According to Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, each person has a unique blend of the Five Elements within them. This blend largely determines many aspects of who you are as an individual, including your personality.
If you’ve ever taken one of Lee’s classes, you know that Qi Gong is an exploration of self. The more you understand the elemental energies within you, the more you understand key questions about yourself, such as what nourishes your energy, and what makes you feel depleted.
In this blog, we’ll provide an overview of each of the Five Element personality archetypes. We also share a high-level overview of the Five Element Theory.
In Chinese Medicine, the Five Elements represent the five unique energies that are present in all things throughout nature. These include Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth.
It’s easy to think of the Five Elements as exclusively tangible things that you can touch. For example, Water is a clear liquid that supports all life, right? Although that’s true, each of the Five Elements also represents archetypal energies. In other words, the Five Elements aren’t limited to the form that we typically know them as.
Each Element expresses itself differently depending on where it’s found. For example, the Wood Element expresses itself through trees, but it also manifests in your body organs, emotions, and in your personality.
Additionally, each of the Five Elements are constantly changing and transforming into one another. To understand how this happens, all you have to do is look at nature. In a forest, the rain (Water) allows trees (Wood) to grow and flourish. In turn, trees can become fuel for Fire, which causes ash to infuse the soil (Earth) with fresh and vital nutrients for rebirth.
Essentially, none of the Five Elements can exist without the others. They all rely on one another to perpetuate the circle of life. Similarly, each of the Five Element personality archetypes are important for communities and societies to flourish. By knowing your archetype, you become empowered to understand your gifts and the gifts of others more fully.
Each of the Five Element personality archetypes has both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ qualities.
Knowing the positive qualities of each personality archetype helps you realize your own gifts. Understanding the challenging qualities of your personality archetype enables you to work with those energies in a skillful way so they don’t get the best of you.
Metal Element personalities often have a gift of clarity. They know what they want and feel confident that they can make things happen. Often, this quality allows them to be great at planning, as well as leading other people. In addition, their clarity of vision enables them to set clear boundaries. If a Metal Element personality doesn’t want to do something, they’ll simply say, “No.” They won’t necessarily get angry or disrespectful, but they won’t go along with something that feels out of alignment.
Metal Element personalities are also generally pretty organized and clean. This goes along with the quality of vision because it reflects their intention for things to be a certain way. In many ways, this quality can serve them. However, it can also cause them to be overly perfectionistic, which can hurt both themselves and others.
Those who have difficulty controlling their Metal Element tendencies can encounter difficulties when collaborating with others. Sometimes, other people may feel controlled or judged by the Metal Element personality’s perfectionism. Also, the Metal Element personality’s perfectionism can often cause them to not finish projects they’ve started since they’re often unsatisfied with anything less than…well, perfect.
Additionally, since Metal Element personalities aren’t afraid to speak their mind, they can often hurt other people with their candid opinions or points of view.
Like a deep ocean or river, Water Element personalities tend to look below the surface of what’s happening in the world around them. They’re exceptionally thoughtful and able to think about things that others often overlook.
This gift for inward depth often causes them to shy away from the noisiness of busy places. Instead of gravitating toward big social engagements, Water personalities feel most comfortable and fulfilled when they’re surrounded by a small group of close friends. For example, a Water Element person might choose to skip the party in favor of having a relaxing conversation with one or two friends at home.
While the Water Element is great at going inward, they often struggle when it comes to bringing their thoughts to fruition. This causes them to have a hard time taking action, even if they have great ideas that could benefit themselves and the world.
Wood Element personalities are visionaries with wild imaginations and volition to match. If they decide they want to do something, they do it, regardless of the challenges before them. This allows them to accomplish great things, even when others believe that what they’re doing isn’t possible.
Wood Element personalities also tend to be fair-minded and driven by justice. They often get upset by witnessing others being treated unfairly and are willing to fight to make things right. Many bold leaders have been rich in Wood Element.
While the Wood Element personality qualities can be tremendous gifts, they can also lead to challenges. Often, Wood Element personalities are overly competitive or argumentative. Instead of seeking compromise and understanding, a Wood Element personality might tend to prove why they are right and others are wrong. Needless to say, this can make Wood Element personalities difficult to deal with, unless they know how to work skillfully with their Wood energy.
The Fire Element personality archetype says “yes!” to life. They love to connect with others, participate in large social gatherings, and be the center of attention. They’re often kind, compassionate, and caring, which can make them very skilled when it comes to working with other people.
The joy and exuberance of the Fire Element personality can often be so infectious that it ‘pulls people up.’ In other words, if you’re having a bad day, the Fire Element’s enthusiasm may be able to help remind you of the beauty that the world has to offer.
While the Fire Element’s passion for life has many benefits, it’s not without its challenges. Often, Fire Element personalities can say “yes” to too many things. This can cause them to become overcommitted and scattered, leading them to neglect their own personal needs.
Earth Element personalities have a gift for holding space for others. Typically, they’re nurturing, kind, fully authentic, and honest. Not surprisingly, these qualities can make them wonderful parents, partners, and friends.
Often, Earth Element personalities choose to serve others. Many great healers are rich in Earth Element, which gives them the natural ability to make others feel safe and secure.
Like the Fire Element, Earth Element personalities can overextend themselves. In relationships, they can sometimes identify too strongly as a caretaker, which can lead to codependent tendencies if left unchecked. When this happens, Earth Element personalities can forget to take care of their own needs, causing them to become depleted.
Our free two-week trial provides wonderful Qi Gong practices to help you get in touch with your Five Elements personality archetype and cultivate your unique gifts.
When you sign up for Lee’s two-week Qi Gong trial, you’ll gain immediate access to Lee’s subscription classes. Many of the lessons he teaches integrate Five Elements exercises, which enable you to work directly with the positive qualities of each personality archetype. Click on the banner below to discover how the two-week trial can help you tap into your full potential.
