The Earth is the Center
Traditional Chinese Medicine Five Element Theory focuses on the elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Each element is connected to each other through producing (generating) the next or through controlling the effects of each other. The first element that I introduced was Fire. The element that I would like to delve deeper into this month is Earth.
Why Earth? Earth is the soil. It is the ground. Well, it is grounding in itself. The Earth is the center of our universe. It makes sense to be the center of the 5 elements. Each element has its own corresponding place in nature and in medicine. I want to give you an understanding of this element, and the role it plays in our world and lives.
The Center
As I said before, the Earth is the center. It is the middle. When looking at the direction and in the movement of Yin/Yang the Earth is the Center. Earth is the place in the middle where the direction can change and is pivotal in stability. It doesn’t really have a season or time of day specifically. But it does have a position in the seasons. It is the last 18 days of each season.
You know, the time where the seasons shift and adjust from one to the next. This is an example of transformation. Center, transformation, and balance are the basics of the Earth element. The basic qualities of Earth are that it permits sowing, growing and reaping. Its interpretation is in nutrition, and the movement is the center and stability.
The Correspondences of Earth
The Correspondences of the Earth element in nature include the numbers 5 and 10. The grain is rice; the animal is human. The domestic animal is the Ox. The planet is Saturn. The correspondence in medicine includes the yin and yang organs of the Spleen and Stomach. The color is yellow. The sound is singing. The smell is fragrant. The emotion is pensiveness, or overthinking. The taste is sweet. The tissue of the Earth is muscle. The sense organ is the mouth and lips. The climate of the Earth is Dampness.
The Earth Type Person
Someone born under the Earth element is seen as a person with a yellowish complexion, round face, large head, wide jaws, well developed shoulders and back, strong muscles, and relatively small hands and feet. They have a large abdomen but are considered well-proportioned throughout their body.
The Earth person is known to walk steady and is not interested in power or position. A person with Earth element qualities is known to be calm, helpful, and trustworthy. They find it easy to establish and maintain good relations with others. They like the Autumn and Winter, yet dislike Spring and Summer. The Earth person is known to be honest and reliable.
So? Why the big deal over the Earth element, or any of the elements? I write about to form a basis of the concept of an ancient theory that explains who we are and how we live. This is apparent in the correspondences and in the Earth Person.
Most of us have a piece of every element in us. We become the element that is explained in natural texts through nature (birth and genetics) and nurture (environment and living situations). Regardless of how we see ourselves in the elements, we have every element as a part of us.
The Spleen’s Importance
The spleen is one of the 5 yin organs. This organ may not seem important in modern society, but the essence of it is incredibly significant. Traditional Chinese medicine views the spleen as the solid organ that works with the stomach to separate the clear from the turbid. It is the organ that determines what is useful in the body and what needs to be disposed. The Spleen moves the postnatal qi, which is the qi from food and drink, upward to be distributed throughout the body for nourishment. It works in harmony with the stomach.
The Stomach’s Role
The Stomach is known as one of the yang organs. It is an organ that is hollow and produces a way for things from the outside to make it into the body. The Stomach intensifies the digestion process to allow for the body to absorb the nutrients that are present in the food and drink that we ingest. While the spleen moves upward, the direction of the stomach is downward.
The Role of the Earth in our Bodies
Our Spleen and Stomach are both a part of the Earth element, but it is so much more than that. The different correspondences and the very nature of the Earth element exist in us and is a part of keeping us balanced. Each correspondence connects with one another and helps to keep the Earth element, and the Spleen and Stomach strong.
Modern medicine thinks of the spleen as an organ that can be removed if needed and basically not essential. It is viewed as an organ that cleans the blood by removing damaged red blood cells and microorganisms. The spleen is the largest organ of the lymphatic system and is important in our immune response. I see it as the ancients got it right, the spleen separates the clear from the turbid.
Merging of the Theories
There are different theories in TCM that merge at some point. For example, the theory of Yin and Yang is seen in the 5 elements. The Organ theory is also seen in the 5 elements. In this way the Spleen organ takes on the characteristics and functions that are evident in the Earth element.
The Earth’s Yin Organ
The Spleen, along with the Stomach, manages our postnatal essence and qi. Basically, these organs are where our food and outside nutrition are placed into the body’s cycle for living. Because of this, the Spleen manifests on the mouth and lips. There are many times where we can tell that we aren’t getting enough nutrition or water based on our mouth and lips. Our lips and mouth become dry, chapped and cracked.
We also see the effects of problems of our Spleen in our muscles (the body part of Earth). Our muscles are strong, developed and function well when the Spleen is in good health. Problems in the Spleen begin to show in the muscles as weakness, fatigue, being unable to hold things in place and dampness.
The Spleen dislikes dampness and a balanced body has minimal dampness. As imbalance and weakness in the Spleen occurs, dampness is present. This is one reason why the Spleen person dislikes Spring and Summer. Dampness becomes more present in the body as the muscles are unable to hold water within the vessels. Modern times sees this as edema in the body. Swelling in the legs, and just an overall “fluffiness.” So, a person with problems with their Spleen usually has extra water in the body.
Weakness of the Spleen
I have discussed different ways that the Spleen is seen with the Earth Element in the body and how it is shown. But I haven’t talked about what makes the Spleen weak. There are different ways for this to happen. You can be born with a weak prenatal essence or genetic condition that weakens the Spleen. Wood controls Earth through the 5-element theory and can cause excess stress on the organ.
Pensiveness, Thinking Yourself Sick
Pensiveness, or thinking, is the Earth element for emotion can strengthen the Spleen, but it also damages it when we overthink. Overthinking is a common occurrence in the modern world. Stressing about what has happened or what can happen can damage our organs. We do this all the time. Like when you have an exam or a big project deadline that is extremely important to you. What does your body feel like? A lot of times you lose your appetite and may develop nausea, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, or constipation from the stress. This is your Spleen being overworked through the emotion of overthinking according to TCM. Our Spleen and Stomach may become attacked by the outside world as well. What we eat and drink can be nutritious or poisonous.
Balance for Ourselves
My main point in talking about the Earth element is that when having balance there must be a center. That is the Earth. It is our home, and it is our world. We would not have trees, water, or metal without Earth. There is Fire in the universe, possibly even water and metals, but we have yet to find the combination to sustain life like we have on our Earth.
It is the same with the Spleen and the Stomach. These organs are the center of our body because we are unable to continue to thrive without them. We need nourishment to have the energy to live out our lives. That is the primary purpose of our bodies Earth element organs. Therefore, it is important to continue to live with thought. It is also important to remember that too much thought can lead to anxiety, depression, and not simply enjoying the lives that we are given.
The Earth is the Center
Traditional Chinese Medicine Five Element Theory focuses on the elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Each element is connected to each other through producing (generating) the next or through controlling the effects of each other. The first element that I introduced was Fire. The element that I would like to delve deeper into this month is Earth.
Why Earth? Earth is the soil. It is the ground. Well, it is grounding in itself. The Earth is the center of our universe. It makes sense to be the center of the 5 elements. Each element has its own corresponding place in nature and in medicine. I want to give you an understanding of this element, and the role it plays in our world and lives.
The Center
As I said before, the Earth is the center. It is the middle. When looking at the direction and in the movement of Yin/Yang the Earth is the Center. Earth is the place in the middle where the direction can change and is pivotal in stability. It doesn’t really have a season or time of day specifically. But it does have a position in the seasons. It is the last 18 days of each season.
You know, the time where the seasons shift and adjust from one to the next. This is an example of transformation. Center, transformation, and balance are the basics of the Earth element. The basic qualities of Earth are that it permits sowing, growing and reaping. Its interpretation is in nutrition, and the movement is the center and stability.
The Correspondences of Earth
The Correspondences of the Earth element in nature include the numbers 5 and 10. The grain is rice; the animal is human. The domestic animal is the Ox. The planet is Saturn. The correspondence in medicine includes the yin and yang organs of the Spleen and Stomach. The color is yellow. The sound is singing. The smell is fragrant. The emotion is pensiveness, or overthinking. The taste is sweet. The tissue of the Earth is muscle. The sense organ is the mouth and lips. The climate of the Earth is Dampness.
The Earth Type Person
Someone born under the Earth element is seen as a person with a yellowish complexion, round face, large head, wide jaws, well developed shoulders and back, strong muscles, and relatively small hands and feet. They have a large abdomen but are considered well-proportioned throughout their body.
The Earth person is known to walk steady and is not interested in power or position. A person with Earth element qualities is known to be calm, helpful, and trustworthy. They find it easy to establish and maintain good relations with others. They like the Autumn and Winter, yet dislike Spring and Summer. The Earth person is known to be honest and reliable.
So? Why the big deal over the Earth element, or any of the elements? I write about to form a basis of the concept of an ancient theory that explains who we are and how we live. This is apparent in the correspondences and in the Earth Person.
Most of us have a piece of every element in us. We become the element that is explained in natural texts through nature (birth and genetics) and nurture (environment and living situations). Regardless of how we see ourselves in the elements, we have every element as a part of us.
The Spleen’s Importance
The spleen is one of the 5 yin organs. This organ may not seem important in modern society, but the essence of it is incredibly significant. Traditional Chinese medicine views the spleen as the solid organ that works with the stomach to separate the clear from the turbid. It is the organ that determines what is useful in the body and what needs to be disposed. The Spleen moves the postnatal qi, which is the qi from food and drink, upward to be distributed throughout the body for nourishment. It works in harmony with the stomach.
The Stomach’s Role
The Stomach is known as one of the yang organs. It is an organ that is hollow and produces a way for things from the outside to make it into the body. The Stomach intensifies the digestion process to allow for the body to absorb the nutrients that are present in the food and drink that we ingest. While the spleen moves upward, the direction of the stomach is downward.
The Role of the Earth in our Bodies
Our Spleen and Stomach are both a part of the Earth element, but it is so much more than that. The different correspondences and the very nature of the Earth element exist in us and is a part of keeping us balanced. Each correspondence connects with one another and helps to keep the Earth element, and the Spleen and Stomach strong.
Modern medicine thinks of the spleen as an organ that can be removed if needed and basically not essential. It is viewed as an organ that cleans the blood by removing damaged red blood cells and microorganisms. The spleen is the largest organ of the lymphatic system and is important in our immune response. I see it as the ancients got it right, the spleen separates the clear from the turbid.
Merging of the Theories
There are different theories in TCM that merge at some point. For example, the theory of Yin and Yang is seen in the 5 elements. The Organ theory is also seen in the 5 elements. In this way the Spleen organ takes on the characteristics and functions that are evident in the Earth element.
The Earth’s Yin Organ
The Spleen, along with the Stomach, manages our postnatal essence and qi. Basically, these organs are where our food and outside nutrition are placed into the body’s cycle for living. Because of this, the Spleen manifests on the mouth and lips. There are many times where we can tell that we aren’t getting enough nutrition or water based on our mouth and lips. Our lips and mouth become dry, chapped and cracked.
We also see the effects of problems of our Spleen in our muscles (the body part of Earth). Our muscles are strong, developed and function well when the Spleen is in good health. Problems in the Spleen begin to show in the muscles as weakness, fatigue, being unable to hold things in place and dampness.
The Spleen dislikes dampness and a balanced body has minimal dampness. As imbalance and weakness in the Spleen occurs, dampness is present. This is one reason why the Spleen person dislikes Spring and Summer. Dampness becomes more present in the body as the muscles are unable to hold water within the vessels. Modern times sees this as edema in the body. Swelling in the legs, and just an overall “fluffiness.” So, a person with problems with their Spleen usually has extra water in the body.
Weakness of the Spleen
I have discussed different ways that the Spleen is seen with the Earth Element in the body and how it is shown. But I haven’t talked about what makes the Spleen weak. There are different ways for this to happen. You can be born with a weak prenatal essence or genetic condition that weakens the Spleen. Wood controls Earth through the 5-element theory and can cause excess stress on the organ.
Pensiveness, Thinking Yourself Sick
Pensiveness, or thinking, is the Earth element for emotion can strengthen the Spleen, but it also damages it when we overthink. Overthinking is a common occurrence in the modern world. Stressing about what has happened or what can happen can damage our organs. We do this all the time. Like when you have an exam or a big project deadline that is extremely important to you. What does your body feel like? A lot of times you lose your appetite and may develop nausea, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, or constipation from the stress. This is your Spleen being overworked through the emotion of overthinking according to TCM. Our Spleen and Stomach may become attacked by the outside world as well. What we eat and drink can be nutritious or poisonous.
Balance for Ourselves
My main point in talking about the Earth element is that when having balance there must be a center. That is the Earth. It is our home, and it is our world. We would not have trees, water, or metal without Earth. There is Fire in the universe, possibly even water and metals, but we have yet to find the combination to sustain life like we have on our Earth.
It is the same with the Spleen and the Stomach. These organs are the center of our body because we are unable to continue to thrive without them. We need nourishment to have the energy to live out our lives. That is the primary purpose of our bodies Earth element organs. Therefore, it is important to continue to live with thought. It is also important to remember that too much thought can lead to anxiety, depression, and not simply enjoying the lives that we are given.
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