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At the other extreme is what is called the Destruction Cycle. For each element, there is one other element which is particularly adversarial, and “enemy,” so to speak. The Destruction Cycle or sequence is: wood, earth, water, fire and metal, and is often explained:

Wood absorbs or eats
Earth, which drinks up and removes
Water, which puts out
Fire, which melts
Metal, which cuts up
Wood, etc.

In fact, in terms of explanation, the destruction sequence makes more immediate sense than does the production sequence. In comparison to the production sequence, the destruction cycle is simply every other element, in strict rotational order.

In the production cycle, the element that produces the second element is said to be the “mother” of that element, and the element that is produced is said to be the “child” of the mother element. Therefore, the mother element in every combination is considered very important to the health and welfare of the child element. The child element looks to the mother for nourishment and support, just as a human child depends on its mother.

It should not surprise us to learn that when any element is attacked or threatened by the destruction or adversarial element, increasing the strength of the mother element of that element under attack will strengthen and protect it. In fact, as you will soon learn, each of the five elements has a direct and identifiable relationship with each of the other four. From this stems much of the familiar feng-shui remedies, which consist of strengthening or weakening the various elements in order to arrive at a functioning harmony of the elements.

When all is said and done, most of interior feng-shui analysis and their remedies has to do with examining the elements relating to the various compass directions, determining their strength or weakness, and adjusting or weakening the strength of one element or another.