A jungian journey through the Taoist five Elements
The Five Elements; Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal, represent five archetypal life streams that together make up all of nature, including human nature. They are a wonderful way to understand our unique being, while at the same time, our common basis with each other and the world in which we live. They provide insight into our physical, psychological, and spiritual natures as a unified whole, rather than as fragmented aspects of being, and give practical means to deepen fundamental awareness.
Ancient Chinese knowledge developed out of profound perception, a deep seeing into the way of things. They understood the archetypal nature of life and that Spirit, Matter and Soul are fully interrelated. Their brilliance was that they were then able to map the continuum between the ineffable and the material world theoretically and practically into all areas of life in astoundingly effective and comprehensive ways that are still successful in practice today.
This five module program is designed to give you the tools to go the next step (whatever that looks like for you) and to develop means of perception that can deepen over a lifetime. Together and individually you will participate in empirical, inner psycho-spiritual and physical research, and practice holding awareness while held in a supportive group learning process. This is a method of deep perception and witness of the world within and without. We will work with the lenses of Jungian psychology, ancient Chinese philosophy, and ‘Embodied Awareness.’ The latter refers to my way of working with body and psyche, developed over the last 35+ years.
This process will support you to become increasingly aware of who (or what) you are and why you came here. I will facilitate, teach and lead, but each of you will be supported to step into your unique authority and power, not defined by a patriarchal view. We will engage in an exploration of life as a creative expression of your soul as an inherent part of nature and the cosmos.
This Program Supports:
Developing a profound perceptual lens.
Knowing your essence more deeply.
Stepping into right power and owning your authority.
Developing more clarity, compassion, and courage.
Opening your heart.
Receiving the grace of forgiveness, peace and joy.
Finding your unique creative expression.
Deepening your relationship with nature and the cosmos.
Having another profound lens through which to gain insight into people you are in relationship with, whether clients, colleagues, friends or family.
“In heaven it is the mystery,
In [wo/]man it is the dao,
On earth it is the transformations”
The modules can be taken individually or as a series. I recommend taking them as a series, as each module will give you insight into an essential aspect of your being, but if you want to take a single module to see whether it is a good fit, please do! These courses are educational, rather than analytic or therapeutic. The safe class environment does tend to see people blossom and heal. Please note that it is required that you have an outside source for individual therapeutic or analytic work when needed.
*CEUs are available for psychotherapists licensed in WA State for a modest additional fee.
The Modules
Next Up:
The Earth Module - Quintessence; Integration, Intention, Clear Thought
6 Wednesdays - August 26 - September 23, 2026
9am - 11:30am PST, 12pm - 2:30pm EST, 18hr - 20.30hr CET
The Earth element represents a pivot within the body, around which everything revolves. A place of interplay between Heaven and Earth; Fire and Water, this element is the center of life. Mentally, its manifestations provide the capacity for ideas and thought. When in right balance, those ideas and thinking align with the heart. The spiritual treasure of this element is that of Intention, which gives the ability to sustain effort long enough to realize a goal. Physically it generates the vitality to go the distance, nurturing and being nurtured by the foods we eat, the nature we enjoy, the dance of Heaven and Earth in our bodies. Psychologically, when well balanced, this element provides a peaceful center, a sense of being rooted in the world, of home place and safe haven. It enables the digestion and assimilation of experiences, which can then spark new ideas worthy of action.
The Earth element is the ‘mother’ element. Mother injuries tend to show up here, reflecting in many potential ways; poor boundaries, obsequiousness, excessive worry and rumination, inability to receive, nurture, or be nurtured, eating disturbances and disorders, lack of grounding, difficulty bringing a task to completion or in manifesting one’s goals in the world.
Autumn - The Metal Element - Distillation and Meaning
6 Wednesdays - October 21 - November 25, 2026
9am - 11:30am PST, 12pm - 2:30pm EST, 18hr - 20.30hr CET
The lyrical energy of late summer when growth is harvested is consolidated and refined in autumn, in preparation for winter’s descent into the depths. Meaning is gleaned through a process of distillation. Evaluation determines what is worth keeping and what needs to be let go. Like deciduous trees in autumn, we are stripped down to that which is most essential, storing in the depths that which will nourish through the dark months of winter. Here resides our instinctual nature and embodied soul. Ethics, beliefs, and spiritual practice exist here too, a conduit between the rarified and the mundane. ‘Fathering’ is of the nature of metal, as is money, and self-esteem or lack thereof. The health of the metal element is reflected physically in the lungs and large intestine.
Winter - The Water Element - Where Heaven Lands
6 Wednesdays - January 6 - February 10, 2027
9am - 11:30am PST, 12pm - 2:30pm EST, 18hr - 20.30hr CET
The miracle of life begins and ends in water. Winter enters a time of silence and stillness, where like a caterpillar in a cocoon, that which is no longer needed dissolves. When the emptiness is replete, a spark of light ignites as if by magic. Held in the sacred container of darkness, that light quickens. A new form grows. When gestation comes to fullness, birthing begins, marking a new stage of development. The water element is the first archetypal stream of 5 life streams that make embodied life possible.
Water makes up approximately 70% of our bodies, and approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface. Dark energy, properly known as vacuum, accounts for 70% of the Universe. Water images in dreams are often symbolic of the collective unconscious, the matrix within which consciousness is held. Ancient Chinese thought considers water as a manifestation of Heaven. In the sciences, it is thought that the Universe is birthed from out of an ocean of dark energy.
In the water element we find the mandate of our destiny path. It is a place of wisdom, power and knowing. Properly held, power serves that which is greater. It provides the will to sustain new developments into realization.
Spring - The Wood Element - New Beginnings
Schedule to be announced
In the time of spring that which has been gestating in the depths is now ready to be birthed, to expand into life. The wood element represents a place in awareness that when balanced, has the clarity to envision and plan according to one’s essence. It is a time and place of initiation, of bold action taken with courage. When healthy, fairness, justice, and clear discernment are present. When there is weakness or injury in the wood element, we may see toxicity, judgment, inappropriate use of anger, unmanageable stress, or an inability to get organized or to manage time.
This archetypal energy gives us the capacity to stand up for the truth of our heart, knowing when to move forward and when to retreat. When wood collapses altogether it is a crisis. Then one may see or experience self-hate, despair, violence, inability to say ‘no,’ or to take up one’s rightful place in the world.
Summer - The Fire Element - Creativity, Culmination, Relationship
Schedule to be announced
The archetypal life stream of the Fire Element has everything to do with relationship. First and foremost is our inner relationship with Psyche, Spirit, the deep truth of our heart, and with ‘empty center;’ that place of silence and stillness where original awareness resides. This is the most spiritualized of the Fire functions. On a more psychological level, there are the functions that govern our most intimate relationships, and another that has to do with a larger social group that is not part of our inner circle. Finally, there is a function that has to do with sorting; sorting what is toxic or less than worthwhile from what feeds body, mind and soul. It determines appropriate levels of relationship with the people in our lives. Are they friends, acquaintances, or buddies? Are they partner or lover?
On another level, the Fire Element governs creative inspiration, culmination, passion, transformation, fiery purification, and ‘solar’ consciousness. A balance of control relates to this element. When weak, one may be controlling of others, or under the inappropriate control of another. Physically, the Fire Element reflects in our blood and its circulation. Related to the dream symbol of wine, it is a place of Spirit anchored in the body.
*15 CEUs are available for each module taken for analysts or therapists in WA State. A fee applies.
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About
For more information, please contact Laura Lewis Thayer. 360 774.3488 or info@laura-lewisthayer.com