Spring and the Element Wood

October 05, 2014 - by enrica - in Lifestyle

No Comments

Chinese character for "Wood

Did you know that even 5000 years ago, the Chinese knew that Spring was time to get things done! Still to this day, they believe that all of nature and us as human beings are made of up 5 fundamental energies – the 5 Elements. These 5 Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. In my training as a 5 Element Acupuncturist, I could learn more about people and the flow of life by watching the 5 Elemtns as they produced the 5 seasons of the year than any of my textbooks.

Let’s look at the element Wood. It creates the season of Spring; this is the beginning of nature’s cycle, a time of new beginnings and growth. Wood is the energy that pushes the new grass through the snow, produces new branches from old wood and the new leaves of the year. Spring bursts forward with hope and optimism, offering renewal after the quiet still time of Winter.

The ancient Chinese also believed that there are 12 main acupuncture meridians in our bodies and likened these meridians to officials in a kingdom, each official in charge of a part of our personality as well as our physical being. Wood energy can be found in two of these meridians: The Gall Bladder, known as “The Upright Official who Excels in Judgement”; and the Liver, known as “The Official in Charge of Planning”.

So what are these Wood meridians doing in us? They are helping us look toward the future, making plans and take decisions. Wood is the part of us that sets boundaries with others and helps us have a healthy relationship with anger and assertion – it is also the part of us that senses what is right and wrong.

When our Wood energy is not working, we can feel a little hopeless, have trouble making decisions or even seeing what the future has in store for us. Poor Wood energy can lead to procrastination even when we know they are the things we really want to do.

Spring is the time of the year when these meridians are at their best, ready to wake us up from the quiet time of Winter. Like the new green buds on the trees, we can be bursting with new ideas, ready to make plans and have the energy to make them happen. It’s Spring, so let’s get going!

Thank you to Gye Bennetts, my teacher in Classical 5 Element Acupuncture
www.5element.com.au

Share this article

enrica

enrica

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

×

Make an appointment and we’ll contact you.