Using ancient wisdom for achieving modern health.
Overview
Five Elements Overview
For thousands of years, the Chinese have recognized that the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water exist in everything, everyone, and are essential for life. The five element system of correspondence asserts that dis-ease is an imbalance in the natural functioning of these Five Elements. This imbalance becomes the root cause of illness of the body, mind, and spirit.
Water
WATER: winter, kidney, ears, bones fear
WATER brings the elements full circle. It gives us adaptability and will-power. It is the element of winter, giving us time to pause and gather strength. It is the seedbed of all life. The water element corresponds to winter, points us to that dark, quiet pool within ourselves where our essential self-identity resides. We can use the energy of this season to deeply discover the essence of our self.
Wood
WOOD: governs – spring, liver, eyes, muscles, anger
The WOOD element within us governs the establishment of our personal boundaries and plans, sense of vision, the emotion of anger, and the sound of shouting. When our vision or plans are stifled, we may feel anger or frustration. If our Wood is healthy, we can readjust and recreate a new vision or plan. We can us the energy of spring for detoxification.
Fire
FIRE: governs – summer, heart, tongue, vessels, happiness
FIRE is the energy of summer; it gives us warmth and the capacity to love and be loved. It enables us to mature and blossom. The Fire element expresses itself as joy and manifests within us as love, laughter, and enthusiasm.
Ways to tend your inner Fire:
Earth
EARTH: governs – Late Summer, spleen/pancreas, mouth, flesh, Melancholy
EARTH is the energy of late summer. It gives us the ability to nurture ourselves and others. It provides our center, and represents our mother
Suggestions for living in harmony with the late summer season:
Metal
METAL: governs – autumn, lung, nose, skin, hair, sadness/grief
METAL is the energy of autumn; it gives us our sense of quality and value, and our capacity to look at what lies beyond ourselves. It gives us the power to let go. It represents our father
Suggestions for living in harmony with the autumn season: