Take Five: The Five Elements Guide to Health and Harmony

Many of us have probably heard about the Five Elements that underlie much of traditional Chinese thinking. This book is written by someone widely recognized as an authority in the field of Zen Shiatsu. Over the last fifteen years she has helped develop Shiatsu training programs in the United States and Canada, Germany and Switzerland. She has also helped teach the basic principles of Shiatsu in several hospitals and schools of both nursing and physical therapy. The Five Element or Five Phase model of diagnostic patterns is a part of the tradition not only of Eastern Asian medicine but also of Taoist philosophy. One of the reasons for gradually moving toward the use of the term "Phase" in place of "Element," is not only to maintain greater fidelity with the original Chinese sense, but also to avoid the charge that the system is simply quaint and outmoded. After all, goes the critique, "everyone knows" that there are over 100 chemical elements, so why still talk about five? The answer is that the chemical elements are manifestation of these Five Phases. The book was originally designed to help students in all these sites gain a basic understanding of Five Element theory but has grown into something more. It introduces the complex interactions of Yin and Yang and the Five Phases or Elements and how they are mirrored in the cycles of nature. Pamela Ferguson's book is probably the best and most handsome introduction to the Law of the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water that correspond to the seasons: Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Fall and Winter. But the book does not stop there: it provides dozens of other correspondences that see the human being as a microcosm of the Universe. It is full of illustrative photographs, tables and case studies showing how the Five Elements are reflected not only in the seasons, colors, foods, but in moods, smells and body organs. If you have ever wondered why a Chinese meal is structured the way that it is, you will find some of the answers here. It is such an attractive book that it would be easy to dismiss it as something superficial. That would be a mistake. This is a fine introductory book, but it is also full of practical advice and wisdom on how to harmonize our bodies, our diets, environments and our relationships. The author is a former journalist and her writing skills show through on every page. There are several excellent introductory books on Five Element/Phase theory, and this is one of the most attractive. Highly recommended.