Late Summer - Energy of completion

There are a few times in a year when we can start anew: the beginning of the calendar year, the beginning of Spring (end of February), for some it is also at the Spring Equinox, for others it is the Summer Solstice. Yet another time to start anew is also right now! We have got over the maximum heat and active energy of Yang during the Summer months, and now we start going back to self, back to our center.

Summer is getting out and about, meeting people, traveling, getting involved in activities that are out of ordinary, sleeping less and playing more. From the mid August, however, there is an energy of gathering back all that external energy. This gathering of the energy from the surrounding activities, situations, relationships and making best use of it for completing self, is the new year for constructing your new You.

Spirit Focus: making myself whole again

It is the time to look at the past Spring and Summer months and ask yourself:

how do I assimilate best the experiences and people I've met, into my reality? Summer months was the time to be open to, to choose and make a range of new experiences. Now, the Late Summer is here to transform them into concrete, solid and clear ideas, statements, projects, plans or relationships.

For example, from all the new persons we have met over the Summer, who do we really want to keep in touch with going ahead?

Or, thinking of this summer seaside vacation, what new has it brought to me as a person? What feelings, experiences, activities I would like to continue to repeat regularly as a result? Perhaps you have marvelled yourself at how great you felt about replacing a car with a bicycle and you wished you could use it more throughout the year. So, right now would be the perfect time to do it, to start using your bike more in place of your car. In consequence you follow your inner integrity, in body, mind and soul, and the Element of Later Summer helps you to solidify that internally into who you are becoming.

Mind Focus: ability to have a broad perspective

The Late Summer's Element, the Earth, is energetically stable, it is concrete, it supports the completion of a cycle, of an idea. It opens us up to more perspectives from which we can see how to implement pieces and make it into a whole. So, it is the time well spent on a review and reflection of recent, external events. It is also about some reality checks. Often times Fire Element of Summer feeds our enthusiasm out of proportion. Perhaps you saw a villa on your holidays and desired to acquire it. Now, it would be the time to review that idea as the Element of Earth makes us more practical about some dreamy ideas we might have had over the holidays. It is not to say we should not have dreamy ideas. Or better still, we should avoid rejecting our summer dreams as too lofty, but we should allow time and this change in season to review if it is still something that in all our integrity we want and need. Perhaps it has been an inspiration to unravel a part of you that with time you can plan to realise.

Body Focus: "I nourish myself"

The energy of Late Summer permits us to have a broad view of our body as well. We may feel it more physically, be more present in our muscles especially, which means we may notice certain muscular tensions we have not spotted until now. The Earth Element relates to Stomach, digestion and absorption of nutrients. It is NOT the time to do detox as we are now at peak of transforming food into nutrients and doing detox could give our bodies a message of lacking the substances. More than other times, we should have a varied and rich diet (in wide specturm of nutrients). The Nature provides for us too as it is the harvest season. On the other hand, we can and should reduce the excesses we could have got away with in Summer months but we won't now: that ice-cream a day, a couple of beers a day, pizza every other evening, etc. may now not go down that well and give us health issues.

Remember any symptoms arising during the change of season is linked to that change in the energy and it can be easily adjusted by having an acupuncture treatment. To book yourself for an appointment, click below:

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Harvest time - Earth Element

Summer - learning about Self

This is my first summer energy report after a three month break from monthly updates. The break was due to my engagement in work with children, among other I organised workshops in Five Senses for children. Following that I had a holiday break during which I gathered my inspirations.

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It was back in May that we entered the energy of Fire Element and therefore of the Summer, although it is most perceived during the month of July. This is just like the afternoon hours that are hotter than midday itself, so does July feel hotter but the Sun reaches its peak really in June, when the proverbial "Midsummer night's dreams" occur. This Summer Solstice is that part of the year when the Earth has its kind of birthday and we all take part in it and celebrate.

Although the energy in July is over its peak, it is still an equivalent to 1:00pm or 2:00pm time of the day. So, we are still going strong as the day is expanding. This feeling will stay with us until mid August (in the northern hemisphere) when the energy will noticeably change into Late Summer.

Until then, how can we best utilise the everywhere present energy of Summer to build our health and wellbeing?

Spirit Focus: intimacy - through the other I know myself

The Summer's Fire nature makes us more open to other people, to enter into new relationships (even if short-lived) and to socialise more. I wrote about it last year in this blog https://www.dorotao.com/post/the-first-month-of-summer-from-shade-into-the-light. Relating to others ultimately serves us to grow and evolve. Lee Harris wrote: "As you bring someone new into your life, you get to experience the new you". His words echoed in my understanding of the Fire Element. I thought: it sounds so invigorating as the Fire Element which is about being youthful too. Adding the two together, we could say meeting new people keeps us young or at least makes our Soul feel renewed!

Fire Element is associated with the Heart, which is a physical place in our bodies where we connect with our Higher Selves, our Spirit. Summer time is when we are closest to Heaven, to the Light and experience redemption through the natural beauty that is present all around. Just take time to be conscious of that.

Mind Focus: taking pride in your mind

Summer holidays and relaxed hot afternoons are perfect times to read, study and absorb information. The Fire Element expands our relations and our physical mind too! We read to find new words, to name and to express who we are at Heart. Being able to name things expands our living consciousness.

It is a good idea to start writing a journal now, in Summer time. You are more likely to find the inspiration and words to describe and express your feelings. That in turn will help you understand your inner Self.

Body Focus: taking care of your youthfulness

Fire Element represents young adulthood, youthfulness in other words. It is the green apple before it becomes red and sweet on maturity. In that phase of life the body is still growing and multiplying its cells fast. So it happens that for all of us, younger or older, the Fire season of Summer is the time our cells grow and expand more than in any other season. Therefore, it is a good time to nourish ourselves with foods high in active enzymes, i.e. lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Raw foods are also cooling, so it is aiding us with the summer heat. On the subject of cooling, in excess heat, it is the bitter tasting foods that cool us down, such as: coffee, also chicory coffee (foto below: chicory flower), grapefruit, all chicory leaves, cruciferous veggies, lettuce, cocoa and wine. Nevertheless, it is important to add a lot of water on hot days as bitter tasting foods dry up the body further.

It is time to be active (swimming, walking, cycling, yoga and exercises), to oxygenate the growth of the new cells and build a new body.

This is not to suggest we should become the followers of "youth culture" where only young, perfect and beautiful is valued. One of my favourite writers of our times, Elena Bernabè, writes: "One should have a more intimate relationship with one's symptoms...Take them out to dinner...Consider them secret lovers...and spend a special evening, alone in the company of oneself. (...) To learn to speak its language...the symptom has its own code, it is a dictate of the soul that needs presence, time, trust in life to be able to act in the world, through us."

This is such an explicit and poetic description of how to relate to our bodies, in a heartfelt way. I would suggest we all have such one appointment with our bodies during this summer.

Summer time is also and above all to serve our connection with our Self: whether it is the Body, the Mind or our Spirit. If you find it hard to connect with self, if you simply do not feel at peace, it can be a major block to your health and wellbeing. It may be a sign that you are not benefiting from the surrounding life energy. In such case, you may wish to consider an acupuncture treatment, which has a profound way to reconnect you with the life force.

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Chicory flower - Summer focus: bitter foods

April - newly found innocence

The month of April is the third month of Spring, according to the ancient classic text of Su Wen. After the Spring awakening and then taking the courageous steps into a new life, we are now awarded with the newly found innocence to rejoice in. Here is how to best flow with the energies of April:

Spirit Focus: recognising the benevolence of the world

Innocence is like a clean sheet of paper on which we can start afresh, having the possibility of creating anything we wish. To be able to recognise and benefit from the energy of innocence, the most important attitute is trust. Imagine the trust of a small child he/she has in his/her parents. The child obtains so much from his/her parents because it totally submits himself/herself into their care.

Being the children of the grand Universe, when we totally trust in our Creator/creative energies, then you and your best interests are taken care of. This is exactly what the energy of this month is about. You must ask, of course, otherwise it may not be possible to provide. Make an innocent request, like a small child would do, believing that the moment you say it the moment it arrives. A child's innocence means it does not have the experience of what it takes to meet her/his request, which makes it more so innocent. The child does not run through the steps and stages of how things come about. It simply asks with an anticipatory excitement of having already received it.

This energy is at peak this month to be lived fully and enjoyed. It is a magic month in that sense. It is a month in which "happy go lucky". This is simply dictated by the Nature around. It is enough to look at the innocence of white blossoms on trees everywhere; to see the newborn springing lambs; to admire the fresh baby green colour of grass and plants. Just for this month imagine that you were born yesterday.

Mind Focus: curious mind is an open mind

Equally, this month it is so much easier for our mental energies to be simple and straighforward. We are capable of uncomplicated, straight to the point, even oversimplified thoughts and thanks to that we can resolve many problems and issues easily.

Whatsmore, the child-like mental energy makes us super curious, our mind is more open to that which is new. We accept differences easily as we want to learn more about the world not yet uncovered.

In fact, we can take advantage of this energy to pick up a new hobby, start a new job or a totally new activity. Our minds are more likely to absorb the new as well, so it is boding well for the study.

Body Focus: your muscle is your limit

Just for this month let yourself of the physical limits as to what your bodies could or should do at a certain age. Although clearly fittness isn't achieved over night, when you see such inspiring examples as a gymnast who is 86 years old and still competing (Johanna Quaas) or a 99 year old dancer (e.g. Shirley Goodman), it appears there is nothing, or hardly nothing, you cannot do with regular practice over time.

Of course, it wouldn't be sensible for anyone to do a headstand without a sufficient preparatory practice beforehand, however, our mental preconceptions about what our bodies can achieve should be totally put aside. Using this Spring lamb's energy and motivation, feel what it is that you would still like to do with your body and get started with your daily practice. Is it dancing you've always wanted to start but had never time for? Is it time to get on your bike (literally)? Is it a half (or full) marathon you've always wanted to complete? Is it a split or a headstand that you would like to work towards? Give yourself a goal this month and you are more likely to achieve it.

In everyday activities and jobs we don't use all of the 600 muscles our bodies are made of, and we only use between 30-60% of our strength. Practicing a sport increases that dramatically making us more physically able and agile.

Diet wise, keep it simple as children do. Make simple combinations but make it exciting! This month is for eating with your eyes more than any other time. So, make it colourful too. Keep the diet "innocent" too with unadulterated, fresh foods, with lots of green and leafy vegetables to stimulate your Liver to dream big.

Some of you may still feel the invasion of a Cold Wind this month and should add warming spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves or ginger to their diet. Keeping warm inside will protect from the external Wind invasion. Others may not be as bothered by the Spring Winds. On the contrary, they may feel the rise in temperature following the Winter and put on a T-shirt. I suggest some Forsythia flower tea for such Spring Heat in the body.

If you are in any doubt as to how your body reacts to the seasonal change and you want to make the most of the energies of April, book yourself for a consultation and treatment by clicking below. I look forward to seeing you soon!

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