THE FIVE ELEMENTS is the doctrine of the five elements and originates from Chinese philosophy. It is a way to e.g. look at our body constitution/personality and relationship to our surroundings. On the inside, we are made up of five pairs of organs/elements that must work together in an energizing and flowing cycle.
THE EARTH ELEMENT
Earth is the element that integrates the other elements, balancing them and making them work smoothly with each other. Earth is focused on completion. That things reach their natural climax. It is the element which, in its balanced form, is aimed at harmony and balance.
Organs: Stomach and spleen
Color: yellow, brown
Season: late summer
Negative emotion: worries and concerns
Positive feeling: balance and harmony
Mental focus: purification and energy to create inner balance.
The earth element is connected to the stomach and spleen and stands for the calm and harmony within us. The physiological function of the stomach is to break down and finely distribute the food with stomach acid so that it is transported further through the intestine. The spleen's most important tasks are to break down red and white blood cells and to form white blood cells for our immune system.
Spiritually, the earth element needs to be in balance so that worries can be dispelled and deep contact with intuition can prevail.
If you have an imbalance in the spleen, you can feel depressed, sluggish, heavy in the body, pale, tired, and have colds often. You get hormonal imbalances, you get a sweet tooth, a bloated stomach, menstrual problems. You are often stressed and the more you ponder, the more imbalance you get in the spleen's meridian path.
The strength of the earth element is being able to be close to and support others, as well as being able to break down large amounts of information and extract the most important. When the Earth element is in balance, we are harmonious and have the ability to concentrate, think, study and remember.
How can you eat to strengthen your spleen's energy pathway?
Avoid cold, raw and frozen food, eat cooked organic vegetables, root vegetables, chicken, turkey and fish. Use warming spices such as ginger, cardamom, parsley and pepper. Take time to take care of yourself and practice saying NO 😉
As your earth element becomes stronger, the qi will return and you will feel better.
