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The Five Elements part 2
We gladly
write this article for the benefit of our students, many whom have requested
more material on the subject of the Five Elements to aid them in their studies of
the Four Pillars of Destiny and Feng Shui.
The Five Elements are Water, Wood,
Fire, Earth and Metal. They are considered to be the basic components of all
matter and events. They manifest themselves in shapes, colours and materials,
but are not confined only to physical objects as they are also the forces and
energies which are behind all events and abstract matter. The Five Elements are
central to the study of the Five Arts in Chinese Metaphysics. These Five
Elements are employed to aid the practitioner with his or her predictive power.
The identification of the Five Elements can be considered as giving “sight” to
the practitioner as the knowledge of these relationships allows him or her to
predict an outcome or event.
The Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics
are:-
The Art of Mountain.
This is the knowledge
of internal being. This includes the study of diet, healing and meditation
as well as the study of Dao philosophy and pugilistic exercises (Zi Kong,
Tai Chi Chuan). It also involves the use of talisman and charms.
The Art of Medicine is the study of
traditional medicine including mental and spiritual therapy. The diagnostic skill of the practitioner
lies in the ability to identify the Five Elements in relation to the body parts
which are then further divided into yin and yang organs.
The Art of Destiny involves the study of the
Luck and Fate of an individual based on the data of their birth. The
systems include The Four Pillars of Destiny (BaZi) and Zi Wei Dou Shu
(also known as the Purple Star Astrology System). This art also includes
date selection.
The year, month, day and hour of
birth of an individual are each represented by one of the Five Elements. By
analysing the interaction of the Five Elements the practitioner is able to
predict the ups and downs of one’s luck at any given time.
The Art of Divination is the skill in
forecasting. Methods include I Ching Divination, King Wen Way I Ching (six
yaos),
Plum Blossom I Ching, Qi Men Dun Jia Divination. The most popular method in use is I
Ching Divination. This method uses the interpretation of the Five Elements as represented
by both the image and the lines of the trigrams / hexagrams to answer the petitioner’s
question.
The Art of Form.
This is Geomancy (Di Li
Shue) or Feng Shui. The art of analysing the quality of energy surrounding
us through the observation of the external environment. The practice of
Face Readings and Palmistry comes under this Art form.
The art of Feng Shui employs the use
of the Five Elements to enhance the prosperous quality of a particular qi or to
debilitate the pernicious quality of a negative qi. Each sector, direction, qi,
star, object and material is seen as one of the Five Elements.
In face reading, the shape of the
face and each part of the face is represented by an element.
Below is a table of the Five
Elements and what they represent.
 
© Sallie Tsui Sien 2009. All rights reserved.
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