Listen and wait. Winter is the most yin time of the year – the most receptive season. Practice reserve. Spring has not yet come. We are still dreaming our dreams. Practice listening to the stillness. Practice waiting in the void. Join our email for seasonal retreats, nature connects https://follow.it/drsaritaelizabeth?action=followPub
Continue reading →Check out the many ways to play with Element Wisdom Cards! This is one of the amazing ways: Mandala ~ Create sacred space. Choose 5-8 cards. Arrange them in a circle within concentric rings of found or precious materials like seasonal fruits/vegetables, flowers, leaves, shells, stones, sticks, feathers, etc. Choose an elemental center piece: an earthenware filled with soil/clay, a transparent vase of water, a bell, a wooden bowl, an incense burner. Cards and objects may also be arranged by cardinal directions. Purchase Element Wisdom Card Decks here Did you know you can search the card titles on … Continue reading →
Develop true humility. How can we develop healthy humility? Passionate curiosity is a start. In the asking, we engage the other and the ego is checked. Service is a good middle. How does it feel when we volunteer our best hours of the week, donate our most valuable items or fund a heart felt cause? In the end, seek original origins. Humilis is the Latin root meaning low. By our own choice, consequence, or chance, true humility is often the outcome of experiencing great depth, deep troubles or profound sorrows. Water, the element of winter, teaches us how to … Continue reading →
You are a visionary. The water element paired organs that peak in winter are the Bladder and Kidney (plus adrenals). The bladder meridian travels from the inner canthus of the eye across the head down the back side of the entire body exiting out the little toe. It traverses all of us. Many of the point names indicate their function: bright eyes, supporting yang, supporting middle, celestial pillar, soul door, spirit hall, spiritual celestial connection, soul gate. Acupuncture treats all levels of the human – mind, body, spirit. Treating the bladder points can not only treat our organs like the … Continue reading →
Supervise the storehouse of pure energy. The kidneys store jing – our primal energy. This essence is to be guarded, protected, treasured not squandered or frittered away. It determines our fertility, growth, development, vitality and longevity. It is one of the three treasures: jing, qi and shen. The kidneys are the expression of the water element in our bodies. Their energy peaks in winter offering harmonious opportunities for winter support and healing. Fulfilling our destiny is healing. The way of this deep healing summons and joins celestial jing with our terrestrial jing. In other words, jing is our DNA. In … Continue reading →
Adaptation is key to evolving. Humans and all other organisms are consistently modifying and adjusting to survive, become more fit, and thrive. Physical and behavioral traits evolve in response to stressors or rewards. In a world of increasing technology, transhumanism, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, we have grown increasingly disconnected from nature. I invite you to return to the dynamic and seasonal rhythm. In the slowing, you will find your true connection. In stopping, you will find your way. Winter is the season to rest, restore and reconnect. We may be uncomfortable in the stillness of this season, unable to … Continue reading →
Accept. The critical first step in healing is accepting things as they actual are. We live in a world where there is plenty that requires our resistance. However, healing requires courageous honesty about ourself, our perceptions, our motivations, our circumstances and their cause. I have doubled down on my commitment to live a life in alignment with my core values and the elemental. My winter healing so far has looked like: Living without liquid stress. I had habituated a high quality jasmine green tea morning ritual. I would make one small pot of green tea then refresh the same leaves … Continue reading →
Be like water. The highest good is like water, Water is good at benefitting the ten thousand things, And yet does not contend with them. It dwells in the places multitudes detest, Therefore, it is close to the dao. ~ Dao De Jing The water element rules the kidney, adrenals and bladder according to Chinese medicine. We are elements embodied in bones and flesh and skin. A healthy water type is Active yet calm Courageous yet gentle Accomplishes a lot without stress Balances assertive action with self-care Each season invites us to … Continue reading →
You are resilient. A loving reminder as many of us are finding new ways in a rapidly, ever changing world. What strengths the quality of resilience? Healthy habits ~ Double down on restorative sleep, wholesome foods, clean water, exercise, autonomy. Invite real connection ~ In these days of the digital, the virtual, non-local, augmented & artificial realities bring your trusted & beloveds close. Adapt – Flow around obstacles; try a new way; circumvent the programming. Gratitude – Count your blessings daily; speak them; write them. Connect – Align with God, source, spirit, higher power. Slow down, be still, stop … Continue reading →
Winter, according to the wisdom of the elements, is about dreaming, resting, relaxing, restoring, recharging and germinating seeds which will break through the thawing frozen ground of winter come spring when energy naturally moves upward and outward. Plans made and action taken in harmony with the greater cycles of the cosmos, are much more likely to come to fruition. Over the last few years, I have been observing, studying and syncing myself with the elemental cycles as practiced by the ancients. I often call it ‘re-wilding’ myself. I started with Seasonal Wellness classes in 2015. In 2019 I … Continue reading →
