Qui'lari
According to the Deep Space Nine episode "the Muse" (season 4, episode 21), the telepathic openings within a Vulcan's psionic system are called "qui'lari". These are commonly also referred to, though mostly in fanfiction or beta canon, as "meldpoints" due to them being most often used for melding. But just what are qui'lari? Based on canon and my own musings, I've come to the conclusion that they are a type of telepathic chakra. They are a pinwheel of psionic energy that can be opened in order to facilitate deeper telepathic linkages and mental mingling. They act as sluice gates for kash-tepul (mental energy) and the proper health, alignment, and care of the qui'lari assists in the flow of kash-tepul throughout the Vulcan psionic system as well as keeps them healthy and skillful enough for melding. While the entire Vulcan body is open to telepathic touch, the true depth and breadth of it comes from the stimulation of the qui'lari.
In traditional Vulcan religion, there is an emphasis on the Inner Chorus, a grouping of numinous beings that seem to represent the inner emotional landscape of any individual Vulcan. These beings are named for the planets in the Vulcan solar system, which leads me to believe that the solar system itself is the Outer Chorus with which the Inner Chorus is meant to be aligned. Thus embodying the idea of one's inner life being just as ordered as the mechanisms by which planets find their orbit. The harmony that is produced between the Inner and Outer Choruses is the song of C'thia ("reality-truth" or the religious doctrine of logic that Surak preached). It is my belief (which is to say, not backed by canon or beta canon or anything of the sort), that the Eridanic solar system therefore plays a strong symbolic role in Vulcan thought and religion (due to the realities of pon farr and its homeward draw, as well as the tendency of Vulcans toward tradition, I believe the hearth plays a central role for them and once they'd become aware of their planet as the ultimate hearth and the way it's situated in space, the entire system, with its mathematically clean and organized movements of the cycles of the celestial bodies, would represent the ultimate proper ordering). Due to this, I've decided that it's pretty likely that the qui'lari would be organized and named for the celestial bodies.
This is completely of my own invention but the qui'lari system is as follows:
1. Alam'ak. Named for the primary of Vulcan's three suns, this meldpoint is located around where the third eye is, at the center of the forehead. Since Alam'ak is the deity of divine illumination and inspiration, this qui'lar is the one used for connection with the Econ, the universal mind or the mind of God.
2. Behr'ak. Named for one of the suns that are in binary orbit, this meldpoint is found on the left temple.
3. Czar'ak. Named for the other binary sun, this meldpoint is found on the right temple. Both of these temple qui'lari are indicative of mental revelation and inspiration that is a little more enfleshed and closer to home. These are the primary receptive meldpoints, typically passively accepting kash-tepul and mind connection.
4. Ket-Cheleb. Named for one of the planets, this qui'lar is found in the mouth, under the tongue. Ket-Cheleb is known as the Destroyer and is a violent deity aligned in the Inner Chorus with emotions such as rage and anger. This meldpoint is the one that is most hidden and the cultivation and health of it has to do with the Vulcans' belief in sacred privacy. The keeping of ones thoughts to one's self (keeping them under the tongue, as it were).
5. T'Khut. The left hand. While technically made up of a system of minor qui'lari which are all located on the fingertips, due to their closeness and the tandem in which they work, the hand meldpoints are taken as one.
6. T'Khasi. The right hand. Alongside T'Khut, these two qui'lari (or systems of qui'lari if you want to be technical) represent the active meldpoints, as opposed to the passive ones found at the temples. It is through the fingers that Vulcans touch another mind (as opposed to being touched).
7. Valdena. Located at the heart and named for the deity aligned with feelings of love and joy, this meldpoint is the emotional center. Thoughts flowing from Valdena tend to be wordless and more emotionally charged. This meldpoint is meant only to be utilized, therefore, by bondmates or other close relationships.
8. Tel-Alep. While the other meldpoints are typically a single point (such as a fingertip or one place on the skull), this qui'lar is the entire length of the twin tentacle-like organs near the Vulcan genitals that are called fra'als. These are the most telepathically sensitive locations on a Vulcan's body and melding with them is the most telepathically erotic.
9. Kal-Apton. The left ankle.
10. Kir-Alep. The right ankle. Both this point and the previous one are the primal meldpoints. Typically unused for connection with another humanoid mind, they are instead meant for mental focus and rootedness. Essentially anchoring one's thoughts to the ground they walk on. The connection to the living web of a planet. A Vulcan may self-stimulate these points in meditation in order to achieve emotional and mental grounding.
