The Classical Elements
In the times where mankind was only just starting to realise and begin to understand the world around them, people began to pull together ideas of the simple elements that are the building blocks of anything and everything. The classical elements that we know of are Air, Fire, Water and Earth. But these varied from each country and each religion. In the Western culture it was believed that there were 5 elements, with the fifth element named ‘Aether’, which in some religions was known to be the space in the universe further from our terrestrial sphere, it is believed to be where the Gods live and breathe, of pure essence, as seen from its translation ‘pure, fresh air’ or ‘clear sky’. This idea was from Greek Mythology but has also been the beliefs of other philosophies such as Hinduism and Buddhism. The four stated of matter were considered as exactly that, all matter, while the 5th element was considered as non-matter, material beyond the world.
The Chinese ‘Elements’
While the Western culture believed that the elements were simply different kinds of material that formed the basics of life, although many cultures shared this opinion, the Chinese belief had a small but very significant difference. They believed that these basics were not simply elements but very active forces or different types of energy that were constantly interacting and affecting each other. We can see this by the translation of our word ‘elements’ which is ‘Wu Xing’ which means ‘the five changes’ or ‘changing states of being’ due to the difference in meaning, Sinologists (the study of Chinese culture) cannot agree on one translation. By stating that each ‘element’ is a force portrays the idea that our world is very delicate and connected, that each action that happens in this world has a reaction, this is supported in many Chinese traditions, religions and rituals. These five movements were slightly different to that of the Western culture, they included; Wood 木,Fire 火, Earth 土, Metal 金 and Water 水 and they were associated with the early advances of medicine, astrology, martial arts and even military strategy. It is also thought that they were the original foundation of which we now know as the cardinal points. All this proving that these states were of great importance and influence in ancient China
The Cycles
Out of these elements, two cycles were constructed, which were believed to explain the process and change of anything and everything. In the outer ring which explains the generating interaction they are as follows;
- Wood feeds fire;
- Fire creates earth (ash);
- Earth bears metal;
- Metal collects water;
- Water nourishes wood.
And in the inner ring, the overcoming interactions
- Wood parts earth;
- Earth absorbs water;
- Water quenches fire;
- Fire melts metal;
- Metal chops wood.
The Five Elements and the Five Planets
Each element in the cycle represents many things, for example Metal is associated with autumn, old age, the colour white, the white tiger and the planet Venus. It is believed that the connection between the five elements and the planets are of most importance as the initial idea that there are five elements was derived from the fact that even in ancient times, five planets were recognized. This is astonishing still to believe that without all out latest technology mankind was able to see and distinguish the five closest planets. The Wood Planet (Jupiter); the Fire Planet (Mars); the Earth Planet (Saturn); the Metal Planet (Venus); and the Water Planet (Mercury).
Although there is still the great debate and the clash of religion and beliefs of what our world and what the world beyond consists of, it is fascinating to realise the vast knowledge and firm grip on truth people had so long ago, and how even today it plays a huge influence on not just science but everything and anything we do.
References
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