
Daoist philosophy suggests that everything in the universe is part of an unbroken whole, life arises from the interplay of opposites (yin and yang) and we can have a life of health and prosperity by observing nature and its natural cycles. When our bodies are in harmony with our surrounds, or nature ‘The Dao’, we are healthy and there is an abundant supply of qi, which is our life force that runs through an unseen network of meridians across the body. The flow of qi becomes depleted or blocked due to living outside of this natural state, by losing that connection with the Dao, when that harmony or balance is lost, this is when illness follows.
Summer is related to the Fire element, after the rapid, upward, and erratic growth of Spring, things are no longer growing but now celebrating their fullness; everything has reached its highest peak and nature begins to reach out to expand and encompass as much as it can. Â
Summer is our most Yang (warmth) season, it is a time of vibrant activity, outward movement, and expansion. We look to interact with others, get outdoors, seek adventure and do the things that give us the most joy to open our Heart centre. To balance out all the activity we also find space in peaceful rest in the sun. Our mind and spirit settle, allowing us to take in as much Yang energy as we can, to restore and keep us going when the cooler more Yin times return. The warmth of Summer allows us to fully celebrate life and its bounty and find peace in our heart.
There are Twelve Organs in Chinese Medicine philosophy, and they have functions beyond their physiological function, each organ is seen as an Official, with each having Ministerial roles and a set of functions that support the spirit, and body. The Heart is known as the Emperor; it sits at the throne and holds the Kingdom (body) together. When this organ and spirit is healthy, all its Ministers can take care of the business of running the kingdom harmoniously.
The Fire element uniquely, has four Organs and Meridians associated with it, instead of the normal two. The nature of the Heart, being essential to life and sensitive to disruptions, has three officials to protect and support it, the Small Intestine, Pericardium, and the San Jiao (also known as the Triple Heater). When the Heart is protected by the officials, who monitor the communications from the Heart to the world and the world back to the Heart, allow the heart and mind to be quiet and settled.
The Heart is the Yin Organ, the Emperor, when this is healthy, all the other organs work proficiently, but when it is not, the rest of the body will become impaired. It governs the blood and controls the blood vessels that service the body and its organs. It is also where the ‘Shen’ is housed; ‘Shen’ in Chinese philosophy means our spirit and mind, and being the most Yang spirit and the closest to the heavens, it relates to our consciousness and awareness, which resides in each one of us and connects us back to our original source.
The Small Intestine is the Yang organ, it is the defender and protector of the Heart, deciding what we let through and what we discard, being that it absorbs the nutrients from food (gu chi) and then passes the waste down onto the Large Intestine.
The other two meridians related to the Fire element are the Pericardium, it is like the castle wall, providing a barrier around the Heart to defend it from betrayal, hurt and shock. The San Jiao (Triple Heater) is like border security protecting the Heart, it regulates the transforming processes throughout the entire body, the three heaters being the circulation and movement of energy through the Three Jiao's of the body, lower, middle and upper.
Summer is as much for play as it is for relaxation, ensure there is still time made in the day to quieten the mind from all engaging and connecting, using breathing or mindful practices. It is also a time for engaging the senses, embracing the colours, sounds and fragrances of Summer, take the time to bask in the abundance of nature around you.Â
The fresh vegetables and luscious moist summer fruits are in abundance, whilst enjoying the social activities we can bond over the many beautiful flavours of Summer. This is the time of year, where more cooling foods are ok, and in TCM when salads are suggested. But ensure you still take the time to eat and chew your food to support the digestive function.
The taste associated to Fire is bitter, so try to regularly add bitter greens like endive, spinach, kale and Swiss chard. Red foods and foods that replicate the shape of a Heart are good for the Fire element. Lamb, venison, lettuce, dandelion and watercress, tomatoes, citrus peel, kumquats, apricots, sweet plums, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, peppers, hot chilies, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, wine, beer, coffee, tea, & dark chocolate.Â
When cooking foods try stir-frying, toasting or dehydrating and grazing plates are encouraged in the Summer, perfect for social engagements. Heat effects the Heart negatively, we need to drink lots of fresh water, as the heat pulls moisture from the pores (sweating), sweat is the fluid related to the Heart, and excessive sweating may cause the Heart Yang to rise.  Regular cardiovascular exercise is encouraged for the Fire element, but as the Heart is more vulnerable in the Summer, and heat is prevalent, be sure to manage your fitness and build gradually. Â
Chinese Medicine and Daoism has five spirits, these are our all aspects of our mind and soul, or our consciousness, each of them are associated with each of the five Yin organs of the body: the Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney and Liver. When the five spirits are in balance we vibrate with beauty and peace in line with the Dao and all that surrounds us, coming back to our most natural state.
The spirit associated with the Fire element and the Yin organ Heart is ‘Shen’ or our ‘Mind’, there is no distinction between Heart and Mind in ancient philosophy, unlike in the West where it is viewed as being the brain function. The Heart (through the mind) plays the most important role of coordinating and integrating the roles of the other Shen, Hun, Poh, Yi and Zhi. One of the most important characteristics of Chinese Medicine is the close integration of body and mind, which is highlighted by the integration of the three vital substances, Essence (Jing), Qi and Mind (Shen) known as the three treasures.
The Mind (Shen) is one of the three treasure or the vital substances of the body, it is the most subtle and non-material type of qi. The activity of the mind relies on the Essence and the Qi as its fundamental basis, thus if the essence and qi are strong and flourishing the mind is happy, alert and balanced. If the mind is disturbed by emotional stress, it can also affect the Qi and Essence. This is the defining aspect of the body and mind being integrated in our health and wellbeing.
The Heart occupies a central role in the psychic sphere because it houses the Mind that is responsible for consciousness, our sense of identity, thinking, perceiving and for our emotional life. It is affected by all emotions because the mind feels these emotions. All emotional disorders require the Heart to be rebalanced.
Regarding emotions, only the mind (and therefore the Heart) can feel them. Whilst they directly affect all the other organs too, it is only the mind that can feel and assess them. Shen is the activity of thinking, consciousness, self-identity, insight and memory, all of which depend on and reside in the Heart. When Shen is settled and protected the Shen resides quietly. Shen is easily disturbed by shock or trauma, causing it to fly away like a flock of birds. When lost we may feel apathetic, depressed and separated from the world. Seen by others as emptiness and lifelessness in the eyes. The opposite disturbance can be hyper-excitement, "False joy", ungrounded and unreal, resulting in insomnia, restless activity, uncontrolled speech and mania.
The emotion for the Fire element is Joy – Joy is also expansive like Fire. Joy is always expressed as a positive emotion but if we find we seek Joy and avoid thinking of things that may bring our mood down, there may be an imbalance in our Fire element as well. It is also imbalanced when we are experiencing moments in life where there should be joy present and its absent. Emotions are to be experienced like the tides coming and going, we should never hang onto any emotion or cling to it.Â
Love – there is universal agreement it is always associated with the Heart. Whatever kind of love we are referring it is always expressed and perceived by the Heart centre. A warm expansive feeling in the chest. Directly relating the fact, the Heart is the primary organ of the Fire Element – the extent in which we can feel love, receiving love, give love or express love all indicates the health of our Fire.
When we lack connection or openness in our hearts – we become full of useless desires. When we are in harmony with all that is around us and share in the infinite beauty of all that it is and remain open to receive the wisdom of all that is brought to us, we can touch those things beyond ourselves and this gives us much joy in the heart, which this fullness can then expand and be shared with others. Filled with love and joy, we are in balance and harmony with the Dao, that can lead us on our true path.
In the West the eyes are referred to as the windows of the soul, in TCM they reflect the heart-mind.
The quality of the Shen is seen in the eyes – when healthy the eyes are alive and make intimate contact with the world, whilst remaining in contact with oneself.
The sound of Fire element is laughter – laughter comes from the Heart and is the expression of our good feelings. When we remain flexible and empty, we can be moved by the constant delight of change.Â
Consistent with the nature of the Fire element, laughter fizzes up and burst out unexpectedly with explosiveness. The laughing voice also carries the emotion of joy.
The Fire element is closely related to relationships with others – the most common way to connect is through speech. Speech is the sense of the Fire element and the tongue its sense organ, and for its use in tasting, but how we communicate our feelings of the heart and the mind. The Five senses in the West are hearing (water element), sight (wood element), taste (Earth element), smell (metal element) and touch. But speech is allocated to the Fire element and not touch, however the sense of touch is dependent on the Heart/Mind as it is responsible for the cognition of these external sensations. Touch vibrationally aligns with the Fire element as it is the primary component of all relationships, handshakes to hugs. The Fire elements channels all run along the arms and hands, our medium for sensing the world and communicating feelings of the Heart.
When the Fire element is out of balance speech disorders can occur, such as stuttering which is often caused by anxiety, stress or shock. As well as the Fire imbalance at the other end of the scale is overabundance of speech, which comes at speed and often bounces around from subject to subject with chaos that is exhausting for a listener.
The warmth of Summer allows us to fully celebrate life and its bounty and find peace in our heart. Our hearts should be filled with enjoyment, joy and laughter whilst relaxing in the outdoors taking in the many fragrances and colours and celebrate time with our friends and families with playfulness.
Trust your intuition, the Heart rules understanding and intelligence, when we know something in our heart, we connect to a deeper part of our being, try to engage this and listen to your inner voice.
Life should be lived with balance, vitality, love and the belief that our heart knows exactly the right path to take on our journey.
References
Kirkwood, J. (2016) The way of the five elements. London, UK: Singing Dragon.
Maciocia, G. (2012) The foundations of chinese medicine. 2nd edn. Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier Limited.
Comments