Water extending to the knees.

As the five transformations cycle through us, Fire extends above our bodies into the world and Water below our bodies to root in the ground. The internal transformations cycle through our torsos circulating qi and allowing our bodies to function. Fire extends above our torso into the head, which is a wonderful way for us to receive information from the world. Water extends below our torsos into our knees and legs.

When the Water element is dysfunctional, we may experience it as knee pain. If water qi doesn't descend properly, the knees can be in a state of deficiency. Or they may disconnect from the body and their motions become improper. Or the lack of flow causes the knees to lose lubrication which leads to problems. In all cases, part of the cure is helping the transformation of Water extend below itself and into the knees.

Photo courtesy of postbear

Fever

Fever is one of the body's way of purging itself of unwanted Qi. When a person is sick, the five transformations shift and the body locks itself into the Fire element. During the Fire transformation, the exterior is open as the Fire element connects to the Qi of the surrounding world. In a fever, the exterior is purposely left open to allow something to exit, kind of like leaving the gate open to get an unwanted dog out of the yard.

To make sure that the dog leaves, the Fire element warms the core of the body and takes over the role of protective qi from Metal. If you've ever stood near a hot fire, you know that your reaction is to move away from the heat. The fever plays on the same principle. The expanding internal heat drives out any external improper Qi, and prevents anything else from entering into the body.

When the fever breaks, a person often sweats. This closes the exterior and signals that the body is resuming it's normal transformations in shifting from Fire to Metal.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Greenberg