CENTRE of EARTH
by Cobi Swanepoel
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the Spleen is the organ associated with the Earth Element and it houses the Intellect (Yi). Amongst the five Elements it is the one that occupies the center position from where it binds together and sustains the other four.
Earth gives stability and the ability to adjust and cope. It consolidates and maintain. Worry is the emotion associated with the Earth Element and the Spleen. A strong and stable Earth Element will manage to remain relatively composed in situations that would make another person insecure.
A distressed Earth Element points to internal insecurity that manifests itself as worry, pre-occupation/pensiveness and in the extreme, obsessive thinking or behaviour. Earth governs Centering and corresponds to Grounding.
Centering is the ability to concentrate and the power to act.
Grounding sinks energy downwards and anchors it. A well-grounded person is not spaced-out.
Earth is also linked with nourishment of body, mind and soul. In childhood the main source of this nourishment and nurturing is the mother. When this was not adequate, it can be hard to have a healthy Earth Element as an adult. To strengthen the Earth element may liberate a person from excessively needing outside sources for own internal nourishment and security. Outside sources could be home, family, partners, career, food, cigarettes.
The Spleen’s main function is to assist stomach digestion, by transporting and transforming food essence. It is crucial in the production of Qi and Blood. The stomach, along with the Spleen Official, is responsible for the “storehouses”, an important position in the country of the body. They determine the condition of one’s digestive metabolism. If this function is normal digestion will be good, with good appetite, normal absorption and bowel movements. If this function is impaired- poor appetite, bad digestion, abdominal distention, loose stools. Spleen also assists with the transformation, separation and movement of fluids. If impaired-oedema
Negative Emotions – Earth Element out of balance
Constantly brooding and thinking of events and people, obsessive thinking and hankering after the past. It is the negative equivalent of the Intellect ‘s capacity for focus and concentration. Intellect dull and slow. Impaired capacity for studying, concentrating and focusing. Uprooted, never satisfied and in doubt, no trust.
Worry, unbalanced, awkward, shaky, blaming, biased, dissatisfied
Positive Emotions-Earth Element in balance
Applied thinking, studying, memorizing, focusing, concentrating. Feeling supported by existence, at ease and confident, comfortable with life. In the present, free, receptive and accepting. Centred, grounded, stable, sociable, nurturing, supportive, Trust in the process of life.
Earth Symptoms
Hypoglaecemia, diabetes, overweight, underweight
Stagnation, impaired digestion, distension in epigastrium
Prolapse can occur-stomach, uterus, intestines, kidney, bladder, vagina and rectal veins
To hold onto emotions and feelings, events, people- anything from the past- is damaging to body and mind. It will fill you up and leave no space for the new.
The future can’t be reached if you stuck in the past.
Animals “let go”, because they know they can’t change what happened. They live in the present moment.
The Bible says: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you
The Tao says: The world belongs to those who let go.