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Life, according to our knowledge, is possible only in the presence of liquid water.
From the black abyss of the water emerges, therefore, life.
The water element in the Wu Xing is the symbol 水 - Shuǐ.
Water is adaptability, changing, movement, mystery, life.

Water is the lowest point of the matter, the state in which things return to when they die. It ‘also said the hidden and dark status of the matter.

The ideogram (chinese: 水, pinyin: shuǐ) contains the meanings of “water, freshness, cold”. In the symbol of the water we find already one of the most important properties of water, which is the ability to cool down, freshen up, extinguish the fire. In the energy balance of the energy exchange between inside and outside of the body-mind, water is essential to calm, to soothe, to soften and to wrap.

Properties of water

Intrinsic properties of the Water element are: wisdom, flexibility, softness, indulgence, understanding; this is because the shape of water is ever changing and in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) this is synonymous of maximum adaptability and return to the lowest point of potential energy (because the water tends to fall down to the absolute best point of equilibrium).

Water is the lowest phase of matter (maximum Yin, the lowest and the emptiest point), which is the fifth phase of the Wu Xing (the five movements more commonly known as the five elements).

The character of water’s Tao is maximum Yin.
Its movement is internal mutation. There’s not movement from external to internal, but only a huge mutation inside.
Its energy is at the minimum level, is rest, stillness.
The energy movement of water is low because the breath is in the deep of Hara (in japanese means: stomach); the breath is held inside to oxygenate well the body cells and tissues.

Water is also associated with:

• north
• winter
• death
• venus (the planet)
• black, blue
• adaptability, flexibility, compliance, emptyness, calm, quietude

The positive emotion is acceptance, appeasement. The negative emotion and sensation is fear, anxiety.
By movements: earth controls water, water controls fire, water feeds wood, metal feeds water.

Meridians

The meridians od Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM) associated to the water element are: Urinary Bladder and Kidney.

Urinary bladder holds liquids needed to transport the waste, toxins and water-soluble pollutants of body. It receive incoming water and dissolved pollutants from the kidneys to expel it from the internal body.
An imbalance in the urinary bladder may be due to the need for an urgent need to get rid of anxieties and fears, retained in the body-mind, or toxins and poisons of the mind that we are unable to break free. In parallel, the stagnant urine, due to an inflammation of the organs related to the energy lines of the connected meridian, causes pain and distress.

The kidney meridian is the other master-channel of water.
Here is the acceptance of what more dirt comes from our body fluids, blood and lymph, the greater and more noble character of the water.
In the kidney is the cleaning, washing, made possible by the very purity of water.
The lack of balance in the functioning of this organ and meridian line means you can not purify your body and mind.
This causes a slow accumulation, a sedimentation of poisons in the body-mind.

Lack of water is accompanied by problems in the bladder meridian.

Excess of water is accompanied by problems in the kidney meridian.

Water is the path that carries the nutrients in our body, it is essential to the life and influence the pace and intensity of our vital energy. For example, a proper supply of water in the body is essential to provide nutrients, salts, metals and gas to the cells. Many precious metals and salts are dissolved in water only. The vital energy of the mind-body is inextricably linked to the balance and purity of water.

Other important features

The person characterized by the water is calm, maternal, parental, trust in others, accepting, yielding, changeable, unstable, focused on travel and movement.

The individual in harmony with the water is very calm, easy-going, slow but determined, is detached from the rest of the world, deep in thought, wise. Also welcomes the change and diversity, accumulates and stores energy, so those who come into contact with “water people” can draw on resources and see their lives transformed.

The agitation, anger, haste, attachment to material things, lack of trust, rigidity are obvious symptoms of disharmony with this element.

The vegetative soul of the water (it is the soul that drives the nature and influence our human traits) is partly Yi, and partly Zhi, Yi for deep thought and wisdom, while Zhi for the will and determination, two significant aspects of the Water element.

We said that the negative emotion of fear is linked to water. This is because in winter, the living die, slow down, hibernates. The fruits of life cease to grow and the same element of water freezes and changes state from mobile and adaptable to rigid and brittle. This sudden change has caused anxiety and fear, this collapse to the lowest energy state makes us think that nothing can pull us up and restart the vital mechanisms (usually due to ignorance of the fact that the other elements control one another and feed the whole in a constant cyclical change).

The color is black or dark blue, colors commonly associated with the darkness of waters of the sea or the cosmic void, metaphorically associated with the element water (the sidereal space without gravity is similar to water).

Black eye sockets, dark urine, are physical symptoms of obvious imbalance in the Water element and the relative meridians.

The sense organ is the hearing, a symbol of listening and receptivity. It is also curious that the ears have a morphological similarity with the kidneys.

The physical and solid part of the element are the bones, while the liquid part is connected to urine.

The smell is rotten, putrid, the smell of ammonia which refers to diseases of urinary incontinence.

The flavor is salty, the taste of mineral water and sea water, a person who loves the salt is in disharmony with the water element.

The climate is humid cold.

The peak energy of the two meridians is:

• Yin meridian is the kidney, from 15 to 17
• Yang meridian is urinary bladder, from 17 to 19

So the acceptance phase is related to the kidney, which filters body fluids while the expulsion is naturally linked to the urinary bladder.

The sound associated with water are groan and scream, sounds typical of the fear and terror (feelings associated with the water element). A voice moaning, anxious, screaming, full of fear indicates an imbalance in the water element.

External links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki_(filosofia)
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicina_tradizionale_cinese

Our planet gives us everything we need to survive:

• food
• the fuel for heat and cooking
• water

The soil, where everything grows, to have the characteristics of substance, richness and strength must be rich in minerals.
Minerals and metals contained therein are the element Metal (金 - Jīn).
The metal is all that is precious and dissolved into the bowels of the earth.
The ideogram (chinese: 金, pinyin: jīn) contains the word gold, a precious metal that was used in the past as a bargaining chip. This is one of the main features of Metal: the exchange of energy between internal and external of the body-mind.

The metal is an element that puts us into communication with other people and the environment around us.

Properties of Metal

Intrinsic properties of the metal are: communication, transmission, exchange, because the metal is a conductor of electricity. In Traditional Chinese Medicine Metal carries the energy in our body.

It also represents the decline phase of matter that is the fourth phase of the Wu Xing (five movements more commonly known as the five elements).

The character Tao Yin Metal is growing.
The motion is from the outside inwards.
Its energy is in decline / decrease.
The movement of the Metal energy is down because the breath must reach hara (in japanese: belly) deep to oxygenate the tissues and cells of the body.

The metal is also associated with:

• west
• autumn
• old age
• Venus (the planet)
• white
• rigidity, persistence, strength, determination

The positive emotion is courage. The emotion or feeling bad is the pain.
Movements: the fire controls metal, metal controls wood, metal feeds the water, the earth feeds metal.

Meridians

The meridians of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) associated to the Metal are Lung and Large Intestine.

The Lung puts us in relationship with the air. Through the inspiration we take the oxygen needed to survive and nourish all the tissues. Through exhalation we clear our tissues from carbon dioxide.
The Lung receives the pure Chi (or Qi) Air (which in Eastern tradition is the energy), by grabbing and bringing it out in us.
Our life begins with an inspiration and ends with an exhalation.
The lung is attached to the skin that we can consider our third lung. The skin is the last line between us and others. In most cases, the skin diseases are associated with our refusal to adapt to the environment, to the world around us. This lack of adaptation is a problem in the exchange between interior and exterior, typical of metal.

The large intestine has the same function of the Lung but through food: our body receives nourishment from the food, some is absorbed and part is rejected as organic material.

Metal gives rhythm to our bodies, our lives and influence our heartbeat. For example, to a greater demand for tissue oxygenation our heart rate increases (after a race).

Other important features

A person characterized by the metal is ambitious, full of strength, has the mania of the inspection, is confident in itself, tends to solve problems for themselves without seeking help, it is materialistic, organized, stable, business-oriented.

The individual in harmony with the Metal element is very precise, orderly, has a good pace of work, is not involved, is seconded by the rest of the world. In addition, he/she appreciates material things and luxury goods. This person is transporting energy. Who comes into contact with these kind of people can see their lives transformed.

The chaos and disorder are a clear symptom of disharmony with this item.

The vegetative soul (the soul that moves and affects our human nature) of the metal is the Po, which is the soul through the senses of smell and touch. The Po connects us to the lineage through the father. The vegetative body is a soul that remains on earth when is dead (bones).

We said that the negative emotion is related to the Metal pain. This is because in autumn there is a decline of activity (think of the agricultural world), the leaves fall and the fruit must be collected. Furthermore, “the autumn of our lives” is a sort of a report of what has been done, a decline of our body and this often creates pain and sadness.

The color is white because in the East during a funeral (as sad and painful) people dress in white. Some metals (eg silver and steel) have shades of white (note: because everything changes, the sign of Zentao is different: the white was associated with the inner light of the spiral, or primordial energy that permeates and moves the universe, while the black has been associated with the metal because it is present in many minerals and metals).

The white is the color of the face of anemia (lack of iron - metal) and some respiratory illnesses (eg colds) have white secretions (mucus).

The organ of sense is the nose, which has the feature to filter and heat the air we breathe in, and is linked to functions related to the sense of smell.

The outward physical manifestation is the hair and skin.

The smell is rotten and is related to lung disease (eg sick with TB) and certain skin diseases. Generally is a strong and unpleasant odor.

The flavor is piquant. In fact when we have a cold we can not distinguish the flavors and breathe hard, and then to taste more the food we put into it more spices. A person who loves the spicy food is in disharmony with the Metal element.

The climate is dry, because in China the autumn is a very dry period.

The energy peak of the meridians is:

• from 3 am to 5 am for the lung meridian
• from 5 am to 7 am for the large intestine meridian

Imagine the world in China: the farmer got up before dawn to go to work: yawn, did tai chi (in the West we just stretch the limbs and rub our eyes). The farmer began to live the day again. In so doing he renewed his breath. After the breathing and the breakfast was the elimination of waste through the function of the large intestine.

The sound associated with Metal is weeping. A voice that sounds like a crying indicates an imbalance in the Metal.

External links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki_(filosofia)
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicina_tradizionale_cinese