In Five-Element Acupuncture theory, wintertime is associated with the Water Element.
The emotion associated with the Water Element is that of fear, or lack of fear. This emotion can be traced back many years to when farmers would have built up their stores of grain and crops to last over the barren winter months. There existed the fear, that if this was not done, there would be no food left come the spring. This fear is still evident today in Water Elements who, during the winter, are very conscious to conserve things and may be frightened of the consequences of not doing this.
A person with a predominant Water Element in Traditional 5 Element Acupuncture is likely to find a way around any obstacle that confronts them. A Water Element character can be likened to the sea, which is relentless; it will keep on wearing away at the cliffs over a length of time, gradually chipping away at the coastline. This is a feature that you can see in a person with a Water Element who is balanced, they will be persistent in what they do and not give up.
The Organs of the Water Element are the Bladder and Kidney. The Bladder is known as the Official of the municipal waterways and is the reservoir of the body, mind and spirit. It is the reserve that we draw from in the winter when things are running low. If there is no reserve to draw from then things can start to go wrong in body, mind and spirit.
The Kidney Official is known as the the official who controls the waterways. This, however, may be a little misleading as the Kidney does far more. Ancient Chinese philosophy believed that the Kidney Official was the storehouse for ancestral energy that was passed on to each generation. It was the seed of life that was passed on.
Five-Element Element Acupuncture is fantastic for treating a whole range of conditions, but where it excels is in working with the body, mind and spirit, balancing the person as a whole.