Nurturing Spirit Acupuncture Healing ~ Growth ~ Vitality

5 Element Music Playlists

Welcome to my Five Element playlist project! In Chinese medicine, we observe that the energies of the Five Elements show up in nature, in our bodies and emotions, and in all aspects of our lives, including the music we create.

I decided to start compiling playlists of music that expresses the energy of each of the Five Elements as a fun way for people to explore and learn about each of the Elements. Listening to music that expresses the energy of a particular Element can put you in touch with that Element within yourself. It can get your emotions and your body moving in powerfully healing ways. I hope you enjoy experiencing Five Element Medicine in musical form!

Wood / Spring

coming Spring 2026

Fire / Summer

Click Here for Fire Element Music!

Happy Summer Solstice! 🌞 In the Chinese calendar, this longest day of the year represents peak Summer, the season of the Fire Element. 🔥

The Fire Element is all about joy, warmth, and relationships. Fire draws us in and brings us closer to each other. It can show up as the intimate flicker of candlelight 🕯️, the warm glow of a family hearth, the welcoming campfire at the center of a circle of friends, or the festive blaze of a community bonfire 🔥. When we are outside the reach of its warmth, we may feel cold and isolated. All these qualities of Fire (and its absence) can show up in our lives, in our bodies and emotions, and in how we express ourselves.

In the spirit of the Summer Solstice, I had a flash of inspiration ⚡ and got all fired up to share the essence of the Fire Element with all of you in a fun, new way. 🎉 So here is the result, my Chinese medicine-inspired playlist of songs that give Fire Element energy. 🎼🎶💃🕺 Each of these songs illuminates some aspect of the Fire Element and how we humans experience it. Not every song will be to everyone's taste, but I wanted to shed light on how the Fire Element energy shows up in music across different eras and genres. You can listen straight through, or bounce around until you land on something that speaks to you. I hope you have fun tuning in and exploring your Fiery side!

Listening to Fire music can put you in touch with the Fire Element within yourself. You can use it as medicine to cheer yourself up and bring back your sparkle, to put yourself in a romantic mood, or to keep you company through times of heartache.

So what makes a song a Fire Element song? Here are some key features:

- Themes: The Fire Element has everything to do with relationships, especially romantic ones. Fire songs tell stories of friendship, infatuation, flirtation, love, intimacy, trust, betrayal, heartbreak, loneliness, and the search for true love ♥️. When we're in our Fire energy, we want to feel desirable, alluring, and beautiful, so these ideas are hot topics in Fire music. The ways in which we open ourselves up or close ourselves off to love also come up frequently. Summertime, sunshine ☀️, warmth, the color red, and fire itself are often mentioned. Our inner Fire is the source of the light that we shine into the world, so lyrics sometimes speak of sharing our light, or of feeling shy about allowing ourselves to shine and be seen. Expressions of joy and connection - smiles, laughter, dancing, and partying - are often part of the story.

- Emotional Flavor: A lot of Fire Element music is happy, upbeat music that expresses joy, light-heartedness, humor, fun, excitement, passion, and desire 💕. Often, you can hear the smile in the singer's voice 😃. These songs have a playful, jaunty quality and you'll frequently hear major chords used to convey brightness and warmth. The flip side is that Fire music can also express lovelorn feelings of loneliness and yearning for love 💙. With these songs, you can hear and feel the vulnerability and longing being expressed in the music 🥹. Sometimes there is a mix of both, with lyrics about trying to put on a happy face even in the midst of heartbreak 😂. If you listen to enough Fire music, you'll get the whole range of feelings that can come with falling in love from nervous excitement and elation to heartbreak and melodrama!💘 🎢

- Movement: Fire music moves in a flickering, bouncy way just like the flames of a fire do. A lot of it has a very light, "pop-y" feel to it. Often, you'll hear fluctuating highs and lows as the fire energy builds up, fades, and comes roaring back. Just as the heat from a fire rises, the musical phrasing in these songs feels like it is always seeking to go upward. People instinctively tend to dance to Fire music with bouncy movements and hands in the air, or else in a romantic slow-dance embrace.

- Body Connections: In Chinese medicine, the organs associated with Fire are the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium (aka the Heart Protector), and Triple Heater (the Triple Heater manages our temperature regulation). All of these organs have meridians that run along the arms and hands, so they relate to how we reach out to draw others in 🤗 or push them away 🖐️. In Fire songs, you'll hear lots of mentions of hearts 💞, heartbeats 💓, arms, hands, pulses, "feeling the heat," fevers 🌡️, blushing 😊, and burning ❤️‍🔥. In Chinese medicine, we say that the light of the heart shines out through the eyes, so sparkling eyes ✨😍 get mentioned, too.

In the words of Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton, I wish you joy and happiness! I hope you have fun playing with Fire music and exploring the Fire Element in your life through this Fire Element playlist, or any other Fire music you feel drawn to. Also, feel free to share this with anyone else who might enjoy it.

How do you feel after all that Fire music? Does feeling joyful come naturally and easily, or is it a struggle? Does it feel like too much excitement? Is there a lingering heartache that needs some healing? If you feel like your Fire energy needs some warming up, cooling down, or balancing out, book yourself an acupuncture appointment and let me know - I've got points for that!

Earth / Late Summer

Click Here for Earth Element Music!

I hope you are all savoring the bounty of late Summer, the season of the Earth Element! 🌎 The Earth element is associated with the transitional times between seasons, presiding over the rhythmical cycle of transformation from one season into another. It is particularly associated with the transition that is happening now, as Summer begins to transform into Autumn.

The Earth is our home, sheltering and feeding us like a nurturing mother. In Chinese medicine, the Earth Element is all about providing a sense of home and hospitality, producing abundant nourishment, offering up a taste of sweetness, and ensuring that the needs of all are met equally. At this time of year, the Earth bestows bumper crops of tomatoes 🍅, peppers 🫑, zucchini, sweet corn 🌽, melons 🍈, and peaches 🍑 to fill the shelves at stores and markets. In the hot, humid weather, we may feel a bit heavier and move a bit more slowly. With full bellies and slower movements, we tend to feel peaceful and at ease. ☺️ With our own needs met, we are able to generously and thoughtfully tend to the needs of others, which leads to greater harmony in our community. ☮️

In the spirit of the Earth Element, I'm excited to share my Chinese-medicine inspired playlist of songs that express Earth Element energy. 🎼🎶 Each of these songs embodies some aspect of the Earth Element and how we humans experience it. Earth can show up in the environment in diverse ways - as mountains, valleys, plains, marshes, deserts, or meadows. Similarly, Earth energy can show up in music in a wide variety of ways. Not every song on the list will be to everyone's taste, but I wanted to share how Earth energy expresses itself in music across different eras, genres, and parts of the world. You can listen from start to finish, roll through until you land on something that speaks to you, or put it on shuffle and see what flavor of Earth music the universe serves up for you. I hope you have fun listening and digging into your Earthy-ness! 🌎

So what makes a song an Earth Element song? Here are some key features:

The tl/dr version:

Earth music is rhythmical, harmonious, and lilting, characterized by repetitive musical patterns. It gets you moving your hips and feet with grounded, circular movements and repeating steps. Vocals tend to be earnest and soulful and often the songs tell a story. Common themes are home, hospitality, food, caring for the land and our community, having sympathy for our fellow humans, bearing life's burdens, savoring the sweetness in life, living with integrity and humility, and transformational change that happens over time.

Earth music is medicine 💊 you can use to bring more of the Earth Element into your life. It's your go-to musical prescription when you want to feel more at home 🏠, reconnect with a sense of harmonious community and shared humanity 🤝🫂, dig into processing your deepest thoughts and emotions 🤔, gather the strength to carry on 💪🦵, move your hips on the dance floor💃🕺, or just to savor the moment and soothe your soul with peaceful, easy feelings 😌🕊️.

So give the Earth playlist a listen and notice what the music brings up for you. Do you find that you could use some support for your ability to digest well and feel fully energized? Do you have trouble slowing down enough to savor the fruits of your labors? Are worry and rumination wearing you down? Are you feeling overburdened by too many tasks, overloaded with too much information, or overwhelmed with emotions that feel too difficult to process? Do you need more grounding? Are you craving more sweetness, peace, and harmony? If any of that is true for you, there are wonderful acupuncture points that can be treated to help you regain the strength, ease, and peace of mind (and gut) that come from a healthy Earth Element. Book an appointment for your Earth tune-up here.

Now, if you want to nerd out and dig even deeper into the Earth Element and its music, read on...

Themes:
- The Earth is humanity's home, so the lyrics of many Earth songs deal with themes of feeling at home, whether in a particular place or within yourself. Earth music may also center around hospitality and creating a sense of home for others, whether by providing food and comfort, creating a cozy space, or gathering a harmonious community. ("Sweet Appalachia," "Our House," "Room on the Porch," "Peaceful Place," Jack Johnson's "Home," and "Be Our Guest" are good examples).

- The Earth's harvest is the source of nourishment that gives us the energy and strength to face each day and bear whatever burdens fall to us. When we are well fed and cared for by the Earth and our community, life feels easier. Themes of life and work feeling easy or hard, how we carry and share our burdens, and having the strength to keep going often show up in Earth music. (Listen to "Twenty Five MIles" if you need a boost to keep you going, or "Easy on Me" or "Try a Little Tenderness" if you need some soothing and ease).

- The Earth generously provides us with all that we need to live, so themes of recognizing and meeting the needs of all beings are common. Being useful and of service to others is an important Earth Element value. (Check out Jewel's "Hands," or "We are the World").

- One of the archetypes of the Earth Element is the Peacemaker, so themes of ending conflict and bringing people together in peace and harmony often show up in Earth music. ("I Believe in Music" and "Peace, Love, and Understanding" reflect this).

- The way that the Earth shelters us, nourishes us, and nurtures our growth over time relates to the Earth archetype of the Mother, so you'll often find images of Mother Earth, "Earth Mamas," and mothering in general in Earth music. Many lullabies and children's songs are Earth songs, sung to soothe them or to help them to learn and grow. (Beyonce's "Protector" is a fabulous example).

- The Earth Element governs the transitions from each season into the next, moving us smoothly through the cycles of seasons and throughout the years. For this reason, Earth music contains circular and repetitive patterns and often refer to cyclical time and the transformations we undergo as we travel through the cycles in our lives. ("Turn, Turn, Turn," - need I say more?)

- Earth energy doesn't shy away from weighty topics, so its themes often dig deep into heavy social issues or difficult emotions, seeking to get down to the honest truth of the matter, even if it's not pretty. In characteristic Earth music style, these heavy messages are often delivered in the form of lilting, melodious vocals and catchy rhythms, which makes the hard issues easier to swallow. ("A Change is Gonna Come" and "Streets of Philadelphia" are standouts here).

- Late summer, the season most associated with the Earth element, is a time to slow down and savor the delicious fruits and veggies that are ripe and abundant this time of year. Earth music often celebrates stopping to savor the good things in life - whether in the form of good food, the world's beauty, or pleasant experiences. (Willie Nelson's "A Beautiful Time" is a good example).

Emotional Flavor:
- The emotions associated with Earth in Chinese medicine are sympathy and pensiveness. When Earth emotions are in balance, we are thoughtful, considerate, and supportive of others and of ourselves. We are able to claim what we need, feel nourished and energized by it, and then give generously to others from our surplus. We are community-minded, prizing peace and harmony. All of these emotional qualities (or laments about their absence) frequently appear in Earth music. (Michael Franti's "Little Things" and "Work Hard and Be Nice to People" are all about this).

- Seeking to understand and to be understood are key Earth qualities, so the lyrics of Earth songs often deal with processing thoughts and feelings, digging down deep to get to their roots, and facing up to the good, the bad, and the ugly so that we can learn and grow. (Think Adele's "Hello," Peter Gabriel's "Digging in the Dirt," or Norah Jones' "What Am I to You?")

- When Earth emotions are out of balance, we can be selfish, unkind, and inconsiderate on one end of the spectrum, or self-martyring, ingratiating, and unable to ask for or receive what we need at the other end of the spectrum. Out of balance Earth emotions can also show up as overthinking, worry, rumination, and obsession. (These emotional themes come up in songs like "Worry, Worry, Worry," "I Can't Forget You," "Windmills of Your Mind," and "Obsesion.")

- When it comes to relationships, Earth energy tends to focus on community and humanity, so many Earth songs encourage brotherly and sisterly love. In the context of romantic relationships and love songs, Earth energy shows up as sweetness, steadiness, loyalty, understanding, and sharing each others' burdens through tough times. (For example, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" and "Everyday People" are all about community, while "Lollipop," "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You," Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover," and Cecily's "Steady" are all about how Earth shows up in intimate connections).

- Integrity is the virtue associated with the Earth element, so living with your beliefs, words, and actions in alignment is an important theme. Honesty, humility, and humanitarianism are other key Earth values that frequently make their way into Earth music. (Lionel Richie's "Easy" and The Eagles' "Lyin' Eyes" describe what it looks like when integrity does or doesn't show up in relationships, and Sharon Jones sings about humility and integrity in "Humble Me.")

Musicality:
- Earth music tends to have rhythmical, repetitive, and lilting qualities. Beats are often syncopated and complex, or they may have a "walking rhythm" that feels like the pace of travelling by foot over the earth. You'll also hear gentle rhythms, the kind that sound just right for rocking a baby.

- Just as the cycles of seasons repeat over and over as the earth orbits and spins, Earth music often has repetitive rhythmic and melodic patterns that give you the sense of moving in circles. Singing in rounds is a particularly Earthy musical style. (Scott Joplin's "Elite Syncopations" and Pachelbel's Canon both move in a circular way, and "Dona Nobis Pacem" is a beautiful round for peace).

- The melodies and vocals generally have a lilting, sing-song, or prosodic quality, with notes spiraling up and down the scales. One strong clue that you're listening to an Earth vocalist is if they routinely fit multiple musical notes into one vowel sound (I'm looking at you Sam Cooke, Billy Joel, Norah Jones, and Beyonce).

- The Earth energy is one of harmony, smoothing out the transitions between the seasons of all the other elements, so harmonizing - bringing multiple voices together in a pleasing way - is a popular vocal style in Earth music. Call and response patterns are another feature of Earth music that builds a sense of community between singers and audience members. (DC's own go-go music is a great example of rhythmically complex music that uses call and response, so check out Chuck Brown's "Funky Beat" to hear that in action)

- Because integrity and honesty are such key earth values, Earth vocalists will often have an intense sense of earnestness, even soulfulness, in their singing as they dig deep to make their feelings understood.

Movement:
- Overall, Earth music has a sense of roundness to it, and so people tend to dance to Earth music with curving, circular, spiraling movements.

- The grounded, centered nature of Earth energy in music gets people moving the centers of their bodies, so you'll see lots of hip movement, like in bellydancing or salsa dancing. (Listen to "Oye Como Va," "El Menu," or "Zeina" to get your hips in motion).

- The repetitive quality of Earth music lends itself to dances with repeated steps like salsa, meringue, waltzing, and many styles of folk dancing, which are often done with a community of people gathered in a circle. ("Frangosirani" is a classic Greek song for folk dancing done in a big community circle).

- Just like the ground beneath our feet, Earth energy is solid, steady, and slow to get moving. Once in motion, though, it can move with incredible force and momentum like a landslide or an earthquake. (Edwin Star's iconic and impassioned protest songs "War" and "Stop the War Now" are examples of this kind of forceful Earth movement expressed in music).

Body Connections:
- In Chinese medicine, the organs associated with the Earth Element are the Stomach and the Spleen/Pancreas. The Stomach is responsible for receiving and breaking down our food and the Spleen is responsible for transforming those nutrients into energy and into the blood and flesh of our physical bodies. These organ systems enable us to taste delicious food, feel the satisfaction of a full belly, and then use that nourishment to grow in size, strength, and energy. That's why Earth music will often have lyrics about food, hunger, growth, and feeling strong enough to carry on (or not).

- On a mental and emotional level, the Stomach and Spleen are responsible for taking in information and experiences, analyzing them, processing them, and transforming them into new knowledge and understanding that supports our intellectual and spiritual development. Being able to transform and integrate all that life brings us, the sweet and the bitter, the easy and the hard, is key to how we heal, grow, and evolve. (U2's "Grace" and Van Morrison's "Transformation" speak to this theme).

- The meridians associated with the Stomach and Spleen run through the legs, pelvis, and abdomen, strengthening the muscles in our bodies that allow us to stand firm and carry ourselves forward. Earth music lyrics often mention having the strength to stand firm and to carry on, or encourage you to get up and move your hips on the dance floor. (Check out "Lean on Me" for standing firm and "Hips Don't Lie" for getting that pelvis in motion).

- Finally, having a singing or sing-song quality to one's speaking voice is associated with Earth energy. So the very act of singing, and particularly singing together harmoniously in community, is, itself, an expression of the Earth Element.

Whew! Congratulations to anyone who read all of that! You've shown true Earthy-ness in your desire for knowledge and understanding! I hope this exploration serves you well as you continue growing and transforming into the very happiest, healthiest version of yourself!

Metal / Autumn

coming Autumn 2025

Water / Winter

coming winter 2025