|
Understanding
|
| Conducive Relationships | Controlling Relationships |
|---|---|
| Metal gives Water | Fire controls Metal |
| Water gives Wood | Water controls Fire |
| Wood gives Fire | Earth controls Water |
| Fire gives Earth | Wood controls Earth |
| Earth gives Metal | Metal controls Wood |
How Conducive Relationships
between the Chinese Elements Work
Metal gives Water:A vessel made from metal can trap water or hold liquids. Also, metal will turn into water when exposed to high heat, and become a much purer form of metal when it hardens.
Water gives Wood:Rain water and dew feed plant life. Plant life could not be sustained without water. Plant life is considered wood.
Wood gives Fire:You can not have a fire without wood. Fire exists only because it burns wood.
Fire gives Earth:Once a fire has burned, the earth flourishes again. We have seen time and time again how forest fires revitalize an over-grown forest and promote new growth. The ashes from the fire actually serve to nourish the new plants, therefore, the earth.
This also has a symbolic meaning: “From the ashes .... will rise again” (Depending on what philosophy you agree with, either the Phoenix will rise, we will rise, or life itself, will rise again. Many cultures believe that upon our death, we ourselves are meant to become ashes to feed and nourish our earth.)
Earth gives Metal:Anything metal originally came from the earth. Whether it was gathered or mined, anything metal was provided to us by earth.
How Controlling Relationships
between the Chinese Elements Work
Fire controls Metal:As mentioned in the conducive relationship between metal and water, you need the great heat of fire to alter the makeup of metal. In order to create something useful from metal, you have to use fire to alter its configuration. Fire heats the metal, then it can be molded or shaped before it cools.
Water controls Fire:This controlling relationship is a pretty obvious one. What is the first thing you reach for when confronted with a fire? ....Water! Nothing will stop a fire in its tracks better than water.
Earth controls Water:We use earth to control water by creating reservoirs and dams. Earth itself, controls water through its oceans, lakes and streams. Earth can also absorb water, which water then uses in its conducive relationship with wood.
Wood controls Earth:Where earth controls water, wood controls earth. If it weren’t for wood, water would completely erode earth. The presence of tree and plant roots help hold earth together.
Metal controls Wood:This is another relationship that is pretty clear. If you put metal to wood you can completely alter it. You can chop down trees, or whittle beautiful pieces of art. Cutting certain parts of a plant or tree to make it more healthy, to help it grow, or just cutting it in a certain way, is also part of this relationship. Wood is no match for metal.
The relationships between the Chinese elements is so intertwining. One could not exist without the other, yet they all exist independently. No element is considered stronger or weaker than the other. They are all equal. Even if they control another element, another element also controls them. They have both positive and negative (yin and yang) attributes. If one element is adversely effected, there is a trickle down effect through them all. Once you understand this complexity, you begin to understand how complex and layered the Chinese Elements really are. Now let’s look at the individual Chinese elements, themselves...
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