Longstanding resentments, deep hurts etc. So generally the energetic solution to cancer is always to let go of those deeper and longstanding issues and learn to love that part of yourself you’ve been ignoring or hating.
With respect to the spleen, it is a more serious version of the general information I have written about above. Either this is through ignorance or avoidance of those issues or due to self hatred of yourself for not resolving those issues.
So with spleen cancer, look at the general advice and choose to follow through that advice out of love for yourself. All those things you can do are an act of love towards yourself. You must learn to love yourself to cure the energetic reasons behind any cancer. With the spleen this means working on your courage to face your fears, stand in your own power and thus resolve relationship issues at the same time as showing love for your physical body too.
