Now we turn to the final personality type in this series: water. If you’re looking to better understand the nature of the water element, you can refer back to this post I wrote about it a few years ago. Water represents our ability to change and flow, as well our ability to overcome obstacles by either going around them, sweeping them away entirely, or eroding them over time. When you walk along a river, you observe this phenomenon, noting how the bed is cut ever deeper by the water that has worn it away millennia after millennia. We see these characteristics in our water type people.
Much like how earth generates metal, it took the study of bazi to help me finally get a solid grasp of this transition of metal generating water. The easiest way to understand it is through the image of what happens when we refine rough ore (Yang metal) into more pure (Yin) metals. During the smelting process, droplets of water are released- metal generating water. If you’ve been politely waiting your turn through this whole series to read about your type, now it’s finally your turn. If you’re just diving into this, here’s the link to Chinese Metasoft to plug in your date and time of birth and find your daymaster (the top box under the day column):
Let’s get rolling (or flowing as the case may be)!
The Water Type
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine describes the water type as being laid back, sensitive, and observant. They tend to have darker complexions, a larger head, smaller shoulders, and a larger abdomen. As water is always on the move, their hands and feet are seldom at rest. Water types are known for being excellent negotiators.
The Water Daymaster
Water types exhibit the qualities of their namesake element, and as the water element is associated with winter, these types appear much like a winter night- cool, calm, and reflective. They are highly adaptive, able to go with the flow and are known for being always on the move. Water daymasters are often very intelligent people who are good decision makers when their element is in balance, but struggle with indecision when not.
Ren (壬) Yang Water Daymaster
Yang water is represented by our first impressions of water- oceans, large waves, waterfalls and the like. Ren water daymasters are trendsetters, doing best when they take initiative. They are adventurous, ambitious, love to travel, thrive when they have structure and direction to guide them. They are 20,000 foot thinkers with big plans and dreams, and fast decision makers. When their element is unbalanced though, they tend to be pessimistic, fearful, anti-social, and can wander aimlessly and be over-focused on their image.
Gui (癸) Yin Water Daymaster
If Yang water is the wave that knocks you over, Yin water is the clouds, mist, and the gentle rain. Just like how a gentle rain seeps into the ground and nurtures life, so too are our Gui Yin water daymasters kind and nurturing. They tend to be sensitive, perceptive, good listeners who like to be intellectually stimulated. Like their Yang counterparts, they are also easy-going and adaptable, and known to think outside of the box. They are eloquent speakers and analytical souls. Unsurprisingly, most Gui Yin water daymasters are also introverts. When their water is out of balance though, they can lack focus, have too many projects going at once, be overly shy or moody, or even fearful.
Water daymasters make excellent managers and leaders when in right relationship. They do well in careers involving education, transportation, shipping, and all things related to water. They don’t do well behind a desk. My nephew is a Ren Water daymaster, who pursued his degree in fisheries and wildlife and now works for the department of natural resources of an indigenous tribe here in Minnesota, monitoring water quality in the lakes. He has no idea he’s a water daymaster- an example of how we gravitate towards careers that suit our daymasters.
In Five Element theory, the water element is associated with the kidneys, which we say govern the bones according to Chinese medicine. As such, water daymasters tend to suffer from ailments of the bladder, the lower back (which houses the kidneys), the ears (it is said that kidney Qi opens up into the ears), and may have poor circulation. Water types can support their elements with swimming, running or walking by water, living near water, taking long baths, and eating salty foods (salty being the flavor of the kidneys in Five Element theory). Qigong patterns such as Carrying the Moon, Nourishing Kidneys, and Drumming Kidneys help support their water energy.
I hope you enjoyed this series on the different personality types and gained some insight on yourself and/or your loved ones. Understanding ourselves and others helps us co-exist together more peacefully, and ultimately, that’s one of the goals of our Qigong training!
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