Spring Is On Its Way
Vernal Equinox Another season, another cycle. We long for the rebirth of Springtime. It seems to be coming slowly, in short bursts, as Winter is not prepared to loosen its grip. We thought another year without snow, but that was not to be! Although it was not very cold, there was indeed snow, and it has been a hard Winter. Last year Spring seemed to come early, the buds escaping from their slumber, crocus dutifully the first to bloom, dark purple against the snow and dullness of dormant grass. Waiting for things to spring to life.
Last Spring we spoke of the pandemic of 2020, and now we have new hope with vaccinations available, and life to start anew.
With the spring season onsetting it is a time of cleansing, so it is important to do this for one's well being. So please read the recommendations below for spring and most of all be well.
March is the beginning of many new things as the seasons begin to shift and change, leaving winter slowly behind, and spring fast approaching. Sunlight has already increased, the days are longer, the quality of the sunlight is so brilliant it is inspiring.
And with all of these changes beginning to onset slowly, our bodies naturally start to cleanse and shed the toxins gathered in winter. Although March 2oth marks
the official beginning of spring, there seems to be signs of spring already. For the first time in a long time the birds were out and singing. The neighborhood hawk returned, seeking food no doubt. Ospreys have returned to this island, and also bald eagles. And there is also a new Rooster in the neighborhood, and he crows morning, noon and night, with his harem of chickens. Yesterday they escaped their pen and were having fun roaming around the neighborhood. There is a warmth in the air. Things are beginning to grow and the grass is turning green, sun light is pervasive.
So how to best facilitate the process?
Cleansing is one of the most important aspects of spring, but first is to look at the approach to the season of spring through Chinese medicine. Spring is represented by the element of wood and governs the body organs of the liver and gall bladder. Wood governs trees, plants, humans, anything that is living and grows. Trees have roots, a trunk and limbs, humans have the spine, and limbs and joints.
People with a severe wood imbalance may have spinal issues, rigidness in their bodies and personalities, arthritis flare ups, joint pain, bone issues.
The color for spring is green. Pale green is new growth, while dark green is old growth. You can see this clearly in ivy, for the new shoots are green and the old growth is dark green.
If a person strongly craves or dislikes green intensely it may suggest an imbalance in wood.
But the color green can also be very healing. Spring represents new life and birth. Most animals have their young in the spring. In spring we have new ideas, inspirations, fresh starts and new beginnings. Spring always inspires and moves us into action.
The element of wood also gives us clarity and the ability to focus and plan things. If you cannot seem to ever manifest or plan things you could have weak wood element. If you overcompensate and try to control everyone and everything around you, you could have excessive wood energy.
The direction for spring is the East, for the sun rises in the east. Wood clearly governs the morning hours of the day. Do you ever notice how fresh each new day seems to be?
The climate that goes with spring is the wind. March, at least here, is a very windy month as things begin to transition from winter to spring, and wind has a certain quality of cleansing to it. Nothing remains stagnant when there is wind, and things can be blown away. Wind can nourish wood, but too much wind is not good either. As an example of too much wind, it can lower one's resistance in general, spark up your allergies, make you feel imbalanced, stir up sinus issues, skin issues, and watery or red, irritated eyes, nose and throat.
The eyes in general are the sense organ for the liver, and the sense associated with wood is sight. What do you see or perceive? Fluids like tears go with wood as well, and tears help us to shed the past.
The taste for wood is sour. Some sour tasting foods will nourish the liver. If you crave sour or vinegar intensely or dislike sour flavors intensely it might be a sign of wood imbalance. Other than vinegar, drinking lemon water goes with wood, and also cleanses the liver.
The emotion associated with wood is that of anger, and shouting. Anger injures both the liver and gall bladder. Sometimes when people hold in anger or suppress it in any way it builds up toxins.
The tissue associated with wood is muscles, ligaments and tendons. This makes me think of strength, making and keeping muscles strong, as well as being flexible. You may notice towards the end of winter muscles may feel somewhat weak, but then as spring progresses you may start to feel stronger.
The element of Wood can sometimes be controlling and inflexible. There was a family who called me in for a consultation for their new home, and the entire interior was all heavy wood. My recommendation for that home was to add some of the color white to introduce some of the element of Metal to tone down the Wood influence. There was just too much wood. Too much wood can make a person dull, rigid, unexpressive or a tyrant.
The organ that goes with Wood is the liver. The liver processes out toxins. Liver also has the word "live" inside it. Everything we eat, drink or take including vitamins or medications much be processed through the liver. We can become dull or lethargic if our liver is toxic and unable to process out all the toxins. The first line of toxicity is the kidneys. Once the kidneys become toxic, then the liver also becomes clogged and toxic, so the toxins stay in the body. So that is why we cleanse in the spring, to rid the body of toxins accumulated during the winter months.
The liver is also a storehouse for nutrients, so it is much more than just processing out toxins. If your liver is toxic, most likely you will not get as much nutrition as you need. The liver produces vile to help in digestion and then stores the bile in the gall bladder, which is later used in the intestines to break down fats. Too much fat in a diet could over burden the gall bladder. The liver also metabolizes carbohydrates, fats and protein, and also plays a role in blood sugar metabolism, and it also forms gamma globulin and plasma proteins for the immune system. It also makes agents for clotting blood, and both forms and stores vitamins A, D and B, as well as minerals like copper, zinc and iron.
So things that affect the liver negatively are overeating, too much alcohol or drugs, too many chemicals in food or water, fried foods and heavy meats. Refined sugar and white flour is also stressful for the digestive system. Including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains (in moderation), seeds, nuts and beans is more nutritious and supportive to our organs.
In Chinese medicine, a clogged or malfunctioning gall bladder can result in physical and mental congestion in the shoulders and head, as well as the hips and thighs, and is often a cause for headaches.
Cleansing
There is no set rule for cleansing, for each person has individual needs, and people should not cleanse without letting their healthcare professional know.
So for some people it means juicing for a few days and fasting in between, and there are many different cleanses available online or in books.
It can be as simple as drinking more water, adding more fruits and vegetables and greens to your diet as you see fit.
Some people use herbs to detox, but again, your doctor should know about anything that you attempt. You can drink herbs in the form of teas if you wish.
So good luck with whatever you do to celebrate spring, for a healthier, happy you!
With the spring season onsetting it is a time of cleansing, so it is important to do this for one's well being. So please read the recommendations below for spring and most of all be well.
March is the beginning of many new things as the seasons begin to shift and change, leaving winter slowly behind, and spring fast approaching. Sunlight has already increased, the days are longer, the quality of the sunlight is so brilliant it is inspiring.
And with all of these changes beginning to onset slowly, our bodies naturally start to cleanse and shed the toxins gathered in winter. Although March 2oth marks
 |
| The First Crocus of Spring |
So how to best facilitate the process?
Cleansing is one of the most important aspects of spring, but first is to look at the approach to the season of spring through Chinese medicine. Spring is represented by the element of wood and governs the body organs of the liver and gall bladder. Wood governs trees, plants, humans, anything that is living and grows. Trees have roots, a trunk and limbs, humans have the spine, and limbs and joints.
People with a severe wood imbalance may have spinal issues, rigidness in their bodies and personalities, arthritis flare ups, joint pain, bone issues.
The color for spring is green. Pale green is new growth, while dark green is old growth. You can see this clearly in ivy, for the new shoots are green and the old growth is dark green.
If a person strongly craves or dislikes green intensely it may suggest an imbalance in wood.
But the color green can also be very healing. Spring represents new life and birth. Most animals have their young in the spring. In spring we have new ideas, inspirations, fresh starts and new beginnings. Spring always inspires and moves us into action.
 |
| The Rabbit Has Returned for Spring! |
The direction for spring is the East, for the sun rises in the east. Wood clearly governs the morning hours of the day. Do you ever notice how fresh each new day seems to be?
 |
| Trees represent the element of Wood |
The eyes in general are the sense organ for the liver, and the sense associated with wood is sight. What do you see or perceive? Fluids like tears go with wood as well, and tears help us to shed the past.
The taste for wood is sour. Some sour tasting foods will nourish the liver. If you crave sour or vinegar intensely or dislike sour flavors intensely it might be a sign of wood imbalance. Other than vinegar, drinking lemon water goes with wood, and also cleanses the liver.
The emotion associated with wood is that of anger, and shouting. Anger injures both the liver and gall bladder. Sometimes when people hold in anger or suppress it in any way it builds up toxins.
The tissue associated with wood is muscles, ligaments and tendons. This makes me think of strength, making and keeping muscles strong, as well as being flexible. You may notice towards the end of winter muscles may feel somewhat weak, but then as spring progresses you may start to feel stronger.
The element of Wood can sometimes be controlling and inflexible. There was a family who called me in for a consultation for their new home, and the entire interior was all heavy wood. My recommendation for that home was to add some of the color white to introduce some of the element of Metal to tone down the Wood influence. There was just too much wood. Too much wood can make a person dull, rigid, unexpressive or a tyrant.
The organ that goes with Wood is the liver. The liver processes out toxins. Liver also has the word "live" inside it. Everything we eat, drink or take including vitamins or medications much be processed through the liver. We can become dull or lethargic if our liver is toxic and unable to process out all the toxins. The first line of toxicity is the kidneys. Once the kidneys become toxic, then the liver also becomes clogged and toxic, so the toxins stay in the body. So that is why we cleanse in the spring, to rid the body of toxins accumulated during the winter months.
The liver is also a storehouse for nutrients, so it is much more than just processing out toxins. If your liver is toxic, most likely you will not get as much nutrition as you need. The liver produces vile to help in digestion and then stores the bile in the gall bladder, which is later used in the intestines to break down fats. Too much fat in a diet could over burden the gall bladder. The liver also metabolizes carbohydrates, fats and protein, and also plays a role in blood sugar metabolism, and it also forms gamma globulin and plasma proteins for the immune system. It also makes agents for clotting blood, and both forms and stores vitamins A, D and B, as well as minerals like copper, zinc and iron.
So things that affect the liver negatively are overeating, too much alcohol or drugs, too many chemicals in food or water, fried foods and heavy meats. Refined sugar and white flour is also stressful for the digestive system. Including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains (in moderation), seeds, nuts and beans is more nutritious and supportive to our organs.
In Chinese medicine, a clogged or malfunctioning gall bladder can result in physical and mental congestion in the shoulders and head, as well as the hips and thighs, and is often a cause for headaches.
Cleansing
There is no set rule for cleansing, for each person has individual needs, and people should not cleanse without letting their healthcare professional know.
So for some people it means juicing for a few days and fasting in between, and there are many different cleanses available online or in books.
It can be as simple as drinking more water, adding more fruits and vegetables and greens to your diet as you see fit.
Some people use herbs to detox, but again, your doctor should know about anything that you attempt. You can drink herbs in the form of teas if you wish.
So good luck with whatever you do to celebrate spring, for a healthier, happy you!
Maery
