You and the Five Elements
According to Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, each person has a unique blend of the Five Elements within them. This blend largely determines many aspects of who you are as an individual, including your personality.
If you’ve ever had acupuncture at Yin Studio, you know that a treatment of Chinese Medicine is an exploration of self. The more you understand the elemental energies within you, the more you understand key questions about yourself, such as what nourishes your energy, and what makes you feel depleted.
In this blog, I’ll provide an overview of each of the Five Element personality archetypes. I also share a high-level overview of the Five Element Theory.
What Are The Five Elements?
In Chinese Medicine, the Five Elements represent the five unique energies that are present in all things throughout nature. These include Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth.
It’s easy to think of the Five Elements as exclusively tangible things that you can touch. For example, Water is a clear liquid that supports all life, right? Although that’s true, each of the Five Elements also represents archetypal energies. In other words, the Five Elements aren’t limited to the form that we typically know them as.
Each Element expresses itself differently depending on where it’s found. For example, the Wood Element expresses itself through trees, but it also manifests in your body organs, emotions, and in your personality.
Additionally, each of the Five Elements are constantly changing and transforming into one another. To understand how this happens, all you have to do is look at nature. In a forest, the rain (Water) allows trees (Wood) to grow and flourish. In turn, trees can become fuel for Fire, which causes ash to infuse the soil (Earth) with fresh and vital nutrients for rebirth.
Essentially, none of the Five Elements can exist without the others. They all rely on one another to perpetuate the circle of life. Similarly, each of the Five Element personality archetypes are important for communities and societies to flourish. By knowing your archetype, you become empowered to understand your gifts and the gifts of others more fully.
The Five Elements Personality Archetypes
Each of the Five Element personality archetypes has both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ qualities.
Knowing the positive qualities of each personality archetype helps you realize your own gifts. Understanding the challenging qualities of your personality archetype enables you to work with those energies in a skillful way so they don’t get the best of you.
Metal Element Personality Archetype
When I think of Metal Types I imagine a knight with a shiny sword. Metal Types are righteous, faithful, brave, and gallant. They’re intellectually sharp and this, combined with their tendency for self-discipline, can make them very successful. They like structure and tend to be organized and methodical.
Perfectionists in everything they do, Metal Types are highly creative and detail orientated. With their ability to “cut to the chase’, Metal Types are good at solving problems and make good lawyers, teachers, or counselors. Metal types have strong muscular bodies and broad shoulders and tend to have oval faces with widely set cheekbones and pale complexions. They often have straight hair. They are known for their fast metabolism and rarely have problems with their weight.
Metal Element personalities often have a gift of clarity. They know what they want and feel confident that they can make things happen. Often, this quality allows them to be great at planning, as well as leading other people. In addition, their clarity of vision enables them to set clear boundaries. If a Metal Element personality doesn’t want to do something, they’ll simply say, “No.” They won’t necessarily get angry or disrespectful, but they won’t go along with something that feels out of alignment.
Metal Element personalities are also generally pretty organized and clean. This goes along with the quality of vision because it reflects their intention for things to be a certain way. In many ways, this quality can serve them. However, it can also cause them to be overly perfectionistic, which can hurt both themselves and others.
The Metal Element is associated with the lungs and skin and so when out of balance Metal Types are prone to respiratory problems such as asthma and skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis.
The season of the Metal Element is Autumn and the emotion associated with this type is grief. Autumn is when we all start to slow down after the excitement of summer and Metal Types can seem insular, preferring a small group of close friends as opposed to being part of a large crowd. When out of balance the Metal Type can allow grief and past hurt to damage their present relationships. This can make it hard for them to form bonds with other people and they may end up replacing intimacy with material things. Additionally, since Metal Element personalities aren’t afraid to speak their mind, they can often hurt other people with their candid opinions or points of view.
Water Element Personality Archetype
Think of a river carving its course through a valley and you’ll understand the Water Element. Water Types are able to go with the flow but they also have a strong will and get things done. They are known for their determination and are often described as self-contained or self-sufficient. Unlike the Wood Types, who get things done by force, the Water Types are more adaptable and achieve their aims by determining the best path through a situation.
Water Types enjoy anonymity and are often introspective, making them somewhat enigmatic. As the old adage goes, “still waters run deep” and these people may seem to be wise beyond their years or quietly philosophical. The season of the Water Element is winter when quietness and stillness reign and the Water Types reflect this by seeking out solitude and tranquility.
Water types often have round faces and soft rounded bodies. They have large soft eyes and often have dark hair. If they are out of balance they are prone to dark rings under the eyes.
Like a deep ocean or river, Water Element personalities tend to look below the surface of what’s happening in the world around them. They’re exceptionally thoughtful and able to think about things that others often overlook.
This gift for inward depth often causes them to shy away from the noisiness of busy places. Instead of gravitating toward big social engagements, Water personalities feel most comfortable and fulfilled when they’re surrounded by a small group of close friends. For example, a Water Element person might choose to skip the party in favor of having a relaxing conversation with one or two friends at home.
While the Water Element is great at going inward, they often struggle when it comes to bringing their thoughts to fruition. This causes them to have a hard time taking action, even if they have great ideas that could benefit themselves and the world.
The organs associated with the Water Type are the Kidney and Bladder and if they are prone to urinary tract infections and water metabolism issues leading to swelling and edema. The Water element also governs the bones so Water Types can have sore joints and back problems. The emotion associated with water is fear and when out of balance the water type can be fearful, timid, and indecisive.
Wood Element Personality Archetype
To understand the wood type you only have to imagine a tree. Trees tend to compete aggressively with the other trees around them when growing and become steadfast and solid. Likewise, Wood Types are determined, Type A people who seek out challenges and do well under pressure. Competitive and adventurous they love novelty and movement. Spring is the season of the Wood type who is drawn this season’s new starts, growth, and possibilities.Wood Element personalities are visionaries with wild imaginations and volition to match. If they decide they want to do something, they do it, regardless of the challenges before them. This allows them to accomplish great things, even when others believe that what they’re doing isn’t possible.
Wood Types tend to have thin, lean bodies and move with grace. Their faces tend to be long and thin with a long nose, a broad high forehead, and slender cheeks.
They have a strong sense of purpose but can become driven and stressed when out of balance. This means that Wood Types can be irritable, frustrated, and impatient and suffer health problems such as PMS, high blood pressure, tight muscles, and headaches. Being wound up sometimes makes the Wood Type crave alcohol or other unhealthy ways to relieve stress.
Fire Element Personality Archetype
Imagine a roaring fire and you will have some idea of what kind of person is a Fire Type. They are energetic, passionate, dramatic, and have a tendency to be emotionally volatile. Fire types love to talk and are known for being eloquent and expressive although they can sometimes talk too much or too quickly. They are energetic, charismatic people who approach life with an enthusiasm that is infectious. They make great leaders because of their ability to “fire up” other people.
Willowy and well-proportioned with delicate hands and feet, fire people may have ruddy complexions and prominent cheekbones. They sometimes have red hair and freckles.
The season associated with the Fire Element is summer with all its fun and excitement. Like the summer, the emotion most associated with the Fire Type, when in balance, is joy and they create intimacy and connection easily.
The Fire Element personality archetype says “yes!” to life. They love to connect with others, participate in large social gatherings, and be the center of attention. They’re often kind, compassionate, and caring, which can make them very skilled when it comes to working with other people.
The joy and exuberance of the Fire Element personality can often be so infectious that it ‘pulls people up.’ In other words, if you’re having a bad day, the Fire Element’s enthusiasm may be able to help remind you of the beauty that the world has to offer.
While the Fire Element’s passion for life has many benefits, it’s not without its challenges. Often, Fire Element personalities can say “yes” to too many things. This can cause them to become overcommitted and scattered, leading them to neglect their own personal needs. When out of balance the Fire Type can get anxious and suffer from insomnia and palpitations. They’re prone to overheating and can suffer acne and skin rashes. Because the heart is the organ most associated with the fire element, they are also prone to circulatory problems.Earth Element Personality Archetype
Earth Element Personality Archetype
Think of a vegetable garden and you’ll have some idea of who the Earth Type is. They are nurturing, grounded, and practical people who enjoy nourishing others and are known for their reliability. Earth Types are drawn to harmony and like to feel connected to other people. They are compassionate and empathetic and often go into caring professions or use their skills to arbitrate disputes or negotiate agreements.
The season of the Earth Type is late summer with its harvest and bounty and they are often enthusiastic gardeners who love to grow their own food. They also enjoy home crafts such as cooking, knitting, or quilting. Likewise, they may express their love of nature by being environmentalists or working in conservation.
Earth people often have square faces with strong jaws and sallow complexions. Their features can be large, especially the mouth. Their bodies are often thickset or curvy.
Earth Element personalities have a gift for holding space for others. Typically, they’re nurturing, kind, fully authentic, and honest. Not surprisingly, these qualities can make them wonderful parents, partners, and friends.
Often, Earth Element personalities choose to serve others. Many great healers are rich in Earth Element, which gives them the natural ability to make others feel safe and secure.
Like the Fire Element, Earth Element personalities can overextend themselves. In relationships, they can sometimes identify too strongly as a caretaker, which can lead to codependent tendencies if left unchecked. When this happens, Earth Element personalities can forget to take care of their own needs, causing them to become depleted.
Earth types are thoughtful but when out of balance these thoughts can become obsessive and intrusive and can cause them to worry unnecessarily. Also, their wish to be needed sometimes leads Earth Types into codependent relationships or makes them give too much and become depleted. The organs associated with the Earth Element are the digestive organs so if they get run down they may have digestive problems, loose stools, fatigue, and food allergies. They can also crave carbohydrates and put on weight easily.
There’s plenty of good information on the internet but, if you have further questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. One concept that I’d like to touch on is that each element relates to the other four elements in such a way that it can be used to heal and balance them. This is why the elements are used therapeutically in Chinese medicine. So for instance water element foods tend to moisten and cool the body so they are particularly helpful for Fire Types who tend to be dry and overheated.
Book a holistic lifestyle consultation to discuss what your five elements personality is and how an imbalance in this element may be affecting your health.