The Five Elements
Wood
and Water,
Fire,
Metal and Earth;
These
are the Five Elements,
From
which all is birthed.
At
least that what the Ancient Chinese claimed:
All
reality is but a play of these;
And
in flow with Nature’s rhyme and reason,
they
manifest accord to certain keys.
Wood
is that which is nourish by water,
a
plant skeleton strong and flexible.
It
stores the sap that feeds the limbs,
and
can be cut down by the force of metal.
In
the body it is gallbladder and liver,
storing
blood for the fuel of our flesh;
Cleanser
of this supreme elixir,
the
bath in which our cells refresh.
The
season of spring manifests the Wood,
Seeds
sprout forth to plants and trees;
Sour
tastes fertilize the Wood,
and
it moves us from the east.
When
out of balance, wood starts to crack,
manifesting
stuckness, stress and anger;
When
in balance, wood bends with strength,
Flexible
and calm even in danger.
Wood
fuels the Fire, to burn bright and hot;
Promoter
of heat and light and power;
Fire
turns Wood into Earth,
and
manifest strongest in the summer.
Fire
comes from the south like the Sun,
Governor
of light and father of days.
Burning
hot ‘til quenched by water.
Pungent
and acrid to the taste.
In
the body, the Fire’s the heart,
and
allows the Small Intestine to digest;
The
Spirit manifests from the spark of Fire,
Governor
of all, the almighty Empress.
Upright
Fire brightens up the Spirit,
Full
of meaning, bliss and joy;
When
diminished we get sad and depressed,
or
anxious, unsettled, annoyed.
Like
the volcanoes which spew forth an island,
Fire
is mother to Earth.
Earth
forms the ground beneath our feet,
From
whom precious metals are given forth.
Transforming
and Transporting like the Earth,
The
“Spleen” and Stomach separate out impurity.
Sending
the impure down and out of us,
Extracting
what is worthy.
Sweetness
can nourish the Earth,
Like
glucose does our cells.
Wood
holds back Earth from Erosion.
Protecting
the Earth from the tides and swells.
From
the Earth we get stability,
a
ground center beneath our feet;
Deficient
Earth makes us obsessive,
Overly
pensive and worried, deplete.
All
minerals and Metal come from the Earth,
And
Metal is forged by the Fire.
Disciplined
into size and shape
Metal
becomes a sword or wire.
As
the Conductor of electricity,
Metal
receives and sends forth energy.
So
likewise does the lungs and colon,
breath
in and disperse the Qi.
The
harvest takes place in the season of Fall,
Transition
form summer to winter.
Metal
reaps the fruits of the autumn,
and
is engendered by the bitter.
Strong
Metal keeps us inspired,
Full
of vigor, energy and zest;
Weakened
Metal can come from grief,
Like
the sun setting in the west.
Mother
of the fluid way,
Metal
liquefies to give forth Water.
Water
is cold and damp,
Like
the north, the night and Winter.
The
Kidneys and Bladder are Masters of Water,
Transforming
salt and liquid to urine;
The
Earth can hold and contain Water,
Which
is needed to transform it.
Paranoia
and fear disturbs the Water;
As
does fright and indiscretion;
Courage,
strong will and security,
Flow
from Water’s true intention.
As
the winter gives way to spring,
and
the wet nourishes plants to grow;
Water
gives way to the Wood.
And
so on and on it goes…
The
seasons they go round and round,
All
things come and go;
The
elements transfigure us,
as
Nature ebbs and flows.