As we gather this Christmas/holiday season, we find ourselves in the heart of the Winter Solstice, the most ‘Yin’ time of the entire year. In the Five Elements, Winter is the season of Water. Just as the world outside has turned quiet, cold, and dark, our internal energy is called to move inward, mirroring the stillness of a deep well. This ‘Deepest Yin’ is not a time of stagnation, but of profound storage; it is the time when nature gathers its essence (Jing) to prepare for the eventual sprout of Spring. Coming just days after the shortest day of the year, Winter reminds us that balance is not a destination, but a rhythmic cycle. To understand our health, we must understand how we flow with these natural rhythms.

As a new student of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture, we start with the Theory of Oriental Medicine. The theory is dense and complicated, but through its study I have discovered profound connections. Below is just one slice of TCM Theory I have learned, the Five Elements, along with an analysis of how I have been able to separate TCM from Allopathy and connect the Five Elements to our own connection to the cosmos.

When Did TCM Start?

TCM traces its origins back to the Yellow Emperor, a possibly mythological figure who lived almost 2600 years before Christ. The Yellow Emperor engaged in a conversation with Qibo, a physician, and their dialogue was eventually documented in a book about 2300 years ago.

This influential book, the Huangdi Neijing, consists of two parts. The first part addresses simple questions such as the nature of Yin and Yang, the understanding of the five seasons, and their impact on human well-being. The second part, known as the spiritual axis or the Ling Shu, delves into practical aspects of TCM, including needle practice, moxibustion, and dietary guidelines. Moreover, it explores the spiritual dimensions introduced in the initial section of the text.

In one part of the conversation, the Yellow Emperor queried Qibo about the difference in lifespans between ancient and contemporary times.

“I’ve heard that in ancient times, people lived to be over a hundred years and yet they remained active and did not become decrepit in their activities. But nowadays, people only reach half that age and yet they become decrepit and failing. Is it because the world has changed from generation to generation, or is it because mankind has become negligent of the laws of nature?”

He pondered whether this change was due to shifts in the world from generation to generation or mankind’s negligence of the laws of nature: our intuitive recognition is that human nature has remained unchanged.

Further on in the text is says:

“In peaceful calm, void and emptiness, the authentic Qi flows easily. Essences and spirits are kept within. How could illness possibly arise? In ancient times, those people who understood the Tao patterned themselves upon the yin and the yang and lived in harmony with the arts of divination.”

The wisdom conveyed underscores that it is not the universe or nature that has changed, but rather our relationship with these elements. The profound insight of Taoist practice, philosophy, and TCM lies in offering a pathway back to harmony, as illustrated in the Da De Jing, fostering right relationships within ourselves, with others, and with the universe.

The Five Elements Theory

The Five Elements in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) are Fire, Wood, Earth, Water, and Metal. In Chinese medicine, they are used to explain the properties of the organs they are related to, their mutual relationship, and pathological changes. They also represent substances we cannot live without—food depends on Water and Fire to cook it, Water to grow it, and production relies on Metal and Wood. Of course, Earth gives birth to everything, making the Five Elements essential to our being.

How we relate the Five Elements in nature to our body and the way everything functions can be looked at in sequences. The first is called the Generating Sequence.

The Generating sequence goes this way: Fire generates Earth, which means we need heat and the sun for Earth to grow plants and food. But too much heat can also burn it, so it’s all about balance. Earth generates Metal, providing minerals like calcium and magnesium from the soil for our enjoyment. Metal generates Water, and Water generates Wood, which in turn generates Fire. This represents the cycle in nature.

You will also notice each element is linked to 2 organs:

Fire: Heart and Small Intestine

Earth: Spleen and Stomach

Metal: Lung and Large Intestine

Water: Kidney and Bladder

Wood: Liver and Gall Bladder

The mother-son relationship is a way to understand how these elements relate. As we know, the mother must generate a healthy baby, and the same goes here. For example, the Spleen and Stomach (Earth element) generate the Metal element (Lung and Large Intestine). Or in other words, a healthy Digestive system generates a healthy Immune system. If someone’s Immune system is low, we need to tonify the mother—the Digestive system.

In the Controlling Sequence, in nature, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, and Water controls Fire. When something is out of balance, we say the controlling sequence is damaged. For example, if the Liver (Wood) is stressed and tense, it may over-control the Stomach (Earth), leading to digestive issues.

The last Five Element Theory sequence, often referred to as the Insulting Sequence, is the opposite of the Controlling Sequence. This sequence is also out of balance, but it involves elements insulting or pushing back against each other. Metal, instead of being controlled or over-controlled by Fire, fights back. The insulting sequence includes Metal insulting Fire, Wood insulting Metal, Earth insulting Wood, Water insulting Earth, and Fire insulting Water.

In nature, Earth usually controls Water to prevent flooding. However, in the case of Water insulting Earth, as seen in tsunamis like Katrina or those in Japan and Thailand, Water overwhelms the land, causing catastrophic damage and casualties. Similarly, Fire insulting Water is common during forest fires, where excessive heat dries everything, creating havoc and damage.

In clinical practice, a common scenario in the insulting sequence is Heart or Fire insulting Water. This manifests as a racing mind, often referred to as Heart Fire. Individuals experiencing this may have high blood pressure, a red-faced appearance, irritability, restlessness, and difficulty sleeping. The restless mind and body, combined with the feeling of being hot all the time, contribute to disrupted sleep patterns.

Furthermore, the Kidney system in Chinese medicine is associated with the aging process, reproductive system, and DNA. Lack of sleep due to Heart Fire not only affects the individual’s immediate well-being but also insults the aging system. Prolonged periods of poor sleep can lead to faster aging and depletion of the Kidney system.

Organs are also either Yin and Yang, and every Yang organ has a corresponding Yin organ as a pair.

Six Yin Organs

Produce, transform, and store qi, or energy flow. The yin organs, in traditional Chinese medicine, produce, transform, and store qi, blood, bodily fluids, and essence.

1. Heart / Pericardium
2. Liver
3. Kidneys
4. Spleen
5. Lungs

Six Yang Organs

Responsible for digesting food and transmitting nutrients to nourish the body, blood, Qi, fluids, and spirit, and get rid of the rest as waste.

1. Small Intestine / Triple Burner
2. Gall Bladder
3. Bladder
4. Colon (Large Intestine)
5. Stomach

Practitioners of TCM will typically work with Yin Organs.

These sequences help practitioners identify the root cause of imbalances by understanding how one element can affect another. For instance, stress (Liver) overacting on the Digestive system (Spleen and Stomach) can lead to a deficient Immune system (Lung and Large Intestine). Multiple sequences may interact, and identifying the initial imbalance is crucial for effective treatment and better patient outcomes.

TCM v. Allopathy

The characteristics of Chinese medicine revolve around holism, energy, relativity, and complexity. Mastery of this art is elusive because it works with changing energies, relationships, and intricate dynamics. Allopathic medicine, on the other hand, deals with materialism, focusing on tangible elements that can be observed or measured through scientific methods.

So why delve into ancient traditions instead of sticking to modern practices? While modern medicine produces miracles, many people seek more than just symptomatic relief. The dissatisfaction stems from a desire for genuine well-being, transcending the reliance on medications.

In addition, it seems that many only visit the doctor when they are already sick, while TCM focuses on keeping the person well, before there are too many issues or disease has advanced beyond meaningful recovery. TCM seems to be a whole way of looking at a person, while Allopathy seems to look at a person in parts, and defined by their symptoms. If you think about it, modern medicine is divided into specialties; you see a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, etc.

There are also many challenges faced by modern physicians, such as stress and burnout. Burnout is often looked at in our society as a rite of passage, but ancient traditions can provide a path to greater meaning in our work.

Allopathic medicine’s focus on materialism contrasts with Chinese medicine’s emphasis on energy. The former operates in a world of cause and effect, breaking down phenomena into measurable variables. In contrast, Chinese medicine perceives a quantum world of complex relationships, where individuals (microcosms) are part of a larger ecological system or macrocosm.

A personal thing I love about TCM is that it views the heart as the center of our experience, healing, the source of harmony with the universe, the seat of intelligence, spirit, and the source balance in human experience. TCM tends to ignore the brain, calling it a “curious” organ, and I think that’s exactly right. The heart is the center of our emotional life, and it is the center of the meridian, so everything must flow through it, and it touches all things. Or in other words, the emotional experience in us is what will determine how the other organs and our bodies function and ultimately how we feel and the quality of that experience. TCM says the heart “houses the mind.”

Bringing It Back to the Five Elements

The five elements play a crucial role in understanding our relationship with the world around us. They operate across two planes: the vertical plane, representing the spiritual journey between Earth and heaven, and the horizontal plane, which encompasses our material world and relationships.

The five elements—fire, earth, metal, water, and wood—exist on the horizontal plane, influencing our physical interactions with ourselves, the universe, and others. Each person is primarily associated with one element, describing their unique relationship to things. Earth, for example, represents the nurturing aspect, like being the soil that nurtures growth.

Understanding and embracing our primary element is essential. Attempting to change it would be counterproductive. Instead, the goal is alchemy—a skillful management of our own energy to create balance. Imbalances in our primary element can lead to suffering, whether through overexpression or underexpression.

As we know, the elements also interact with each other in relationships of nurturing and control, and this is true in relationships. Recognizing these dynamics can be crucial in our interpersonal lives. For instance, an Earth element may feel controlling to a Water element, mirroring how a river bank controls a river.

In the pursuit of alchemy, the key is to work skillfully with the challenges life presents, transforming suffering into support for spiritual development. Moving from fixity to flow allows us to pursue our destiny rather than succumb to fate. This perspective is especially relevant in facing challenges like illness, where understanding and addressing energetic blockages can be transformative.

The vertical plane represents our Spiritual Axis, or the evolutionary journey from the dark, unknown, chaotic wilderness that preceded our awareness to the experience of transcendent existence. The level of the spirit is focused on our spiritual experience and relationship to the other, beyond mere interpersonal connections. it’s essential for Acupuncturists to consider whether one is working at the level of the elements or the level of the spirit.

There are different spiritual levels, each with its unique characteristics. These levels include Water (Zhi), Metal (Po), Earth (Yi), Wood (Hun), and Fire (Shen), each associated with specific elements and organs:

Water (Zhi) – Kidney – Fear

Metal (Po) – Lung – Grief

Earth (Yi) – Spleen – Worry

Wood (Hun) – Liver – Anger

Fire (Shen) – Heart – Joy

The Water Zhi level, represented by the organ of the kidney, is associated with the dark unknown chaotic wilderness. It involves the essence of life and the energy that precedes awareness. It is the foundation of our being, akin to the water at the base of the mountain.

“I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear.”

– Inferno, Canto I by Dante Alighieri

The Zhi level is where the mist is very attached to the Earth. People accessing this level may come to therapeutic sessions when they are in the wilderness, experiencing challenges such as suicide ideation due to the inability to connect with their true selves. Fear and terror are primary emotions associated with this level. On the positive side, individuals at this level may possess great leadership skills, given their strong willpower.

The Metal level, associated with the lungs, represents the mist emerging into existence. It involves letting go of connections to move into what comes next. The primary challenge at this level is often related to grief.

The Earth level is the middle ground, representing the pivot between the underworld and the mist moving up. It is where intention is shaped and held. Similar to the horizontal Earth plane, it involves nurturing, justice, and balance.

The Wood level, linked to the liver, is about vision and knowing one’s true self. It is represented by the energy of the forest, with cosmological associations of clouds. Disturbances at this level may lead to depression, anger, or erratic behavior.

Moving up, the Fire level,  at the top of the mountain, represents the sunlight and is associated with the heart. It involves qualities like compassion, love, joy, awareness, inspiration, and passion. It represents the experience of our true self, with cosmological associations of starlight and lightning. Imbalances at this level can manifest as sleep disturbances, anxiety, or depression.

Humans are an integral part of a greater energetic system known as the universe. Separation from this universal connection leads to imbalance, causing suffering for both individuals and their environment. This philosophy aligns with Taoist principles, emphasizing the interconnectedness between individuals and the universe and embracing natural elements as a means of fostering a balanced and symbiotic connection.

Our Connection

The notion of humans being intricately connected to the universe is not a far-fetched concept. In fact, our connection to the environment has deep roots in our evolutionary history. In ancient times, our survival depended on a profound understanding of and connection to our surroundings. For instance, our ancestors relied on the observation of seasonal changes to determine the availability of food sources. They connected with nature by understanding the migration patterns of animals and the growth cycles of plants, ensuring their sustenance.

However, in the modern era, this essential connection has eroded. Examples of this disconnection abound, with the prevalence of packaged and processed foods that often lack a direct link to the local environment. The convenience of these foods may have severed the tie between individuals and the origins of their sustenance. Similarly, distractions like the constant barrage of information, social media, and the pursuit of material gains contribute to a detachment from the natural world.

Contrastingly, the environment has an innate ability to provide precisely what humans need for their well-being. Local fruits available in different seasons offer optimal nutrition aligned with the body’s requirements during specific times of the year. However, contemporary practices, such as the global exportation of fruits like bananas from distant regions, disrupt this natural balance. Importing food out of season not only undermines the environmental harmony but also deprives individuals of the benefits of locally sourced, seasonally appropriate nutrition. It is essential to live in harmony with the forces of the Universe, to flow with, not against, the natural rhythms of life and of nature (a concept called wu-wei).

This disconnection emphasizes the importance of embracing bioregionalism, which I wrote about here, a concept that encourages people to re-establish a relationship with their local environment. Bioregionalism entails recognizing and adapting to the unique ecological characteristics of a specific region. It promotes a return to observing natural cycles, fostering a balance between human activities and the environment. Embracing the yin and yang of life involves acknowledging the interconnectedness of opposing forces, recognizing the importance of harmony, not resistance, in our relationship with nature.

Conclusion