5 Element archetypes have been around for THOUSANDS of years. They're really built into the underlying philosophies of Chinese medicine. 

Which is why I created this simple quiz (<-- click the link if you want to get your results to consider as you finish this post, or listen to the video! It takes about 2 minutes, seriously) ...as the entry point into a larger conversation about your deeper nature. I figured better to start with 12 or 13 questions instead of the full intake of over 200 of 'em!

So why do they matter? Because each of us can use some...affirmation. Some insight. Some clarity. It's really such good feedback when we can begin to see the patterns at play in our psyches...just like Myers-Briggs, or the enneagram. The thing with the 5 element archetypes- Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water- are that they are one of the pillars of the diagnostic lenses that this ancient medicine looks at a person's entire system through.

Yes, it's really helpful to understand your authentic nature, and to get a sense of how your inner world is affecting your personality, your choices, your natural talents and gifts...

And just like everything in life, there's the other side. Because each of us knows that we have challenges- oh yeah! We wrestle with finding our way to fulfill particular drives and find ourselves stymied in certain areas of our lives.

Guess what? Your 5 Element archetype can provide some pretty significant clues as to what's actually going on.

Guess what else? Your 5 Element type also addresses your emotions, your temperament, your mental faculties, your body's shape and style, your unique physical strengths- and yep, challenges to be aware of. 

You see, the roots of this medicine are found in the ancients' observation of nature's rhythms and qualities, and observed that they themselves were reflected in these macro systems...all the way down to the micro-est of parts...like the fact that the Water element influences of course all of the waterways in your body, but also your teeth and gums...the Wood element relates to the tendons and ligaments, as well as the eyes and eyebrows...

If you've ever been to an acupuncturist, some of this might make some sense to you...the questions we might ask, like 'what foods do you crave' when you have a headache, or 'how are you feeling about your future? Do you feel connected to a vision for your life?' when you come in with ringing in your ears! I know! It's all our journey to get the big picture of what might be going on! And this 5 Element archetypal work is how we do that. 

It's because we look at the human being as an entire 'system'. Like many of the ancient healing modalities and philosophies- astrology, ayurveda, yoga, tai chi, qi gong, herbology- the 5 element system looks at you as a microcosm of the world around us. 

You are exactly as you're meant to be. The greatest gift of this assessment- and followup training you'll get on the other side- is that it's a chance to affirm- to clarify- what's truly YOURS, and where you might be trying to fulfill someone else's idea of who you're supposed to be, instead of your own.

It's SUCH a relief when you do. It's your chance to cast off the extra baggage you've assumed in an attempt to 'get it right'! 

You'll free up all kinds of energy to pursue the course-correction that will bring you back onto you own, uniquely authentic, inevitably-flawed-but-perfectly-singular path of this one beautiful life: YOURS!

Take the assessment, and find out!