Five Element Theory

Five Element Theory
Five element theory is used in the traditions of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Working within this ancient blueprint, my work concentrates on the interconnectedness of these five elements--Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water--and seeks to balance them as they are found in nature and the human body.

[These paintings comprise a Five Element Series and are representative of the five elements. These works and others can be seen in greater detail using this link: www.ellenwertheim-arts.com.]

Spring is the time of Wood, with its surging, upright energy of growth and rebirth; a time when nature reinvents itself. Following winter we welcome the color green, warming winds, and creativity.

In the traditions of Chinese Medicine, the Wood element governs our emotions and intuition. Wood is energetically related to the liver, opening our eyes and envisioning a plan and direction; and to the gallbladder that supports this process by helping us make decisions wisely. There is vitality and impatience during this time of year, and an eagerness to begin new projects. It is a time of great change.

Fire is the expansive energy of heat, and upward and
outward movement. It is the emotion of joy and the sound of laughter. It is the heart--red--and its season is summer.

Nourished by the Wood element of spring, Fire now in turn supports the coming period of late summer and harvest; the Earth element.

Earth is considered the “fifth season,” a turning point from the hot, active time of summer into a more cooling time. The element is centered and still, and its colors are rich in yellows, gold and orange.

This period of harvest and abundance on the lunar calendar is celebrated in many cultures with many traditions, foods, and beliefs. Yet there is considerable overlap: recognition of this period as a time of transformation, of reflection and introspection, of letting go, and of remembering those gone. With the abundance of the season's harvest, it is also a period of celebrating life.

Offering a colorful thanks to the sunlight as nights lengthen, the earth has been nourished by summer's fire and now in turn, feeds the coming deep fall season and the Metal element.

Metal, the next element in the cycle and the next painting in the Five Elements Series, corresponds to the autumn season. Metal is white or grey, organized and strong. In the tradition of Chinese Medicine, Metal relates to the lungs and large intestine, and its energy is characterized as turning inward and downward.

During this season trees drop their leaves eliminating what's no longer needed. This is a time of letting go and making room for newness as we take in autumn’s crisp, pure air. Metal, a “controller” of Wood, prepares us for the arrival of winter, represented by Water.

Water is the element of winter, a time of deep stillness. Nature’s frozen crust obscures the transformation taking place below: life, resting and waiting. Water supports the coming of spring and the greenness of Wood, the next element in the cycle.

Water is the essence of life, offering the power needed for birth, growth, and decay. It seeps to the darkest, deepest places, reminding us of our own mortality, providing our instincts for survival, and helping us to move forward. The energy of the kidneys--known in Chinese Medicine as the “gate to vitality”--and the bladder serve us in these ways as well, governing the body’s water metabolism and the reception of air for energy as in our first breath, purifying by way of elimination, and stimulating hormone production to promote bone marrow growth deep within us.