• The creation or nurturing cycle whereby each element provides the basis and nourishment for the next element or phase. e.g. Wood nourishes Fire which nourishes Earth and so on as seen by the clockwise direction of the circle in the diagram below.
  
  
• The destruction or controlling cycle whereby each element controls or balances another element and in turn is controlled or balanced by yet another element. e.g. Fire controls Metal but is controlled by Water which is itself is controlled by Earth and so on as by the grey arrows of balance within the circle in the diagram below.

In a similar manner, the meridians (energy pathways) reflect the Five-Element Theory. Macrobiotic cooking and medicines can therefore be understood as the application of the Five-Element Theory to food and nutritional balance.