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"The
Five Elemental Energies of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water
encompass all the myriad phenomena of nature. It is a
paradigm that applies equally to humans."
The
Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine
(second
century bc)
The
Five Elemental Energies (wu sing) represent the tangible
activities of yin and yang as manifested in the cyclic changes
of nature which regulate life on earth. Also known as the
Five Movements (wu yun), they define the various stages of transformation
in the recurring natural cycles of seasonal change, growth and
decay, shifting climatic conditions, sounds, flavors, emotions,
and human physiology. Each energy is associated with the
natural element which most closely resembles its function and
character, and from these elements they take their names. Unlike
the Western and other systems of five elements, the Chinese system
focuses on energy and its transformations, not on form and substance. The
elements thus symbolize the activities of the energies with which
they are associated.
As
manifestations of yin and yang on earth, the Five Elemental Energies
represent various degrees of 'fullness' and 'emptiness' in the
relative balance of yin and yang within any particular energy
system. An ancient Chinese text explains this principle
as follows:
By
the transformation of yang and its union with yin, the Five
Elemental Energies of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water arise,
each within its specific nature according to its share of yin
and yang. These Five Elemental Energies constantly change
their sphere of activity, nurturing and counteracting one another
so that there is a constancy in the transformation from emptiness
to abundance and abundance to emptiness, like a ring without
beginning or end. The interaction of these primordial
forces brings harmonious change and the cycles of nature run
their course . . . The Five Elemental Energies combine and
recombine in innumerable ways to produce manifest existence. All
things contain all Five Elemental Energies in various proportions.
Let's
take a look at this idea in terms of the basic seasonal cycles
of nature, which influence every living thing on earth. Water
is the elemental energy associated with winter, when a state
of extreme yin prevails. Winter is the season of stillness
and rest, during which energy is condensed, conserved, and stored. Water
is a highly concentrated element containing great potential power
awaiting release. In the human body, Water is associated
with essential fluids such as hormones, lymph, marrow, and enzymes,
all of which contain great potential energy. Its color
is black, the color which contains all other colors in concentrated
form. In nature, Water is dissipated by excess heat; in
humans, Water energy is depleted by the 'heat' of stress and
excess emotions. The way to conserve the potential energy
of Water is to stay still and 'be cool'.
The
next phase of the seasonal cycle is spring, during which the
Wood element arises from the potential energy of Water, just
as plants sprout from the ground in spring rains. This
is the 'new yang' stage of the cycle. Wood energy is expansive,
exhilarant, explosive. It is the creative energy of 'spring
fever', awakening the procreative drive of sexuality. It
is associated with vigor and youth, growth and development. In
the human body, Wood energy is associated with the movement of
muscles and the activity of tissues. Its color is green,
the vibrant color of spring growth. Wood energy demands
free expression and space for open expansion. Blocking
it gives rise to feelings of frustration, anger, jealousy, and
stagnation.
Just
as spring develops naturally into summer, so the aggressive creative
energy of Wood matures into the flourishing 'full yang' energy
of fire. This is the most overtly energetic phase of the
cycle, during which the 'heat' of full yang energy is sustained. All
life forms flourish in summer owing to the warm, stable glow
of fire energy. Fire is related to the heart, which is
the seat of human emotions and the organ whose constant warmth
and pulse keeps blood and energy moving. Its color is red,
the warm color of fire and blood. It is associated with
love and compassion, generosity and joy, openness and abundance. If
blocked it results in hypertension and hysteria, heart problems
and nervous disorders.
Towards
the end of summer comes an interlude of perfect balance during
which Fire burns down and energy mellows, transforming itself
into the elemental energy of Earth. Neither yin nor yang
predominates during this period; instead they are in a state
of optimum balance. This is the pivot of the cycle, the
fulcrum between the yang energies of spring and summer and the
yin energies of autumn and winter. The Five Elemental Energies
hum in harmony at this time, providing a sense of ease, wellbeing,
and completeness. The Earth energy of late summer is the
phase and the feeling celebrated in the song 'Summertime, and
the living is easy ...' Its color is yellow, the color
of sun and earth, and in human anatomy it is associated with
the stomach, spleen, and pancreas, which lie at the center of
the body and nourish the entire system. If Earth energy
is deficient, digestion is impaired and the entire organism is
thrown off balance owing to insufficient nourishment and vitality.
As
summer passes into autumn, the energy of Earth transforms into
Metal. During the Metal phase, energy once again begins
to condense, contract, and draw inward for accumulation and storage,
just as the crops of summer are harvested and stored in autumn
for use in winter. Wastes are eliminated, like winnowing
chaff from wheat, and only the essence is kept in preparation
for the nonproductive Water phase of winter. If the harvest
fails or falls short, there may not be sufficient energy stored
during Water/winter to generate a strong and healthy cycle in
the following Wood/spring. Metal energy controls the lungs,
which extract and store essential energy from air and expel wastes
from the blood, and the large intestine, which eliminates solid
wastes while retaining and recycling water. Its color is
white, the color of purity and essence. Autumn is the season
of retrospection and meditative insight, for shedding old skin
and dumping the excess baggage of external attachments and emotions
accumulated in summer, just as trees shed their leaves and bees
drive drones from the hive at this time of year. Resisting
this energy by clinging sentimentally to past attachments can
cause feelings of melancholy, grief, and anxiety, which manifest
themselves physiologically in breathing difficulties, chest pain,
skin problems, and low resistance. Flues, colds, and other
respiratory ailments are common indicators of blocked Metal energy,
which is associated with the lungs. Just as Metal is a
refined extract of Earth forged by Fire, so autumn is the season
for extracting and refining essential lessons from the activities
and experiences of summer, transforming them into the quiet wisdom
of winter.
And
so the great wheel of nature turns in a continuous cycle of elementary
energies, drawing all living things in its wake and proceeding
in an orderly and rhythmic sequence:
|
Wood
|
Fire
|
Earth
|
Metal
|
Water
|
|
New
Yang
|
Full
yang
|
Balanced
yin & yang
|
New
yin
|
Full
yin
|
|
spring
|
summer
|
late
summer
|
fall
|
winter
|
|
dawn
|
noon
|
afternoon
|
dusk
|
midnight
|
Like
yin and yang, the Five Elemental Energies maintain their internal
harmony through a system of mutual checks and balances known
as 'creative' and 'control' cycles. Both these cycles,
which counteract and balance one another, are in constant operation,
maintaining the dynamic fields of polar forces required to move
and transform energies. The creative cycle is one of generation,
like the relationship between mother and child. Water generates
Wood by nourishing its growth; Wood generates Fire by providing
its fuel; Fire generates Earth by fertilizing it with ashes;
Earth yields Metal by extraction and refinement; Metal becomes
liquid like Water when it is melted.
The
opposite force is the control cycle, a relationship of subjugation
similar to that between the victor and the vanquished in battle. The Internal
Medicine Classic describes the control cycle as follows:
Wood
brought into contact with Metal is felled;
Fire
brought into contact with Water is extinguished;
Earth
brought into contact with Wood is penetrated;
Metal
brought into contact with Fire is dissolved;
Water
brought into contact with Earth is halted.
Whenever
a particular elemental energy grows too strong, it tends to exert
an excessively stimulating influence over the following element
in the creative cycle, like a domineering mother over a child,
and at this point the element which controls the excessive energy
kicks in to subjugate it and restore harmony. For example,
if Wood flourishes to excess, providing so much fuel that Fire
burns out of control, Metal steps in to cut down the supply of
Wood and thereby re-establish normal balance. The creative
and control cycles maintain constant harmony and balance among
the Five Elemental Energies.
To
learn more about this system, which is actually the foundation
of Traditional Chinese Medicine, see my website. This system
is tied to just about everything you can possibly imagine about
ancient Chinese culture, particularly the healing arts. It
is the basis of Chinese Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. It
has been around for thousands of years and is still being put
in to practice by professionals and lay practitioners this very
day. Learn more about the Law of the Five Elements and
witness perfection!
| Authors
Details:
Lee
Lieske.
To
learn more about this system, which is actually the foundation
of Traditional Chinese Medicine, see the
Authors
Web Site |
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