THE WOOD ELEMENT TYPE
The Wood Element symbolises the time of year of Spring. As a visualisation this is the time when a new seedling germinates then grows and develops to become a new fully fledged plant with its own place amongst the existing vegetation. To do this, the seedling has to have a plan, it has to have vision as to where it is going. It needs to stick to the plan, even when the going gets tough and yet have flexibility to change when things do not go quite to plan. It must be organised and make good decisions.
As this is a process of ‘becoming’, the Wood Element represents expression as an individual, becoming aware of boundaries. Structure, rules and organisation are key drivers for Wood types. The sense of what is right and fighting for justice can be all encompassing.
Wood types love seeking new challenges and pushing themselves to the limit. They can admirably thrive on pressure, they love action (aimless activity is not enough). They love that feeling of being the first or the best. They have no qualms about being the ‘only’!
Boldness, confidence, assertion and decisiveness are good descriptors of the Wood type in their stride. If the Wood motivation becomes a little too strong, these attributes can spill over into arrogance, aggression, antagonism and impulsiveness. If the Wood within them is suppressed (by for example sadness and loss) then these can become timidity, self-doubt, passivity and indecision.
For any creative endeavour, the Wood phase is the time from the first spark of the idea to the time that the activity is well underway. It encompasses the brainstorming, drafting, planning and research. The Wood types feel at home with these stages of a project.
Wind is the climate associated with Wood. A seedling being blown in the wind represents that battle between firmness and flexibility. Wind is also the agent of change and so coping and adapting to change can be big considerations for Wood types. And just like a gust of wind, the emotions of a Wood type can suddenly erupt but then just a quickly subside. Pathology that has symptoms that suddenly rise and fall (shivers, tremors, sudden itches) are considered Wood pathologies.
When Wood types lead, they do so with clear purpose and direction and often because they are confident in their own abilities and are not easily shaken by the opinions of others. Unchecked, their style can be ‘my way or no way’! They are often the ones stepping-in when the going gets tough putting themselves to the front when no one else does.
As with all the element types, there can be contradiction too. Whereas a Wood type can drive headlong into conflict, driven by their confidence in knowing what is right, they might also shy away from conflict and quietly get on with things, knowing that there course is the right one, working away behind the scenes to get things done.
The resilience to stick to a plan can often be thwarted and so anger and frustration and how theses emotions are dealt with is a key consideration for Wood types. Sometimes that anger is too readily expressed, sometimes it is suppressed and not allowed to come to the surface.
The sense associated with Wood is vision. Wood types use visual language – “I see what you mean”, “let me look into that”, “I haven’t got eyes in the back of my head”.
Keys To Understanding Wood:
– seeks challenge and pushes to the limit
– enjoys and does well under pressure
– admires speed, novelty, and skill
– loves action, movement, and adventure
– likes to be first, best, and only
Typical Problems:
– intolerance and impatience
– volatile emotions, particularly anger
– visual problems
– tremors, fever, shaking, pins and needles
– headaches, muscle spasms, high or low blood pressure
– symptoms that suddenly rise and fall
– reliance on stimulants and sedatives
– low self-esteem
– indecisive
– PMT, heavy or scant periods
– stiffness, rigidity, inflexibility
– gas, constipation, hiccups, belching
Back to the Five Element Analysis