The Five Elements

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water — the moving patterns behind every I Ching correspondence.

Each element is both a phase of nature and a pattern of transformation. The generation cycle traces how each element gives rise to the next — Wood feeds Fire, Fire produces ash and Earth, Earth births Metal, Metal condenses Water, Water nourishes Wood. The control cycle describes the restraint each element exerts across the pentagram — Wood parts Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts Wood.