This Wood Element Healing Therapy is a guided journey to reconnect with your inner confidence, freedom and dream life this Spring. Despite our external circumstances influencing how we feel, hope and vitality is a state of being, something we can cultivate.
Spring, miraculous and enticing, captures the essence of the Wood Element the best, it is about awakening, rebirthing, renewal, movement, and freedom.
In this video, we will look into the Wood Element and its spiritual counterpart Hun: what they are and how they can help us reconnect with our inner hope and freedom in a simple yet profound way.
Everything in the Universe moves and changes including you…
Join me for a Wood Therapy.
The Wood Element in you has a unique relationship with both Yin and Yang. A healthy Wood is instrumental in resolving tension, speaking your truth, finding your place in the world, balancing strength and delicacy, and regulating the dynamic between building momentum during the day and resting well at night.
Hun governs our vision and imagination, opens our “clear-seeing” channel, gives us our capacity to plan, discern and manifest our dreams into reality.
Hun and the Wood Element nudge us to try mindful and healing activities in Spring.
Pay attention to the Wood Element inside as well as out in the world, the elemental power is always available to you – but we do need to feed them with soulful beauty as we would look after our body with nutrition and nourishment.
Conscious movement, active imagination, engaging with colours and getting positively lost in the rich world of exploration…it is all deeply healing for the Hun realm and Wood Element in you.
If you ever suffer from indecision, frustration, unprocessed anger…nurturing your Wood, which is your inner Spring, can be very beneficial.
Even if you are in a different season externally, connecting with the Wood Element – your inner Spring – is helpful to find our true potential and heal our emotional, mental and spiritual subtle bodies since we’ve been restricted in the past year.
Let the ancient wisdom speak through your cells and veins. Via conscious movement and ecotherapy, we can clear away our muddled thinking and bask in soulful beauty that can still be found in the world as well as within.
This Wood Element Healing Therapy is also available in words as below:
Spring, captures the essence of the Wood Element the best, it is about awakening, rebirthing, renewal, movement, and freedom.
In Daoism (Taoism), each of us has five elemental guardian spirits residing in our body. Of all the five guardian spirits, the one which represents your inner-spring, the Wood Element, is called Hun.
Like the rainbow connecting heaven and earth, our Hun acts as a bridge between our waking and transcendental states, it reflects the illumination of our divine light.
Residing in our Gut and Liver, the Hun is like the compass of our Soul, bringing our divine light into practical daily living.
It gifts us with our Gut instinct, clear-seeing, and the capacity to navigate the swirls and demands in life, discern our path, stay clear on our direction, and take a stand for what we believe in.
When we are connected with our Hun, our lives are guided and cherished by an intimate relationship with the cosmos.
Our decisions are not imposed but arrive organically and flow spontaneously. This kind of decision-making is not derived through black and white type of pros vs cons but following the logic of divine plan and timing.
The Wood Element has Yin on the inside, Yang outside. Because of this unique mix, the Wood Element is about being strong, tender and supple simultaneously. Like a young life, which may look fragile, but you cannot argue with the vital energy behind it.
This energy is in you as well, strong, tender and supple all simultaneously.
Understanding what the Wood Element in us is about, we can create our own elemental therapy, connect with true nature in us, and find hope. This is deeply healing, liberating and enlightening.
Spring, the peak season of the Wood Element is about movement and freedom, which has been greatly restricted since the beginning of Covid.
Despite the circumstances, the Wood Element in us, our Hun, provides us with rich imagination. We can still see our true potential.
Imagine
Envision
Step into your Soul’s calling.
When we get back in touch with this innate ability, we are no longer controlled by anger, confusion or frustration. Instead, we can transform these heavy emotions into something uplifting and empowering.
Simply let the energy move without judgement.
Hope, vitality is a state of being. Finding the small yet profound moments in our daily life will reawaken something inside, and give ourselves a better chance to grow and glow.
CONSCIOUS MOVEMENT MEDITATION
Get grounded, imagine your roots stretching down into Earth, connect with the air and new growth around you.
Feel into your body, ask your intrinsic self: What types of conscious movements do I need to strengthen my inner-freedom?
- Maybe today let your hair down a bit more
- Or practise accuracy and precision.
- Perhaps loosen up your hips after sitting in front of your desk all the time.
- Or today you simply want to breathe deeper, and let that depth carry you into everything you do…
Conscious movements do not follow a rigid or consuming plan which depletes our energy, rather it helps us find our true nature. It nudges us to listen to our body.
You don’t need to force yourself to move in a certain way, instead, you simply flow. When our body gets into flow, other aspects in us also follow.
As you are freeing your body, dancing the changing rhythm of Nature. The consciousness in you will shift too.
Sometimes we are so committed to our mind’s drama, we are missing out what is beautiful going on in the world, as well as within.
Let movement clear away our muddled thinking, help us see the bigger picture.
As you are finding the voice of your somatic wisdom, reflect and ponder on the following questions:
How can I open up my vision, my dream and my imagination in a more illuminating way?
Which parts of me still feel emotionally deprived?
…
When I embark on something new, does the inside feel supple and flexible, if not, what kind of flexibility can I introduce to my schedule?
VISUAL & SOULFUL BEAUTY MEDITATION
Active imagination and visualisation is the anchor of healing your wounds in the Hun realm.
Our Hun requires the nutrients of love, freedom, acceptance, courage and soulful beauty in the same way that our physical Gut and Liver require food and nourishment.
On the spiritual level, Hun is deeply nourished by the awe of Nature’s beauty:
:: bathing in the forest, cloud watching, feeding your Soul with scenery which becomes a part of you,
:: picking up a brush or pen to engage with colours and getting positively lost in the rich world of imagination through photography, painting, drawing, or therapeutic colouring;
:: giving thanks for your senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste which allow you to experience the natural world on multiple levels.
:: taking time to enjoy the expansive, breezy, and sunlit heights.
And above all, dare to see yourself through the lens of divine light, and appreciate your gifts and talents even if no one else has taken the time to recognise them yet. Grow yourself like everything else in Spring, wildly and boundlessly.
春天，充分体现了木元素的精髓，
每天都诉说着唤醒，重生，更新和自由运动。
在道学五行里，在我们的身体里每个人都有五位守护神。在五位守护神中，有一种代表您内在的春天，即木元素，被称为魂。
就像连接天地的彩虹一样，我们的魂就像是我们的觉醒状态与混沌状态之间的桥梁，它反射着我们灵性之光的照耀 – 人如万物皆有灵性。
魂，藏于肝胆，作为灵的使者，将我们灵性的神圣力量导引到了实际的日常生活中。
魂，赋予我们直觉本能（Gut Instinct），应对生活中的种种繁忙和需求，并帮助我们坚持我们的信念，辨认道路、奋勇前行.
当我们能够感应到魂的时候，我们能与天地宇宙保持亲密的关系。我们的决策不是强制性的，而是有机，自发而达成的。这种决策不是通过非黑即白的赞成与反对而达成，而是遵循道和时机的逻辑。
木元素 （少阳）的内部为阴，外部为阳。由于这种独特的混合，木元素Wood Element同时将嫩滑，柔软和坚固融于一体。
就像年轻的生命一样，看上去似乎不圆熟，但是它背后的生命力却欣欣向荣。 这种能量也存在于您体内，刚柔并济，能屈能伸。
了解我们内在的木元素代表什么，我们可以创建自己的五行元素疗法，与我们的真实本性联系起来，并找到内在的希望和自由。
得到身心灵上的启发，治愈和解放。
春天，木元素的旺季，万物是活泼，流动和自由的。 可是自Covid以来，我们的日常行动就受到了极大的限制。
尽管如此，我们精神上和身体内的木元素，我们的魂，能够为我们提供丰富的想象力，激发我们精神上的潜力。
闭目遐想，仰望星空，听见您灵魂的呼唤。
当我们恢复这种先天木魂的能力时，我们将不再懊恼。
相反，我们可以将一些沉重的情绪（如愤怒，困惑和沮丧）转化为轻快勃发和令人振奋的力量。
让能量在您身体里自然地移动。
希望，活力，这些尽管与外部环境有关，但也是一种内在的状态。在我们的日常生活中找到微小却美妙的时刻，将内心唤醒，并给予自己是一个更好的成长和发光的机会。
意识运动冥想
想象自己是颗树，与大地相连，强大的根系无限的延伸在大地里，让周围的自然环境给您灵感。
给您的身体多一些关爱，问问您的本我，聆听他/她的声音：
我需要哪种类型的意识运动来增强我的内在自由的感觉？
今天也许您可以更放开些，尽情享受瞬间的美好。
要么练习动作节奏的精准。
或许是将更多深呼吸融入到您的肢体语言里。
再或者您因为久坐身体有些僵硬，今天让各个关节舞动起来。
意识运动的意义是：您无需强迫自己以某种方式刻板地移动，从而消耗能量。相反，您只需要感受到自由流动带来的释放和喜悦。它促使我们倾听我们的身体。您无需强迫自己以某种方式移动，而只是顺其自然。
当我们运用一种新的身体语言来表达自我，我们精神也会随之受到启发，意识维度也会随之而提升。
有时候，我们如此沉浸于自己的思维戏剧里，却错过了世界以及和她正在发生的美好。
让意识运动整理我们的思维，看到更广阔的前景。
当您找到自己身体的智慧时候，思考以下问题：
我该如何以更具启发性的方式打开我的视野，梦想和想象力？
我在哪种程度上压抑自己的真实情感？
如果您想着手做某件新事，问自己这个问题：我的内部感觉是否柔顺而灵活，如果没有，我可以为自己的日程安排带来什么样的灵活性？
。。。
想象力是治愈魂的关键。
视觉色彩冥想
我们的魂需要爱，自由，接纳，勇气和美的养分，就像我们身体和肝脏需要食物和营养一样。
在心理精神层面上，魂被自然美景和天地之大的敬畏感深深地滋养着，活跃于鲜艳的色彩和丰富的想象力中。
在森林里沐浴，看云；
在漫长辛勤的一天后看看属于自己的风景；
拿起笔或刷子与颜色来一场互动，
通过摄影，绘画，素描或色彩陶醉在丰富的世界中。
感谢您的六识，视觉，嗅觉，聆听，触碰和品味，使您可以在多个层面上体验自然世界。
花一些时间，享受微风在您皮肤上轻拂的感觉，在温和的阳光照射下尽情地天马行空。
最重要的是：即使没有别人肯关注你，肯为你花费时间，你也要敢于透过神圣之光看见自己，发觉和培养自己的潜能，像万物在春天里无拘无束地成长。
I spent a lot of time making this video, which has been a joyful and healing experience. I sincerely hope that it contributes as a helpful and uplifting message to you. Feel free to share it with friends who you think can benefit from it.
If you have an appetite to dig even more, here is some further reading:
1. Elements and Inner Seasons
The Five Elements of Daoism (Taosim) was born in a time of turmoil in ancient China. Ever since then it has been a sounding resource to guide people from illness to health, distress to balance – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
In Daoism (Taoism), there are Five Elements which represent different phases and energy movements in our world, and each phase or energy movement is mirrored by a season respectively:
Spring (Wood Element)
Summer (Fire Element)
Late Summer & transitions between seasons (Earth Element)
Autumn (Metal Element)
Winter (Water Element).
In each of us, we have these Elements too. These five elements we see in Nature are the same elements that create us.
You are probably familiar with the black and white Yin Yang symbol. Daoists view the world as manifested and maintained by the relationship between Yin and Yang. Us humans are no exception.
When the Yin Yang dynamic is coming together: heaven and earth, perfection and imperfection, non-material and material, creation and dissolution…This creates Five Elements.
Water, Wood, Fire, Earth & Metal, these elements produce seasons. And they follow a certain natural law, eg, Summer is always after Spring, which we understand well but might take granted for.
We, the human beings are not separate from Nature.
Just like Mama Nature cannot have a missing season, we depend on the balance of these Elements in us in order to flourish.
Each of the Five Elements has certain qualities that can relate to every aspect of our human experience.
These Elements reside in our internal organs, organise and sort out our thoughts, fuel and process our feelings and emotions. Simply put, they are like our inner seasons, and are instrumental for the wellbeing of our ecosystem as an individual and collectively.
2. Soul, Hun, Spirit
Let’s look at Soul & Spirit first, which are more commonly known than Hun.
We talk about Spirit and Soul a lot. Quite often, it seems like either term can be used for everything that is not your physical body, emotions or intellect.
These two terms are often referred to together and used interchangeably.
It feels like one is the the replacement for the other…
But, are they really the same?
The short answer is “No”, although they can both be referred to as our non-physical existence.
As a start, your Soul and your Spirit have very different energetic frequencies.
Your Spirit is the part which connects you directly to the Source. Some religions or cultures might call it “Higher Self”, or “Divine Light”. This part of you is already perfect and cannot be improved upon (the concept of “development”, “fixed”, “getting better” is just irrelevant).
This part of you feels whole, complete and well connected with the Universe and everyone else’s Spirit.
In each lifetime, when you reincarnate, there is a fragment separated from your Spirit (Higher Self) hence the Source, and embodied into your human form.
Broadly speaking, this fragment becomes part of your Soul each time. (This is a complex topic, and within the scope of this section, I’m just laying things out in linear terms, so that they are relatively easy to follow.)
In its own rich and vast realm, our Soul can be classified into the relative Yin and Yang aspects by Daoism. The Yang aspect is called Hun 魂, while the Yin is called Po 魄.
Just like the Yin-Yang dynamic, Hun is lighter and has an upward movement, following the Spirit; while Po is denser and has a pulling quality towards the centre of Earth.
Our Hun follows our Spirit like trees reaching out to the sky, and this is the quality which we focused on in our Spring Guided Wood Elemental Therapy video today.
Hun has three aspects: Brilliance of the Fetus (胎光), Clear Spiritual Force (爽灵), Dark Essence (幽精).
:: Brilliance of the Fetus is closely connected with our Divine Light. It collects, carries and accumulates gifts and lessons from lifetimes. It reports to the Source the virtues which you’ve cultivated while having an earthly journey.
:: Clear Spiritual Force governs awareness and perception. Sometimes it is referred to as Gut Instinct and/or clear-seeing.
:: Dark Essence has a close relationship with the Water Element, which is the core of our being.
Modern culture can be unhealthy and unsettling for our Hun.
Many people feel that they are not reaching their true potential, or they are held back from living their divine purpose, or they are forced to make decisions based on external demands and values instead of deeper needs and divine vision, that’s because our Hun is not being well encouraged or looked after.
Nevertheless, it’s not too late to heal, cultivate and entice our Hun back to ourselves.
As you pay more attention to your Gut instinct, your emotional wellbeing, you will also notice improvement from symptoms such as an inability to make decisions, emotional meltdowns, struggling to take action, easily feeling frustrated or angry, migraines, insomnia or depression.
For those of you who have suffered trauma, the past year has been exceptionally difficult, don’t despair, keep walking, keep replenishing your Hun, follow what lights you up.
Healing does not mean trauma or pain never existed, but they no longer have power or control over you – physically, emotionally, or spiritually. When the world is full of suffering, we must remind ourselves that the world is also full of overcoming it. Trauma happens, it is not our fault, but healing is our responsibility.
Keep searching for soulful beauty in Nature, in the world, inside you, life will regain its zest and colour.
3. Red Kite Spirit Animal
You may have noticed these incredible guests in my video, Red Kites (赤鸢). When I was filming, they kept showing up.
Seeing them taking off can take your breath away. It has been a real pleasure to watch them gracefully soaring up in the sky, and each time they make you feel peaceful, calm and encouraged with their simple presence.
Naturally I got curious about Red Kite as a Spirit Animal. After some research and meditations, I’m not surprised by their presence while making this video on Hun, Wood, and Spring, as Red Kites are a symbol of soulful beauty which can comfort, lift and guide our Hun.
Red Kites were once endangered in the UK and luckily got saved by reintroduction. Despite being medium-large, the sound of a Red Kite can be quite gentle. Rarely killing living prey, as scavengers, they are very beneficial to our human world, as they often get rid of things that are otherwise hard to eliminate. They can be pretty mischievous though, such as stealing clothes from washing lines to make nests. Shakespeare even wrote about this in The Winter’s Tale.
Red Kites are such majestic fliers, seldom moving their wings in the sky, their strong presence and distinctive feather patterns seem to announce “Here I am”. They are in their elements and flow, a perfect example to show us how graceful, elegant and effortless the conscious rhythmic movements can be.
As the world is going through such a massive change, whenever you feel overwhelmed or confused, think about Red Kites and get inspiration from how they ride with the wind and changes without losing their balance.
I hope that this blog post has been useful and supportive for you. I’m always interested in hearing from you – how you are getting on & what has been most helpful for you.
With love,
Yiye Zhang 章一叶
ps, if you are new here, you are welcome to join our newsletter community and receive inspiration and tips to support your spiritual journey, as well as insights on the current Lunar Cycle!
What a beautiful video to wake up to! Chinese medicine, taoist elements are fascinating💐 And thanks for showing conscious movements examples. Sometimes I have tendency to make exercises feel hard, but your message has helped me to see the simple truth: they can be delightful and enjoyable! ┗(＾0＾)┓
Thanks Yiye
Hey Sophie – thanks for your kind words. The elements are powerful though often overlooked. I’m glad to hear that you feel exercises can be enjoyable 🙂 it’s so true that sometimes our mind can over-complicate things. Thanks again for sharing your feedback and experience!
Hi Yiye, I enjoy how you share the elements and taoism in practical ways. I miss my family a lot and your video has provided comfort, hope and healing. Your energy is rich and deep, and at the same time, you explain complex topics in a way that is easy to follow and understand. 深入浅出，是高手啊🥰
不敢当，不敢当~~ You are too kind Sue! Big hugs to you. Same here, the Elements and ancient Daoism texts have provided a lot of comfort to me too. Wonderful to hear that you resonate, your support means a lot, thanks again!<3
We all need joyous freedom, the Red Kites, forest bathing, your beautiful energy in spring mindful activities… … they all give me courage. I’m learning to see myself “via the lens of divine light”, step by step, I shall walk my path🚶♀️
Thanks for taking your time to write to me dear Lillian! Seeing ourselves via the lens of divine light might not always be easy, but definitely worthwhile, like you said, step by step, you are walking your path. Keep shining your light dear friend! <3