Category Archives: Earth Element

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 →

Earth: 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 →

Return to Earth

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Clicking the grey ‘follow’ envelope above will deliver weekly health and wellness tips to your inbox via our weekly cultivating wellness blog. We are dynamic beings.  We change.  We change under influences such as the seasons, life situation, and our current physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states and even the aging process.  Typically we have main constitution element and a secondary constitutional  (which may be the same or different as the main element). As we become more and more self aware and heal our imbalances, we will manifest and move more freely from one elemental state to the next during the natural generative … Continue reading →

M: THANKSGIVING BLESSING

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

A Haudenosaunee “Thanksgiving” Prayer:   A Native American Traditional Blessing Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People. Now our minds are one. The Earth Mother We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It … Continue reading →

FIRE CREATES EARTH

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Love Heals. Period. In Memoriam In a recent post about Fire pericardium, I introducted you to Dr. Rachel Eppinga, ND, LAc.  Rachel passed from this world into the light on the autumn equinox. Her body was diseased with cancer. I’ve included the last message she sent out to her community/tribe below. Rachel was a wayshower of how to reflect and transmute beauty in any situation; she was a beacon of light, a gatherer of women to heal together. I was recently gifted a very special Love Qigong from my dear colleague Rachel Eppinga, ND, LAc, when we gathered in Hara Mara, … Continue reading →

Return to Earth Autumn Equinox

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

RETURN TO EARTH ELEMENT Autumn days come quickly, like the running of a hound on the moor. –Irish proverb Autumn is right around the corner for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere, while the folks in the Southern Hemisphere are preparing for warmer, spring weather.  In 2019, the Autumnal Equinox arrives on Monday, September 23, at 3:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time. The autumn equinox happens at the same moment worldwide marking the astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. After the autumnal equinox, nights begin to grow longer than the days until the winter solstice in December, when the days start to … Continue reading →

F4: Separator of the Pure from the Impure

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

SMALL INTESTINES THE SEPARATOR OF PURE FROM IMPURE             As most of the planet is enduring and even setting heat records during the peak of the fiery summer season, in the Southern U.S., we are experiencing an unseasonably cool period this week.  Here we continue with our seasonal theme of the fire element and the elemental organ system. The element of fire embodies the bright, light, energetic essence of yang. However, fire without the grounding influence of Earth easily flares out of control.  The 2nd century dictionary Shuowen jiezi defines the heart as an Earth element, predating the concept of Heart … Continue reading →

E6: Simple food preparation for transitional times

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

In the South, cooking and eating are central to bringing people together, spending time with loved ones, and developing new friendships.   The seasonal return to the Earth element invites simple methods of food preparation that allow more time for self-love and beloveds.  Golden and earth toned foods like millet, corn, amaranth, rice, garbanzo, golden split mung and soy beans, hazelnuts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, yams, squash, carrots, apricots, and cantaloupe are harmonizing choices.  All root vegetables strengthen our internal Earth.   Keep spices, seasonings and flavors mild during these days of transition and keep food temperatures not too hot and … Continue reading →

E4: Return to the Earth

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Return to the Earth Element The concept known as the Doyo in Traditional Chinese Medicine means the transitional time between the changing of the seasons. Each season corresponds to a specific element and the seasonal transition period relates to the Earth element. Human beings are  grounded in and supported by the Earth below and, ideally, open to the flow of divine blessings from the heavens above. The Earth element is associated with times of change throughout the year, which happen between each of the seasons around the two equinoxes and the two solstices. These transition phases begin about 7 days … Continue reading →