The Fire Element
Heart/Small Intestine
Heart Protector/Tripple Heater
In nature, fire is very powerful, bringing warmth and energy to the humans, plants, and animals. The discovery of fire was one of the factors in the evolution of human beings. The warmth of the sun and fire brings relaxation, peace, love, sharing, community lasts through out the day and evening and the year.
In nature, when fire or heat gets either out of control or deficient, immense damage can take place, effecting the survival of the humans, plants and animals. For example, forest Fires can destroy numerous plants, animals, humans lives and homes. On the other hand, a lack of warmth and sun can cause crops to fail effecting the fall and winter survival.
In the theory of Classical Five Element Acupuncture the Fire Element also symbolizes our hopes and dreams for the future coming to fruition and becoming real. In this time of dreams realized, all we need to do is to be present and watch everything unfold from all the hard work we did in the creation process. Much like watching the seeds and plants we tend to in the spring come to fruition in the summer.
The Fire Element gives us the power of love, passion, relationship, the ability to have fun, enthusiasm, intelligence, clear thought, physical warmth and heat to transform and transport the Qi and Energy in our bodies. The four diagnostic traits of an imbalance in the Fire Element are a red or ashen color around the eyes, a laughing or lack of laughing sound of voice, a scorched odor, and an emotion of too much joy or lack of joy. The four officials of the Fire Element are Heart, Small Intestine, Circulation Sex (Heart Protector) and the Triple Heater.
The Heart Official or Supreme Controller is responsible the order and control of the other officials in the body. The heart is responsible for the production blood and the force that is needed to distribute blood through out the body. It is responsible for setting limits and boundaries, prioritizing tasks, and mediation communicating via the blood of which the heart governs. When the heart is healthy there is a sense of joy, enthusiasm in the person and his or her officials. The heart houses the Shen or spirit described as self awareness, self reflection, art, morality, purpose, and values that foster the human experience of authenticity and personal meaning. (Web that Has No Weaver, Ted Kaptchuk, O.M.D.)
When the Heart is out of balance, the other officials begin to fall sick because of the lack of the Heart’s guidance, order, and regulation or because they give up their tasks for the over-controlling heart to take care of. Some physical and mental symptoms of the Heart being sick are panic attacks, apprehension, deep depression, angina, and cardiac arrest.
Paired with the Heart is the Small Intestine Official of which is responsible for separating the pure and impure of Qi from our physical diet and values and information of our mental experiences and awareness. A healthy Small Intestine can extract nutrients from the most processed foods you can eat and find the goodness and lessons in the ugliest of things and experiences. It is responsible for finding the pure essence in all things distinguishing good from evil. A weak Small Intestine can lead to toxins accumulating in the body, causing skin problems, swellings, arthritis, and coagulated blood caused by the accumulation of impurities in the body. It could also lead to a lack of ability to understand and sort out information, the lack of ability to articulate, having impure thoughts, fetishes, and the lack of ability to distinguish good and evil. Confusion, depression, and anxiety result from veils of impurity. Lastly, problems in the shoulder, elbow, and ear may arise from blockages of the excess impurities along the channel.
The next official of the Fire Element is the Circulation Sex Official or Heart Protector. This official protects the Heart from physical, mental and spiritual traumas, shocks, and injuries. It is also responsible for arterial and venous circulation, and sexual secretions. The Heart Protector takes the blows of both accidental and deliberate injuries through giving love, compassion, and kindness. It is responsible for providing connections of spirit from person to person, person to nature, and to ones connection through out their own body via veins and arteries.
A sick Heart Protector can lead to person being either over protective, not letting any love and warmth in or out, leading to joylessness, grudging, intolerance, hatred or desperate loneliness. A sick Heart Protector can also be under protective, leaving the heart vulnerable to emotional and physical battering. Physical symptoms stemming from this official’s sickness can be cold hands and feet from lack of circulation, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, arteriosclerosis, Reynaud’s disease, frigidity or impotence due to lack of sexual secretion flow, or perverted sexual expression from too much flow.
The last of the four officials of is the Triple Heater of which is Heart Protectors pair. The Triple Heater is responsible for circulating Qi( Vital Energy), Blood, and Fluids, harmonizing of the digestion of liquid and solid food, and for maintaining an even temperature and balance of heat between the three jiao or burners. Physical symptoms of a sick Triple heater can lead to hot and cold flashes, alternating chills and fever, cold extremities, red face or neck, blue lips, stiffness, or stabbing pains due to cold. Some emotional and mental symptoms of an imbalanced Triple Heater could be oscillating between enthusiasm and indifference, excitement and boredom, and inability of keeping an appropriate balance and relationship to people and nature around us leading to unsatisfactory relationships.
In conclusion, each official of their Fire Element plays their perfect part in keeping love and warmth in the body. The Heart controls and rules the other officials of the body, the Small Intestine separates the pure from the impure, the Heart Protector gives the power of self protection and the Triple Heater gives the power of self regulation. The Fire Element and its officials are responsible for warmth and power we have in our internal and external environments.
References: Worsley, J.R., The Five Elements and the Officials, J.R. and J.B. Worsley. 1998.
In nature, when fire or heat gets either out of control or deficient, immense damage can take place, effecting the survival of the humans, plants and animals. For example, forest Fires can destroy numerous plants, animals, humans lives and homes. On the other hand, a lack of warmth and sun can cause crops to fail effecting the fall and winter survival.
In the theory of Classical Five Element Acupuncture the Fire Element also symbolizes our hopes and dreams for the future coming to fruition and becoming real. In this time of dreams realized, all we need to do is to be present and watch everything unfold from all the hard work we did in the creation process. Much like watching the seeds and plants we tend to in the spring come to fruition in the summer.
The Fire Element gives us the power of love, passion, relationship, the ability to have fun, enthusiasm, intelligence, clear thought, physical warmth and heat to transform and transport the Qi and Energy in our bodies. The four diagnostic traits of an imbalance in the Fire Element are a red or ashen color around the eyes, a laughing or lack of laughing sound of voice, a scorched odor, and an emotion of too much joy or lack of joy. The four officials of the Fire Element are Heart, Small Intestine, Circulation Sex (Heart Protector) and the Triple Heater.
The Heart Official or Supreme Controller is responsible the order and control of the other officials in the body. The heart is responsible for the production blood and the force that is needed to distribute blood through out the body. It is responsible for setting limits and boundaries, prioritizing tasks, and mediation communicating via the blood of which the heart governs. When the heart is healthy there is a sense of joy, enthusiasm in the person and his or her officials. The heart houses the Shen or spirit described as self awareness, self reflection, art, morality, purpose, and values that foster the human experience of authenticity and personal meaning. (Web that Has No Weaver, Ted Kaptchuk, O.M.D.)
When the Heart is out of balance, the other officials begin to fall sick because of the lack of the Heart’s guidance, order, and regulation or because they give up their tasks for the over-controlling heart to take care of. Some physical and mental symptoms of the Heart being sick are panic attacks, apprehension, deep depression, angina, and cardiac arrest.
Paired with the Heart is the Small Intestine Official of which is responsible for separating the pure and impure of Qi from our physical diet and values and information of our mental experiences and awareness. A healthy Small Intestine can extract nutrients from the most processed foods you can eat and find the goodness and lessons in the ugliest of things and experiences. It is responsible for finding the pure essence in all things distinguishing good from evil. A weak Small Intestine can lead to toxins accumulating in the body, causing skin problems, swellings, arthritis, and coagulated blood caused by the accumulation of impurities in the body. It could also lead to a lack of ability to understand and sort out information, the lack of ability to articulate, having impure thoughts, fetishes, and the lack of ability to distinguish good and evil. Confusion, depression, and anxiety result from veils of impurity. Lastly, problems in the shoulder, elbow, and ear may arise from blockages of the excess impurities along the channel.
The next official of the Fire Element is the Circulation Sex Official or Heart Protector. This official protects the Heart from physical, mental and spiritual traumas, shocks, and injuries. It is also responsible for arterial and venous circulation, and sexual secretions. The Heart Protector takes the blows of both accidental and deliberate injuries through giving love, compassion, and kindness. It is responsible for providing connections of spirit from person to person, person to nature, and to ones connection through out their own body via veins and arteries.
A sick Heart Protector can lead to person being either over protective, not letting any love and warmth in or out, leading to joylessness, grudging, intolerance, hatred or desperate loneliness. A sick Heart Protector can also be under protective, leaving the heart vulnerable to emotional and physical battering. Physical symptoms stemming from this official’s sickness can be cold hands and feet from lack of circulation, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, arteriosclerosis, Reynaud’s disease, frigidity or impotence due to lack of sexual secretion flow, or perverted sexual expression from too much flow.
The last of the four officials of is the Triple Heater of which is Heart Protectors pair. The Triple Heater is responsible for circulating Qi( Vital Energy), Blood, and Fluids, harmonizing of the digestion of liquid and solid food, and for maintaining an even temperature and balance of heat between the three jiao or burners. Physical symptoms of a sick Triple heater can lead to hot and cold flashes, alternating chills and fever, cold extremities, red face or neck, blue lips, stiffness, or stabbing pains due to cold. Some emotional and mental symptoms of an imbalanced Triple Heater could be oscillating between enthusiasm and indifference, excitement and boredom, and inability of keeping an appropriate balance and relationship to people and nature around us leading to unsatisfactory relationships.
In conclusion, each official of their Fire Element plays their perfect part in keeping love and warmth in the body. The Heart controls and rules the other officials of the body, the Small Intestine separates the pure from the impure, the Heart Protector gives the power of self protection and the Triple Heater gives the power of self regulation. The Fire Element and its officials are responsible for warmth and power we have in our internal and external environments.
References: Worsley, J.R., The Five Elements and the Officials, J.R. and J.B. Worsley. 1998.
