Character

The Chinese Character for the Earth is tu (Weiger, 1965). The horizontal lines represent the soil and subsoil. The vertical line represents anything that grows from the earth. Seeds are planted in the earth in Spring. The season of the Earth Element is late Summer when the fields and harvested.

Harvest

In Europe in the middle ages there was a tradition of crop rotation which helps to reduce crop specific pests (RHS, 2015). Fields would be left fallow, i.e. uncultivated every few years. Animal and plant compost would be used to nourish the earth. Hedgerows that separated fields shaped the landscape and were places where animals thrived. In modern times this tradition has disappeared. Large scale harvesting is more common and chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used to produce the largest crop. However this system doesn't nourish the soil and yields may reduce.

Earth Element in Life

On a physical level we are what we make of what we eat. The Earth state of the earth can range from dry like a desert or damp like a soggy field suited to planting rice. On a physical level if we are suffering from "Damp" our digestion will be sluggish and we will be reluctant to move. On a mental level if our Earth element is strong we should be able to reap a harvest in our life (Hicks et al, 2004). If it is not our thoughts will circle endlessly and we may suffer from dissatisfaction. In Chinese Medicine humans are pictured as having their head in the heavens, where they can take in the Qi, and their feet on the earth, where they feel grounded and steady. Earthquakes like the recent one in Nepal lead to feelings of shock and instability.

Healing the Earth Element

To receive the healing you will need to call it in. This is done via intention. Here is how to do it: relax, and state your intention out loud or silently, to receive this Earth Element Healing from Geoff, for your highest good and highest healing. If you are visual you can concentrate on the picture below:

References

Hicks, Hicks and Mole, 2004, Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture, Churchill Livingstone

RHS - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=124

Weiger L 1965 Chinese characters. New York: Dover