Now as we recognize how everything in nature act in response to four seasons, which is describled by five movements model, it’s the time we explain the role of the Earth.
The role of the Earth will be better understood when it is located in the centre. Fire represents the nature force that go upward, while Metal represents the nature force that go downward, and it is the Earth that transit and convert the upward force to the downward force. This converting power of the Mother Earth also exists between the transitions of 3 other seasons (at the last 18 days of each season) and everywhere. Exactly as the Mother Earth nourish and breed us humbly and ubiquitously, the converting power is all-pervading. And in our body’s organs, this power and its function is represented as spleen (the organs’ correlation will be analysed in next chapter).
Wuxing are balanced due to the “生sheng” promoting power and the “克 Ke” controlling power. Again, the nature phenomena that the metal instruments can cut down the wood, the wood/plants can break though the soil/earth, the fire can smelt metal, earth can fill up the water and water can quench the fire is a rigid understanding of the “克Ke” correlations. The “克Ke” correlations are normal and necessary one in term of physiology in order to make a balance, however, will became a pathologic power if a given movement are too strong, and override the next one and reach the second one directly. Such as, it’s supposed to be cool in autumn, however if the “收 shou” force over contains and the autumn becomes as cold as winter, then the “生sheng” /grow force in spring will be abnormal. As for our bodies, if the “收 shou”/containing movement goes too much, then we will have a disordered “生sheng”/ growing movement. Such as, if the containing force of the blood vessel is too strong, then running power of the blood will be disorder, and we probably will have a high blood pressure, which always happen when we feel very nervous.
This’s how the stunning Yinyang Wuxing modality encompasses and explains all things in universe. We will have more enlightenments, insights, as well as fun when we classify all things by this Classifying modalitys, which is named “格物 Gewu” in Chinese. In next chapter, be ready to burn more brain cells!
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