Five Element Acupuncture is an ancient Taoist Art dating back approximately 5000 years.

The Ancient Chinese were keen observers of Nature and they believed Man to be a microcosm of Nature.

The five elements observed by the Taoists were energies notably associated with the seasonal energies predominant in Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Fall, and Winter.

None of the five elements exist independently of the others.  All of the elements exist all of the time and they are interdependent.  Together they constitute the creative force we see and experience in life.  They are the foundation and spirit of Nature around us and Nature within us… and they are the foundation of this wonderful system of medicine.

WOOD

The Taoists called the energy of Spring Wood.  As the short dark days of winter lengthen and the sun’s presence is felt again, snow and ice melt and plants start popping up from ponds like this.

 

Wood is upright energy.  In Nature it pushes through the ground forcefully, vigorous and yet flexible, it is capable of overcoming many varied obstacles.

Wood energy is catalyzed by last year’s nutrients, winter’s water stores, the lengthening days and the warming sun.

There is a salient moment in Spring when everything seems to surge at once.  All the plants for miles around are covered in new spring green.  Vitality and exuberance define this energy.

Spring brings hope and we humans feel a strong sense that something good is bound to happen when all is well in the Spring.  Conversely, we feel frustrated and angry if our plans for the new year are thwarted.  Anger is the emotion associated with Wood energy.

The Chinese described Wood energy in humans as that part of us that takes stock of our circumstances and makes plans accordingly.  The vision this requires is Wood energy and like the surge we see in Nature around us, a vision takes us to incredible distances.  I am reminded of a saying I read early in my studies.  “Nothing travels so far so fast as a vision.”

The ancient writings tell us that Wood energy helps us know what is just and exact.  Determination and decision stem from it.  This is what gives form and substance to the imaginative power of our vision.  It is a demonstration of strength in the defense of life, impetuous and penetrating.

The spirit of becoming is that of Wood.  Something new is afoot when Wood energy is predominant.  Wood energy insures that life is not circular but always moving in an upward spiral, an endless progression of all things toward realization of their maximum potential.

Spring segues into Summer as more and more plants begin to bloom and the days get even longer and warmer.

FIRE

Ahhh Summer!  This is the time when the sun reaches its zenith.

The days are long and languorous.  It seems as if everything is in bloom.  Brilliant color is all around.  Nature is putting on a grand display.  The Taoists called the energy of Summer Fire.

In Nature around us, plants are flowering and attracting pollinators.  The birds and bees are prolific in the garden and we humans feel a burgeoning sense of urgency to be with others and connect as well.

Summer, the season of  Fire, is the time of social networking and of lovers.  The emotion of this season is Joy.

When Spring has been successful, plans have been implemented, all is well, and the time is right to relax and enjoy the warmth and sociability of Summer.

Light and warmth outlast the workday.  There is plenty of time for get-togethers and sharing.  Dinner parties, dancing, barbeques, cook-outs, camping, hiking, family and school reunions are the order of the day.

The love and joy of Fire are one of Nature’s greatest gifts.  The Taoists likened the energy of Fire to that of Lord and Sovereign of the body who has authority and from whom all commands are issued.  They associated this sovereignty with the Heart.

The ancient writings tell us that it is the  province of Fire to create a free and easy circulation that makes life flow with joy…  to give and receive and make things thrive…  joy and elation stem from the energy of Fire.

The spirit of Fire energy is that spark which activates the potential in all of us.  It empowers moment to moment presence and focus.  It influences, persuades, and evokes change in the world.

Summer is the time of weddings.  The joy of the wedding union is archtypal of the element of Fire, passion, intimacy, connection, harmony, and realization of the future.

 

 

EARTH

The Taoists identified a fifth season, Late Summer, as that special time of harvest between Summer and Fall.  The number Five in Chinese numerology represents the totality of life.  The traditional plant of this season is the lotus, which doesn’t bloom until the weather is very warm and humid.  The warmth of the Late Summer sun heats and evaporates the ambient water and the air becomes heavy and humid in this season.  The Taoists called the energy of this season Earth.

This is the time when flowers have produced fruit, when Nature bestows her abundance on us in terms we can readily understand.  Food from Mother Earth is most bountiful during this season, the time of ripening, harvest, and rotting.  Sweet smells dominate the hot humid air during Late Summer.

Its time to get busy again harvesting and preserving.  If we don’t use the abundant food given to us by Earth energy, our animal neighbors will, or it will rot and become compost for next year’s growth and development.  The emotion affiliated with this season is worry.  Will I be able to harvest and fully utilize what I have sown?

The ancient writings tell us that this energy is associated with storehouses and granaries.  The five tastes are derived from this Earth energy.  The energy in our bodies that is Earth takes something that is not me, digests it, assimilates it and makes it me.

The spirit of Earth in humans is that of ideation…  the process of establishing personal meaning about the world we inhabit with words and perspective that come from the heart, allowing for the processing and assimilation of life experience in a way that is nourishing.  Centering, grounding, integrity and reciprocity are all qualities of the Earth element.

Earth energy is strongly associated with Mother and all that Mother conveys… nurturing… sustenance… food for body, mind and spirit…  Mother’s special brand of non-judgemental love.

There is no where on the planet that evokes more  of this abundant Earth energy than Italy, where growing and eating food is elevated to an art form…  where people relax and take time to sate the appetites, to nurture and be nurtured by the abundance of Mother Earth, trusting in her reliable sustenance.

METAL

Some of you may have noticed how crystal clear the skies are on a sunny day in fall.

The hazy and humid days of late summer are gone and the predominant feeling is one of dryness.  The sun’s energy is declining and we experience a wistfulness, realization of the preciousness of the waning warmth.

METAL is the name the Taoists give to the energy of Fall.

The days are shorter now and Nature is in a transition state between the bright light of summer and the darkness of winter.  As the sun declines in the sky, there is decline in the plants as well.  Grief is the emotion of fall.

Deciduous plants are letting go of leaves which fall to the ground and rot.  Rotting leaves are that transition state between the living plant and compost, what we gardener’s refer to as black gold.  Sap, the plant’s precious essence, returns to the core of the plant and to its foundation, the roots.  Seeds set and the essence of the plant is preserved for another year.

There is a reverence associated with this element, a great awe and respect for the precious miracle of Nature.

One of Nature’s busiest creatures in fall is the spider.  I have been entranced by spider webs for years and felt as if I were in Nature’s cathedral the day I saw this display of bejeweled webs in our local park.

Metal energy is that which holds onto what is precious and lets go of all that is superfluous.  Given that water is our most precious commodity in the support of life, it’s fascinating in the fall to see how water condenses and returns to the earth.

Metal energy regulates rhythms and life giving networks.  The spirit of Metal energy helps us to contact what is of essential worth, receive it, and retain it while letting go of the mundane.  This part of us knows how to live life, how to govern, how to heal.

In the late fall, the ground becomes saturated with water and it begins to pool, heralding the onset of the winter season.

 

WATER

The Taoists call the energy associated with winter WATER.  As the sun declines, its light is more lateral and so there is more reflection.  We see it in Nature and we feel it in ourselves as we turn inward to review the year and our place in it.

The reflection is so great here we can hardly see where the structure ends and the reflection begins.

Water is the source of life.  It pools on the earth in winter, and amazing and wonderful things come from its depths.

The defining feature of winter is the cold.  Plants are dormant. Nature is still and stark.  Its time to conserve energy and resources.  The big question in Winter is who and/or what will survive.  FEAR is the emotion associated with the Water element.

Winter is the time when we call on the knowledge and wisdom of those who have survived, the elders.  Storytelling, that ancient mode of entertainment and teaching, has been a wintertime activity of humans for millennia, imparting the wisdom of the ages to the young and vulnerable.  The spirit of Water energy is the will to transform fear into wisdom by the appropriate use and cultivation of life’s resources.  As snow blankets the earth it slowly, almost imperceptibly replenishes water stores for Spring growth.

Water is essential for life.  Humans can live without food for weeks and even months, but without water a human being’s life is limited to days at best.  Water holds life and the continuation of life in its depths.

It represents the creative force…   power…   survival skills…   dormant potential…   Winter and the season of Water is a time for rest, replenishment, and re-creation.

Places of summer gatherings are covered with snow, quiet and still, waiting for the sun’s return.  In the meanwhile, humans cozy up inside where its warm, reflect on the past, learn from it… and busy themselves with quiet activities.