Earth Associations: Stability, Support, Fertility, Receptivity, Nourishment

The Earth Phase is the foundation of our physical existence. Although we now know, through quantum physics, that all material phenomena potentially consist of moving energy patterns, it is the Earth quality in those patterns which gives us the sense of a stable, dependable reality. The Earth itself is solid, supportive and apparently immovable, which is why earthquakes are so terrifying; we are used to taking the solidity of the Earth for granted. In the same way, whatever represents stability and support in our lives or in the shifting kaleidoscope of our perceptions represents Earth for us, our security. It could be a place, a relationship, an intellectual structure like a belief or principle, a physical process like eating; something we find reassuring or dependable.

In the earliest days of life, unless we are truly unlucky, the constant, dependable and ever-present object is mother. Nearly all cultures, present and past, have called the Earth ‘Mother’ – it is the solid basis of our existence. It also nourishes us with the richness of life which it supports, as a mother feeds her child. A healthy Earth energy in the human character gives the capacity to support, comfort and nourish others in the same way, and we call someone who manifests this characteristic strongly an earth-mother. Our relationship with the person who represents mother for us powerfully affects the Earth meridians within us.

But the association with ‘mother’ goes beyond this; for the word which we use to characterize the Earth also describes women in their child-bearing capacity. The Earth is ‘fertile’, a matrix from which come the plants which nourish us, the streams from which we drink, the minerals and metals which enrich our lives. This ability of the soil to contain and encourage abundance and variety within itself is the capacity of Earth. ‘Earth permits sowing, growing and reaping’ (from the Shang Shu, quoted in Macioca 1989, p. 17). It is the Earth Phase in the human body which supports a tiny cluster of cells as it grows into a baby; it is the Earth Phase in the human mind which allows intellectual concepts to grow from the germ of an idea. Earth has within itself the potential for endless richness of manifestation.

Fertility, both of body and of mind, is the gift of Earth, and is derived from its Yin quality of receptivity. Earth absorbs lightning and grounds electricity; it soaks up the rain and whatever liquid is poured upon it. It also absorbs and transforms into itself all dead, rotten and waste material, and this then becomes the basis for new growth and life, since the newly fertilized soil receives seeds and nourishes them. The ability to receive is crucial to the continued fertility of the Earth. We will remember this later when we consider the Earth meridians of Stomach and Spleen.

Through receiving, then, the Earth nourishes itself. It then becomes fertile, and produces new growth to nourish all the life forms which inhabit it. The theme of nourishment is central to the interpretation of the Earth Phase and the Stomach and Spleen meridians; it embodies our ability to receive, process and give out again not only physical, but also emotional and intellectual, nourishment. Giving and receiving must be in balance if the Earth Phase within us is to be healthy.

Spiritual capacity of Earth: intellect

The spiritual capacity of Earth is Yi, whose Chinese character has two basic component parts, one which means ‘verbally expressed thoughts’ and one which means ‘heart–mind’ (Matsumoto & Birch 1988, p. 37). The Yi, therefore, puts the heart and mind into our verbally expressed thoughts, so that some authorities translate it as ‘purpose’; but it is more commonly translated as ideas, or intellect. It is worth remembering the ‘purpose’ factor, however, since our intellect is a spiritual capacity only when it serves the purpose of our heart–mind, which is the full flowering of our human potential. According to Ted Kaptchuk (lecture at Imperial College, London 1989) the Yi, or intellect, offers us the possibilities or options for transformation, reflecting the Earth’s potential for richness of manifestation. However, when a basic sense of physical security is lacking, as in the case of deficient Earth energy, many of us seek a more reassuring reality in intellectual concepts and structures; hence the traditional association in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) of ‘thinking too much’ with Stomach and Spleen (see below). The increasing emphasis in the modern world on the development of the intellect while neglecting the ‘heart–mind’ component tends to deplete the physical effectiveness of the Spleen and Stomach. As we become more and more used to the ‘virtual reality’ of the world of ideas, we even begin to live in a mental concept or construct of our own bodies, and Shiatsu can be of vital assistance in restoring us to the physical reality of our existence.

Movement of Earth energy: stillness

Whereas the other four Phases have their own characteristic movements and directions, the texts constantly refer to Earth as the Center. In the same way that the Earth itself is seemingly solid and unmoving, so the Earth Phase has the quality of stillness. Yet it is a stillness which allows for transition and movement; the Earth’s stability and the pull of its gravity influence the physical and energetic design of our bodies and of our movements on its surface. Indeed, our relationship with the Earth and with gravity is basic to our human existence in countless ways, many of which we do not yet fully comprehend, such as our link with the Earth’s magnetic field. A balanced Earth allows us to be ‘grounded’, with a still center from which we can act; out of balance, it causes lethargy or purposeless over-activity, whether of mind or body or both.

Earth emotion: reflective thought

The emotion of Earth has been variously translated as worry, concern, sympathy, reminiscence and over-thinking, but the most accurate translations are ‘meditative thought’ or ‘reflective thought’. The ideogram for Si, the emotion ascribed to Earth, contains the radicals for heart and brain. As we know, the Heart is the home of Shen, presence of awareness, and its inclusion in the ideogram means that the thought process is not just a computer-like mechanism. This is a similar theme to that of the Yi discussed above.

It may seem surprising that the Earth, the most solid of the Phases, has the mercurial quality of thought as its ‘emotion’, but if we examine more closely we can see that thought is in fact the process of solidifying our experience into something that we can learn from and use in practice. Our mind’s ability to label, classify, compare and judge means that we can form a manageable mental version of the inconceivably rich and vast universe of experience that we inhabit; we can reduce and immobilize it into something we can get a handle on.

However, the Su Wen tells us that ‘Meditative thought injures the Spleen’, and indeed worries and over-thinking can become obsessive rumination on either negative or non-productive possibilities. Ideally, the thinking mind produces results which are beneficial to our lives; for example, primitive humans might have reasoned, ‘that plant tasted good and I felt better for eating it, I will look for more and store it’. Nowadays we might think ‘We are out of bread, I need to get some when I go shopping’. The thinking mind has done its job and when we have performed the appropriate action we can relax. But if the Earth Phase is out of balance thoughts can go round and round obsessively without producing any results. In such cases we could worry about negative possibilities we can do nothing about, or we might take refuge in academic abstractions which have little relevance to actual experience, such as a history of the semicolon.

Earth color: yellow

The soil of much of China is yellow, and yellow is therefore traditionally a colour symbolic of peace and abundance, the qualities of Earth. Yellow only shows on the face, however, if the Stomach or Spleen energies are out of balance, when it appears as a yellow hue around the mouth or eyes. Look for a hue which comes and goes, not the facial skin tone. If the overall skin tone is orange or yellow, it usually indicates Dampness.

Earth sound: singing

The characteristic sound which the Earth Phase imparts to the voice is melodious resonance. When the Ki of the Stomach or Spleen is out of balance, the singing sound in the voice may become noticeable as a soothing, up-and-down singsong, like a lullaby. It conveys a soothing message, no matter what the content of the words. This singing voice is the one a mother uses to comfort a child, and when it is consistently present we may suspect the typical Earth imbalance of giving in preference to receiving.

Earth odor: fragrant

Among all the unpleasant-sounding smells of the Phase imbalances, ‘fragrant’ seems the most appealing. But the smells are only perceptible when there is disharmony, and none of them are pleasant. The smell of an Earth disharmony has a sickly-sweet quality, something like the smell of plaque on used dental floss.

Earth sense organ: the mouth

We connect with each of the Phases through one of our sense organs. In the case of the Earth Phase, it is the mouth (as distinct from the tongue, which is governed by Fire). Western psychology has a model of the ‘oral’ personality, which relates to the world primarily through the mouth, and this type embodies many of the themes suggested by Earth – neediness and craving, an issue around nourishment and the ability to receive it, and a need for others as a source of security. As infants, we receive our sense of security primarily through the feeding process. If this process is incomplete, we may remain attached to many substitute forms of oral satisfaction, such as eating, smoking or kissing. A disharmony in Earth may produce mouth problems, such as a sticky mouth, bleeding gums or cold sores. There may also be an inability to taste food well and lack of appetite if the Stomach or Spleen is out of balance.

Earth taste: sweet

If our palates were not conditioned early on by the intense sweetness of refined sugar, we would perceive the taste of grains and root vegetables as sweet. When thoroughly chewed and processed by salivary enzymes, these release natural sugars which burn at a slow rate to provide long-lasting physical energy. This is the balanced, reliable sweetness of Earth. The great majority of foods are classified as ‘sweet’ in TCM dietary theory; a few examples are oats, rice, wheat, beetroot, pumpkin, olive oil, salmon, soya milk, hazel nuts. Fruits also provide natural sugars, with a more intensely sweet flavor. The sweet flavor nourishes, sustains and comforts. It gives us physical enjoyment of being in the body together with the relaxation and satisfaction that nourishes the Blood.

When our Earth meridians of Stomach or Spleen are in disharmony the function of receiving and transforming nourishment is impaired and we crave the sweet taste. Refined sugars are actually instrumental in creating that disharmony, since the body burns them much more quickly and they set up a pattern of craving more sweetness – the opposite of relaxation, and one that increases restless Ki without restoring Blood. The addiction to sugar may also manifest as an addiction to alcohol, which contains large quantities of sugar, and also causes imbalance in the Stomach or Spleen energy by creating Dampness (see below).

Earth season: the last days of each season

Some schools of thought have ‘late summer’ as the season associated with the Earth Phase. In some earlier traditions, however, the last 10 days of all the other seasons were the Earth season, since they constitute periods of stillness in preparation for change. The end of each season is a time of completion; the seasonal qualities of Ki have manifested, and it is time for a new season to begin. In the stillness of the Earth period, the energies of this new season are incubating. People with a long-term imbalance of Stomach or Spleen will find difficulty in adapting to this time and their symptoms will be worse.

Earth climate: damp

As a Yin element, Earth has the propensity to become damp rather than dry; because of its receptivity, it absorbs moisture. External conditions of dampness can penetrate the body, to affect the function of the Spleen meridian in particular. Conversely, if the Spleen is not transforming and transporting fluids adequately, a condition of Internal Dampness can result. (see p. 132) Dampness is not the same as clear, pure moisture, which is Water. Dampness is moisture contained in, combined with Earth – an intermingling of two Phases which taints the pure energy of each. Dampness has a heavy, sticky, obstructive quality which slows the flow of Ki and results in blockages, mucous discharges and swellings.

Earth time of day: 7–11am

The time of day when the Stomach meridian has its energy peak is from 7–9am, while the time of the Spleen is 9–11am. This implies that our digestive capacity is greatest in the morning, although most people with an imbalance in Earth will find it hard to muster an appetite until after mid-morning. It is common in rural communities, where people work with the Earth and its cycles, for breakfast to be the heartiest meal of the day, after several hours of work in the fields. In many Westernized, urban societies, where long sedentary hours of mental work already put a strain on the Earth element, the Earth time of day often passes with nothing but a cup of black coffee for the digestion to work on. People with a Spleen or Stomach imbalance need to be encouraged to eat breakfast!

The Spleen in TCM

In TCM, the entire digestive process, from appetite to elimination, is under the overall control of the Spleen, which is sometimes called the Spleen-Pancreas to indicate its wider variety of function. The Spleen is the source of all our Ki derived from food, in the same way that the Lungs are the source of our Ki from the air. These two give us Ki from Earth and Ki from Heaven, together forming our True Ki (see p. 119). The Spleen’s connection with the Blood in TCM also arises from this function, since the Food Essence which the Spleen extracts from food is the basis for the production of Blood. The Spleen is also one of the main organs connected with the processing of fluids, the others being the Lungs and the Kidneys.

Transforming and transporting

This term describes the main function of the Spleen in processing food and fluids and in distributing the products of that process around the body. It transforms the purest part of the food which it receives from the Stomach into Food Ki, a kind of Ki which is not immediately useable by the body but which is sent up to the chest to combine with the Ki of air to make useable body Ki. At the same time, the Spleen helps the Stomach to extract the pure Essence from the food, which is processed in the Heart to form Blood. Another step in the same process is the extraction of pure fluids from the food, and these are sent up to moisten the Lungs, which then further distribute them to the skin. The residues from these processes are sent down to the intestines for further separation. The Spleen is thus responsible for the transformation of food into Ki, Blood and pure fluids; it is also responsible, with the Stomach, for transporting these substances throughout the body. For this reason it is described as the ‘Root of Post-Natal Ki’. A healthy Spleen and Stomach are the foundation, therefore, not only of a good digestion, but of abundant physical energy.

Post-Natal Essence

Any surplus of pure Ki and Essence not used up in the process of living is sent down by the Spleen to the Kidneys to supplement the Pre-Natal Essence stored there since conception. The Spleen is thus considered in TCM to be as vital in conferring a healthy constitution as the Kidneys. To some extent the two organ systems are interdependent; long-term Kidney imbalance weakens the Spleen and vice-versa, and any chronic condition will require treatment of both.

Digestion

In Japan and China the first sign of a weak Spleen is lack of appetite, since the Spleen confers the ability to taste and enjoy food.* Inability of the Spleen to transform food results in such symptoms as tiredness after eating, a feeling of fullness or discomfort after meals, abdominal pain or distension and variable bowel habits. Traditionally, loose stools with undigested food show that the Spleen does not have the energy to process the food properly and remove the fluid from it, but constipation is also a common sign of Spleen deficiency in the West, often connected with a sedentary lifestyle and mental overwork.