Water Overwhelms Fire: What Happens In The Body?

Chinese Medicine teaches us that Water controls Fire, meaning that Water can overwhelm Fire.

The Water element is the yin aspect to the yang of the Fire element.

So in our bodies, the Water element is related to the Kidney and the Fire is related to the Heart.

It is nature’s Way that Water overcomes Fire, like when we see the winter cold overcoming the heat

and so when this happens in our life, where Water is abundant, our lives feel more still and contracted.

We can be overwhelmed by the Water as it activates old fears and trauma and sends signals to our Hearts that we may be in danger.

When overwhelmed the Kidney activates our nervous system causing fight or flight, but we, as living beings, are resilient.

When overwhelmed, the Kidney communicates to the Heart that things are not safe, and our body responds by disrupting body balance, heart rate, digestion, hormones, and emotional health but the Fire element of the Heart can be re-ignited when supported by relationships and experiences of warmth, connection, joy, and play.

This is because of the dynamic and highest virtues of the Water Element and the Fire Element. When water overflows out of the container, it is the support of the Fire element that is our loving relationships with friends, families, and community and the Earth element of groundedness and trust that things will return back to balance again.

Because life throws its challenges and nature’s tendency to overwhelm our Heart’s fire, we can grow the capacity to handle things with resilience and rise again.