#five element theory

Chinese Five Element Theory and Kung Fu

What is Five Element Theory? Taoist Alchemy and Traditional Chinese Medicine illustration Five Element theory is central to Chinese martial arts, Chinese philosophy, and traditional Chinese medicine. Indeed, it is found everywhere in their culture, from food preparation, home decoration, and even city planning. What is five element theory? There are five elements, or more accurately, five phases,…

I've been examining my practices and interactions with the Elements for the past month or so. It's one of the core pieces of magic I teach in the Reclaiming Tradition. Not all magical traditions work I've been part of work with five Elements, some work with three, others work with four. I revisit this work every so often as a teacher and as a student. In my last four articles I've chronicled my explorations with Air, my connections with Fire, my dive into Water and my complex dance the Earth.And now I find myself standing in the Center.

Why You Wear Blue

Blue is the color of the abundant sky

Blue whispers the words of wisdom

Blue is the color that flows and flies

Blue waters call to us to dive

Immerse

Become One

In the Immense Body of  of Blue

You may have asked yourself at one time or other “Why do I wear blue?”

The first thought that comes to my mind, is that Blue is a color everyone likes. It is expresses easy.  It is soothing.  It is…

Hidden Magic of Yellow

When someone thinks about Yellow…..a first thought may be, that Yellow is a color full of joy.

That Yellow is unassuming, because it has an air of pleasantness, politeness and  a lack of arrogance.

All of which is true but…….there is  a HIDDEN MAGIC to Yellow.  Why else would Buddhist Monks wear the color Yellow.

In 5 Element Theory, Yellow is the color of the Earth Element. It is the color that…

Here in Houston, any time the temperature drops below 60 is considered winter. I've noticed that everyone around me has gradually fallen sick. The most fascinating part of my journey to becoming an acupuncturist is the ability to draw connections. Whether you do or do not believe in the theory of Chinese medicine is a moot point when certain relationships between seemingly unrelated things come up. Here are a few tips to help out with the winter blues from the perspective of a first semester acupuncture student.

So for a little basic understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), everything in the world can be explained through the concept of the five elements and yin/yang. For the sake of not having a super long entry, I will not go into detail about these concepts, but rather just use them to explain the main idea of seasons changing.

So the season of Winter is the element of Water, which is the most Yin element of them all. The water element is related to the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder. In the Western sense, Kidneys play a big role in water metabolism by separating unwanted and wanted liquids. The unwanted liquids move to the Urinary Bladder where they are stored until they are eliminated while the wanted liquids are circulated and used by the body. In TCM, the Kidneys are also in charge of keeping bones and bone marrow healthy. Since winter is an incredibly dry season, it is very common for our joints to become dry. That is why it is important to maintain good daily stretching throughout winter to keep our bones and joints lubricated. Without doing so, many experience lower back paint, knee pain, and all kinds of joint issues during this season.

The emotion that is associated with the water element is fear. During this season, many experience anxiety, or perhaps, excess fear. When a person experiences anxiety, their blood pressure, which is stabilized by the kidneys, become elevated. Therefore, fear and kidneys have an indirect relationship with each other. In order to strengthen and maintain the kidney, it is important to accept our fears and not let them take over. If this is not kept under control, it is very common for people to become depressed or angry during this season.

The taste associated with water is salty. This means natural salt that isn't chemically derived (so this rules out anything with iodine, fluoride, etc.). Winter is a cold season, and salt can help warm and nourish the body. Because of the cold and dryness of this season, many people experience constipation because everything is slowed down. Salt has the property of softening hard masses and purging, so it is very important to invest in good quality, natural salt, especially for the winter time. It would also be wise to stay away from any raw food during this season, as raw food are very cold in nature.

Other things associated with the water element include:

Color: Black/dark blue

Orientation: North

Stage of Development: Storing

Sense Organ: Ears

Manifestation: Hair