The Five Pillars of Health
AN INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD ESKO
Q. What are the Five Pillars?
A. The Five Pillars represent stages in the universal pattern of change found throughout the cosmos. The five stages of change occur in cycles that govern all of creation from galaxies to atoms.
Q. Can you give an example?
A. For those of us in temperate climates, the changing seasons are a familiar example. We can identify five stages in the seasonal cycle, beginning with spring, progressing to summer, late summer, autumn, and winter. We can also say there are five stages of movement that occur within the alternating cycle of upward and downward, or as the ancient Chinese put it, yin and yang energies.
Q. How does that relate to our health?
A. These five energies also govern our body, mind, and spirit. If we can learn how to balance them, we can achieve health and well being. I’ve named that process “Five-Point Energy Balance.” The five energies are actually the foundation of Chinese Medicine, which is thousands of years old.
Q. What will you cover in the Five Pillars workshop?
A. I’ll be introducing familiar examples of the five stages of change, such as the seasonal cycle, the cycle of day and night, etc. I’ll show how these five energies are found in our human form, especially in the function of the body’s internal organs. Then I’ll explain how to harmonize our individual condition, or microcosm, with the universal movement of nature, or the macrocosm, through diet, activity, and thinking. I’ll present practical dietary and lifestyle guidelines so that everyone can achieve optimal health through Five-Point Energy Balance.
Q. Can you give an example of how foods are classified this way?
A. Yes. Let’s take cereal grains as an example. Throughout history whole grains were humanity’s staple foods. They are the foundation of a healthful and ecologically sound diet. A grain such as barley has light expansive energy in comparison to the energy of rice, for example. Brown rice, especially short grain varieties, has a more sticky and concentrated form of energy. So, we would include barley in the diet if we wanted to activate light, upward energy. By the way, the ancient Chinese classified barley under the “tree” energy category so as to illustrate its power of upward-moving energy.
Q. What are the five stages of energy?
A. Let’s return to the seasons as our reference point. Spring exemplifies upward energy, which the Chinese named “tree.” Summer reflects very active energy, or “fire” energy. In late summer, energy begins moving downward. That stage was name “soil,” or “earth” energy. In autumn energy becomes very condensed or contracted. That stage was given the name “metal” energy. And finally, in winter, energy begins to float back and forth between expansion and contraction. The ancient Chinese named that stage “water” nature or energy.
Q. Is this similar to the Chinese “Five Element Theory?”
A. It is the same concept. However, the name “Five Elements” is actually a mistranslation. The five stages represent dynamic, moving energies, not individual elements. The “Five Transformations” is actually a more accurate way of expressing the concept. I’ve named these stages “The Five Pillars” since they are the foundation of Chinese Medicine.
Q. Can you give an example of how the five energies can be used in healing?
A. As I mentioned, the internal organs are also classified according to their energy nature. The liver, for example, is classified as having upward, or tree energy. By the way, the organ classifications are not new; they appeared thousands of years ago in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, the classic Chinese treatise on health and healing. Chinese doctors often recommend barley, a grain with energy matching that of the liver, for a variety of liver disorders. They also recommended eating barley for conditions of the gallbladder, another tree energy organ.
Q. In addition to your workshop on The Five Pillars, you’ll also be offering workshops on Oriental Feng Shui Diagnosis. Can you tell us a little about that?
A. Feng Shui Diagnosis is based on the same principle that underlies the Five Pillars. In the workshop I’ll introduce techniques for seeing the state of your health in your facial features and other appearances.
Q. Can you give us an example?
A. The lips, for example, show the condition of the intestines. Swollen or puffy lips show weak intestines. They sometimes reveal that the person is suffering from constipation.
Q. It sounds as if we can know a lot about someone’s condition just be seeing their face.
A. That’s right. I sometimes tell folks not to attend my lecture on diagnosis if they have secrets they don’t want revealed! But seriously, Oriental Diagnosis is a valuable tool for understanding and keeping track of your health.
Edward Esko is a noted author and lecturer. He is on the board of the Preventive Medicine Center in Hartford, CT. He will present THE FIVE PILLARS: Health Secrets of Chinese Medicine this fall at the Great Falls Holistic Center in Bellows Falls, VT. Call (802) 463-3330 for info. He also will also lecture on The Five Pillars in New Bedford, MA and Virginia Beach, VA. See the Events page for contact info.
