In Greco-Roman times, illness was believed to be due to an imbalance of the four humours, which were related to four elements and four personality types (or tempers, if you’re a Severance fan). This quartet of earth, air, water, and fire is seen in art, astrology, and alchemy; while a different set of elements sits at the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and shiatsu. They are called the wuxing, or five phases, and they are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. (You’ll find them in fellow Canadian Xiran Jay Zhao’s novel Iron Widow.)
There is an important distinction in reflecting on them as phases rather than elements: a phase is a temporary state something may pass through, something that is in motion, going through cycles. The energy in our bodies moves in a cycle, the planet passes through the seasons, and the moon goes through its phases and is renewed.
There are several cycles of the wuxing, but today I will focus on two: the generative cycle (xiāngshēng) and the controlling cycle (xiāngkè). The generative cycle follows the circle of the seasons: spring is wood, summer is fire, late summer (or the transitional days between seasons) is earth, autumn is metal, and winter is water. Each element in the cycle yields or generates the next, and so balance is important to keep that generation going.
The controlling cycle makes a pentagram shape in this diagram: each element acts on the one after the next one in the generative cycle. Excess of one element in the controlling cycle can stifle the element it affects; there needs to be enough to generate the next, but not so much that energy is depleted from another.
This maps onto our bodies and our lives in a number of ways. Each element has its associated sound, sense organ, body tissue, and more; deviations from our normal in any of these areas could point to an elemental imbalance. Each element also has a meridian pair (the exception being fire, with two pairs), one yin and one yang, and aches and pains and soreness along these lines may also indicate imbalance.
To balance our elemental energies, we have a number of options (including receiving shiatsu), and each element has its preferred method. Fire favours movement (are you moving enough? too much? what is the right activity level for you?), while earth prefers nourishment (how are you feeding your body? are their excesses or deficiencies in your meals?). I’m usually in my head to some degree (which can be related to metal or water), so I enjoy meditating on the wuxing and having symbols of unbalanced elements around: art, figurines, or wearing clothing and accessories of that element’s colour.
Each shiatsu session begins with a conversation about balance. Where is your energy sticking, and where does it flow most easily? During our session, I will help you identify and address these points in your body, and invite you to redirect your energies as I move and remove tension. Remember that my PINKPURPLE discount is available to all clients as queer allies through August 31st.
