The Five Elements are part of nature. By dividing reality or nature into Yin - Yang, heaven - earth - human being, cardinal directions and five elements, we attempt to understand the macrocosm of which we are part. In this sense, dividing reality into five means representing everything that exists in these five basic qualities.
- Wood What can be bent and straightened is sour, green, grows and develops.
- Fire What burns and rises is bitter, red and heats.
- Earth What allows sowing and harvesting is sweet, yellow, produces and transforms.
- Metal What can be molded and hardened is pungent, white, purifies and is solid.
- Water What moistens and descends is salty, black and cold.
Directions of movement
In nature, every phenomenon can take five different directions that correspond with the five elements.
- Wood Its movement is centrifugal, expansive, outward and in all directions.
- Fire Moves upward.
- Earth Symbolizes the point of reference of other movements, stability and neutrality.
- Metal Represents contraction, centripetal movement and inward.
- Water Descending.
Seasons
The annual solar cycle is divided into seasons, each one is related to one of the five elements.
- Wood Corresponds to Spring and the birth of things.
- Fire Is associated with Summer and growth.
- Earth The End of each season and the End of summer or "Summer Heat" is related to Earth and transformations.
- Metal Symbolizes Autumn and harvest.
- Water Winter is the period of storage.
The period associated with Earth is 18 days at the end of each season. It is the neutral point or dynamic equilibrium between seasons, it is the period in which the celestial energies return to the earth and exceed it.