My House is on Fire?

 

Fire

The Fire Element in 5 Element Acupuncture

I was in sixth grade and I remember very clearly. It was a Sunday night and I was getting ready for bed. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I clearly heard a voice, in my head. It asked, “What would you save if your house was on fire?” This stopped me mid-brush. “What would I save?” I thought. Before making a list of my most precious possessions, I shrugged it off as nonsense. All was well and I finished my bedtime preparations.I continued out of the bathroom to go get into my PJs and snuggle in for a nice sleep. My mom started screaming, my step-dad was running around like a madman. “The house is on fire!” What? Crap!

I snapped into action. “What should I save?” First thing, my dog Coco. I grabbed her and ran outside to the car putting her in safely out of harms way. Next I grabbed a bunch of clothes along with my cherished miniature general store. This was the one thing I remember my dad buying me on one of our Sunday visits. It was filled with miniature canned goods and meats made out of clay that looked real. I loved that store and still have it today over 40 years later. We all got out of the house safely, but the fire consumed much of the house that night.

Scorched

The next day, we returned to our charred home to dig through and see what we could salvage. I remember going through my underwear drawer, picking up items and smelling them. Each had a smoky, scorched smell that I could feel in the back of my throat. I lost everything accept what I saved in the rush of the fire. That scorched smell brings me back to that moment in time in an instant.

Scorched is the smell of the fire element. It can have a smell of something that has been burnt, a scorched and smoky.

In Five Element acupuncture, to properly diagnose a patient, I need to be aware of their presentation of Color, Sound, Smell, and Emotion. When I am able to see those pieces of the patient’s element, I am then guided as to how to best treat them.  Each of us has all five elements in us; Fire, Wood, Metal, Water, and Earth. What I am looking for in treating a patient is where is the imbalance.

The Fire Element

So today, I’d like to share more about the Fire Element.

The color of the fire element is red, but can also be ashen, which is the lack of red. [tweetthis]When the fire element is out of balance, there is a general absence of warmth and vitality, which comes from the fire element. [/tweetthis]The sound of the voice is laughing and the emotion is joy.

The season of fire is summer and it has a sense of lightness of spirit and sense of freedom after the hard work of the spring. There is time to enjoy this wonderful feeling and share it with friends. The energy with which we take from here will warm us for the whole of the year to come. Without this the rest of the year would be dark and spiritless. When love and joy are alive in us we reach out naturally to other people to share warmth and friendship with them.

Imbalance in the Fire Element

When there is a disturbance in the fire element, we should expect to see problems in how the body is heated inside and maintained in equilibrium with the outside world. When the element is weak, the whole body may be cooler, or just parts like the hands and feet. The opposite can also occur making the body hot and their face red as the excess heat is trapped inside.

When the element is weak, the flow will be poor or lukewarm which does nothing to encourage the bodily systems to work at their best. Everything inside will be dark and cold, and with no heat to disperse the dampness of the winter and spring, everything may stay waterlogged.

A fire element patient may talk about things in their life that should sound joyful, yet they don’t express joy when speaking about it. Or it might be the opposite, and they may talk about something very serious or sad and yet they speak lightly about it or laugh while talking about it.

The fire energy can get out of hand and may talk too quickly or border on hysterical. Or weak energy may leave the mind lackluster and weary, flat and uninspiring.

Taking Care of your Fire Element

There are many ways you can tend your fire element.

  1. Have fun daily. Even if it’s something small, enjoy the little things in life. Make fun a priority.
  2. Express compassion for others. Take time to listen and be present. This is a deep heart connection that the fire element needs.
  3. Do things your are passionate about. This could be yoga, dancing, going to a spiritual center, doing stand up comedy or singing while you cook. Find what interests you and enjoy that activity with all your heart.
  4. Get into your body and out of your head. That means move your body in some way that you enjoy.

Run, play, exercise, love. That will get your fire element going.

If you need help with any of this, I’m here to support and guide you. Have a great week.

 

Donna

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