I love how Chinese Medicine offers a different perspective on the world: health, food, home, even fashion and of course seasons. The taiji symbol, shown here, is a representation of how the energy of yin and yang transition through the year and how they relate to the seasons.
Yin is cool/cold, wet, dark, quiet, still, substantive, and is related to autumn and winter. Excess Yin imbalances CAN look like lethargy, depression, achy joints, bloating…
Yang is warm/hot, dry, bright, loud, moving, energetic, and insubstantial and is related to spring and summer. Excess Yang imbalances CAN look like restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, hot and inflamed joints, infections…
In this system, each season PEAKS on the equinoxes and solstices rather than STARTS on them.
This means that next week we transition out of the summer, fire element season, and into the autumn, metal element season. Of course, it’s a gradual transition. You’ll start to notice subtle changes: A sense of craving more order after traveling through the summer, while also grieving the end of your adventures; OR A sense of wistfulness as the days dwindle before your kids go back to school. (I know some of you are counting down in anticipation, LOL). See if you can become friends with the shift to a more inward energy. It will facilitate an easier autumn experience.
AND, metal element brings in a quality of assessment. Upon review of the last few months, do you crave one more impactful adventure, backyard barbecue, or trip to the beach, in order to feel that summer was meaningful? Now is the time to assess, change course and make it happen.
For my five-element super geeks, you might be wondering, HEY! What about the earth element? You caught me. I have *sort of* skipped it.
There are different schools of thought about the elements and seasons, and depending on where you learned (Chinese Medicine school, feng shui school, qigong school, different Daoist lineages and astrology systems) late summer is often linked to the earth element.
Through my studies, I found it most impactful and meaningful to hold that earth is at the center of the tai ji symbol and at the center of everything. If the earth element (home, nourishment, digestion) is not balanced, all other elements and their corresponding concerns get thrown out of balance. This causes downstream effects for the other elements, their organ systems, and their associated emotions. All of this said, it is always important to support the earth element, AND doing so at the seasonal transitions is powerful.
Is YOUR earth element in good working order? Does your home feel comfy? Are your nourishment routines going well? Are you hungry for food (or overly so)? Does food move through your digestive tract with ease? Are you pooping like a champion?
You can schedule your next session to support your earth element systems (and a graceful seasonal transition) :: opens in a new windowHERE::
