Energetic Summer according to traditional Chinese medicine’s (TCM’s) 5-Element Theory runs from May 6 to July 19. And out of all TCM seasons, it’s easy to understand why Fire is the element associated with Summer.
What Does the Element of Fire Represent?
The element of Fire represents heat and burning to the extreme. Maybe your skin responds to Summer’s element of Fire when it arrives. Your skin can overheat and lose much needed minerals from perspiration.
But if you’ve got skin on fire throughout all the TCM seasons—it’s red, irritated, sensitive, blotchy, allergic or overheated—you probably have the Fire skin condition. And PHYTO5’s Fire line is formulated specifically to bring these Fire skin conditions to balance.
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In Terms of Attributes, What Does the Element of Fire Represent?
Fire’s colors: red (yang energy color) and purple (yin energy color)
Fire’s taste: bitter
The direction of Fire: South
Fire’s voice quality: laughter
The smell of Fire: scorched
The obvious characteristics of Summer graphically show up in the fiery exuberant growth of plant life. In Summer’s great blossoming we see the results of sun, heat, warmth, expansion, increased light, and abundance.
Our radiant sun sends rays of light blazing down on us, enveloping us in a blanket of heat and warmth that penetrates our very core.
Of all TCM seasons, Summer’s intensity mirrors the powerful energy of the sun, illuminating the world in a golden glow that ignites passion and vitality in all living beings.
As we take in Summer heat, we can almost feel the sun awakening every cell of our bodies, infusing us with its transformative power. It’s unlike anything we experience in any of the other TCM seasons.
Evidence of Summer’s blossoming made possible by Fire’s attributes shows up in the gradual increase of sunlight each day. The lengthening of daylight hours signifies the earth's tilt towards the sun, allowing more sunlight to reach us each day.
This increase in sunlight plays a pivotal role in the blooming of flowers, growth of crops, and vitality of all living beings. More than in any other of the TCM seasons, we witness the power of Summer and radiant Fire and their ability to foster life and abundance.
What Does the Element of Fire Represent In Its Yin and Yang Energetic Expression?
Of all the elements of TCM seasons, Fire possesses the most yang energy (active, dynamic, overt). But within each of the five elements yin and yang energies express themselves in balance.
This means that even though Summer reveals joy, activity, outdoor life and excitement, it reveals its more introverted quiet side in its yin expression too.
Low lit oil lamps or red lamps flickering in the dark of night, the effulgent wafting fragrance of a warm Summer evening and the rest our heightened activity of the season demands… these are all examples of Summer’s yin side.
What Does the Element of Fire Represent in Emotional Terms?
In addition to skin conditions, each of the five elements in TCM’s seasons associates with one of five basic emotions.
Not only do we experience yin and yang energetic conditions in our skin, we feel both contrasts of yin and yang in our emotional state too.
Fire’s emotion is joy-in-balance.
If you feel joyless, your fundamental state of joy has obviously retreated into the shadows. This is yin energy expressed.
If you spout emotions of overly exuberant joy you’re out of emotional balance with the Fire element. You’re expressing too much yang energy in your emotion of fundamental joy.
In either case of imbalance, the Fire line brings joy into proper balance within and expression from you.
How can a skin care line can also help bring emotions into balance?
All PHYTO5 five element lines (TCM seasons: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) are quantum energetic. It’s this potency that makes emotion balancing as well as skin balancing possible.
And this incredible benefit of emotion balancing alongside skin condition balancing is completely unique to PHYTO5 skincare.
It’s easy to notices changes in our skin as it responds to the change of TCM seasons. But we might not notice our seasonal mood swings as readily.
Our attitudes also shift from season to season with more positive attitudes more evident during Summer and Fire when we’re in balance with the season. If we’re not in balance with Summer and Fire when they come, we might tend to take a more negative posture toward life.
If you feel very negative during this season, consider using the quantum energetic Fire line, not just for skin but for emotional balance.
What Does the Element of Fire Represent in the Fire Type Personality?
In the understanding of TCM seasons and the five elements, you’re considered a Fire Type if Fire is your predominant element.
Fire Types are lovers and protectors of the heart (Fire’s yin energy organ). Such Types are often driven to find love and intimacy while they let other important parts of their lives suffer.
When experiencing traumatic events Fire Types can also lose their emotional balance.
Fire personality traits and emotions may include:
love, both interpersonal and divine
open-heartedness
joie de vivre, joyfulness
happiness
generosity of spirit
warmth
playfulness
flirtatiousness
a compulsion to call attention to ourselves
passion
dynamism
reason
self-expression
optimistic
positive
enthusiasm
excitement
vanity
jealousy
frustration
Symptoms of imbalance with Fire include:
Expectation: true love
Stress response: loss of joy
Emotional perception: hurt
On the flip side, Fire traits show up physically and emotionally as:
excessive perspiration
rashes, hives, hot skin eruptions
sleep disturbances, insomnia
palpitations, irregular heartbeat
restless or explosive energy
inappropriate laughter
disaapointment as the logical outcome of an out-of-balance and immature approach to relationships.
If you express both healthy and balanced physical and psychological Fire characteristics throughout all the TCM seasons you’re a balanced Fire type personality.
You probably find success in life because you’re warm-hearted and generous.
You enjoy the many healing experiences of love, compassion, fun, joy, and pleasure. But you must remind yourself not to seek any reward of recognition or approval as you share your joy and laughter.
But like hot molten lava, uncontrolled or imbalanced Fire Types can be unpredictable and changeable. Like Fire itself, out-of-balance Fire Types can be chaotic and challenging to contain.
If you’re out-of-balance with Fire to the negative extreme, you might be overactive, combustible, overly energetic and animated. Your powerful emotional displays can burn and damage others.
What Does the Element of Fire Represent in the Physical Body?
In TCM seasons, every element also associates with a set of yin and yang organs.
Fire’s body organs are the heart (yin) and small intestines (yang).
A sustained imbalance of Fire energy in the heart can show up as heart attacks. And in the small intestines, imbalance might present as digestive problems.
For much more info. on this topic, read our in-depth article on Fire’s organs here.
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Sources:
Photo by Jez Timms (@jeztimms) at Unsplash
Moss, M.D., Charles A. Power of the Five Elements: The Chinese Medicine Path to Healthy Aging and Stress Resistance. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 2010. Print.