HISTORY OF FIVE ELEMENTS
The Five Elements theory originated from the ancient Chinese calendar, where five types of energies were assigned to different days, months, and years. The energies were given the names of five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
These Five Elements were associated with the equinoxes and solstices to help farmers plan and organize their agricultural cycles. As you can imagine, having a calendar was of incredible benefit to an emerging agrarian civilization.
So the calendar was arranged by using the names – Wood for the spring equinox, Fire for the summer solstice, Metal for the autumn equinox, and Water for the winter solstice. The fifth element, Earth, was at the center of the calendar.
Human relationships to the cycles of the day, seasons, and moon were of interest to traditional Chinese healers, and the Five Element theory became a fundamental part of traditional healing.
Early writing on the Five Elements can be found in the classic Chinese text Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, commonly dated to between the first and fourth centuries BC. In a medical context, the Five Elements were arranged in a circle while Earth moved from the center to being part of the ring.
The principles of the Five Elements became widespread and are fundamental in practices such as acupuncture, feng shui, shiatsu, chi gong, BaZi astrology, and healing through foods.
PRACTICAL USE OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS
The basic principle of the Five Elements is control and production cycles. Each element produces and controls another element, this way keeping the balance. But if one element is too strong and unchallenged, then the balance is lost.
Producing cycle:
- Wood gives rise to (fuels) Fire
- Fire begets (creates, through ash) Earth
- Earth produces (bears) Metal
- Metal gives birth to Water
- Water nourishes Wood
When the productive Element is too strong, it can negatively influence a generated Element:
- Excessive Wood suffocates Fire
- Excessive Fire scorches Earth
- Excessive Earth buries Metal
- Excessive Metal pollutes Water
- Excessive Water uproots Wood
Control cycle:
- Wood penetrates Earth
- Fire forges Metal
- Earth channels Water
- Metal cuts Wood
- Water extinguishes Fire
EMOTIONAL BALANCE
The Five Elements are related to our organs. The Wood Element represents the liver; Fire is the heart, Earth is the spleen, Metal is the lungs, and Water is the kidneys. Our emotions, like sadness, anger, happiness, joy, and depression, are all results of our organ functionality. When they are balanced, we react more positively; when organs are out of balance, we behave more negatively.
Our analysis follows these principles by generating the values of each element from your date and time of birth, and applying corresponding values and characters to it, which results in a very detailed blueprint of human nature and abilities.
To learn more about each element, please visit lthe inks below:
