“I found a new favorite hobby, career, or art project that I am in love with! Wait. What is this? Did you see that? I have an idea that I feel deeply about. What is that shiny thing over there? I am passionate. I am Fire.
Sometimes I get a million ideas, I feel excited, top of the world, and want to talk to anyone who will listen about what life changing things I have planned. And other times, like right now as I am writing this, I feel unfocused, distracted, a bit anxious (What if you all hate this), and I can’t seem to pull an idea together.
Seems appropriate that I am writing about the Fire element this month!
How do you know if you tend towards the Fire Element:
- Are you creative? Have lots of ideas?
- Do you laugh easily?
- Can you become easily excited, sometimes too excited?
- Does your body tend to feel warm? Do you have high cheekbones?
- Can you get anxious? Loose Focus? Feel warm? Have trouble sleeping because you are so restless?
As we wrote about last month when we introduced the 5 elements, 5 Element theory is thousands of years old, and is used to try to make sense of the world, ourselves, and the people and things around us. Read more about it Here.
Most of us tend to be one or two elements, but all of us will have a bit of every element in ourselves. By understanding and easily identifying the characteristics in yourself and others – you can learn how to keep a healthy energy nourished and not let it rage out of control.
Learn How to Manage Fire
Are you a Fire element person? Maybe you are in relationship with, or are parenting someone who has a lot of Fire qualities (my daughter is pure fire … love that messy, creative, joy filled, sometimes anxious kid).
Using 5 Element theory, you can know how to nourish and build your Fire energy, what may be causing it to be drained, and what helps it stay in healthy control, (ask my daughter, knowing how to manage your fire works!)
How to keep Fire in Harmony / Cycles of Balance and Imbalance,
Generating/Draining and Controlling Cycles Sweetly referred to as the parent – child relationship (Generating / Draining cycle), or the grandparent-grandchild relationship (Controlling cycle). If you are feeling drained and run down you can either ask your parents for support, or take a break from nourishing your own child. And if you are out of control, ask the grandparents to bring things back into order.
In the case of Fire, Wood is the parent and Earth is the child. Makes sense, right? Build up a fire by putting on more wood, the ashes from the Fire become the earth. Water is the grandparent, or controller of Fire. When Fire is out of control we want to bring it down with water.
By engaging in activities or behaviors we associate with the Wood element, the Fire element will be nourished. By taking a break from activities we associate with the Earth element, we can help the Fire become replenished. By bringing in activities and behaviors we associate with the Water element, we can bring an out of control Fire back to a healthy state.
- Wood loves growth, goals, being in nature, and achievement.
- Earth loves caretaking, nourishing, thinking, and tends to be still.
- Water is about mystery, unplanned and can be summed up as ‘nothing really matters in the end’
For the tired Fire: (craving more creativity, need ideas, want to feel passionate about life)
- Spend time in the woods
- Set a goal or two, and get them scheduled. Sign up for a 5K, learn to make a souffle and schedule the dinner date, decide to walk every street in the city of Minneapolis – I am looking at you Fran.
- Hang out with your high achieving friends and see if you feel inspired and can reignite your creativity.
For the hot Fire (can’t focus, restless, anxious)
- Get some help if you are caretaking others
- Get moving: take a walk, do a workout, get on your bike
- Spend time near water, in water, or in darkness
- Take some time to meditate
- Give yourself some unstructured ‘who cares’ time.
Try these ideas out for yourself. Or, if you have a Fire person in your life, use these tools to help support them. My own little Fire child has grown up and feeds her creativity, ideas, art, and joyful nature by making her home near water and woods.
If you are interested in learning more about the Fire element, or the 5 Elements in general, let us know. We may be offering a class where we can dive deeper in the near future!
And if you want more support, we are here to help you. Happy summer, and enjoy the Fire season.
Julie