So how do you reconcile two cultures with 5 different Elements?
You have the Druid, Wiccan, Earth Religions:
Fire – Air – Earth – Water – Spirit
And you have Chinese Philosophy:
Fire – Metal – Earth – Water – Wood
1. Identify the differences:
Air – Spirit – Metal – Wood
2. Look at the root symbolism:
Air – Intentionality, focus through breath, air goes forth and moves the water, trees…
Spirit – Encompassing energy, living force, containing all elements and transcends…
Metal – Will, forged from fire and water, metal slices through to carry the mind forth…
Wood – Life, growth, the organic element interweaving through the others…
3. Look at the similarities:
Air – Fire & Water make Air, Intentionality, Wind of the Mind (breath)
Metal – Fire & Water forge Metal, Will is intentional, Sword of Mind
Spirit – Life force that unifes elements…
Wood – Life force that makes air, drinks water, eats earth, and gives to fire…
4. Note the differences:
In the Druid’s 5 Element model, Spirit is transcendent of the other Elements…
In the Chinese 5 Element model, Wood is equal to all other Elements…
Druids are referring to actual Physical elemental forms: solid, liquid, gaseous, etc…
Chinese are referring to vibrations of Energy, qualities of Chi (Life-Force)…
5. Reconcile:
If the Chinese are saying that these 5 Elements are qualities of a
Chi or Life-Force energy, than the Chi is “transcendent” to the 5
Elements, just like Spirit is transcendent to the 4 Physical Elements in
the Druid model. This means that if you look at each of these systems
side by side, the Druid model is a 4 Element + 1 Transcendent model of
Physical experience, whereas the Chinese model is a 5 Element + 1
Transcendent model of Emotional or Energetic experience.
6. Conclusion:
Druids – 5 System describing Physical experience
Chinese – 6 System describing Subtle, Emotional, or Energetic experience
7. Further Development:
Recognizing the Chinese system with a Spirit (Chi) element allows a
clear translation into understanding the full 8 Element Pakua Chinese
system. As two of the 8 Elements are Infinite (Heaven – Infinite Yang,
Earth – Infinite Yin), the 6 System can now display the actual
permutations and interactions between these two Infinite Polarities.
8. Final Model:
(completed after drawing above, Mountain & Earth
switched…also the Will, Love, Mind are referring to each of the
transcendent Trinities…final model below…for further translation of
Wood to Lake, and Spirit to Thunder, just ask!)
Druid 5
Fire – Air – Earth – Water – Spirit
Chinese 6
Fire – Metal – Earth – Water – Wood – Spirit
Chinese 8
Fire – Wind – Mountain – Water – Lake – Thunder – (Heaven) – (Earth)
