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Along with the law of Yin and Yang ,
ancient Taoists observed a pattern of expression in nature that they interpreted as,
and called, the Five Elements. These elements, or energies, were described as fire,
earth, metal, water, and wood. As such, they were felt to be the prime energetic
building blocks from which all material substance in the phenomenal world is composed.
Based on Five Element Theory, each elemental force generates or creates the next element in a creative sequence.
For example:
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Water generates wood. Rain nourishes a tree.
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Wood generates fire. Burning wood generates fire.
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Fire generates earth. Ash is created from the fire.
- Earth generates metal. Metal is mined from earth.
- Metal generates water. Water condenses on metal.
Fire is the primary creative force of life. The positive movement between the Five Elements,
what is called the Creative Cycle begins with fire. It is dominant Yang and represents warmth,
light, and the initial spark of life. It in turn leads to earth. Earth represents all that we think of as substantial,
enduring, and persevering. Next comes metal. People often ask "Where's the air element?" In the Taoist view,
the metal element is very similar to air. It includes the lungs as its organ, but ingeneral represents the process of
transforming something that is base and impure into something that is pure and strong. An example is that of forging iron into steel.
The next element is water which is archetypal Yin . It is all that is soft, fluid, and continuous.
Last is wood who's image is that of the blade of grass or the bamboo shoot. It represents suppleness
and the ability to yield well in the face of force or aggression.
It completes the elemental cycle and in turn reconnects back to the point of origin, fire.
The traits of the five elements, metal, wood, fire, water and Earth,
impact the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals by assigning different traits to them.
Because each chinese zodiac animal represents one of twelve Chinese Zodiac year(the 12 branches),
assigning one of the five elements to each of the twelve years actually creates 60 different combinations.
Rather than operating in 12-year cycles, the Chinese Zodiac is actually based on a system of 60-year cycles.
for example, -
people who were born in 1988 is earth Dragon,
- people who were born in 1976 is fire Dragon,
- people who were born in 1964 is wood Dragon,
- people who were born in 1952 is water Dragon,
- people who were born in 1940 is metal Dragon.
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