Category Archives: Earth Element

Element Wisdom Card Decks – Ways to Play ~ Mandala

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

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 →

Earth: How sweet it is

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Did you know that historically the apple was the standard for the taste of sweet? We’ve come a long (not so healthy) way from those days. I love to substitute applesauce in recipes for cakes and pies to create the taste of sweet in healthier ways. Last year, I also perfected a sweet potato pie with just three ingredients: sweet potatoes, butter and coconut. just bake, mash and combine into a nut pie shell. What are your sweet tricks? Sweetness is associated with the Earth Element. Although a touch of sweetness can stimulate the spleen and pancreas, indulging in too … Continue reading →

Down to earth: writing prompt

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Down to Earth. What does the phrase ‘down to earth’ mean to you? Earth Writing Exercise Take a moment. Find pen and paper. Transcribe the phrase Down to Earth.  Place both feet on the ground. Take three deep breaths, expanding your ribs. Write free associations of what ‘down to earth’ means to you for 90 seconds. Wake the spleen, an earth organ with the exercise below.  Repeat the automatic writing exercise.   Wake the Spleen With both feet on the ground, raise your left arm. Wake the spleen organ by tapping on your left side, one hand width below the … Continue reading →

Earth: Don’t worry be happy

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  Don’t worry, be happy.   How to soothe your nervous system: Take a cold shower or plunge Splash cold water on face & neck Sing, laugh, chant, hum, & hug Restore the microbe of the gut Relax jaw tension Meditate on loving kindness Positive Social Connect Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The … Continue reading →

Earth: Too much sitting injures the spleen: qi gong

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

The digestive organs are injured by stagnation.  Desk or remote virtual jobs, long hours of studying, research and writing keep us seated.  Relaxing and decompressing may also become habituated to screen time, gaming or media binging. Fatigue sets in from lack of activity; a sedentary life is injurious. Frankly, it is killing us slowly. The combination of oversitting and overthinking is a harmful combination for the earth organs,  particularly the spleen.  The lack of healthy circulation settles dampness deep into our systems. If you are prone to oversitting, please build in healthy habits.  Set a timer at the desk for … Continue reading →

Does your yes serve the balance? Earth Sounds

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

HEALING SOUNDS FOR THE EARTH ELEMENT The earth element, is involved with digestion and transformation of food. It can get bogged down with overthinking, oversitting, worry, anxiety. This can result in weight gain or indigestion. When the earth element is weak we may say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’ or ‘can I get back to you on that? In this way, we create imbalance within by giving ourselves away to be liked or approved of, to avoid conflict, to fit into social norms or to get something from the other party. The earth season holds the energy of center, return, … Continue reading →

Earth: Convert discord into harmony

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Convert discord into harmony.       It is time to come home. It is time to find your true center.    The 18 days around each solstice & equinox hold the power of transition. The fifth season of earth resonates with trust, harmony and abundance.       Here are a few practices that I encourage my patients to utilize during the earth season to break up discord:   1. Take a walk.  Nature works best but a few flights of stairs, a walk around the building or the block interrupts the pattern.   2. Bring awareness to your … Continue reading →

Earth: Rewild yourself

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Welcome to Earth Season. Rewild yourself. We are in the 18 transitional days around the autumnal equinox. This period is ruled by the Earth Element. The Earth is our center, our grounding, our balance point. 🌏 Earth time is gut time. Did you know that the estimated number of gut microbiota exceeds 10 x 14th power? This superorganism holds 100 times more information than our DNA code. Pretty Wild Wonderment! These bacteria, archaea and eukarya strengthen gut integrity, shape intestinal epithelium, harvest energy, protect against pathogens and regulate host immunity.   I invite you to feed your gut with ferments: … Continue reading →

After the fire, the garden

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

After the fire, the garden. The late summer calls me. it ain’t linear y’all! We weave in and out of the slipstream until we are able to abide in the contradiction of opposition. I moved a monster of a rock today! It felt soooo good! I leveraged and sweated and positioned and sweated and repositioned. I pushed myself beyond my conceivable strength. The truth is that I was triggered. So I dug in deeper and worked it out. I didn’t blame. I didn’t shame. I stayed with the uncomfortable feelings. I’ve done rock work for years. I inherited a garden … Continue reading →

Fill your pancreas with golden light

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Fill your pancreas with golden light. While the more widely know organs of the earth element are the spleen & stomach, the lesser recognized earth element is the pancreas. So what does that mean for your seasonal wellness? The 18 days around the solstice invite us to become aware of, in tune with and balance our blood glucose levels. Besides the sugary treats that raise our levels, did you know that stress in the form of cortisol (particularly long term stress) can be a cause of high glucose and A1C levels? A common symptom is persistent elevated glucose levels in … Continue reading →