How did you come to know and love tea?

I grew up with a mom who always created an herb garden wherever she has lived and helped me develop a taste for herbal brews early on starting with spearmint sun tea and catnip.I learned so much about tea in the town I lived for medical school – Portland, Oregon. They actually have tea shops and tea shops within Chinese gardens. My Chinese Medicine teachers always packed their traveling suitcases with tea and spices. The ah too true joke with them is that packaged teas that we drink in this country are the sweepings off the factory floors from their country. I choose bulk tea from high quality vendors and use a tea pot with strainer or french press.  I add hot water until the liquid is near to colorless. Any extra tea can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

What is your favorite tea or tea blend for Winter?
My go to winter tea is chai or a spiced bone broth

Click to learn how to free the medicine in leaves, roots, barks and berries in this week’s Cultivating Wellness blog http://drsaritaelizabeth.com/brewing-teas-free-their-medi…/

Below is an easy Bone Broth preparation for you to enjoy.

Simple Slow Cooker Bone Broth

Crockpot, Pruning shears, Ladle, Skimmer, Mesh strainer, Freezer containers

Instructions

Fill crockpot ¾ of the way full with bones. Add dried spices/herbs. Add salt/seaweed. Add vinegar/lemon juice. Add just enough filtered water to cover the bones. Cook on low 18-72 hours

Add vegetables, skins/ends/stems at any time during the cooking process. Skim fat/gelatin and retain for later use. Fill containers with broth. Freeze for later use.

Soup = cooking liquid for gains, vegetable simmers, tea, gravy

Five Element Analysis

Soups, especially broths are Water Element nourishment. Each type bone directs the energy to more specific Elements

Pork, Deer, Turkey or Duck to Water to nourish the Kidney, Bladder & Adrenals

Chicken to Wood to nourish Liver & Gallbladder

Beef to Earth (and Water) to nourish Stomach, Spleen & Pancreas as well as Kidney, Bladder & Adrenals

Fill your bladder with blue-black light

Each of the five elements of has an associated color, direction, sound, taste, note, organ affinity, etc.

The color of water/winter is blue-black.  The associated organs of the bladder, kidney & adrenals are harmonized, nourished & balanced when we utilize blue-black for healing.

There are many effective means to heal with color.  In my clinic, I utilize color and sound healing with tuning forks and color shields as I was instructed by Fabian Maman of the Tama-Do Academy with children & with patients that are pain sensitive to needling. I painted the doors & walls  to correspond to the elemental direction (Feng Shui).  The doors on the north side of the building are midnight blue. Many people remark that Alberta Orchard Wellness feels healing as soon as you step into the building; this is part of the reason why it resonates peace and harmony.  I also change the curtains, artwork & rugs to align with the season.

Application of color ranges from gross to subtle, starting with the physical use of color on our bodies or in our environment to the visualization of color in our mind’s eye. Let’s explore some practical ways to help you find your own way to healing with seasonal colors of water/winter to restore the bladder, kindeys & adrenals.

• Wear blue-black (black, navy) layers of clothing to strengthen the organs 
• Style your home or office with Navy curtains, duvet, wool rugs, velvet curtains or throw pillows
• Bring in artwork depicting water, especially the ocean at night
• Run a screensaver of underwater life or a dark blue ocean on your computer, smart phone or TV
• In the north of your home or office, set a dark blue bowl, tablecloth, shawl or scarf in a featured area
• Keep a piece of labradorite stone in your pocket
• Drink from a dark blue handcrafted pottery cup
• Breath in shimmering, deep blue-black of the ocean for 5 count. Hold 5 count. Exhale 5 count. Hold 5 count. Repeat 5 times. 
• Place your hands over your bladder and visualize healing blue black light filling your organ 
• Begin and end your meditations with sweeping the body with glistening midnight blue color
• Connect with bubbling spring (KD1) on the bottom of the foot.  Allow deep blue black water to rise up from the earth, flow through your water channels into your bladder. Direct blue black light to fill then clear any imbalance or blockage. Allow the waters of life to nourish your organs.

To support your winter/water organs: kidney, bladder & adrenals, try this Lentil/Cilantro combination

For a complete reference to the soup cleanse: search the Cultivating Wellness Blog for Soup Cleanse

Enjoy these winter wisdom tips, to harmonize yourself into the season.

Let’s combine our Water/Winter wisdoms with a nourishing, gentle Soup Cleanse for the stay at home and stay warm days of ice, sleet & snow.

Ginger Foot Bath Instructions:

Add ginger tea, decocted fresh ginger root or even ginger powder to hot water.

Need herbal tea preparation tips? Click here…midway down the post to learn how to free their medicine.

For a warm foot bath, water is warmed to 92-100F (33-38C). For a hot foot bath, water is warmed gradually and frequently tested with elbow to 103-108F (39-42C). Be particularly careful to test if you suffer from diabetes or other conditions that impair normal peripheral perception of temperatures. 

Soak feet 10-15 minutes.  Adding hot water from a kettle or pot with extra hot water as the bath water cools allows maximum benefit and enjoyment.

For additional benefit add 1 cup of epsom salts.  The taste associated with the winter/water element is Salty. Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) are easily absorbed through the skin. After your soak, wrap your feet in a hand towel to dry. 

Ginger alleviates cold and invigorates circulation. Epsom Salts relax muscles, soften the skin & deep cleans.

Forward this link or post to a friend,  to share our free two week series of Element Wisdoms:

Water/Winter Element Wisdoms & Nourishing Soup Cleanse

FOLLOW IT HERE

What if is the way forward is backwards?  What if time is a spiral not a line? What if space & time can warp? What if time is an illusion.

Consider our common language: catch up, move forward, climb the ladder, hustle culture, get ahead. Sounds exhausting.

Are there any signs that we may want to step back? Yes, of course. Do any of these sound familiar?

I’ve sent out a hundred resumes but have gotten zero callbacks. I keep messaging but no one replies. I feel sick to my stomach every time I think of it. I wake up grinding my teeth afterwards. I’m board; I’ve lost my spark, passion, creativity for the project. The same conversation occurs again and again with no resolve. I’ve become someone I no longer recognize or like. The environment (internally and externally) is consistently negative, toxic or abusive. My body rebels: I oversleep, I forget important dates, deadlines, I double book, my shoulders are in knots. Technology fails when I work on the project: consistent internet outages, glitches, 404 messages, files won’t load. 

What can happen when we take a step back? A new perspective, an allowing, respite, presence, creativity. Stepping back can allow us to reconsider and reconfigure with newfound clarity. 

Are there any practical tips to stepping back?

• Pause. 
• Breathe.
• Rest.
• Practice compassion.
• Set Boundaries.
• Apply self-love
• Reflect.

Sometimes stepping down is then next step. Sometimes stepping up is the next step. 

When have you stepped back and the result

has been better than you could have ever imagined?

Earth: Limit raw foods 

To bring balance and wellness to the organs ruled and expressed by the Earth Element, we focus on how to optimize digestion and personalize nutrition, regulate blood sugar and strengthen the muscles during Late Summer as well as the 18 days around each equinox & solstice.

I am a huge fan of fresh food.  I am more skilled at chopping than cooking. I love to chop, so food prep is super fun for me and therefore a strength. I am also aware that food is freshest at soon as I harvest it from the yard, bring it home from the market or buy it from the grocery store. Food prep is critical to those of us that have day after day commitments.  I highly encourage you to chop and blanch as soon as fresh food enters your kitchen.

But……the next step isn’t my gift: cooking. I have, however, for the sake of my digestive system and nutrition learned some short cuts that allow me to care for my precious body.  I hope these tips help you too!

1. Keep it simple
2. Create a fun atmosphere in my kitchen: play some tunes, diffuse essential oils
3. Keep glass storage containers & re-use canning jars for stackable storage
4. Invite the kids to help
5. Consider a mono meal – yup, only green beans for lunch (mono) or green beans with toasted sesame seeds (mono-ish)
6. Cook in bulk & freeze individual meals
   

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Cook or no?

Look in the mirror.  If your tongue is larger or thicker than average, has tooth imprints, and a thick white coat, you have dampness.  Raw foods will generate more dampness. Dampness weakens the body’s ability to digest. Raw foods add cold to the nature of the food. If however, you look in the mirror at your tongue and see a thin, red, dry tongue.  You have the digestive fire to cook raw foods in your digestive center. Enjoy! 

Blanch: key to time management. Try blanching an entire head of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts for a couple of minutes (retain the bright color). Strain. Cool. Package. Ready to roast, bake or stir fry!

Steam: adds moisture to nature of the food. Check out this chart for steam times of many vegetables.  I also steam tofu, tempeh or reheat protein. 

Pressure Cook: fantastic quick method for grains and legumes. Add broth to increase protein & flavor. Soak overnight in the stainless instant pot vessel to optimize nutrition and denature those pesky lectins.

Stir fry: dries the nature of the food. Try cooking vegetables separately to retain the best flavor. Ginger and garlic are mainstay spices.

Spices: warming and aromatic herbs and spices help to balance the nature of foods – allowing us to personalize our nutrition. For example, ginger and cardamom reduce damp and cold. 

I leave you with two very easy ways to put these tips to work for you right away:

Autumn Bake: Rosemary Sweet Potatoes Recipe Here

Very Simple Soups: Soup Cleanse Recipes Here

The tips are appropriate for seasonal wellness and are helpful all year long for constitutional Element Earth types.

Want to establish or return to care with Dr Cox? Book here!

Today autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere, while the folks in the Southern Hemisphere are preparing for warmer, spring weather. 

In 2025, the Autumnal Equinox arrives on Monday, September 22, at 1:19 P.M. Central Standard Time. The autumn equinox happens at the same moment worldwide marking the astronomical start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere – the moment when the direct ray of the sun crosses the equator to the South. After the autumnal equinox, nights begin to grow longer than the days until the winter solstice in December, when the days start to grow longer and the nights are shorter. The Autumnal Equinox represents the symmetry between light and darkness, as a balance is struck between day and night.

According to the Chinese Medicine understanding of the cycle of the seasons, we have technically returned to Earth phase, or Doyo, which is the transitional time when the seasons change, four times per year. After this return to earth transition, we will be in the metal phase of the seasons which invites reflection and resonates with breath and sound healing.

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 before each equinox and solstice and continue for about 7 days after, which constitute an approximate three-week period of adjustment between the seasons. 

I  embrace and promote the wisdom of seasonal cycles  increasing awareness of and balancing our individual constitutions within dynamic change and to honor repeating cycles throughout our return to our wholeness.  

WHAT IS THE EQUINOX?

The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” and nox, “night.” On the equinox, length of day and night are roughly equal.

During the equinox, the sun crosses the “celestial equator”—an imaginary line or extrapolation of Earth’s equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the sun’s center passes through this line. When the sun crosses the equator from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox; when it crosses from south to north, it marks the vernal equinox.

At this exact moment, the lengths of day and night are approximately equal around the world in the Northern and Southern hemispheres — hence the term “equinox,” which is derived from the Latin phrase meaning “equal night.”

Image credit: NASA

Why the Autumnal Equinox Doesn’t Fall on the Same Day Every Year

Depending on the part of the world and time zone where you live, the equinox usually falls on either September 22 or 23; although it can sometimes occur anytime between September 21 and 24. That is because the equinox is not an exact, daylong event but is defined by the position of the Earth and the sun at a particular moment in time. 

Ancient Autumn Traditions 

The fall equinox has been celebrated by cultures for ages as people track the transitions of the Earth’s paths around the Sun. Indigenous cultures recognized EARTH wisdom and understood that the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Autumn Equinox reflect our own inner spiritual journey.

• An ancient stone monument called Intihuatana at Machu Picchu in Peru, which means “Hitching Post of the Sun”, serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.  
• In Mexico, the Mayans built a giant pyramid called Chichen Itza. On the equinoxes, a snake created by light appears to slither down the pyramid’s steps.
• And of course, in England, Stonehenge is aligned with the equinoxes and solstices.

An image of the serpent appearing on the side of the Temple of Kukulcan on the equinox at Chichen Itza

SIGNIFICANCE

The Autumnal Equinox is a significant time of year to honor the harvest, which may be an actual harvest of fruits and vegetables from your garden or the harvest of efforts and intentions for your life that you set earlier in the year.  This Earth seasonal return represents the harvest time of year, when we acknowledge the gifts and abundance in our lives. It is a time when we can see, in nature, a reflection of our own lives as we go through cycles of growth, harvest, death, and rebirth.

At the Autumnal Equinox, it’s important to take a moment to go inward. Life is a continuous circle of shifting and evolving, dying, and being reborn again. Because change is a constant, it is possible to identify unbroken patterns within the ebb and flow of life. As we become quiet during this time of transition, we are allowing space for our greater vision to emerge and set in motion the intentions for another cycle. I invite you to take some time September 22 to be mindful of your life cycle, honor your own growth and shine your inner light.

Citrine is known as the merchant stone as it attracts prosperity and abundance.

• The crystal ranks 7 on the Mohs hardness scale
• The color ranges from lemon yellow to rustic red-brown
• It is associated with the solar plexus in the chakra system 
• Citrine balances the Earth Element
• Natural Citrine is found in igneous rocks like granite or alluvial deposits
• Citrine forms around 440 degrees 
• Citrine is a gemstone name for quartz with iron in the color center
• Lab made Citrine is an eco-friendly choice

The color gold is associated with the earth element

We, therefore, utilize the hues and tones of yellow to support our center. I have a favorite yellow linen shirt and a gold silk shirt that I find again and again during the earth season. What golden tones do you have in your closet?  Wear them during Earth season. I adorn with amber and citrine during the transition season. Bejewel yourself with gold and golden gems.

Citrine is Vitamin C for the soul

Through Qi Gong principles, we learn that the physical form is a manifestations of the more subtle energies.  Visualization focus energy into form.  I often describe Qi Gong as internal Tai Chi – the medical form of the martial arts.  We can focus our mind’s eye within our organs and highways of energy – the meridians – for wellness. Praying or meditating, visualizing wellness, speaking positivity, chanting or singing can heal our bodies.

In the prosperity area of my office (SE), I have a citrine sun catcher.  This Feng Shui placement invites abundance into my practice. 

Right now, visualize the sparkling yellow light of citrine in your umbilicus.  Allow it to fill your organs, your tendons, your muscles, your skin.

Invite citrine to support you in prosperity, abundance & health.

I hope this series supports your deep dive into the dynamic of seasonal wellness & inspires you to play with the Element Wisdom Card Decks on your health journey.

If you would like to invite a friend to join our late summer series, they can sign up here. 

Be Loyal.

Dogs are our best teacher when it comes to unconditional loyalty.

Beyond loyalty they teach us about unrestrained love & living in the moment.

Is it because they have four feet on the earth all day long? A recent study entitled Grounding (earthing) as related to electromagnetic hygiene: An integrative review discusses inspiring research and anecdotal evidence from patient treatments involving direct contact with the ground. Give it a read by clicking on the title above.

When playing with the Element Wisdom Cards, I invite you to ask yourself what does the card means to you? Does it resonant or no? Does it bring up a curiosity? a feeling? a memory? a story?

I find the same card sparks different responses in a different season of the year or a different season of my life. Today, Be Loyal asks me to be loyal to myself.

I have spent many years being loyal to my education, my career, my finances, personal growth, health practices and so on. Wholesome projects, certainly. I would very often try to give my loyalty to some or even all of these at once. I found myself loyal to professionals that handle my legal dealings, accounts and even to my patients, programs, friends or employees well beyond the season that serves.

The emotional spectrum of the Earth element is worry to faith.  Ask yourself:  am I loyal to worry (the emotion of the lower self)? or am I loyal to faith (the emotion of the higher self)?

2025 is the year of the yin wood snake. The snake asks us to shed our old skins (habits, viewpoints, thinking patterns, maybe even job or locale) that no longer fit.  Yin brings us flexibility, taking it slow while wood garners planning, strategy, vision and certainty. 

May we take a thoughtful review of what deserves our loyalty. Take a fresh look at our dreams, desires, dedications. May we be loyal to our true self.

Jamieson IA. Grounding (earthing) as related to electromagnetic hygiene: An integrative review. Biomed J. 2023 Feb;46(1):30-40. doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2022.11.005. Epub 2022 Dec 7. PMID: 36496151; PMCID: PMC10105031.