Everything that has been created, the macrocosm and the microcosm, has been achieved by the effect of the five elements. Speaking about elements we speak about the principles of elements as they will be described below and not about the elements themselves. They can be regarded as five fundamental energies interconnected, interacting at both megascale and microscale. In the Chinese system, these five patterns are represented as Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, forming the foundation of the Five Elements theory.

Esoteric systems from various cultures, such as the Chinese system, the Indian system, and Hermeticism, each offer unique perspectives on the mysteries of existence and personal transformation. For a parallel between these three systems read the article A parallel between the main esoteric systems.

The theory of five elements explains how things are connected according to the principle of Cause and Effect. They are in continuous dynamics and the most important relations between them are the generation (nourishing, growing) and control (restrains the energy) which will be described below.

The main principle of all metaphysical sciences is to always act in such a manner to bring balance between the energies, generation, and restriction of different elements. This is very important for the normal transformation of the five elements.

Each element has two opposite polarities called Yin and Yang. A few positive and a few negative characteristics can briefly describe each polar element. The resulting ten polar elements are also used to define people's characteristics.

To see how and in what proportion the energies of these elements affect your life in a particular way, it is enough to enter your date and time of birth in the BaZi Advisor Profiler.

The principles of elements

Wood principle: growing, strength, and flexibility

Yang Wood - Jia

Positive

stable
calm
direct
tenacious
strong
productive
independent
constant
good with numbers

Negative

stubborn
infelxible
conservative
rigid
tough
looks emotionless
resistant to change
adapts hard
weaknesses could become manias

Yin Wood - Yi

Positive

flexible
creative
communication qualities
charismatic
sophisticated
diplomats
meticulous
skillful
easily adaptive

Negative

can't be stable
influential
inconsistent
possessive
manipulators
vengeful
dependent
talkative
talkative

Fire principle: passion, dynamism, and expansivity

Yang Fire - Bing

Positive

passionate
independent
generous
friendly
vivacious
noble
charitable
just
warm

Negative

egotistical
quickly bored
jealous
avoid risks
conceited
lonely
superior
shallow
restless

Yin Fire - Ding

Positive

smart
recovers quickly
warm
innate leader
meticulous
friendly
good motivator
pettifogging
work well in teams

Negative

demotivate fast
greedy
dependent
unstable
rapid changeable
self-saboteur
suspicious
easily influenced
impulsive

Earth principle: balance, patience, and stability

Yang Earth - Wu

Positive

reliable
open-minded
honest
loyal
solidity
protective
strong
friendly in business
constant

Negative

lazy
secretive
slow
insensitive
inflexible
stubborn
noisy in private
taciturn
likes to postpone

Yin Earth - Ji

Positive

optimistic
good politicians
adaptable
practical creativity
has resources
helpful
flexible
organized
intuitive

Negative

inflexible
indecisive
slow
likes luxury
too idealistic
too pliant
unstable
selfish
stubborn

Metal principle: competence, control, and determination

Yang Metal - Geng

Positive

competitive
strong
focused
think tactically
responsible
tough
fast in decisions
tenacious
persevering

Negative

hurried
fear of failure
insulting
aggressive
impulsive
unforgiving
likes appearances
stubborn
prejudicial

Yin Metal - Xin

Positive

sophisticated
very charismatic
good relationships
can unite people
good instincts
quick mind
most loyal
cultured
pacifist

Negative

proud
loud
not very bold
domineering
moody
pushy
proud
enjoy appearance
superficiality

Water principle: wisdom, introspection, and flexibility

Yang Water - Ren

Positive

smart
adventurous
learn fast
flexible
mobile
active
brave
sociable
travels a lot

Negative

very emotional
too introverted
dual
temperamental
easily distracted
secretive
inattentive
reserved

Yin Water - Gui

Positive

spiritual
good teacher
mental leader
interest in metaphysics
does not discriminate
shrewd
loves risks
perceptive
philosopher

Negative

undecided
capricious
paranoid
anxious
unconscious
impulsive
money oriented
changeable
easily bored

Interactions between elements

There are three possible types of interactions between the 5 elements, each one generating a cycle as follows:

Production cycle

The first element is wood which burning generates fire which consumes and produces earth (ash) which the metal is extracted from and produces water by condensation which nurtures wood and the cycle is now completed

Consuming cycle

Wood is consuming the water which is nourishing it. By rusting it is consuming the metal which weakens the earth after extraction, this one is consuming fire which also consumes wood for burning. This cycle, also called the destruction cycle, is the reverse of the producing one.

Controlling cycle

The controlling cycle manifests as follows: wood stabilizes the earth which determines the water banks which in turn extinguishes the fire which is melting the metal that cut the wood.

An element is reinforced by the same element (support) or the element that produces it, it is weakened (consuming its energy) by the actions of controlling an element or producing an element, and it is annihilated by the element that is controlling it.

The interactions described above between elements are only the basic ones. Later on, during the Ba Zi study on this blog, we'll see how the interactions are influenced by the strength of elements (we'll also introduce this concept in the chapter Day Master, Elements Strength, And Favorability). We can learn about your Day Master, the strength of its element, and which are elements favorable to you on the Profile Analysis page, after introducing your birth date.

The five elements in Ba Zi

Chinese metaphysics tries to explain everything starting from the principles of the 5 elements. In the Destiny Chart, we look for harmony. Either lack or excess of elements is not desirable.

An ideal Destiny Chart is one where all the elements are present and there is balance and harmony between them. Neither the absence nor the excess of an element are desirable. Generally, when an element is missing from a chart, the individual's affinity with all the matters and people related to that element is non-existent.

In Ba Zi, there are 6 levels of strength: dead, trapped, weak, strong, prosperous, and prosperous (+).

The strengths of the elements are computed starting with the Day Master element, in a rather complicated manner, but they are primarily determined by the Season of Birth. The Season of the chart refers to the month of birth, and whether the month falls within the spring, summer, autumn, or winter seasons.

Example: During the spring season the Wood is prosperous because it is the season when nature becomes green again. The Wood produces very active Fire which then is considered strong. The wood is produced by the Water which in this case is consumed in excess and becomes weak. It controls the Earth and being prosperous the Earth is too strongly controlled and becomes dead. The wood is controlled by the Metal but in this case, it is too strong to be controlled and the Metal becomes trapped.

The favorability is determined according to the Day Master computed strength. A weak Day Master needs to be strengthened, a strong one needs to be weakened and a prosperous one needs to be controlled. The elements doing this are considered favorable and the others unfavorable. Based on the weakening, strengthening, and controlling cycles we determine which these elements are.

When an Element is strong and of good quality, the attributes, traits, and qualities associated with that element will exhibit themselves prominently in the person's actions, thoughts, and personality and the individual will utilize these attributes, traits, and qualities more frequently.

Are you curious about your Day Master and what are your favorable elements? Go to the page Profile Analysis and find out!