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Description
Fractal thingys 590-594

The Wu Xing translates to the five phases, five steps, five movements or five agents. The term 5 elements was coined due to silimarities to the 5 elements in western systems. As a result they do not strictly relate to what a substance is made of (the elements earth, water, air and fire are more like solid, liquid, gas, plasma, so an object is made of any combination of the four). The five elements are closer to 5 flavones of energy.

The elements are arranged here is the cycle of creation, where one element gives birth to another. Normally wood is the first element in the cycle since wood represents the beginning of life and water the end (but I didn't like putting green next to red)

1) Wood provided fuel for Fire
2) Fire burns out and produces Earth (as ash)
3) Earth is compacted to make deposits of Metal
4) Metal provides a surface for condensation of Water
5) Water is needed and absorbed by Wood

This cycle is gentle, carefully creating energy while controlling the element doing the creating. Then there is the cycle of destruction where one elements destroys the essence of the other.

1) Fire melts Metal
2) Metal tools cut Wood
3) Wood send roots to exhaust Earth
4) Earth pollutes and dams Water
5) Water extinguishes Fire

Thes principles were used in Feng Shui. Since different elements were associated with different directions how a house or garden is organized is based off of this. For example the south is related to fire (remember that in the northern hemisphere the sun is in the south during winter) so fire energy enters the yard from the south. Placing a water feature in this region will destroy the fire energy ( a bad thing) and leave the garden deficient, while a stone feature (tiles, brick, rock garden) will soften the blow from the south if there is too much fire energy ( too much dries out the area). Then remember that shapes and colours are associated with different elements. So blue tiles might introduce water energy or a rounded sculpture brings metal energy (ev if it is made of glass).

They also associated the elements to organs to explain how they interacted with each other.

The four element system is generally more popular in media but occasionally a five element system appears in a movie or tv show. The movie "The Mummy 3, Rise of the Dragon Emperor" mentioned them (I watched the movie just because of that). Then Naruto (Japanes anime) uses earth, wind, fire, water and lightning as their 5 elements, which is essentially the same since wood is associated with wind and metal is associated with lightning.

The symbols I got out of my "Feng shui forthe garden" book.
Huo = fire
Tu = earth
Chin = metal (for the metal one though I used Jin which is a similar symbol)
Shui = water
Mu = wood

Description
Fractal thingys 590-594

The Wu Xing translates to the five phases, five steps, five movements or five agents. The term 5 elements was coined due to silimarities to the 5 elements in western systems. As a result they do not strictly relate to what a substance is made of (the elements earth, water, air and fire are more like solid, liquid, gas, plasma, so an object is made of any combination of the four). The five elements are closer to 5 flavones of energy.

The elements are arranged here is the cycle of creation, where one element gives birth to another. Normally wood is the first element in the cycle since wood represents the beginning of life and water the end (but I didn't like putting green next to red)

1) Wood provided fuel for Fire
2) Fire burns out and produces Earth (as ash)
3) Earth is compacted to make deposits of Metal
4) Metal provides a surface for condensation of Water
5) Water is needed and absorbed by Wood

This cycle is gentle, carefully creating energy while controlling the element doing the creating. Then there is the cycle of destruction where one elements destroys the essence of the other.

1) Fire melts Metal
2) Metal tools cut Wood
3) Wood send roots to exhaust Earth
4) Earth pollutes and dams Water
5) Water extinguishes Fire

Thes principles were used in Feng Shui. Since different elements were associated with different directions how a house or garden is organized is based off of this. For example the south is related to fire (remember that in the northern hemisphere the sun is in the south during winter) so fire energy enters the yard from the south. Placing a water feature in this region will destroy the fire energy ( a bad thing) and leave the garden deficient, while a stone feature (tiles, brick, rock garden) will soften the blow from the south if there is too much fire energy ( too much dries out the area). Then remember that shapes and colours are associated with different elements. So blue tiles might introduce water energy or a rounded sculpture brings metal energy (ev if it is made of glass).

They also associated the elements to organs to explain how they interacted with each other.

The four element system is generally more popular in media but occasionally a five element system appears in a movie or tv show. The movie "The Mummy 3, Rise of the Dragon Emperor" mentioned them (I watched the movie just because of that). Then Naruto (Japanes anime) uses earth, wind, fire, water and lightning as their 5 elements, which is essentially the same since wood is associated with wind and metal is associated with lightning.

The symbols I got out of my "Feng shui forthe garden" book.
Huo = fire
Tu = earth
Chin = metal (for the metal one though I used Jin which is a similar symbol)
Shui = water
Mu = wood