Wood: Where you look is where you go

The classics teach that Wood pushes up and out, and the liver opens through the eyes.

When I was learning to drive, I was told to pay attention to where I was looking because where you look is where the car will go. I've spent enough time on the road to know that this is true.

Eyes are both receivers and directors. We receive the image as we see it, but our actions are directed by what we see. We go towards the things we see. Wood energy reaches out into the world in all directions looking for connections. When our eyes fall upon something, we move towards it to make a connection. Observe an infant exploring her world as her body moves towards each new sight.

Within Wood is the desire to conquer and the desire to hunt. Wood is involved with dominance over the world and over others, and our competitive nature. Our ability to maintain that focus and vision of where we are going allows us to work steadily. If we lose focus or sight, then we falter. As the expression goes: keep your eyes on the prize.

Photo courtesy of fatboyke (Luc)

Metal controls wood: Breath directs wood Qi

Metal provide the direction and the form for wood. Wood energy is directional - it tends to go upward and outward. Metal draws boundaries between internal and external. When we push on something, we exhale to direct the wood energy where we want it to go. We open the boundary to allow the wood qi to extend from our body and influence the world. Two aspects of metal allow us to make use of the power of Wood qi.


Photo courtesy of RyanBSchultz

Metal controls Wood: Exhale to relax

Many years ago, I had a client who's muscles were like rocks. He moved with a slightly manic energy and always seemed wound up. When he walked in, I took note that his muscles were very defined and had good tone, but when touched, his muscles had no give or pliability. They felt like rocks even when he was trying to relax. The wood element dominated him and had invaded his earth. The key to his treatment lay in the Metal element.

Metal moves in the opposite direction as wood. Wood controls earth. While Earth is the substance of the muscles, wood provides the motion, tension, and tone for the muscles. When you exhale,  metal is at it's strongest, and your energy descends in the body. This counteracts the rising expansion of wood and decreases the strength of the wood qi within the muscles. We experience this as muscle relaxation.

Over time, the tone of my client's muscles relaxed so his muscles were firm but pliable. It represented a more harmonious balance between metal, earth, and wood.

Photo courtesy of Tim_d