Let go of your negative emotions

[Gerard]

Do not block them, don't ignore them either. If you are solely meditating, especially those who pursue enlightenment, you will only hurt yourself as these people tend to block emotions using their minds. In the end they only harm their bodies instead of attaining any enlightenment.

 

I accidentally found this quote while googling for Buddhism and emotions:

 

"I had a friend who just came back from Siberia and was full of claims that he had become deeply enligthened. I got a bit annoyed as he would not stop so I hit him and he screamed! I then asked him why he was suffering!" (Warrior Guards de Mountain, 2013).

 

 

Taoism is a lot more sophisticated, intelligent and responsible when it comes to dealing with our emotions especially dealing with the ones deeply rooted in our consciousness, stuck as toxins in the organs, meridians and connective tissue. Basically everywhere from eyes to toes. From the fear rooted in the kidneys to lust and anger in the liver or hate and arrogance of the heart. This chart provides a comprehensive and detailed view.

 

Yes in Taoism we talk about the organs, we do not ignore the negative effect of the emotions. Work must be constant and diligent. Working with the natural elements and using effective energetic methods, i.e. Bagua, Yiquan, Post Standing meditation, etc. we deal with and dissolve them for good if one successfully opens up the entire universe that is contained within us. It's a long and ongoing process.

 

As usual, best of luck!

 

 

Edited November 19, 2014 by Gerard

[Marblehead]

Always a good topic for discussion. I like your opening statement that we should not try to block them nor ignore them. Acknowledge them and let them pass; lingering on them only reinforces the thoughts.

[MooNiNite]

im not sure how easy it is

[Marblehead]

im not sure how easy it is

Hehehe. I don't recall having said it would be easy.

[Jetsun]

Coming in to the body is crucial , it is easy for practice to become cerebral especially as our current culture is so cerebral already.

Yet in my personal experience the popular Taoists methods out there aren't great at getting people into their emotions. Standing practices and such are good for grounding in physical sensation but that is still a different realm than the emotions , historically the Chinese are quite repressed on the emotional level despite their abundance of physical practices.

Such practices can even be used as methods to repress the emotions. For example if you have a child who is emotionally upset what they need is love and a hug, but if what they receive is a diagnosis of lung imbalance and a course of accupuncture or standing exercises they aren't going to feel met or understood in any way resulting in repression. And most of our adult emotional issues are just like that little child.

Personally I think modern psychotherapeutic methods are better in this realm than Taoist methods, at least that is my experience. Most emotional issues are created within the realm of relationship which is also where they need to find their healing. I sincerely tried a lot of Taoist methods for this issue myself and they didn't work, they have a good understanding of how and where the emotions show up in the body but their solutions aren't so great.

Edited November 19, 2014 by Jetsun

[Gerard]

Yet in my personal experience the popular Taoists methods out there aren't great at getting people into their emotions. Standing practices and such are good for grounding in physical sensation but that is still a different realm than the emotions , historically the Chinese are quite repressed on the emotional level despite their abundance of physical practices.

 

Personally I think modern psychotherapeutic methods are better in this realm than Taoist methods, at least that is my experience. Most emotional issues are created within the realm of relationship which is also where they need to find their healing. I sincerely tried a lot of Taoist methods for this issue myself and they didn't work, they have a good understanding of how and where the emotions show up in the body but their solutions aren't so great.

 

Yes, you are right standing practices are good to build a solid root. You need a more complex and holistic mechanism since negative emotions are frozen beneath layers of mind and stuck anywhere in the body: back, legs, face, joints, hips/waist/kua, shoulders (the internal organs and network meridians are responsible for carrying all the junk all over the body, and the whole mechanism triggered by the spirit-mind and past karma).

 

The problem is not Taoist methods...but the sort of methods people are normally exposed to: watered down to suit the complacent masses and done either to satisfy a financial need or to promote a teacher's status, especially today.

 

And it all started here. Actually a bit earlier but the major shift occurred when the Communist regime took over and as a result all the great martial tradition fled en masse to Taiwan and other foreign countries. Those who stayed went underground and when they started teaching it was all wushu for fear of Government persecution. You know Communists didn't want to be threatened in the future by traditional IMA people because these were capable of real power, they even threw dynamite in the houses of famous masters during the CR; it's shows how scared they were from them.

 

The Taoism you get in the West is not real Taoism, I'm afraid. You need to get initiated by a transmitter.

 

Just check this out:

 

1. 'Bagua’ was originally known as ‘Chuanzhang’. In my childhood I met Mr. Cheng Tinghua, I remember he seemed to be like a divine dragon roaming in the sky, changing infinitely, it is hardly possible for the modern person to reach such skill and strength. I distantly remember Mr. Dong Haichuan, it is even harder to understand how profound was his insight into the Sea of Law and attainment of the Tao.

 

2. So ruined is this boxing that it has become useless, this is really deplorable. I wish that the powerful members of this school would promptly and strictly clean it up, and attempt to develop it in the future.

 

3. The boxing arts of our nation are in a chaotic state, thus the people cannot know what course to take. Summed up, they have abandoned the quintessence and kept only the scum, nothing more. Although the martial arts of Japan and the boxing of Western Europe are one-sided, they all have their original points. In comparison to an ordinary boxer of our nation, they are countless miles ahead. The people should be very ashamed of this. So we should clean up and carry forward the old knowledge. Except for us, who else is there left to do it? Despite my meagreness, I call for action to advocate it, only for this purpose.

 

4. If the prominent personage and the wise hermits of this country will be willing to make a journey to grant me instruction, they are very welcome. If you do not wish to come to visit me, please just send me a note and I will surely and wholeheartedly pay you a visit and respectfully listen to all you have to say. To sum up, I only seek to improve the boxing art, I do not bother about anything else.

 

5. If one learns the method of exercise properly, then the benefits will be great, but learning it improperly can even lead to death. Only very few of the sportsmen doing strenuous exercise can enjoy longevity. The boxers who have lost their lives or injured their bodies because of improper exercise are uncountable. That kind of boxing is indeed pitiful and also laughable. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of studying boxing, one should experience and observe the states of movement and stillness with special care while exercising, not only the external movement of the body, but also the moving state of the spirit.

 

And please keep reading the rest of the article because it is worth a ton of gold:

 

Warrior body, cotton mind

 

And another relevant article (related to the comment I made about degeneration of IMA starting prior the CR)

 

Gradual loss of combat in Taijiquan Yang style

 

And related to that, the following quote:

 

"He Jin Han explains further by saying that every posture or movement has a main direction or, in some cases, two main directions of energy movement. The practitioner must try to understand where the energy of each posture or movement is originating and what path through the body that energy is following in order to reach its destination in the most effective and efficient manner. "The right power comes from the right rule and the right movement. The right posture gives you the right road," He Jin Han says.

 

To illustrate what he meant, He Jin Han took out a magazine that had photographs of various martial artists. In one article there were pictures of an old master holding a sword over his head. In another photo the old master's son was holding a similar posture and in still another photo one of the son's students was holding a similar posture. He Jin Han said, "Look at the alignments of the old man. All of his body alignments are such that the energy in his posture is in a direct line with the balance point of the sword." With that in mind we looked at the postures of the old man's son and the son's student. With each generation the alignment of the practitioner's body in relationship with the sword was farther away from the correct path. He Jin Han said that if the alignment and energy movement of a posture are not right, the correct power will not be present."

 

Gong Bao Zhai Talks About the Importance of Both the Literary and Martial Aspects of Martial Arts Training

 

 

That's the problem with IMA training today:

 

1. The Wushu camp

 

2. The New Age group

 

3. The fighting mentality

 

None of them are traditional Chinese internal arts, which are an expression of an ancient civilisation, comprising Taoism (science based on the natural laws following universal principles), Buddhism (mind and karma), and Confucianism (ethics and morality).

 

I don't want to sound rude but the only psychotherapy that works is hard work and determination from the student and getting real knowledge by a teacher trained traditionally emphasising foundation work for decades ahead with a genuine and caring attitude for the former; a system that is not based on performing vanilla-flavoured movements lacking depth but on delivering a profound transformation of the individual ground up. We don't want a system that creates either 'gorillas' or 'pop stars'; we need to aim deep and the deeper without forgetting that the body is a materialised expression of the 'spirit-mind.'

 

Real IMA training will get you very close to indigenous Taoism, but make sure you invest time and effort in finding a genuine and caring IMA teacher.

 

Emotions are dealt with with continuous real internal training unlearning all the bad habits acquired from childhood over decades of work.

 

Repeat this as a three-syllable mantra.

 

Note: Refer to Concentrating the Vital Spirit & Intensive Cultivation of the Triple World chapters of the book Opening the Dragon Gate: The Making of a Modern Taoist Wizard and the various exercises described in order to get ideas for your own training. Practise in the natural environment as often as possible.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Gerard

[Spotless]

Emotions is a deep group of concepts and vibrations.

 

The root of our emotions in not in emotion - it is the ignition between pictures we have of ourself in relation to pictures we have of other. It is time and space related fighting with will or release from will (joy).

 

Our concept of love has nothing to do with love - it is always selfish, willful or gratifying.

 

Rage is our will set upon our pictures of ourselves and what we see to be this picture in interaction with other - complete illusion.

 

Psychotherapy gives relief to the throat and the incredible buildup of energy there and all of its implications in other areas. While it works in heart as well it does not help much there except to give throat venting for its laments.

 

The heart receives much attention in this area but primarily because humanity does not yet employ heart or listen to it. Heart is met largely in childish terms and crude term.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Spotless

[hagar]

Gerard´s post about the superior approach of the Daoist somatic framework is spot on.

 

However, in recent years, and having worked with the "bodily" blockages with varying success, I have finally embraced the fact that most of our blockages resides in the mind and secondarily in the brain.

 

Most external healing might solve your somatic issues, but if you do not weed out the root cause in the mind and brain they establish the same old story in the body again and again.

 

When there is no actual perception of a block, there is no block. Understanding this fact took me amost half my life. The body, and it´s so-called problems are just part of the same projection of the mind, like a hologram. If you change the perception of your bodily nature, your problems dissappear. This is ofcourse very deep work on the unconscious mind, and the brain is not just re-programmed. It takes a monumental sea change in our being for this to happen.

 

For me conditioning is not what is supposed to be worked through. This is like trying to polish a rock into a mirror. What has happened has happened. A broken heart is a broken heart. Beyond suppression or expression or letting go. If you have been in the war in Irak, you cannot undo that, and it will be a part of your system. The "letting go" is not about tranforming or purging in the deepest sense, but recognizing the reality underneath. If this dimension is not accessed, no real transformation is possible. If we focus on solving problems in the system, the problems are endless.

 

Instead, true practice is opening to the real energy and information that came before conditioning.

True energy light and information is allready there. It´s symbolic, like a prayer.

 

h

[Jetsun]

All the emotional dramas in our lives revolve around a central character of separate "I" , so if that character is seen through then the key stone of all the blockages and emotional issues is removed. That doesn't mean that all the issues and blockages immediately dissapear but it makes dealing with it all a lot easier. Unless the Taoist methods are getting to this root all the things which are cleared will grow back, or appear in another way, or they could even get worse. In some traditions they say that if you remove one demon seven more appear in its place , or like the Medusa cut off one head and many more grow in its place, until you use a mirror on it. Which is why many traditions go straight to the root.

[Spotless]

The separate "I" analogy works for quite a distance but where do they come from?

 

They are generated by time / space identifications that expand to become an identity of sorts.

 

Too much of Gurdieff is top down and he abandoned his base experience in his teaching as given to others. This is the very conclusion Ouspensky rightly came to.

 

Original pictures are held throughout the body more than in the mind - the "mind" acts more as the gluing agent than as the repository. This is the problem with such terms a "the un-conscious mind" - it is more often than not circuitry to compressions within the bodies - our three bodies.

 

The "mind" stirs in the various pictures stored within the bodies and causes them to vibrate in relation to identifications - fears. This "mind" appears to be mental but it is mechanical and often actuated by and or centered from heart, instinct, physical atmosphere, throat, proximity and higher influence.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Spotless

[Marblehead]

... our three bodies.

Damn! I have only one body. Well used up at that.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

"let go" is an active choice that suggests i am in control of these emotions.

I would let go, but they wont leave.

[Jetsun]

The separate "I" analogy works for quite a distance but where do they come from?

 

They are generated by time / space identifications that expand to become an identity of sorts.

 

Too much of Gurdieff is top down and he abandoned his base experience in his teaching as given to others. This is the very conclusion Ouspensky rightly came to.

 

Original pictures are held throughout the body more than in the mind - the "mind" acts more as the gluing agent than as the repository. This is the problem with such terms a "the un-conscious mind" - it is more often than not circuitry to compressions within the bodies - our three bodies.

 

The "mind" stirs in the various pictures stored within the bodies and causes them to vibrate in relation to identifications - fears. This "mind" appears to be mental but it is mechanical and often actuated by and or centered from heart, instinct, physical atmosphere, throat, proximity and higher influence.

 

I just wrote a long detailed reply to this but it somehow got lost, I guess for the best, but basically it is only modern interpretation which has skewed Gurdjieff's work into something intellectual, the exercises he prescribes in his books are all about sensing and feeling the body. Physical work was used to ground the body and the emotions were worked on through dances, music and group dynamics. But in my post I wasn't intending to come from a Gurdjieff perspective, the sense of separate "I" is something most genuine traditions discuss.

[Marblehead]

"let go" is an active choice that suggests i am in control of these emotions.

 

I would let go, but they wont leave.

Sometimes we have to kick their ass out.

[johndoe2012]

Jetsun I agree.

 

There is a reason behind the emotion and the most stuck ones come from your childhood and is best treated as such using the Western approach.

 

I used to like Buddhism and Taoism but I can see now they cannot be used to fully integrate oneself in a coherent way.

 

In Buddhism there is a lot of denial and suppression involved.

 

Taoism on the other hand is overly technical with the emphasis on organs, centers and so on.

 

My feeling is there is a lot of fear behind not confronting the low level beliefs and a belief escapism is a good thing which it is not.

 

In therapy you have to let your guard down and completely reveal yourself which is why it works.

 

Another aspect in Eastern philosophies is the aspect of the guru / master.

 

Ultimately you need to fully trust yourself by being in your body. This trust can also be learned from a good therapist.

 

The emphasis on techniques, methods, meditation takes you away from yourself by objectifying everything instead of treating yourself as a human with emotions.

 

Sure there is a place for working with energetics, meditation in the beginning but it needs to be let go of.

 

Once you are rooted in the body and trust yourself all the technical mumbo-jumbo seems very foreign. Even awakening seems like a ego driven goal.

[adept]

Do not block them, don't ignore them either. If you are solely meditating, especially those who pursue enlightenment, you will only hurt yourself as these people tend to block emotions using their minds. In the end they only harm their bodies instead of attaining any enlightenment.

 

I accidentally found this quote while googling for Buddhism and emotions:

 

"I had a friend who just came back from Siberia and was full of claims that he had become deeply enligthened. I got a bit annoyed as he would not stop so I hit him and he screamed! I then asked him why he was suffering!" (Warrior Guards de Mountain, 2013).

 

 

Taoism is a lot more sophisticated, intelligent and responsible when it comes to dealing with our emotions especially dealing with the ones deeply rooted in our consciousness, stuck as toxins in the organs, meridians and connective tissue. Basically everywhere from eyes to toes. From the fear rooted in the kidneys to lust and anger in the liver or hate and arrogance of the heart. This chart provides a comprehensive and detailed view.

 

Yes in Taoism we talk about the organs, we do not ignore the negative effect of the emotions. Work must be constant and diligent. Working with the natural elements and using effective energetic methods, i.e. Bagua, Yiquan, Post Standing meditation, etc. we deal with and dissolve them for good if one successfully opens up the entire universe that is contained within us. It's a long and ongoing process.

 

As usual, best of luck!

 

Nice post Gerard.

 

To add a standing component to any martial art, will accelerate progress immensely.

ZZ really is the key for superior health, strength and power in the internal arts.

I've practiced standing for a few years now and feel it will be invaluable to my new practice of tai chi.

 

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

Sometimes we have to kick their ass out.

Those who can, do.

Those who can't, set the (bad) example to learn from.

[Sunbeam]

I will agree with what others have said here. Internal martial arts work, done correctly, will completely cleanse you of emotional dramas and stories... Gradually, one by one. It takes a long time because these stories have so many angles and manifestations and the ego will constantly try to cling on. The key is that the practitioner has to develop integrity and be willing to take responsibility for their stuff. Otherwise they will simply stagnate and get nowhere. But once something is rooted out of the body by way of basically dissolving or burning it away with Qi, it is gone forever! You'll no longer feel burdened by those particular stories.... And of course, others will arise.

I think once things get to a point of discomfort is when we really start to deal with them. And we will intuitively search for and find methods that work for us. But for me, the central practice is definitely ima.

 

The way I think of it is this in terms of mind/body/spirit -- in order to really achieve fluid and flowing movement all blockages within the body/mind/spirit need to be released. These can be worked with directly through the movement work -- though supplemental methods can be helpful, such as healing work, writing, contemplation, possibly even talk therapy (though I have never found this effective myself -- but to each their own) -- it all comes back to the movement work and freeing the self within the body.

 

Perhaps the aspects of Taoism that are too technical mentioned here are not necessarily the essence of the work done. Simply doing the work directly is all that is needed, in my experience. The theory is helpful and can explain/pacify the mind but doesn't always hold the answers which are discovered mainly through practice.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Sunbeam

[johndoe2012]

The act of talking to others can help destroy illusions. It seems that just after words have come out of your mouth a deeper understanding arises. Not self-reflection but a feeling of untruthness / truthfulness, a way of gauging of whether it is your true self that is speaking versus learned beliefs.

 

This is why the idea of being silent is very bad.

 

Lately a new feeling has popped up "fearlessness" and the feeling of "don't be such a coward".

 

"Don't be such a coward" leans to just being yourself without hiding behind a specific method / teacher / anything. Identifying too much with a outer concept is another thing that needs to be crushed along the way to obtain that feeling of being good enough no matter what happens.

[doc benway]

 

 

Taoism is a lot more sophisticated, intelligent and responsible when it comes to dealing with our emotions especially dealing with the ones deeply rooted in our consciousness,

 

Funny, my experience has been the opposite...

 

I suggest that each individual has unique aptitude and potential and would do themselves justice by maintaining an open mind, embracing what works for them, and discarding what does not.

 

It's very nice for us to have confidence and enthusiasm for our practices, less constructive to disparage others' paths, especially with gross generalizations.

[Gerard]

Steve, maybe you are right at Taoism gravitates a lot more around the Water path as opposed to Buddhism which follows the Fire one. I have seen this so many times with practitioners I met in real life. I always ask for the year of birth and it's so interesting to see how those missing fire in their Ba Zi are more attracted to fully follow the Buddhist path, whereas those with lack of Water in their charts, like myself, find Taoist methods more suitable to their practice. Of course I'm not talking about absolutes in here, but generally speaking this is how it works.

 

Buddhism was originally developed as an strictly internal method bypassing the body altogether; in our day and age you can't ignore it, it would be foolish. Heal the body first, tackle the mind later.

 

Finally going against the yang-yin forces only leads to failure. Buddhists don't talk about it but it's an inherent part of their practice anyway. I can't imagine a monk meditating in the middle of the Sahara desert with 55deg temp (extreme yang), or in the Arctic with -60 deg temp. (extreme yin); or eating sweets and raw foods on a daily basis (spleen damaging), or drinking cold drinks (they harm the stomach); and do many other examples.

 

 

 

 

[Bubbles]

Hi Gerard,

 

Not wanting to quibble over it, but a bazi chart has 4 pillars (hour, day, month and year) so it is difficult to assess what element is needed most in a chart without having the complete chart at hand. As for linking fire with Buddhism and Water with Daoism, I would be very tentative about it, as my following example could show:

 

HH Dalai Lama 's (Tenzin Gyatso) Bazi Chart is as follow (hour, day, month year):

Jia Gui Ren Yi

Yin Wei Wu Hai

The most needed element in this chart is not Fire because Fire is not good for him and would create more imbalance. HH Dalai Lama would need Metal first, but as it is not avalaible in his chart (it can only be provided by his luck pillars), Water is the second choice.

 

In Bazi, anything related to philosophy, wisdom is more Water related than Fire related.

 

Best,

 

edited for spelling and syntax

Edited November 28, 2014 by bubbles

[doc benway]

Steve, maybe you are right at Taoism gravitates a lot more around the Water path as opposed to Buddhism which follows the Fire one.

 

I appreciate your reply, Gerard and I'm sorry if I'm being argumentative but I think it's important to address your OP.

 

Daoism embraces balance, as does Buddhism.

I studied a Daoist method for over a decade which you would characterize as a fire method.

I practice a Buddhist method currently which you would primarily identify as a water method.

That said, as we dig deeper, each contains and embraces the other, they extinguish one another to reveal truth.

 

I'm not saying you are incorrect but I don't think you have the whole picture here.

These generalizations aren't helpful, IMO, they rarely are.

Nor are judgements, these are among the things that both Daoism and Buddhism would have us abandon.

 

 

[Marblehead]

... generalizations aren't helpful ... Nor are judgements, these are among the things that both Daoism and Buddhism would have us abandon.

Really?

 

(I was going to say "No Shit!")

[Daeluin]

I will agree with what others have said here. Internal martial arts work, done correctly, will completely cleanse you of emotional dramas and stories... Gradually, one by one. It takes a long time because these stories have so many angles and manifestations and the ego will constantly try to cling on. The key is that the practitioner has to develop integrity and be willing to take responsibility for their stuff. Otherwise they will simply stagnate and get nowhere. But once something is rooted out of the body by way of basically dissolving or burning it away with Qi, it is gone forever! You'll no longer feel burdened by those particular stories.... And of course, others will arise.

 

To add to this, I think it is important to maintain the practice long enough to completely deal with encapsulated energies. Other methods might target them directly, like hunting down and facing a wild animal, tracking it back to the original traumatic experience that became the root of subsequence cycles of encapsulation. In this method one is able to clear the encapsulation if when the root is uncovered, one is prepared to match the intensity and precision that created it. Similar to facing down a tiger.

 

When doing martial arts and energy work practices that naturally dissolve, circulate and transform energies, the encapsulations will lose power but won't go away until the root is dissolved. If the cultivation work stops the pattern re-emerges. But after long enough, certain transformations might cause the root to dissolve, and are likely to manifest as greater emotional challenges blocking one's continued practice. These can be difficult as one might not understand where these emotional pressures are arising from, but all one needs to do (I think) is to maintain sincerity and equanimity on one's path, no matter how difficult it might be.

 

Steve, maybe you are right at Taoism gravitates a lot more around the Water path as opposed to Buddhism which follows the Fire one. I have seen this so many times with practitioners I met in real life. I always ask for the year of birth and it's so interesting to see how those missing fire in their Ba Zi are more attracted to fully follow the Buddhist path, whereas those with lack of Water in their charts, like myself, find Taoist methods more suitable to their practice. Of course I'm not talking about absolutes in here, but generally speaking this is how it works. Buddhism was originally developed as an strictly internal method bypassing the body altogether; in our day and age you can't ignore it, it would be foolish. Heal the body first, tackle the mind later. Finally going against the yang-yin forces only leads to failure. Buddhists don't talk about it but it's an inherent part of their practice anyway. I can't imagine a monk meditating in the middle of the Sahara desert with 55deg temp (extreme yang), or in the Arctic with -60 deg temp. (extreme yin); or eating sweets and raw foods on a daily basis (spleen damaging), or drinking cold drinks (they harm the stomach); and do many other examples.

 

Ba Zi is so fascinating, especially in how slight changes result in completely different paradigms of flow.

 

In classical Ba Zi for instance, Metal born in a Water month likes to see Fire. Metal would naturally begin to freeze the Water unless Fire is used. If the Water is "Hurting Officer", normally you wouldn't want the Officer (Fire) present, but here it is important, and there are different possibilities for this structure depending on what other elements are present.

 

Wood born in Fire, likes to see Water to help regain balance.

 

I've noticed excess water might result in imbalanced water issues, requiring one to regulate the water before applying the fire. Without integrating Fire, the Water might be too "heavy", but without regulating the Water, the Fire will be overwhelmed. I imagine there are many possible scenarios!

 

I also find it interesting how Water contains Oxygen and Fire feeds on Oxygen, and how the breath is so important in both philosophies.

 

In Bazi, anything related to philosophy, wisdom is more Water related than Fire related.

 

It is simple to look at it like this, but I think it is all very connected.

 

The water may represent wisdom and intelligence, but is controlled by earth, representing sincerity. Greater sincerity results in a more stable foundation for the water, which settles and becomes more clear. Muddy water is not clear. In classical Ba Zi Water that is Void is said to be empty, and signifies greater intelligence. So there seems to be a connection between the clarity of the water and the depth of it's wisdom, as a crystal ball.

 

And fire represents illumination and clarity, and is controlled by water. I wonder if the fire is what actually perceives and interprets the wisdom of the water. And again, the clarity of the water is an important factor, and it too influences the stability of the fire. A wildfire, or fire with irregular influences will change unpredictably and scatter to where-ever it is led. But contained and still fire illuminates with regularity, and greater structure engenders potential application of increased pressure - this is how diamonds are created.