Oil and Water – Physics and the Five Phases?

The Chinese symbol of Earth can be used to direct our minds towards the meaning of the Spleen/Stomach organ network in the body. If we use the Tai Ji symbol as a representation of the five phase processes at work, the Earth “phase” is the axis upon which the whole process turns. The axis of the turning wheel is what offers it stability in space. The axis of this wheel is what allows the upwards energy to turn and flow downward and then to be lifted again. The entire cyclical nature of the process is based upon the axis of the wheel, for without the axis, there would be chaos and no repeating cycle.
We can think of this axis as having two parts: half of the axis corresponds to an upward movement and half of the axis corresponds to a downward movement. It is somewhat silly to divide an axis in this way, since the upwards movement cannot function without the downwards movement, but we have already divided the outside of our Tai Ji symbol in this fashion, and as all things are holographic, the same rules can be applied to the axis itself.
It is also important to note that the movements of the axis do not come from the axis. The axis just denotes the point that is central to the rotational movement. From Newton’s Principia, we know that any mass following the circular path around the axis will be subject to a centripetal force pointed inwards towards the axis. The mass itself will exert an equal force in the opposite direction (hence, directly away from the axis); the reactive centrifugal force.
The Spleen and Stomach have a central location in the body, and all of the grains and liquids are taken into this middle part of the body to be distributed outwards. We can think of the Spleen and Stomach as the two parts that make up the axis of the functioning body system. The Spleen will fit with the half of the axis that corresponds to upwards and outwards movement, while the Stomach will fit with the half of the axis that corresponds to downwards and inwards movement.
In this way, we can see the Stomach as being related to the centripetal force that Newton described. All of the food is pulled into the Stomach, where it is held and worked on and eventually pushed even deeper into the body on it’s way to excretion. If we use the symbols of the centripetal force and the reverse centrifugal force then we know that the Spleen will have to exert an equal and opposite force on the Stomach in order to keep the balance of the system. As the food is pushed deeper towards the center, there must be a force coming from it that is equal and opposite. We see this in the healthy Spleen process of extracting the Gu Qi from the food, thus allowing the body to maintain balance and order, and thus life.
When all of these motions (upwards, downwards, centripetal force, reverse centrifugal force) are working correctly, we say that the physiological processes of the Spleen and Stomach are healthy. This will be seen in the ability of the body to extract the Gu Qi from the food and send it upwards towards the Lung where it will mix with the Kong Qi to form the Zong Qi. This is the basis for the Zhen Qi and so we will also see the health of the Spleen and Stomach in the ability of the body to defend itself from external pathogens, create the Blood and nourish all of the organs through the Blood.
Because the axis keeps everything inside by tethering it, the Earth organs rule over keeping the blood in the vessels and the organs held in their proper places. This also applies to the thoughts (which is just another form of digestion) and so a healthy Earth process in the body will manifest in pleasant and simple thinking that is not uncontrollable or worrisome.
Since the Earth organs are the axis upon which all of the other organs spin – if there is a stuckness in the axis, there will be problems with the moving of the entire wheel which can manifest as symptom patterns in any organ. Therefore, whenever the functioning of the other organs is disturbed, one should check and see if the root of the disturbance can be attributed to the Stomach and Spleen.
Specifically, when the Earth organs are diseased, there will be a heavy sensation in the body. This results because the axis is stuck and the materials and essences within the body cannot be lifted up. There will be swelling and malfunction in the center of the body resulting in symptoms like abdominal distention, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation. The rotting and ripening function is attributed to the Stomach which should be doing it’s job of pulling the materials inwards and downwards. When this does not happen, there can be a build up of bilirubin in the body and that results in the yellow color associated with the Earth phase.