The energy of summer is yang within yang
Winter was yin within yin
Spring is yin within yang
Autumn is yang within yin
In winter we rest, which is yin, but we also seek out warmth and yang energy. Our goal is still to maintain the balance of yin and yang in the body, so we seek fire, warmth, connection. A bright red berry in a snowy landscape is a beautiful image to understand this balance. The berry is small, but it is intense and bright and fiery.
Resting fire is the yin side to fire. Fire cannot blaze forever. Fire burns bright then rests. The glow is still present, the heat is still present, but the flame has gone underground, so to speak.
Fire is about connection and intimacy. Intimacy shows us that the fiery connection doesn’t need to be expansive, it can be located to one person or a small group. Healthy intimacy is healthy fire just as dancing at a rave can be healthy fire. Fire does not necessarily discriminate where it burns. Fire does, however, protect itself.
In Summer we are vulnerable and exposed. Therefore, in summer we should seek cooling foods, rest in the shade, swim in cool water, and play.
Playfulness is a very important aspect of fire. Without play, there can be no true experience. Play nourishes our bodies and yin energy. We play freely, vulnerably, and with experimentation in seeking experience. When we do this, we will sleep well, and we will set ourselves up for a peaceful earth season of late summer and metal season of autumn.
Nourish the yin by staying hydrated with fresh fruits and water, don’t overexpose yourself to the sun, don’t weigh yourself down with heavy foods. Most importantly, have fun and feel the joy.
The pericardium is the physical aspect of the heart. The heart itself is spirit and without form, it is emptiness that is golden.
The pericardium, also called the heart protector, is responsible for the flow of connective fire energy in the body and spirit. The pericardium is responsible for circulation, for excitement, for connection. Sometimes the heart protector is also called the “circulation sex meridian”.
It is important for fire to be vulnerable. Without vulnerability, fire will not have enough oxygen or space to rise. If the fire is too vulnerable, it gets out of control and burns too quick.
The heart protector is there to keep the healthy balance of protection and vulnerability. Like a lamp shade, you want the light to shine clearly through, but you don’t want it to block the light.
If we turn the light around, we can see ourselves more clearly as we see a lover.
If we see ourselves with the light of the heart, the neurosis of overthinking can melt away, and our love can be simple and clear.
This same light can be shown on others. We see others just as they are, without embellishment or distortion.
When we are connected with our healthy fire, we are naturally embodied. Like a flame we rise and we fall. Our emotions become elated, and then fall into emptiness. Emptiness and elation are both aspects of fire.
Thinking does not lead to a healthy fire. Thinking is the emotion of the earth element. Earth does not feed fire, fire rather feeds earth. In 5 element theory, fire is the mother of earth. We see this in nature with wildfires nourishing the earth, or with volcanoes literally spawning islands. In ourselves “fire is the mother of earth” means that thought cannot lead us to the expression of fire, but rather expressing our fire, living life, being spontaneous is the only way to spawn a healthy earth.
False fire is like counting your eggs before they hatch. Hatching from an egg is a very fiery action. It is spontaneous and care free. There is no way of knowing what is on the other side of the safety of the shell. What we do know is that we have no other option but to live as our true selves. If we don’t, we will remain trapped in an eggshell.
The vulnerability of leaving our shell is inherent. We cannot think ourselves into knowing what will happen.
In the modern world and religions, true fire energy is demonized and then replaced with a fake fire.
We prioritize neurotic planning over freedom. We prioritize overbearing safety over vulnerability. We dampen our fire with fear, overthinking, and the safety of certainty. There can be no certainty in fire, only knowing oneself.
Because we have not stoked our flame in a healthy way, the result is artificial means of fire. One such mean is the daily consumption of coffee, which stimulates the physiological effects of fire energy.
All of these methods siphon the yin energy of fire, which is our ability to rest in the glow of embers. False yang fire is not fire born of self love and wisdom, but fire fueled by lighter fluid, that quickly goes out and harms our constitutional ability to sustain organic fire.
If we do not engage with the spontaneous joyful energy of fire, something nefarious will take its place. In politics, if we negate the exciting energy of youth in favor of dry, old “experienced” energy, then what happens is that a despot takes over. A demagogue can at least mimic the care free energy of fire that the other side is downplaying and disregarding. If we downplay and disregard our own fire energy, then a neurotic and false energy may take its place.
It is ok for fire to be all consuming, it is actually brilliant and beautiful when this happens. Obviously, an all consuming fire should not be a daily occurrence. The forest needs a blazing inferno every few years in order to renew itself. A healthy fire will at times rise to this occasion. However, a balanced fire can be sustained and renewed over and over.
Just as the redness rises to the skin with blushing, it then retreats just as quickly as it came.
When diagnosing a fire element type, we look for the rise and fall of redness.
Fire types can sometimes feel that they need to be constantly in the “party mode” of rising fire. People may not understand that fire needs to rest. It is important to understand ourselves, and with fire we need to allow the empty resting glow that comes after the flame.
Fire corresponds to the time of life from early adulthood until around 40-50. This is a time of gaining experience. We cannot force ourselves to have wisdom of experience without going through the mistakes and turmoil of this time. There can also be no harvest without “putting ourselves out there” so to speak.
Whatever the case may be, each season of the year, every year, provides us with the opportunity to heal that season and element within us. If we had a tough adolescence, then each spring is the opportunity to empower and heal the trauma in that element, and so on.
