Symbols of this nature can be transported into any culture, because they are a reflection of the environment we all live in on Planet Earth. One simply develops his/her own perceptions of a symbol whilst being guided by the recognisable signposts. The use of colour, shape and layout are keys to unfolding a symbol’s mystery.

In his book “Man and His Symbols”, Carl Jung says of a symbol “……that it always stands for something more than its obvious and immediate meaning. Symbols are natural and spontaneous products.” He goes on to say that no-one ever invented a symbol, rather that an image became representative of a naturally occurring process or event.

SYMBOLS

In this way the ancients saw that the macrocosmic movement of universal energy reflected the Cycle of Growth, since they lived close to the land and depended upon these cycles for the growth of their crops. However, they also realised that there were certain elements that were necessary to the continuation of life.

They named these Elements as: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal [minerals and precious elements like Gold] and Water. They aligned each element with a corresponding season that appeared to reflect the qualities of the element. And so Wood was aligned with Spring, Fire with Summer, Earth with Late Summer, Metal with Autumn and Water with Winter.

Returning to our symbol, the pentagram was representative of another cycle, that of Restraint or Control, since it was believed that life or creation without control was out of balance. The Chinese call this the Ko Cycle. The following quote is from The Yellow Emperor’s Treatise of Internal Medicine : Nei Jing, written 2,500 years ago,

“In creation there must be life, but there must also be control.
Without life there is growth without reason; without control there is excess and damage.
In life there must be control; in control there must be life. In this way there will be non-stop
circulation, restraining and nourishing at the same time.”

This concept of growth and restraint is the essence of understanding the usefulness of this symbol, and of the use of The Law of the Five Elements in understanding the movement of Qi-energy.

So how does the Control Cycle express? By aligning each element with it’s appropriate season and again beginning at the point at the top [being Spring/Wood Element] and following the movement through the star or pentagram downward to the right.

Do you know how when trees and plants are uprooted, especially in large areas, the Earth is either blown away on the wind or washed away by rains? This reflects the aspect of the cycle where Wood Element controls Earth Element, because it is the roots of the trees and plants that bind and hold the earth together. The banks of the rivers, cliffs, headlands and dam walls are reflections of Earth Element controlling Water – keeping water in it’s rightful place. This next one we can readily grasp. Water controls Fire – if there is too much water it puts out the fire, and insufficient water means that fire may burn out of control.

Fire controls Metal is a little more complex. Since Metal refers to gold and precious gems and minerals within the earth, this aspects refers to the fact that these come into existence according to the amount and degree of heat to which certain base elements are subjected. And finally, Metal controls Wood, reflects the nature and abundance or lack of vital minerals in the soil is what the plants feed on, thus controlling how the plants grow.

So the Control Cycle – Ko Cycle – as expressed above gives rise to the awareness that it is indeed an essential part of the whole. Creation cannot exist alone, nor can control. They are mutually dependent, the need one another. Thus everything lives in harmony – enough creativity to keep life flowing and enough control to balance excesses.