The Five Elements.

In previous episodes we have talked about the Qi field and how it condenses down and creates the five bodies, from the most subtle to the most dense. To recap, those bodies are identified as the spiritual body, the mental body, the emotional body, the energetic body, and then the physical body. Then, the next concept to understand is the five “Wu,” or the fives phases. Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on what happens with energy when it is here in the physical realm. The five elements -- fire, earth, metal, water and wood -- represent different phases of energy and the focus is on the relationship between phases/elements and their effects on each other. This forms the basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine’s holistic understanding of maintaining health within our five bodies. 

In this episode you will hear:

• How the image of the Pentagram originated in China and then traveled to the Western culture where it was misunderstood by the Church. 

•  What the Five Phases means and how they correspond to the 5 elements. 

• A true definition of holistic systems thinking and how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a holistic medical system formed over thousands of years. 

• Some of the cross over between modern medical terms and TCM.

• The definition of health as stated by TCM.

• A quick nod to how organs relate within the Shen/Ko system, a very involved ecosystem where everything affects everything else.  This is why a problem in one organ system just like a problem in one of the five bodies will create a ripple effect of problems into other areas of the system.

• The unique nature of joy, which is not an emotion but an emanation of your spirit.

Quotes:

“The five elements are fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. This is an important concept, because this is what really lies behind Chinese medicine, as it is practiced in modern days. ” Candace Veach

“The five Wu, the five elements are seen as these five energies that are dancing together . . .  they're generating each other, and they're controlling each other. And so it's meant to be a harmonized dance.” - Candace Veach

“When anything goes out of balance, anywhere in this cycle, it has a cascade effect of knocking things out of balance..” - Candace Veach 

“The Chinese system is the oldest Holistic Health System on the planet. Now the word holistic gets thrown around a lot. So much so, that people don't really know what that word means - it has a clear definition. I've heard people tell me, oh, my doctor is holistic, he prescribes supplements. That's not what holistic means. Holistic is a word that is attached to the idea of systems thinking.” Candace Veach 

“And in the scientific way of thinking of things, you parse things down. It's called a reductionist method, you parse things down smaller and smaller and smaller, smaller, smaller, so that you're looking at the interactions of the cells.” Candave Veach 

“In a systems thinking model, in a holistic model, you're actually considering the entire system at the same time, and you're not concentrating on the individual pieces of the system, you're looking at how those different pieces of the system relate to one another. ” - Candace Veach 

“Joy is not an emotion.  It is a spiritual emanation that comes from within you, and exists on its own.   Emotions make sense . . . being joyful in this world is not logical. But you were born Joyful and your Spirit still carries that and can let it shine forth again“ - Candace Veach

Resources: 

Find Candace Veach online at her official website: http://www.onespiritofhealing.com/

Follow Candace on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candace_veach/

Candace Veach is board certified in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine and has been serving the Brentwood community in Los Angeles for over fifteen years.