Wu hsing (Five Elements)

2010-03-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sally and I were walking in the woods on a gloriously bright spring day. We wrote these two haiku whilst we walked. I hope they provoke some spring energy in you too.

Tumbling from rooftops

Crows dancing their mating rights

Animate the air

Charmed hedges aflame

Goldfinch flashing their colours

Shiver the catkins

Water's relationships

2010-03-02T03:12:00.000-08:00

The image above shows how the major relationships of water are created. Clearly each element is related to all others either through the feeding cycle or the control cycle. In balance water feeds wood and allows fire to come to fruition. Too much water (looking at life too deeply, always waiting for the perfect moment to act, being too cautious, too isolated or too powerful can "put out fire" - taking the joy out of life).

Think about the images above and see what they say to you about the relationships. There is never one way of looking at things!!

General concepts

2010-02-18T02:28:00.000-08:00

Here are four simple diagrams showing some basic concepts. They are just one way of looking at each type of cycle and it must always be remembered that the cycle is not five stops along the way but one continuous journey and so the change from one phase to another is not simple to see. When considering the archetypes, remember that we all have aspects of all of them and so it is the action of one archetype with another that is of interest.

Water through the year

2010-02-09T07:47:00.001-08:00

I thought it would be interesting to look at the different qualities of the elements through the year. It makes me wonder if this is helpful to look at whether we are in harmony with the element at various times through the day, year and our lives.

Five Elements are fun

2010-02-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

We had great fun on the Shiatsu foundation course this week exploring the feeding and control cycles of the five elements. Not sure the pictures do it justice, perhaps you had to be there.

I Ching moved to my blog

2010-01-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

I have moved the discussion about the I Ching to the other blog as it seems more like a YinYang discussion rather than elements. Go to discussion here

I Ching and the elements

2010-01-20T01:29:00.000-08:00

The last post has made me think about the cycle and how, if earth is at the centre, each element spends some time above earth and some time below. I will be posting some I Ching verbal images to go along with this idea as starting points for thoughts about the five elements. There are several hexagrams which may relate to each element, for example, there is the abysmal water and there is the joyous lake. The gentle wind or the arousing thunder may be different qualities of wood. There are others too.

The I Ching uses Yin and Yang lines and forms hexagrams from two trigrams. It is the trigrams that relate to an element and so a hexagram describes the relationship between two elements. K'un, the receptive is Earth and is described as three Yin lines. Qian, heaven is three yang lines and is heaven which perhaps is outside of the circle formed by the five element cycle.

The movement of yin toward yang and then yang toward yin gives us our changes and I will be looking at what they say to me. I hope they are useful and inspirational.

Earth, Yin and Water

2010-01-19T03:45:00.001-08:00

Looking at the diagram for earth as the centre of the circle we see that the water element (the season of winter) is extreme Yin having arrived from the descending yin of metal.

The 7th hexagram in the I Ching is Earth above and Water below and the image is of the army. The power of the hidden forces where water resides in the earth, waiting to rush forth with unstoppable power.

In the I Ching the 8th hexagram is water above and earth below and the image is of water coming together as in the rivers descending to the ocean. Water always seeks the lowest place where it can rest and become still, being held by the container of earth (so that in fact we could say that Earth is the lowest energy).

Always remembering that the five element diagram is one of energetic flow and not of five stations or places that we arrive at. We are always in flux, moving on a journey through the flavours of the elements. Thus the power of water in the waterfall, the flow in the river and the stillness of the lake all require earth as a guiding influence in order to "come together".

The relationship of Earth and Water in the standard model shows that Earth controls water which is in line earth being in the centre, holding the safety while water flows and receiving it when it comes together.

Earth centred

2010-01-11T03:46:00.000-08:00

I have long been interested in the idea that Earth is at the centre of the Five Elements. At the start of the Yellow Emperor's Classic there is talk about the four seasons and of Yin, Yang and of sub-dividing these with the other inside.[1] (For example: You might think of spring as Yang within Yang, summer as Yin within Yang, autumn as Yin within Yin and winter as Yang within Yin. The Classic talks about the time of day and I have extended the idea)

I have finally put the idea into a picture and will use that as a starting point to consider the dynamics of the Five Elements in traditional form and centred form. I hope that it will provoke us all to think about the energies of the elements from our own understanding and to embrace the idea that there are many ways to relate to energies.

[1] - The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine, Maoshing Ni, Chapters 1-5

Being strong and feeling the breath of Heaven move you.

2010-01-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

I sometimes use the idea of wind in the trees to show how every small part of the tree allows itself to be moved and when it has gone to where it will it returns, bringing the next part with it. It does this with great success when it is well rooted and is safe.

Wind storm - from Youtube

In the same way, when we breathe out, every cell of every structure lets go of waste carbon dioxide and we relax until the in-breath returns us to full. The safer we feel the easier it is to release and know we will stay safe.

Thus flexibility is used in flow and not by control. We are blown by the winds of heaven and moved by the freedom of our breath.

Wood, Earth and Metal in harmony

Metal mindmap

2010-01-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

I've finally got around to drawing my Metal mindmap. It took some time as I wanted to convey something of the order that metal has about it. As with all the elements to define them is to limit them so we should try to look at them as a starting point. I hope it gives some inspiration.

Earth mindmap

2009-12-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

Earth is so encompassing that it is hard to create a single image of what it is. So here is the first of a few perhaps. I want to say something about its quality of facilitating change so look out for a Yin/Yang picture.

Fire Mindmap

2009-12-13T04:07:00.000-08:00

Fire is such a difficult thing to describe. It changes so rapidly and the flickering flames are un-graspable. Here's a little mindmap, but watch out for other posts with a different perspective.

Wood Mindmap

2009-12-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, once you've got a list of words that describe the element, from a mindmap say, it is fun to create a poem or picture. Wood is the creative element, it is where the ideas from water begin to turn into reality. Here's a small, not particularly good, poem using the words that came to me on a walk in the woods - well some of them at least.

Introduction to the Five Elements

2009-12-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is believed that the cycles of nature are echoed within the human psyche.

We all have access to the five archetypes within: The Philosopher, Explorer, Wizard, Diplomat and Scientist.

In ancient China it was recognised that as the seasons followed one another so too did the energy of all living things. In the winter when the world is still, there is very little activity and so we should also rest more and do less. The ancient Chinese say we should get up with the sun and go to bed with the sun, and most probably before electricity we mostly did.

As winter gives way to spring to there is the birth of new and renewed growth. Now is the season to start new projects having contemplated them through the long winter nights. Plans come to fruition in summer and we reflect on our deeds in the late summer (harvest) time. Finally the year begins to wind down again with autumn when trees lose their leaves and the fruit on the ground rots to release the seed for germination in the next spring.

In terms of Yin and Yang Spring and Summer are Yang (expansive) and Autumn and Winter are Yin (contractive). The element of Earth which nowadays is called late summer is the turning point and originally it was placed at the centre of the cycle, with the last fourteen days of one season and the first fourteen of the next being a time of change.

Of course this cycle is a metaphor for all cycles in our lives. From birth to death, the passing of a single day, week, month and the lifetime of a project or event. All cycles have their time of outward growth and energy until the extreme in the fruition and then a decline until the cycle ends.

This blog explores these elements and cycles in a number of ways and I hope some of them will be of use or interest to you.

How we each see each element depends on our own personal experiences. By clicking on the element below you can see some samples of my mind-maps. I do these again and again as my views and priorities are always changing. Some elements are difficult to get to grips with and with others the words just flow non-stop. Have a go at listing some words in 2 minutes for each element and notice which is the easiest and which the hardest.

Water Mindmap

2009-12-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Try creating a mindmap of all the connections and responses you have to the word water and whatever your view of it is. Here is one I did recently.

To see all blogs on water click here

Fire Images

2009-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

Some images that reflect part of my Fire

Some thought on Winter '09

2009-12-06T03:36:00.000-08:00

Haiku

Truth lies beneath the snow

hibernating ‘til the thaw

sets free long held dreams

There were no atoms yet, let alone stars or galaxies: All was empty. We tend to think of it as a serene, hushed nothingness, an insubstantial, uneventful void, but it was in fact seething with all the pent-up energy of the primordial explosion.

Trinh Xuan Thuan, The Birth of the Universe: The Big Bang and After

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. An d if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.

Martha Graham

The Right Mask

2009-11-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

Sad Masks - Lidia Simeonova
This poem was inspired during a writing workshop. It conveys many elements but Metal (ego, self-worth, clarity of communication) seems the best place for it. Let me know what you think.

The Right Mask

(inspired by the poem of the same name by Brian Patten)

How can I be honest with myself?

Every time I respond to anything

A question, a comment on TV, even a thought

I quietly, surreptitiously and subconsciously slip on a mask

Only as I remove the mask, which I sometimes wear, unknown, for hours, do I look at it

And say, “Is this me – what I think – what I would say?"

I’ve been putting on and taking off masks for so long

That never (or perhaps as a baby – once long ago)

Have I been able to look in the mirror and see the mask

That is no mask

About 10 years ago I caught a glimpse of it

The Right Mask, in a puddle in Scotland

Sometimes now, when I’m singing in the shower

I realise a mask, the wrong mask, has been washed away

But it’s generally re-grown by the time I look in the mirror again

I console myself with the happy knowledge

That at times the right mask sits comfortably

And I am so comfortable with it that I notice it more and more

Even if I can’t see it in the mirror yet

Optimistic Soul

2009-11-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

Optimism is "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome". It is the philosophical opposite of pessimism. Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best. (Wikipedia)

The Metal element which corresponds to this time of year is, for me, optimistic. But only if we can let go of what is past. Learn lessons, yes. Don't make the same mistakes, yes. But let go. Leave the past behind, where it belongs.

Here is an exercise that I learnt from Ki-Aikido. It is designed to develop our focus and decision making, bringing mind and body together with speed and clarity.

There are three basic steps. Firstly stand with one foot forward. Step forward with the front foot. Turn to face the other way (to do this, the front foot swivels and becomes the back foot - the feet stay where they are just pointing the other way). Now step forward with the front foot again. Repeat. The arms shown are not necessary for this context.

The idea is then to speed up but only to a point where you can keep clarity of where you are going not hampered by where you have been.

I gave this exercise to a client as a way of seeing through a difficulty. Factors outside her control (aren't they all) were making her feel stressed and this exercise has given her a way to remember that she is simply moving forward and when something happens to turn (metaphorically) and face forward again in her own life.

She reported enjoying the exercise and has even developed it so that the movement is not required, practising in the car to be going where she is going without thinking of where she has come from, allowing her to leave some stress behind.

Empowering clients with simple activities is vital to their wellbeing and our therapy. Facilitating health rather than fixing dis-ease.

Back to basics - part one

2009-08-17T02:48:00.000-07:00

Whilst reflecting on my shiatsu I have become interested in the six divisions. I have read Bill Palmer's very engrossing articles but am somehow drawn back to have another look at my understanding at Yin and Yang and their place in my practice before trying to make sense of the divisions.

I have taken my books off the shelf, Shiatsu, Taoist and TCM and reread the multivarious definitions of Yin and Yang. It can be really confusing as the way we see Yin and Yang can differ between one tradition and another. I have chosen to focus on a snippet of the Tao te Ching, The Yellow Emperor and some text from a lovely book called "The Taoist Ways of Healing" (hereafter called Healing). I have had this book for over twenty years and have never stopped dipping into it for inspiration. So it was now.

It says that as Li (which is the energy of the supreme spirit and which was allowed out of the void to create the whole universe through the spirit of the Tao) comes into the earth's atmosphere it passes through all things that are Yang, before entering into the soil, and once the world is full to capacity it then overflows and returns to heaven, and therefore it is now Yin and it will pass through all things Yin on its return journey.

Travelling down the spine and and out through the abdomen and then to earth, the Yang is transformed into Yin which then enters through the abdomen and travels up the spine and out of the head.

So it seems that Yang travels toward the earth and Yin away from it. This seems confused with the Yellow Emperor which states that "In the universe, the pure yang qi ascends to converge and form heaven, while the turbid yin qi descends and condenses to form the earth".

In the Tao te Ching there are many examples of Yin and Yang and how they complement eachother. In chapter 42 it says

...

All things have their backs to the female

and stand facing the male.

When male and female combine

all things achieve harmony.

Before going into the treatment possibilities though let us be sure what energy we are talking about. In the Healing book two energies are spoken of at the beginning. The first is Li (the universal energy which travels through the bones and tissues) and the second is the internal energy Neichung Ch'i which is a personal power, as only we can cultivate, develop and control it. This Ch'i circulates through the body along the lines of the meridians. Not only does this energy provide our daily vitality for life but it helps fight off disease.

Yang illnesses can be cured by Yin treatment and Yin sickness can be overcome by Yang influence, cancer being an example of the latter.

Is a Yang influence the same as a Yang treatment and how can we differentiate? It seems that receiving a Shiatsu is a treatment and it can have an influence but perhaps an influence is more empowering for the client. In order to turn around a Yin sickness they must take action and choose to drive it out (Yang).

I want to continue this idea focusing on a client patient group. If they are suffering from a Yin sickness how do I go about helping them bring a Yang influence to their lives? Often relaxation and letting go of the stresses and pains of the medical treatment they are undergoing is the priority for the client. I believe that, though it can be seen as a Yin treatment in response to the Yang of chemo or radio therapy, this is necessary before the client can gain control and take their own action to deal with the Yin sickness itself. Knowing the Yin brings the Yang to life and soon clients find themselves more engaged with their process and with life itself.

What we are really talking about is the result for the client of treatment.

A Yin treatment that deepens the clients knowledge of, and takes them further into Yin will eventually cause an internal effect of changing their internal energy to Yang and so we have a Yang influence.

One client came just after diagnosis and she was extremely distressed. Her first Shiatsu was quiet and tender (treating HP mostly) and the palace of anxiety point released her tension and she said that it reminded her that she was not alone. Her treatments continued through surgery, chemo- and radio-therapy. She had panic attacks each time she had to visit the hospital and had very little or no faith in her consultant. Quiet treatments to relieve and relax her eventually helped her to see that she could, to some degree, control her own state through the use of breath and visualisation. We began to touch on yang during one session where I was aware of a great deal of anger and so was she. Recommendations to deal with and express this moved her to a place of greater control and she began to take back her life and to call the shots as she said. Now, two years on, she is once again the proactive, potent, vital lady she was before it all started.