Seasons each have different environmental energies which are discernable when we look at nature - the way plants grow, the behaviour of animals, and weather changes. In the Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophy the seasons and changes in nature impact directly upon human health and wellbeing.
Excess of anything at all can be damaging. This includes exposure to the elements, overindulgence in particular types of food, alcohol, recreational drugs, exercise, sex, sleep, staying awake, work and everything else humanity likes to get up to in its daily life.
Deficiency of many things can also cause big problems in life, spirit, mind and health.
Throughout the seasons the energy shifts and changes to allow the Earth to sprout, grow, fruit, harvest, die and be reborn on a yearly basis. We little human beings, as part of the greater ecosystem, need to take these changes into account when living our daily lives. This way we can flourish and keep our health up to scratch, allowing us to live full, happier lives.
Before explaining exactly *how* seasonal energy is more likely to affect us as it flows through its cycle, it’s first important to discuss the meaning of Yin and Yang.
In Chinese Medicine philosophy the Sun is said to be Heavenly Yang as its warmth provokes movement, fire and potential for growth (the sprouting seed, or the embryo at the point of conception). The Earth itself is said to be Earthly Yin as it is a solid mass, holds us in with its gravity (the Yin principle is “to hold”), grounds us and provides nourishment in the form of substance (food) and fluid (water).
To put this into perspective, currently it’s just past the Winter Solstice – the 27th June. It can be said that now the light (Yang) is still hiding within the Earth (Yin) and that the new seasonal year is at its turning point. From here there is only growth ahead for the next six months as the Sun starts moving closer to the Earth as part of its ordered Universal cycle.
During the month or two surrounding the Turning Point (Yi Jing Hexagram 24) it’s worth stemming that inner voice that says, “Come on Yang, wake the hell up!” and conserving our energy for the upcoming Spring. If we were looking at seasonal energy as a shape that we could draw, it ends up kind of similar to a leaf, or an eye - thin at either end (just before and just after the Winter Solstice), round and full at the Summer Solstice. The point which we are at right now in that shape is the *beginning*. The shape itself makes it easy to understand the passage of Yang through the seasons. Right now, Yang is hiding and we are all a bit flat. And so we should be. We still have a few months yet before we can plant the Spring beans, tomatoes and sunflowers – all those things that are ripe in Summer. Now it’s time to back off a bit, sleep a bit longer, rest up, look after ourselves, hibernate like the animals and KEEP WARM.
The more detailed Winter Post (with Recipe) will follow next week!
