Five Element Theory | Open Ground

Understanding Earth in Five Element Theory

by Violet Sherwood | Oct 4, 2020 | Five Element Theory

After the passionate energy of the fire element we move to the earth element. Earth is the element related to late summer; the time after the growth of spring and productivity of summer when we harvest the abundance of produce and begin to rest, nourish ourselves, and...

Understanding Fire in Five Element Theory

by Violet Sherwood | Sep 20, 2020 | Five Element Theory

From the bursting forth of new growth and aliveness in spring comes the ripeness and fullness of summer. Observing summer helps us understand the fire element in five element theory. Fire is associated with passion and spirit. Fire is represented by the bright red...

Taoist Cosmology and Five Element Theory

by Violet Sherwood | Sep 8, 2020 | Five Element Theory

In Taoist cosmology, first there was the tai chi, the oneness or great source. This gave birth to the opposite principles of yin and yang which, when aligned in the body, are known as the tai chi axis. From the balanced duality of yin and yang arose the five elements:...

Dyana Wells

Dyana has been a lifelong student of many disciplines. She has a BSc majoring in Botany and Zoology, MA (Hons) in Philosophy, MCW (Hons) in Creative Writing, Dip Yoga Therapy from Wellpark College, a Cert Counselling and, most recently, a Cert Art and Creativity.

Violet Sherwood

Dr Violet Sherwood is a psychotherapist, poet, author, and Qigong practitioner. Violet holds a PhD in imaginal psychology. In her psychotherapy practice she works primarily with grief-work, healing trauma, liberating creativity, and spiritual development.

Click to see full details about Dyana & Violet

Qigong

Qigong is an energy system developed in China between 4000 and 8000 years ago for strengthening and directing life force energy through the body. Ancient Chinese sages and healers observed the natural world, its cycles and seasons, the movements and habits of animals, and the elemental forces of sun, moon, stars, water, mountains, sky, earth and trees. They developed a system for moving energy in a synergistic flow with the rhythms of nature that proved to be an effective method of self-healing. In Chinese, Qigong is represented by an ideagram that combines two ideas – the concept of energy or breath, and the concept of skill or work. So, Qigong refers to skilful means of working with life-force energy, the energy in all living things. Working with our body’s meridians or energy lines, Qigong increases the healthy flow and distribution of life-force energy, thereby strengthening our vitality, boosting our immune system, calming our mind, and healing difficult states that arise from imbalances of energy.

Practising Qigong regularly helps us to feel alive, calm, alert, focused, relaxed and grounded. Through Qigong practice we cultivate and balance our life force energy for enhanced health, vitality and wellbeing.

Qigong uses flowing gentle movements to nourish and support the flow of energy through our body. Combining body, breath and mind within each movement, Qigong can be considered a form of moving meditation, combining all the benefits of a physical workout, cardiovascular exercise and meditation in one practice. As a result, Qigong may relieve or reduce stress, tension and pain. As the greater flow of qi balances our emotions we may feel a deep inner peace and relaxation. Integrating mind, breath and body in Qigong nourishes all our cells with vital life energies, clearing blockages or stagnation, strengthening weaknesses and reducing overstimulation or excess of energy. This has the effect of balancing our internal states naturally over time. … See the full introduction to Qigong and Five Element theory by Dr Violet Sherwood here.