Chinese 5 Elements
5 Lakes and 5 Rivers – The Chinese 5-element system
Some of you may be familiar with this system especially if you have had any acupuncture treatment. The flow of your energy or ‘chi’ as the Chinese call it, is shown in this system.
The 5 ‘Lakes’ are: Heart, Spleen, Lungs, Kidney and Liver.
These are often referred to as having their own energy e.g. Her kidney energy is strong.
The 5 Rivers.
The 5 ‘Rivers’ connect the ‘Lakes’ (organs). If the energy is flowing correctly, it will flow in the ‘clockwise’ direction as indicated in the diagram. Thus, each organ nourishes the next in harmony.
What can affect the flow of water/energy?
However, if there is a blockage or ‘dam’ in the river, the water (energy) can start to pool and flow elsewhere causing problems. Tthis can have a knock-on effect on other organs, which may also cause disease. (This is indicated by the arrows inside the circle)
Things like shock, grief or trauma can affect the flow of energy. For example, someone may suffer a grief or bereavement and this disrupts the normal flow of energy. This can then make the energy (or water) flow to the liver energy instead of the kidney energy. This can then result in illness associated with the liver/gallbladder organs.
A client had suffered a close friend’s bereavement, just a few weeks before finding out she was pregnant with her 2nd child. This exact disruption happened, as she was very happy to be pregnant but still grieving for her friend. This resulted in gestational diabetes for her pregnancy which had not occured during the first pregnancy. The pancreas which produces insulin and controls sugar levels is linked with the liver energy.
Furthermore, if someone has a shock trauma, their heart (Joy/sadness) energy may become disrupted. If this happens it can show in the lung (grief) energy as breathing issues, constipation or eczema. Additionally, each major organ has minor organs associated and linked to it, energetically speaking. For example, lung energy is linked with the colon, skin, nose and throat.
I use the Chinese 5 Elements as another tool to find the root cause in any client’s case, I aim to help with homeopathy.
