Transcript 5elements - Matrixx Solutions Ltd.

THE FIVE ELEMENTS
• All of nature is governed by yin/yang and
the law of five elements.
• The elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal,
and Water represent the fundamental
qualities of all matter in the universe.
• An element is a process, movement or
quality of qi, not a fixed “building block”.
SHEN CYCLE
•
•
•
•
•
Wood creates Fire by burning
Fire creates Earth from ashes
Earth creates Metal by hardening
Metal creates Water by containment
Water creates Wood by nourishment
Mother – Child Relationship
• Through the Sheng cycle a practitioner can
generate change in the organs of one element
by treating another element
• If the “child” Element is deficient then it may be
because it is not receiving enough qi from it’s
“mother.
• It may be more effective to treat the “mother” to
engender more qi in the “child”
• On the contrary if a “child” Element becomes too
full, it weakens the “mother” Element.
Ke Cycle
• The cycle of control maintains unity within the
Five Elements
• Without control, excessive growth would result in
harm.
• Fire controls Metal by melting
• Metal controls Wood by cutting
• Wood control Earth by covering
• Earth control Water by damming
• Water controls Fire by extinguishing
The Organs or “Officials”
• The twelve organs can be looked upon as
though they were “officials” in a court, each with
a particular ministry or role.
• This portrays the organs more in terms of their
function in a person’s mind and spirit than in the
physiology of the body.
• Awareness of the “officials” leads to the
practitioner emphasizing modes of behavior and
ways of thinking when diagnosing their patients.
• This focus supersedes any indications arising
from the physical symptoms.
Organ/Official
Descriptive Name
Fire
Heart
Supreme Controller
Fire
Small Intestine
Official in control of transforming
matter, of separating pure from impure
Water
Bladder
Controller of the Storage of Water
Water
Kidney
Controller of Water
Fire
Pericardium
Heart Protector and Circulation-Sex
Official
Fire
Triple Energizer
Official of Balance and Harmony
Wood
Gall Bladder
Official of Decision Making and Wise
Judgment
Wood
Liver
Controller of Planning
Metal
Lung
Controller of Receiving Pure Ch'i from
the Heavens
Metal
Colon
Controller of Drainage and Dregs
Earth
Stomach
Official in Control of Rottening and
Ripening
Earth
Spleen
Controller of Transport
Element
Wood
• This concept includes all forms of vegetation
from trees to flowers, but the tree is the
archetypal representation.
• People begin life with an internal map or plan as
to their capabilities and direction.
• They strive to become their own form of tree and
they encounter obstacles and frustrations along
the way
• Like trees, people also require certain resources
to fulfill their potential and they also require
flexibility in order to adapt to changing
circumstances.
Wood and Other Elements
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•
•
•
Wood is the mother of Fire
Water is the mother of Wood
Wood controls Earth
Metal controls Wood
Color of Wood - Green
• Green especially resonates with spring
• Green manifests on the face when the Wood
organs are chronically out of balance.
• The color is usually lateral to the eyes, under the
eyes or around the mouth.
• A green color is an indicator of qi stagnation,
much of which occurs from the Liver’s failure to
ensure the smooth flow of qi
The Sound of Wood - Shouting
• Shouting is a sound naturally resonating with
anger.
• Anger makes the qi rise and the upward
movement of the qi gives the voice forcefulness.
• The person who shouts wants to be heard and is
often asking for changes to be made.
• Practitioners may feel that they are being talked
at rather than being talked at.
• A ‘lack of shout’ can occur when the qi fails to
rise sufficiently.
Odor of Wood - Rancid
• Rancid is applied to fat that is no fresh
• Rancid is also like the smell of new mown
grass, but not so pleasant
• The effect on the inside of the nose is
somewhat prickling and makes people
wrinkle their nose.
The Season of Wood - Spring
• Another cycle of growth begins
• Wood people are very aware of the qi of
spring. They resonate with and usually
benefit from the increase of Wood qi in
nature.
• The Wood qi gives us a vision of our
potential, to initiate growth and change
and the determination to achieve that
development.
The Power of Wood is BIRTH
• The notion of birth resonates with spring,
growth, and development.
• Wood qi is required to give birth to new
projects, ideas and events.
• If Wood qi is stagnant, the patient has lost
the force to initiate change and innovation.
The Climate of Wood – Wind
• Wood people find a strong wind
uncomfortable and often become irritable
and restless.
• It can also manifest as tightening of the
neck muscles and headaches.
• On the other hand Wood people can find
the wind exhilarating.
Sense/Orifice of Wood
• The sense for Wood is sight, the orifice
are the eyes, and the secretion is tears.
• Eye problems are traced back to the liver.
• The diminished vision can be myopia,
floaters, difficult night vision or vision that
declines as the day progresses.
• There can be a ‘mental’ lack of vision.
Tears
• A person can have tears of grief, sadness
or joy.
• Tears can also be the overflow from heldin frustration.
• When a patient has frequent bouts of tears
the practitioner might consider whether the
reason is unexpressed anger.
Ligaments and Tendons
• Blood nourishes both the ligaments and tendons
and when they are functioning well patients have
a lack of clumsiness.
• If the Wood element is out of balance, the
ligaments tend to be too rigid or too flaccid and
as a result movements are less precise and the
joints may become sore and less stable.
• When the liver is functioning well, this means
that when the body needs to move, the liver can
release Blood to move and nourish the
ligaments, tendons and joints.
Residue of Wood - Nails
• Nails that are ridged, dry, soft, or brittle
suggest that the Wood element is
unbalanced
• The state of the nails is dependant on the
Liver’s ability to store Blood.
The Emotion of Wood - ANGER
• Regarded as a negative emotion due to it’s sometimes
painful and destructive consequences.
• It is a crucial emotion – an emotion required to initiate
change.
• Without anger there would be little or no growth, either
personally or culturally.
• For Wood people, anger lies at the heart of their
suffering.
• Feelings of frustration, resentment, bitterness and rage
are chronic and produce disharmonious movements of
qi.
Frustration
• Is a key emotion of Wood
• There are 3 basic responses – one is
normal and the other 2 are pathological.
• The other two are rage and the other is the
extreme turn to apathy or depression.
Normal Response to Frustration
• There are two normal responses
• 1- produce a “plan” B
• 2- to reassess what was wanted
• Flexibility is the key quality required
Rage
• People consumed with rage are no longer
effectively striving to get what they want.
• In Sun Tsu’s , The Art Of War, he
recommended that one should cause the
enemy’s general to be angry, thus
scattering his mind.
Resignation and Apathy
• The person exhibits little or no
resourcefulness in overcoming obstacles.
• When chronic, the qi of the liver starts to
stagnate.
• This can manifest as muscle tension.
• Other descriptions include – indifferent,
apathetic, ‘laid back’, or blasé.
Wood –The Organs
• The two organs of Wood are the Liver, the
yin organ, and the Gall Bladder, the yang
organ.
• Although their functions are different, the
two organs exist close together and have
some overlapping functions.
Liver – The Planner
• Liver holds the office of general of the
armed forces.
• Has to be aware of the ultimate goals,
along with the outcomes relevant to any
situation.
• It is essential to have higher goals.
• A goal that cannot be negotiated becomes
a burden and any frustration with respect
to it is a dead end.
Liver
• The archetype of a military commander is
not a frail, spineless individual.
• Liver energy is focused and tied into the
achievement of important goals.
• Planning is occurring all the time and on
all levels of the body, mind and spirit.
The Spirit of the Liver – the Hun
• The Liver houses the Hun which is
translated as the “Ethereal Soul”.
• It is thought to enter the body at birth and
leave the body at death.
• The mental functions affected by the hun
are thinking, sleeping, consciousness and
mental focus on the one hand and thinking
and strategizing with insight and wisdom
on the other.
Hun
• The hun is rooted within the Liver Blood.
• When the Blood is unhealthy, people can have a
feeling of floating off when dropping off to sleep.
• They can also sleepwalk and have out of body
experiences.
• They can find it difficult to distinguish dreams
from reality.
• The hun is easily upset by alcohol and drugs.
• Symptoms can range from absent-mindedness
to gross distortion of perceptions.
Hun - Wisdom
• Wisdom suggests that people’s experience
helps them understand and have the ability to
access and make sense of the patterns of
events that occur in their lives.
• People with well rooted hun can make good
decisions and plans, using their insight and
wisdom.
• To assess the patient’s hun you need to ask : “To
what degree is this person growing and
developing towards his or her ultimate purpose
or destiny?”
Gall Bladder – The Decision Maker
• The Gall Bladder is the official of wise judgment and
decision making.
• The officials of the other organs come to the gall bladder
so that it can make decisions.
• Many of the functions of the gall Bladder points refer to
regulation.
• When people are regulated they tend to take action that
prevents them from going to extremes.
• When not in balance there is extreme timidity, lack of
self-assertion and lack of balance, regulation, and good
decision making.
Time of Day for Liver & Gall
Bladder
• Gall Bladder = 11 P.M. – 1 A.M.
• Liver = 1 A.M – 3 A.M.
• If G.B. or Liver under strain patient will awake at
these times with a very active mind.
• The condition is worsened by eating a heavy
meal late in the evening or by drinking alcohol.
• At the other end of the day the liver is the
weakest in the early afternoon.
• People feel especially weak at this time if the
liver is weak.
Fire Element
• The Fire Element manifests on the
physical level through people’s sensitivity
to heat and cold.
• Emotionally, the Fire Element manifests in
being joyful.
• To be with others, sharing, and
communicating generates and maintains
the fire within us.
• Chronic loneliness is not life enhancing
Fire – Relationship to other
Elements
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•
•
•
Fire is the Mother of Earth
Wood is the Mother of Fire
Water controls Fire
Fire controls Metal
Color of Fire- Red
• Red is associated with blood
• Emotionally red is associated with passion
• Normal amount of facial red is normal
under or besides the eyes.
• If found in other areas it may indicate
excessive heat in another region of the
body.
The Sound of Fire is Laughter
• Laughter naturally emanates from the
heart
• “A person should laugh three times a day
to live longer”
• When out of balance one may laugh out of
context (painful experience) in order to
possibly hide their nervousness.
The Odor of Fire is Scorched
• Burnt toast
• Clothes coming out of the tumble dryer
• Shirt that has just been scorched while
ironing
• The odor generally comes on during a
fever state.
The Emotion of Fire- Joy
• Imbalanced Fire can manifest in a inability
to join in a joyous occasion or express an
excessive amount of joy.
• Prolonged sadness will affect the Fire
Element the most.
• Intimate relationship breakups will equally
create an imbalance in the Fire Element.
The Season of Fire is Summer
• An imbalanced Fire can manifest in a
excessive craving for the warmth of
summer.
• Also, people who experience aggravations
in symptoms mainly during the summer
may show a imbalance in Fire.
Fire – the Sense Organ
• The sense organ for Fire is Speech and
the orifice is the tongue.
• Speech is the crucial tool for the heart.
• Irregularities in speech (stuttering,
babbling, forgetting or mixing up words, or
faltering speech) indicates a stress to the
Fire Element.
Blood and Blood Vessels
• The Heart is said to govern the blood and
the blood vessels.
• This provides the link between the Organs,
tissue and body parts.
The Residue of Fire- Hair
• The connection between hair and Fire is
via the blood.
• Blood’s function is to nourish and moisten.
• The quality of one’s hair will reflect the
quality of their blood.
• The quality of hair usually shows a
dryness.
The Taste of Fire - Bitter
• The biter taste can drain or dry dampness
or disperse or clear excess heat.
• Bitter herbs sold at bars are used to clear
damp and heat generated by the liver
Fire – The Organs
• Fire has two yin organs and two yang
organs
• Two of these are not ordinary organs and
are often referred to as functions.
• The two organs are Heart and Small
Intestine.
• The two functions are Triple Burner and
Heart Protector (also known as
Pericardium).
Heart – The Supreme Controller
• The Heart holds the office of lord and
sovereign.
• The welfare of all other organs is
dependent o the heart.
• A healthy heart with no obstructions does
nothing other than allow our spirit to rest
peacefully within it.
Shen – The Spirit of the Heart
• The Shen enables people to radiate
outwards from their spirit.
• Shen gives a person a sparkle in the eyes,
an inner vitality, and an alertness of the
mind.
• All the yin organs store a “spirit”. The
Heart houses the Shen.
Relationship with other ‘Spirits’
• Shen is the overseer or leader of the other
spirits.
• Wood – hun or Spiritual soul
• Earth – yi or intellect
• Metal – po or animal soul
• Water – zhi or will
Shen
• Shen affects our ability to sleep, especially
to go off to sleep.
• The Shen goes outward during the day
and engages with the world.
• At night, when it is time to rest, the Shen
returns to the Heart.
• The Shen rests in the Blood of the Heart.
• When the Blood is not healthy, the Shen is
not ‘rooted’ and becomes agitated.
Shen
• The Shen affects our short term memory.
• The Shen Also governs our ability to think
clearly and have clear consciousness.
• This allows one to concentrate without
wandering off
Imbalance of the Heart
• There is a lack of internal control
• One experiences difficulty with getting off
to sleep.
• There are excessively volatile emotions,
uncontrollable tearfulness and internal
desperation.
• There is generally a lack of stability of the
emotions.
Pericardium
• The Pericardium is the servant of the
Heart and has the function to look after
and protect the heart.
• When the Heart is properly protected, joy
and pleasure can arise.
• The Heart protector requires flexibility.
• Close friends, advisors, and confidants
need to be admitted and strangers and
hostile people need to be excluded.
Pericardium
• When stuck open, people may have a
tendency to get hurt easily and behave in
inappropriate behavior. i.e., falling in love
and getting married all in one day.
• When stuck closed, one has difficulty in
making friends, building relationships, and
being available to receive love and warmth
from others.
Pericardium
• The Pericardium acts as a intermediary between
the Heart and the Kidney’s ming men (vitality)
• The Pericardium works to connect the qi from
the ming men and the Heat and to transform and
harmonize both a person’s inherited and
acquired qi and essence.
• Harmony between the Heart and Kidneys is very
important for a person to be at ease mentally
and spiritually.
Imbalance of the Pericardium
• The person’s ability to protect their Heart from
feelings of rejection is hindered.
• There is a tendency to be overly-sensitive and to
feel easily hurt.
• Excruciating emotional traumas in the past can
block the pericardium to insure they will not have
to feel those feelings again. They are not
prepared to take a risk of another intimate
relationship. Here, pets often become a
welcome source of safe intimacy.
The Small Intestine - Physical
• All food and fluids that we take into our
body needs to be transformed and sorted
out during the process of digestion. The
purer fluid is passed on to the large
intestines for absorption while the impure
passed on to the bladder for elimination.
• Nutrients are absorbed into the blood and
food waste is passed to the large
intestines.
Small Intestine – Mental &
Emotional
• In the modern world we have an extraordinary
number of lifestyle choices.
• In separating the pure from the impure, the small
intestine has an important job of discrimination.
• When unbalanced, the person may become
mentally fuzzy, unable to make decisions or
have difficulty evaluating what to do next.
• The person may be convinced that others do not
understand them (and they may be correct), but
not realize that it is due to their confusing
comments.
The Triple Warmer
• The official of balance and harmony
• Is a function without an organ
• The three burning spaces (jiao) cover the
process of a body taking in food, drink,
and air, transforming them, separating
them and absorbing part and excreting the
remainder.
The Three jiao
• The upper jiao lies at the level of the chest
and contains the Heart, Lungs and
Pericardium.
• The middle jiao which is at the level of the
solar plexus, contains the Stomach,
Spleen, Liver and Gall Bladder.
• The lower jiao lies in the lower abdomen
and contains the Small Intestine, Large
Intestine, Bladder and Kidneys.
The Three jiao
• The upper jiao is compared to a mist
• The middle jiao is compared a
maceration chamber or muddy pool.
• The lower jiao is described as a
drainage ditch.
Evaluation of Triple Burner
• Because qi is also warmth, the
assessment of the three burners involves
feeling the temperature of the skin on the
surface of each burner.
• Too hot or too cold may mean the Triple
Burner is not properly regulating the water
passages.
The Time of Day of the Organs
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•
•
•
Heart
Small Intestine
Pericardium
Triple Burner
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Relationship of Fire Organs
• The Heart rules, and the Pericardium protects.
• The Small Intestines shares the role with the
Pericardium by separating the pure from the
impure.
• The Triple Burner maintains the flow throughout
the three burners creating harmony.
• When the Hart and/or Pericardium are weak,
people often have a tendency to have emotional
ups or downs. With a healthy Triple Burner, there
is moderation of these fluctuations.
The Time of Day for the Organs
• There are more cases of heart failure during the
low time for the heart – between 11 p.m. and 1
a.m.
• Heart attacks, where there is too much energy,
occur more frequently at midday.
• People with deficient Pericardium often feel an
increase in vitality in the evenings. The evenings
are also the time when people spend more time
socializing and making contact with each other.
Behavioral Patterns of Fire
• 1.Compulsively cheerful -------- Miserable
• 2. Open and overly
---------Closed and
sociable
isolated
• 3. Clowning
------------Earnest
• 4. Vulnerable
---------- Over-protected
• 5. Volatile
------------ Flat
Earth
• The Earth Element is often compared to a
mother.
• The Earth like a mother provides us with
support and security.
• Over time we learn how to care for others
and to care for ourselves.
• An unbalanced earth child will be less able
to receive nourishment and care from the
mother.
Earth – Relationship to other
Elements
•
•
•
•
•
Earth is the mother of Metal
Fire is the Mother of Earth
Wood controls Earth
Earth controls Water
The Earth in the Center
The Color of Earth – Yellow
• When a person’s Earth Element is
unbalanced it will manifest as a yellow or
earthy color on the face.
• Yellow indicating that Earth is out of
balance will be seen besides or under the
eyes.
The Sound of Earth - Singing
• The singing voice tone naturally occurs
when we sing a lullaby with a child in our
arms.
• When this voice tone consistency occurs
out of context, it indicates an earth
imbalance
The Odor of Earth - Fragrant
• An imbalanced Earth Element emits an
odor that can best be described as cloying
and sickly sweet with a tendency to linger
in the nostrils and the room.
Emotions of Earth
• The emotions of Earth can be described
as over-thinking or obsessive thought, preoccupation, rumination or cogitation.
• The Earth Element emotion can best be
summarized as Worry and Sympathy.
Sympathy
• There should be a relative balance
between giving it and receiving it.
• We need to maintain a balance between
being independent and allowing ourselves
to be cared for when appropriate.
• We also need to maintain a balance
between caring for ourselves and being
sensitive to the needs of others.
Varieties and Extremes of
Sympathy
• 1. Excessively wanting sympathy and
support
• 2. Rejecting any help, support or sympathy
from others.
• 3. Excessively feeling and giving
sympathy.
• 4. Being touched by other’s distress.
• These all indicate an imbalanced Earth.
Season of Earth – Late Summer
• Earth is located in the centre of the other
Elements.
• It comes after the peak of high summer
and before the leaves drop in autumn.
• At this time there is sense of time standing
still.
• It is a time when yin and yang are finely
balanced.
The Power of Earth - Harvest
• Are our patients reaping a harvest?
• Are they gaining the benefits from eating
good quality food.
• Have they psychologically benefited from
what they have experienced.
• Does their study go into their mind and
bear fruit.
• Are they satisfied with what they received
or are they hungry for more.
Climate of Earth- Dampness or
Humidity
• When people have ‘damp’ on the inside
they have a higher amount of fluid buildup
than normal (Bloated abdomen, edema).
• With deficient Earth Element usually
dislike damp or humid weather (joint pain,
aching muscles, headaches or lethargy)
• Certain foods are classified as damp
forming – dairy, all greasy food and
alcohol.
The Sense Organ/Orifice for Earth
• The sense organ of Earth is that of taste and the
orifice is the mouth.
• Taste guides what we eat. Unfortunately, people
today are guided by factors other than taste.
• With a weak Earth, people lose their taste, have
a sticky taste in their mouth or have digestive
difficulties.
• Color of lips should be bright, red, and moist.
(not dry dull and pale color).
• Saliva should not be excessive or deficient
Muscle and Flesh
• The quality and function of the muscles
and flesh depend on the qi of the Earth.
• Poor muscle tissue, lumps and swelling
under the skin indicate poor transformation
and a weakness of Earth.
• The skin should have a smooth
consistency.
Residue of Earth - Fat
• Excess fat, which sometimes occurs in
lumps under the skin (lipoma) is said to be
Phlegm or a thicker form of Damp.
• So any excess fat on the body suggests a
weakness of the Earth.
Taste of Earth - Sweet
• Sweet her does not describe the
sweetness of sugar or candy.
• It is a more subtle sweet taste of rice,
carrots, corn, cabbage, pumpkin.
• This type of sweet taste is said to have a
strengthening effect on their qi.
• Eating too many sweets weakens the
Earth Element which in turn creates a
stronger craving for the sweet taste.
Earth – the Organs
• The Stomach and Spleen are responsible
for the storehouse and granaries. The five
tastes stem from them.
• The Spleen is described as the official of
transformation and transportation.
• Transformation involves the conversion of
food and fluid into qi.
Spleen
• The mechanical breakdown of food in the
mouth with the addition of saliva, the
breakdown of food and fluids in the
stomach, the movement of digesting
material through the small intestine into
the large intestine for excretion through
the anus is all under the control of the
Spleen.
Spleen
• A breakdown in the transport system can
also reflect mentally and spiritually.
• Thinking may be poor with no conversion
into action.
• Concentration and memory are affected.
• People may also have obsessive thoughts.
The Direction of Spleen
• The main direction of the Spleen qi is upwards
and it raises yang qi to the head.
• If the qi quality is poor, the patient will feel tired
with a feeling of physical heaviness and
emotionally depressed.
• Diarrhea occurs when the Spleen fails to move
qi in an upward direction.
• The Spleen also holds the Blood in the Blood
vessels.
• Symptoms arise such as nose bleeds, uterine
bleeding, bruising or petechiae.
The Spirit of the Spleen - Yi
• Yi means ‘the process of establishing meaning
in the world with words that come from the heart.
• The Spleen is therefore responsible for ‘applied
thinking’, studying, memorizing, focusing,
concentrating, and generating ideas.
• Cramming for exams can weaken the Spleen.
• An imbalanced Spleen cause a preoccupation or
an obsession.
• This limits one’s creativity, spontaneity and
happiness.
Yi - Intension
• This is a person’s ability to focus the mind
on the desired object.
• If weak, the ability to concentrate on work
or a conversation can be affected.
• Spiritually, it limits the person’s ability to
remain steady in their purpose leading to
agitation, insecurity, or lethargy.
• This leads to depression, anxiety, and
despair.
Stomach
• The action of the Stomach is to rot and
ripen.
• The Mouth breaks up the food and drink,
adding saliva and warming the mixture.
• The Stomach carries on this process so
the food essences, can be separated out
and used to create qi.
Stomach
• Correct food and a healthy Stomach
Official are required to digest physical,
mental, and spiritual nourishment.
• The pathological expression of worry can
easily disrupt the transformation process.
The Direction of the Stomach
• The Stomach’s direction is
downwards.
• Any failure to send food downwards
results in belching, hiccups, nausea
or vomiting.
The Time of Day
•
•
•
•
Stomach – 7-9 a.m.
Spleen 9-11 a.m.
Between 7-9 a.m. is breakfast time
This is the time when our digestion is at it’s best. With a
healthy Stomach and hearty food, a person is set for the
rest of the day.
• If imbalanced – the person has no appetite.
• Low energy between 7-11 p.m. indicates a weak Earth
since this is the low period for Earth organs.
• Eating at this time is very stressful to the Stomach
Patterns of Behavior
•
•
•
•
•
1. Smothering/ mothering --- not supporting
2. Feeling needy ------ repressing needs
3. Excessive dependency – overly independent
4. Uncentered & dispersed ---stuck & heavy
5. Over-dependent on ---- inability to put down
the security of the
roots
home
Metal Element
• The Metal Element suggests something small in
quantity but of great value, buried deep in the
earth
• Metal is the minerals and trace minerals in the
earth or in our food. 4% of our bodies are made
up of trace minerals.
• These are used to regulate and balance our
body chemistry.
• They are truly the valuable Metal buried deep
within.
Metal
• In nature , Metal revitalizes the earth.
• In autumn, leaves and fruit fall off the trees and
fall to the ground. They rot and enter the earth,
providing minerals and nutrients that nourish
and enrich the earth’s capacity to grow new
plants.
• Metal also describes the role of impervious rock
within the earth. Without rock all the water would
soak through to the center of the earth.
• Thus Metal creates Water.
Metal – Relation to other Elements
•
•
•
•
1. Metal is the mother of Water
2. Earth is the mother of Metal
3. Metal controls Wood
4. Fire controls Metal
Color of Metal - White
• In the East, white is worn as an outward
manifestation of the grieving process.
• White appears on the face in an
unbalanced Metal.
• This color usually appears under and
beside the eyes.
• White usually appears ‘shiny’
Sound of Metal - Weeping
• The sound is usually associated with loss
or grieving and therefore resonates with
the emotion grief.
• There is a hint that the person speaking
with a weep might easily begin to cry or
weep in the ordinary sense (choking).
Odor of Metal - Rotten
• Like rotten meat
• Fills the inside of a person’s nose with
tiny prickles.
• Clenches the inside of a person’s
nose.
Emotion of Metal - Grief
• The emotion of grief is associated with the
loss of a loved one.
• There is often shock and then an outburst
of grief.
• We experience daily occurrences of grief
ranging from very small to large.
• With a balanced Metal, there is an
appropriate emotional response with the
ability to let go.
Grief
• A sense of loss is the most intense
emotion that some people have to endure.
• A person’s spirit can remain alive or
become deadened and diminished by the
event.
• Grief can also be experienced as
disappointment, yearning or regret.
Grief
• The Metal Element (Lung & Large Intestine) give
people the capacity to confront loss, let what
they once possessed go, feel the pain and then
move on.
• When out of balance, grief is less fluent and
people can get stuck, not having truly let go.
• They can be inclined to be withdrawn and
morose.
• Others maintain a perfectly bright exterior in an
attempt to convince themselves and others that
everything is fine.
Season of Metal - Autumn
• Autumn is the time that the yang qi of
the summer becomes more yin.
• Many people feel a sense of
melancholia, or a sense of sadness,
at this time of year.
Power of Metal - Decrease
• Autumn is a time of decrease.
• It is a time of letting go.
• Stillness often accompanies the dropping
of leaves and seeds.
• Grief resonates with this phase, as there is
death, a letting go and a preparation for
new life.
Climate of Metal - Dryness
• Dryness is considered to be an external
‘evil’, which can invade and cause
disease.
• The main symptoms of symptoms are a
dry nose, throat and skin, a dry cough and
thirst.
• People on extremely dry environments are
prone to respiratory illness.
Sense organs / Orifice
• Metal is associated with the nose and the
sense it governs is the ability to smell.
• Breathing through the nose both warms
and filters the air before it enters the lungs.
• This protects against pathogens entering
the lung.
• Mouth-breathing can weaken the lung qi
and the person will begin to feel depleted
and low in energy.
Tissue of Metal - Skin
• Suppression of skin disease may drive the
disease into the lungs.
• The connection between asthma and eczema is
well known
• Weakness of Lung and Large Intestine will
produce poor quality of skin resulting in dry skin,
and clogged or inelastic skin.
• The state of the body hair may like the skin,
indicate a weakness of the qi of the Metal
Element.
Taste of Metal - Pungent
• Garlic, cinnamon and ginger are
examples of pungent.
• Pungent flavors move the qi. They
also frequently produce sweating
(releasing pathogens)
Organs Of Metal – Lungs & Large
Intestines
• The minister (Lung) converses with the
sovereign (Heart), takes instructions and carries
them out.
• The Heart controls Blood and the Lung controls
the qi, two of the key substances that make up
the person.
• The lung is said to be the “receiver of qi from the
heavens’
• Breathing brings in air for the creation of qi.
Lung
• The healthier the Lung qi, the easier it
is to be inspired and feel vital about
life.
• When blocked, there is a feeling of
oppression and sadness an a lack of
inspiration.
Defensive qi
• The Lung has the function of spreading
‘Defensive’ or ‘Protective’ qi all over the
body.
• It lies under the skin and protects us from
climatic conditions such as wind, cold, and
damp.
• A weak defensive qi will cause frequent
colds and flu and be more likely to have
allergic responses.
The Spirit of Lung - po
• The Lung houses the po or physical
(corporeal) soul. Which is linked to the
body and is best described as the
organizational principle of the body.
• It gives us the capacity of movement,
agility, balance and co-ordination of
movement.
• Po provides protection against psychic
attacks at the spiritual and emotional level.
Po
• People with weak Lungs are more
sensitive to criticism or emotional assault.
• Po gives people the capacity to have clear
sensations.
• A strong po means that people’s physical
senses are keen and this in turn allows
them to be physically and spiritually alert
and animated.
The Large Intestine
• Receives transformed food and drink
from the Small Intestine.
• Absorbs the remaining pure food and
nourishment.
• Excretes the dirty wastes.
The Drainer of the Dregs
• The Large Intestines eliminates the physical
matter and fluids from the body as feces.
• It also drains the dregs from the mind and spirit.
• People can become physically and mentally
constipated and unable to let go and move on in
their lives.
• They may also become increasingly negative in
their thoughts and feelings.
• Deciding what to discard and let go of is
therefore the role of the Large Intestine.
The Time of Day for the Organs
• Lung is 3-5 a.m. and Large Intestine is 5-7 a.m.
• Commonly people with weak Lungs experience
impaired breathing between 3-5 a.m.
• It is also the time traditionally that many monks
rise to meditate, pray and focus on their
breathing. It is the easiest time to receive
inspiration from the heavens.
• Between 5-7 a.m. is the time of day one has the
healthiest bowel movement in a balanced Metal.
Lungs and Large Intestine
• Both organs take in and both let go of toxins and
emotions.
• The Lungs contact heaven. The large Intestines,
as the final stage of the digestive process,
contacts the Earth.
• People who cannot take on something new
because they cannot find a way to let go of what
is no longer relevant to them.
• This can take the form of an idea or a
relationship as there is no room for something
new to be created.
Responses to Issues
•
•
•
•
1. Fragile
-----unyielding
2. Cut-off
----- seeking connection
3.Resigned or inert – overworking & achieving
4. Craving quality & purity -- feeling messy &
polluted
5. Deeply moved
--nonchalant
Element Water
• Water is the most yin of all the Elements
• It is everywhere but has no shape.
• Water makes up 55-60% of an adult’s body
weight.
• A newborn baby is roughly 80% water.
• As people age their bodies become dryer, their
hair more brittle, their skin withered and their
movements less smooth.
• Ageing is partly a drying up process, a sign that
the Water element is weakening and that we are
losing our water reserves.
Relationship to the other Elements
•
•
•
•
1. Metal is the Mother of Water
2. Water is the Mother of Wood
3. Water controls Fire
4. Water is controlled by Earth.
The Color for Water is Blue/Black
• When Water is out of balance a black,
dark blue will manifest on the face.
• The color can appear at the side of the
eyes, under the eyes or around the mouth.
• This look is common to people who are
overworked and who lack adequate sleep.
• This will deplete the reserves that are
normally said to be stored in the Kidneys
The Sound of Water - Groaning
• This is a sound when one is threatened and the
person speaking is anxious or afraid.
• An unbalanced Water would produce this type of
voice when there is no threat present.
• The sound of groaning is one of flatness as if the
more normal ups and downs of the voice have
been squeezed or flattened out.
• This should not be confused with a flat ‘lack of
laugh’ voice which would indicate a Fire
imbalance.
The Odor of water is Putrid
• Putrid is described as the smell of water in
a stagnant pond or the smell of stale urine
or bleach or ammonia.
• It can be a sharp aggressive odor that
makes the inside of your nose clench or
seize up/
The Emotion of Water - Fear
• Fear is the emotion most often associated
with Water and fright or shock is the
emotion which might occur only once, but
can cause a lasting imbalance.
• Some forms of epilepsy are caused by the
mother being shocked while the fetus is in
the womb.
Fear as an appropriate emotion
• Fear is one of our most primary and necessary
emotions because it allows us to survive.
• Without fear we would not be alive and human
life would cease to exist.
• Fear of death is the most basic fear.
• It threatens one of the key functions of water –
the drive to survive.
• Caution and prevention are the positive aspects
of this emotion.
Mental aspect of Fear
•
•
•
•
•
1. Awareness of a threat
2. Feeling of fear
3. Mind considers solution(s)
4. Acton
5. Safety (or return to 3)
Abnormal patterns of Fear
• The extremes of this pattern are phobia
and hysteria.
• In both aspects they can not hear potential
solutions even if offered by others.
• Some people hide their fear by being
joyful, sad or angry.
• Some tend to be physically restless and
other become paralyzed with fear.
Fear
• Intense fear often makes people urinate in
a hurry.
• In chronic cases, one experiences
physical pain in the torso.
• Some feel a sensation in the heart and
chest.
• Other feel it in the pit of the stomach.
Fear
• The patient’s response to reassurance can
reveal an imbalance in Water.
• It is impossible to reassure an imbalanced
Water state. They find it difficult to trust
others.
• Their fear is deeply irrational and cannot
really be touched by words or information.
Lack of Fear
• Some people have learnt to repress their
feelings of fear.
• They become hyper-aware and attempt to
anticipate threats and deal with them before they
happen.
• This usually stems from a frightening experience
in childhood.
• They grow up and evolve strategies that involve
suppressing the intensity of the emotion to the
point of becoming unaware of the feeling.
Lack of Fear
• People with this pattern frequently take
unnecessary risks.
• They find activities like parachuting,
bungee jump etc. fun and exciting.
• Some are very competent entrepreneurs
who take frequent risks.
• With careful assessment they rarely fail.
Lack of Fear
• Diagnosing this pattern is difficult.
• Often these patients are motionless in
their bodies, but their eyes are alert for
every possible danger.
• There is a tendency for the practitioner to
feel anxious in their presence and cannot
understand why.
The Season of Water - Winter
• Life slows down in winter. It is a time when
nature rests and water freezes over.
• This means that in winter we should go to
bed early, slow our activity to a minimum
and preserve and protect our reserves of
qi.
The Power of Water - Storage
• In winter our qi will naturally flow deeper inside
us.
• If we rest and take life slowly we will preserve it.
• Water stores much of the person’s reserve
energy. That is why over-work and lack of sleep
easily depletes Water and the Kidneys.
• Water fatigue has a particular characteristic.
• When they feel tired they often have a desire to
stop completely.
The Climate of Water - Cold
• The colder the weather, the greater
number of fatalities from angina pectoris,
coronary thrombosis, cerebral hemorrhage
and myocardial infarction.
• The cold of winter makes our qi run slow in
pull inwards.
• We need to question how patients respond
to cold, both in themselves and with
respect to their symptoms.
Sense organ/orifice for Water the
Ear
• The sense of Water is hearing and the organ is
the ear.
• People who are chronically afraid have a hard
time hearing and taking in reassurances.
• It is not to do with the hearing mechanism but
with the mind.
• This person will typically turn away and close the
eyes.
• Since aging is a drying up process, hearing is
equally affected due to the Water element.
The Tissue of Water - Bones
• The strength and function of the bones
depends on the qi of the Water Element.
• Irregular or abnormal bone growth before
10 years old suggest a Water imbalance.
• Osteoporosis can be linked to a weakness
of the kidneys.
The Residue of Water - Teeth
• Very early deterioration of teeth suggest a
serious imbalance of Water.
• The decline of teeth associated with
ageing supports the view that the Kidneys
tend to decline in later years.
Taste of Water - Salty
• Excessive amounts of salt tend to
retains water within the body.
• A craving for salty food will indicate
that the kidneys are out of balance
Water – The Organs
• Kidneys are the controller of water and the
Bladder the controller of the storage of
water.
• The significance of the kidneys are that
they are the servant of life and that they
both have control and the strength to keep
life stable.
• Healthy Kidney energy maintains strong
muscles, shiny hair and stamina.
jing
• JIng is the essence that is stored in the Kidneys
that is the foundation of our qi and is the seed of
life itself.
• Jing is the inherited constitution from their
parents and ancestors.
• Exercise, rest and breathing exercises nourish
jing
• One can deplete jing by working too hard,
ejaculating too often or having too many
childbirths, taking drugs, eating a poor diet and
not getting enough rest or exercise.
Jing
• The balanced functioning of the Kidney is
therefore essential for people to have
abundant energy and power.
• Skill, ability and cleverness can also be
gained through the Kidney’s effect on the
brain and mind.
The Spirit of the Kidney – The Zhi
• Zhi gives people the ‘drive to survive’
• Includes the drive to reproduce.
• Regarded as the most powerful drive in
people in order to ensure the survival of
the species.
• Willpower requires goals and the
determination to push towards them.
• The Kidneys give people the strength to
push consistently towards what they want.
The yin & yang of the Kidney & the
zhi
• The yang is the outward-moving, warming qi and
the yin is the inward-moving cooling qi.
• Those with deficient Kidney yang qi tend to
listless, weak and lacking movement, physically
and mentally. They are cold. Shivery and curl up
in bed.
• Those with deficient Kidney yin tend restless,
active and overly determined. They are
hyperactive, hot and moving relentlessly towards
their outcomes.
Fear and zhi
• Fear can manifest in two ways when it is
unbalanced.
• One leads to no action and feeling too
much fear to act.
• The other creates hyperaction and
anticipating threats and dealing with them
before they happen
• Both are patterns of an imbalanced will as
much as imbalanced emotions.
Bladder
• The controller of Storage of Water.
• It controls the appropriate amount of body
fluid in the right location.
• It is also responsible for keeping dry areas
separate from wet areas.
Physical Function of the Bladder
•
•
•
•
•
Moist eyes to see
Saliva in the mouth to digest
Nasal fluids when breathing
A moist throat and vocal chords to speak
Sufficient synovial fluid in all the joints to move
smoothly.
• A moist Large Intestine to pass stools with ease
• A moist vagina for pleasurable sex
• Flexible, moist skin to protect and maintain
beauty.
Emotional Fluidity
• A healthy Bladder helps one’s mind and spirit flow and
manifest smoothly.
• People in a chronic fear state become limited in their
thoughts and only see a small percentage of what is
possible.
• They find it difficult to move their minds from subject to
subject,
• These people resist change, become agitated and find it
hard to formulate effective strategies as their thinking
becomes panicky and scattered.
• These people also exhibit both physical and mental
jerkiness.
The Time of Day - Water
• Kidney is 3-5 p.m. and Bladder 5-7 p.m.
• Weakness in Water Element wake up between
3-5a.m. to urinate.
• This is the lowest time for Kidney and Bladder
and when Water qi is at its lowest.
• People also experience anxiety and heat at this
time.
• People whose Kidneys are weak become
agitated at this time due to becoming ‘burnt out’
from overwork.
Kidney and Bladder
• Both deal with fluid
• The Kidneys are more concerned with the
quality of the fluids and the Bladder with the
distribution.
• The major difference is the Kidneys function of
storing the jing and therefore being the source of
strength to fuel the long-term cycles of growth,
development and reproduction.
• The Kidneys provide the capacity to develop
sexually, to endure, to reproduce and to grow old
gracefully.
Response to Issues
• 1. Risk-taking
•
•
•
•
2. Disturbing
3. Intimidating
4. Driven
5. Agitation
----- fearing the worst
overcautious
---- trusting
---- reassuring
---- No drive
---- paralysis