In traditional Five Element acupuncture, the Fire element is all about our relationships with other people: it’s about interaction, communication, sharing, and is connected to fun, joy, and intimacy. When our Fire energy is working in a balanced way, we know just how to be with other people; we enjoy other people’s company, and we’re nourished by those heart-to-heart connections.
The COVID pandemic has impacted on all this. We’ve been told to reduce our social interaction and, literally, to keep our distance from each other. There’s been less physical communication, less hugging, less affection. Mask-wearing has reduced our ability to fully express ourselves, to share a smile. And those communal events we used to take for granted – the music gigs, theatre performances and sporting events, where we all share that powerful glow of Fire energy – came to a complete stop, only recently becoming more normal again.
So after two years of a pandemic, it’s not suprising if our Fire feels low. We may be feeling unmotivated, low on warmth, out of practice at communicating, and suffering with feelings of sadness, depression or social anxiety. The pandemic blues!
In traditional acupuncture, Summer is the season that corresponds to the Fire element – the time of year where light, warmth, activity, and interaction are all at their peak. If those Summer feelings are missing, acupuncture can help: a few treatments supporting, boosting and balancing our Fire energy may be just what we need to bring that spark and that sunshine back into our lives.
Ric Malkinson, Traditional Acupuncture.
