The third of the 5 elements found in all of nature is fire, which evolves from ether and air. Ether provides the space for fire to exist, while air provides fire the capacity to burn. Fire generates energy in the body just as the sun generates energy for the earth. It represents heat, luster, understanding, perception, conversion, metabolism, digestion and the power of transformation.
Fire is that part of nature that transforms one state of matter into another. For example, fire transforms ice into water and then into steam. The qualities of fire are hot, sharp, subtle, flowing, dry, and light. It is connected to the eyes, our sense of sight and perception.
Fire helps us with digestion, maintains our body temperature and gives glow to our skin. It ignites the intellect, helps us digest ideas, provides clarity in our thoughts and perceptions, and allows for understanding. Fire increases our skin luster; our eyes shine brighter and our mind becomes sharper and more focused. Too much fire, however, can lead to anger, irritability, frustration, judgment, criticism, impatience, intolerance and excessive perfectionist tendencies.
An abundance of fire in the body results in a buildup of heat, and not enough fire results in a feeling of being cold. If heat builds up, the body will eliminate the excess through sweat, increased urination and more frequent and looser stools. If fire increases too much, the skin can erupt in rashes, acne and/or hives, the eyes can become bloodshot, the mind intense, the tissues of the body may become inflamed, and there may be fever.
A lack of fire in the body can result in a loss of luster as the skin takes on a gray or pale tone, metabolism slows down, and food is poorly digested. In the mind, it becomes difficult to digest new information.
In our diet, the pungent, sour, and salty tastes contain the most fire. Of these, the pungent taste will increase fire the most rapidly, but it is the sour taste that has the greatest long-term effect. Pickled and fermented foods, yogurt, and foods marinated in vinegar are example of sour foods. Pungent foods include ginger, hot peppers, garlic, and salts.
Our digestive fire is increased primarily by hot, spicy, sour, and salty foods and is decreased by both heavy and cold foods. If digestion is weak and the fire low, our diet should be lighter and spicier until digestion normalizes.
The season associated with fire is from late spring until the end of summer. At this time, the air is warmer, the days longer due to more sunlight and the activities of people and plants reach their peak. Summer is the most naturally active time of year.
The late summer is nature’s time of fullness in preparation for the harvest of fall. While it’s still hot outside, it’s best to eat lighter foods such as sweet, fresh fruits, watermelon, vegetables, lime, avocado and light grains such as basmati rice.
In the cycle of life and death, fire represents our most productive years. Each person’s capacity for work and service is greatest during this phase of life, as the fire burns bright inside of us. A person with too much fire, however, can become too focused and intense. Those with a naturally fiery nature must be careful not to work too hard and burn themselves out.
A few simple guidelines to help balance excess fire:
- Keep cool and stay in the shade.
- Minimize spicy, sour, salty and pungent foods.
- Avoid or lower the amount of red meat, deep fried foods, caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants in your diet.
- Eat in a peaceful and relaxing environment.
- Practice surrendering rather than controlling.
- Engage in a moderate exercise routine.
- Make sure you have time to play and to relax.
- Enjoy a sunrise and/or sunset.