Gemstones and the 5 Elements

We recently posted an article discussing the gemstones associated with the 4 elements of western philosophy – earth, water, air and fire.

The Eastern equivalent has 5 elements, earth, fire, water, wood and metal and was developed in China nearly 3000 years ago.

In the simplest terms I can find, our health depends on balancing these 5 elements through traditional Chinese healing methods such as herbs, massage, acupuncture, martial arts and feng shui.

The idea is for these factors to work together to create a healthy flow of Qi (Chi) by means of the meridians or lines that connect points of energy throughout the body.

The first way is relatively simple. Find out your birth element by discovering your Chinese zodiac sign and matching it to its element.

Now you can choose a gemstone that matches your element.

The second method is a bit trickier and I am probably over simplifying for the sake of brevity.

From some classic symptoms we can determine that one or more of our elements are unbalanced. Once we have specified the element, we can then place the gemstone on the correct meridian point.

The third approach is when you feel one of the elements is out of alignment it can be boosted by another supportive element.

So for example, help the Fire element with a Wood gemstone and so on.

Okay, let’s get to the gemstones shall we? What gemstones represent the 5 elements? Each element has an associated color which usually corresponds to the gemstone. I have chosen two gemstones for each element which I feel offers the best and most powerful match.

Emerald + Aventurine

Element	Wood
Color	Green
Meridian	Gallbladder

Pyrope Garnet + Amethyst

Element	Fire
Color	Red / Purple
Meridian	Heart

Moonstone + Hematite

Element	Metal
Color	White / Gray
Meridian	Lung

Sapphire + Lapis Lazuli

Element	Water
Color	Blue / Black
Meridian	Kidney

Citrine + Tiger's Eye

Element	Earth
Color	Yellow / Brown
Meridian	Stomach

Maintaining a perfect balance of these five elements is the key to achieving happiness, health, and harmony in life. Gemstones can undoubtedly contribute to this endeavor.