General concepts

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.

Five Elements are fun

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 and the elements

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 centred

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

Introduction to the Five Elements

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.

Back to basics - part one

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.