fire – Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc

Fire – Discover Divine Purpose

Dr. Sarita Cox — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:59:58 +0000

Fire – Discover Divine Purpose.

True alignment with your divine purpose is not a permanent state of calm, nor is it an escape from the grit of the human experience. Traditional wisdom from ancient cultures teaches us that purpose is not a destination, but a way of moving through the entire spectrum of human emotion.

We often mistake spiritual alignment for endless positivity, yet the oldest traditions view grief, anger, fear, and joy as equally sacred messengers.

In the crucible of daily life, full-spectrum living means allowing yourself to feel deeply without losing your center.

Traditional wisdom uses the metaphor of the tree: to reach high into the heavens, its roots must go deep into the dark, damp earth.

Your joy expands only as wide as your capacity to sit with your sorrow. When you feel the heavy ache of heartbreak or the sharp sting of disappointment, you are not off track. You are accumulating the raw material of wisdom.

Divine purpose is the thread that weaves these contrasting emotions into a meaningful tapestry. It is the quiet inner knowing that holds you steady when the storm rages, and keeps you humble when the blessings flow.

Ancient practices remind us that every emotional wave passes. By honoring each feeling instead of suppressing it, you transmute raw emotion into profound empathy and resilience.

Embrace the fullness of your humanity today.

Let yourself laugh without restraint, weep without shame, and feel the fierce fire of your passions.

Your divine purpose is found right here in the center of your messy, beautiful, and completely unfiltered human life.

Bring this ancient perspective into your daily practice. Explore our Wisdom Cards to receive seasonal prompts that guide you through every season with inquiry, jedi mind tricks and nature cure tips.

Fire – Cool down with cucumbers or watermelon

Dr. Sarita Cox — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:04:00 +0000

Fire – Cool down with cucumbers or watermelon

Balancing Your Heat: Top Cooling Foods for Vitality

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), optimal health relies on the balance of Yin (cool, moistening) and Yang (warm, activating) energies. When your body accumulates excess heat—whether from stress, hot weather, or spicy foods—you might experience symptoms like acne, irritability, dry mouth and skin, or constipation. To restore harmony, TCM recommends consuming “cooling” (Han) and “cool” (Liang) foods to clear internal heat and generate fluids.

Here are five essential TCM cooling foods to add to your diet:

Cucumber: Clears heat, detoxifies, and promotes fluid production. Excellent for relieving thirst and cooling the blood.
Watermelon: Known in TCM as natural “White Tiger Decoction” due to its powerful ability to clear extreme heat, ease restlessness, and promote urination.
Celery: Clears stomach heat, lowers blood pressure, and benefits the eyes while promoting urination to remove dampness.
Pears: Moisten the lungs, clear phlegm, and generate body fluids to soothe a dry throat or dry cough.
Green Tea: Clears head and eyes, resolves thirst, and aids digestion. Perfect for clearing midday sluggishness and heat.

Incorporating these foods helps clear excess fire without damaging your digestive system. Enjoy them lightly cooked or at room temperature, as ice-cold items can weaken your digestive Qi.

Easy Watermelon & Cucumber Refresh Salad

This ultra-crisp salad combines TCM cooling powerhouses to clear internal heat and boost hydration instantly.

Ingredients

Watermelon: 3 cups (cubed, de-seeded)
Cucumber: 1 large (cubed)
Mint leaves: 1/4 cup (fresh, chopped)
Feta cheese: 1/3 cup (crumbled, optional)
Dressing: 1 tbsp lime juice + 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Prep: Chop the watermelon and cucumber into bite-sized pieces.
Toss: Combine them in a large bowl with the fresh mint leaves.
Dress: Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil, then toss gently.
Finish: Top with crumbled feta cheese right before serving.

Fire – Hug heart to heart

Dr. Sarita Cox — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:15:50 +0000

Fire – Hug heart to heart

The hug

Next time you go in for or are receiving a hug, take note. Do you lean in left shoulder to left shoulder, right shoulder to right shoulder or reach for the waist with a side hug? Are you comfortable with a hug? Were you raised with hugs? How long is your natural hug? Do you want to practice hugging?

Word Origin

Etymologically, “hug” is thought to come from the Old Norse word hugga, which translates to “to comfort or console”.

A lesson from one of my clinical mentors in my Chinese Medicine program has never been forgotten and still settles in my mind and body upon each greeting or departing with the gesture of affenction more than 20 years later. Hugging heart to heart is an everyday Qi Gong practice.

How to Give a Heart-to-Heart Hug

A true heart-to-heart hug requires conscious physical alignment to connect your energetic centers.

Follow these steps:

Approach Left-to-Left: Step forward and slightly shift your body to the right so your left shoulder aligns with the other person’s left shoulder.
Heart Contact: Wrap your arms around them, allowing the left side of your chest (where your heart resides) to press directly against theirs.
Breathe and Hold: Hold the embrace for at least 20 seconds. Take 2–3 full relaxing breaths.

The Scientific Why?

Releases Oxytocin: Holding the hug for 20 seconds triggers the release of oxytocin (the “bonding hormone”), which lowering heart rates and reducing cortisol stress levels.
Calms the Nervous System: The deep pressure stimulation co-regulates your nervous systems, shifting both bodies from “fight-or-flight” into a restorative “rest-and-heal” parasympathetic state.
Enhances Emotional Security: Direct chest contact stimulates the vagus nerve, instantly lowering blood pressure and increasing feelings of safety and social trust.

Igniting the Inner Smile: Qi Gong & the Fire Element

True connection begins with an open heart. Summer is governed by the Fire element, a powerful force that directly rules the heart, small intestine, and our emotional capacity for joy. When our Fire element is balanced, we naturally radiate warmth, enthusiasm, and compassion—the exact ingredients needed for a deep, meaningful embrace.

However, when life gets overwhelming, the Fire element can burn too hot, leading to anxiety, insomnia, or emotional burnout. Conversely, if the fire dims, we might feel isolated or disconnected. Qi Gong offers a gentle, moving meditation to clear this excess heat and rekindle our inner warmth.

Stoking the Warmth of Connection

In Qi Gong practice, the heart is considered the home of our spirit, or Shen. To harmonize the Fire element, we use fluid movements paired with the “Heart Sound” (Haw). This specific healing sound acts like a cooling breeze, releasing pent-up pressure from the chest.

Qi Gong Practices for kindred fire

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Clearing the Heart (Disperse stagnation, process grief, reduce blame & hatred)

The Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, palms together in a prayer position at the center of your chest.

The Inhale: Breathe in deeply through your nose, feeling your chest expand.
The Exhale: Push your hands straight forward away from your body, palms facing out. Simultaneously, exhale through your mouth while whispering the healing sound “Hawww” to release tension.
Repetitions: Repeat for 6 to 9 breaths.

By pushing your hands forward on the exhale and drawing them back to your chest on the inhale, you regulate the heart’s rhythm. You are actively clearing away old hurts and pulling in pure, unconditional love. This practice shifts your internal state from stress to safety, making your physical hugs an authentic extension of your inner peace.

Opening the Heart (Invite positive energy and possibility)

The Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, and arms relaxed at your sides.

The Inhale: Bring your hands up to chest height, palms facing each other, then extend your arms straight out in front of you. Gently expand your arms out wide to the sides, opening your chest completely.
The Exhale: Softly bring your hands back toward the centerline of your chest, palms facing your body, crossing your arms, wrapping yourself in an embrace.
Repetitions: Repeat for 6 to 9 breaths.

Balancing your Fire element allows you to show up fully for yourself and those you care about. By cultivating a peaceful heart, your presence becomes a safe harbor for yourself and for others.

Fire – Laughter is therapy

Dr. Sarita Cox — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:25:27 +0000

Fire – Laughter is therapy

The summer season belongs to the Fire element in Chinese Medicine. This vibrant energy governs the Heart, the organ responsible for circulation, mental clarity, and housing our spirit, known as the Shen.

When Fire is balanced, we feel joyful, connected, and full of life. When it burns too hot, it manifests as anxiety, insomnia, or restlessness.

Laughter is the ultimate medicine to keep this seasonal Fire in perfect harmony. In TCM, every organ system associates with a specific sound and emotion.

The sound of the Heart is laughter, and its emotion, in balance, is joy. Genuine, belly-deep laughter acts as a natural cooling mechanism for an overheated spirit. It releases emotional stagnation, moves stagnant Qi (vital energy), and relaxes the chest where the Heart resides.

Modern science mirrors this ancient wisdom. Laughing lowers stress hormones like cortisol and triggers endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. It improves vascular function, literally supporting the physical heart.

During the long, hot days of summer, nourishing your Fire element is essential.

You can protect your heart by seeking lighthearted connections. Watch a comedy, share stories with friends, or play with wild abandon.

Laughter is free, accessible, and completely natural.

It bridges the physical and spiritual realms to keep your Shen calm and bright. This summer, tend to your inner Fire and medicine your mind. Let yourself smile, share a joke, and let the healing power of laughter keep you cool, balanced, and well.

Fire – Seek South

Dr. Sarita Cox — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:09:23 +0000

Fire – Seek South

Each element is associated with a cardinal direction.

Why? Perhaps the ancients were linking the human experience to the natural world.

We use directions as guideposts: the north star, the compass, the map. Directions anchor us to place.

The south is the direction of fire, the heart. It marks innocence, transformation, passion, the noon day sun, the zenith of our days, seasons, and lives. Summer is the lucky time of year.

Feng Shui places reputation and fame in the south sector of our home.

Take a look at your home with curiosity. More than just an area, the South sector holds the energy that reveals and manifests as reputation, material success & the capacity to rise like a phoenix.

Outside of judgment, inventory the state of the south sector of your home, your office or home office. What does it reveal? What does it speak about you?

Feng Shui literally means Wind-Water. It is the ancient art/science of conscious placement to transform energy in our favor.

Want change? The external arrangement impacts us, true. We certainly can and should arrange our working & living spaces to increase our chances of best outcome.

The real change is entertaining awareness of how you react, respond and your integrity growing your reputation or fame.

Do you keep your word?
Do you pass off others work, message, ideas as your own to get ahead?
Do you collaborate or compete?
Do you give to receive?
Do you show up or cancel?
Commit or quit?
How do you conduct business?
Ask yourself.

Fire – Schedule mid day Siestas

Dr. Sarita Cox — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:33:58 +0000

Schedule mid day Siestas.

Summer is the apex of the seasons.

Temperatures run hot. Energy requirements run high for travels, social gathers, family & friend time. Making time for a mid day pause is a habit that recharges and regenerates for the adventure packed day and fun filled evening ahead.

How to spend that currency of quiet is custom designed by you.

15 minute power nap
10 minutes of following your breath
20 minute body scan
guided meditation
zoning out, eyes closed, falling into the quiet
choiceless awareness
yoga nidra
legs up the wall for lymph support

There is a hammock waiting for you.

There is a shade tree just outside.

There is a dark & quiet room with a do not disturb sign on the door.

There is a yoga mat with a floor fan blowing.

There is a screened porch with a chaise lounge.

Find your way to a short rest with a long payoff.

Have a friend or family that would benefit from 10 more days of Element Wisdoms from the Fire deck? Forward this email so they can click on the grey follow envelope at the top or green envelope at the bottom.

Fire – bittersweet

Dr. Sarita Cox — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 21:24:48 +0000

A fare the well to the summer/fire season and a teacher along the way. UWA has lost a good one while MSU is gaining some serious talent! The taste of summer (fire) is bitter; the taste of earth (transition) is sweet. Tomorrow we move into the 18 days around the equinox (transition earth season). People come for a brief moment or may stay a lifetime. The taste is bittersweet as life in all of its glorious beauty moves people in and out of our small and infinite worlds. Time is not linear and does not measure the impact of a teacher, stranger, friend, foil or foe. May the force of DNA extraction remain ever present in the lab. Do or do not. There is no try. #yoda #theforce #dna #fire #transition #elementwisdomcards

Fire – Love Heals. Period.

Dr. Sarita Cox — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 21:16:57 +0000

Love Heals. Period. A shout-out to those beloveds that offer and receive unconditional love. I’m blessed with so much love. It’s a mighty power. Relationships are the theme for the fire season of summer. Did you know you become like the 5 people you spend the most time with?
Let that sink in. Yes, you become like them. Choose wisely.
I choose heart. I choose integrity.
I choose passion, honesty, kindness, presence. What do you choose? With love and all the while, I am super picky about my close-ins and with whom I spend my precious time. #elementwisdomcards #fire #naturopathicdoctor #tcm #fiveelements #love #relationshipcoaching #friends #coworkers

Fire – Let the sun kiss you

Dr. Sarita Cox — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 21:13:34 +0000

Catch the last convertible sun rays to boost your vitamin D stores. March-October 20 minutes of sunstrike between 10-2 on your precious skin equals approximately 4000 IU. The immune system is ruled by the triple burner ministeral fire. Living in the dynamic flow of the seasons reminds us to stock up while we can. Let the sun kiss you. #elementwisdomcards #vitamind #fire #fivelements #naturopathicmedicine #sun

Fire – Burn it up

Dr. Sarita Cox — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 21:02:34 +0000

If standing up for myself, burns a bridge…….I have matches. We ride at midnight. #selflove #fire We reach a point along our journey that we will no longer tolerate unjust or harmful behaviors to ourself or others be them with individuals or within systems. Being a silent bystander or participant creates an environment in which our silence may be interpreted as agreement. The cultivation of prayer, awareness, reflection and discernment lends insight. Sometimes insight comes on as a holy flame. Sometimes we ride with our tribe. Sometimes we ride alone. Burn It Up #fire #boundaries #stemwomen #relationshipcoaching #naturopathicmedicine #elementwisdomcards