‘Wood’ represents the aspect within that provides the impulse to grow, develop and expand. It drives us to explore life, the cosmos and the mystery that is our soul.

In Oriental thinking, ‘wood’ corresponds to the ‘Hun’, our spiritual soul. This non-corporeal presence instills a longing to find the meaning and purpose of our life and life in general. The Hun provides the movement into life and to the furthest reaches of the Cosmos. It gives us spiritual vision and the energy and courage to live that vision. With this we can become a ‘Spiritual Warrior’, realising our unique and creative potential.

When the dynamic force of our Hun feels stifled, we either explode into rage or implode into resignation. In these circumstances the energy of anger can be mobilised to break open the barriers that obstruct or hinder us. Applied positively, anger can help us break free of the inner or outer restrictions and into resolute and creative action. In this workshop, we will look at our relationship to anger and at the feelings, attitudes and behaviour patterns that arise as a consequence of this.

As well as dynamic power, Wood also embodies the archetype of the relaxed, free-flowing mystic wanderer - soft, tolerant, kind and benevolent. To come from this space is what our soul yearns for. The greatest challenge to the freedom, flexibility and expansion of wood is, in Reichian terms, our ‘Rigid defense’. It is this character structure that holds us back from feeling our soul reality and expressing fully our feelings, especially anger and love.

The aim of this module is to explore how to soften and remain open and receptive while retaining our resolve, dynamism and aliveness.