Category Archives: Five Elements

E5: Happy Summer Solstice!

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Happy Summer Solstice! (xià zhì夏至) It’s the longest day of the year so let’s celebrate the start of summer! The summer solstice happens between June 20 and 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the start of summer and the point when days start to become shorter and nights longer. The summer solstice is not the same day and time every year because the calendar does not exactly correspond to the Earth’s rotation. For 2019, here in Alabama, the Sun reached its greatest height in the sky on June 21 at 10:54 a.m. Central Time.   We are technically still in … 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 →

Its Still Spring!

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  It’s Still Spring! Its still spring until June 21!  Spring ~ the word itself conjures up the natural movement of this season. It’s a time for creativity and breaking through. Not unlike how many of us engage in spring cleaning rituals around home, our bodies also enjoy and benefit from a good spring cleaning~physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is the perfect time of year to give up coffee, alcohol, tobacco and other substances (think Lent) because the uplifting and stimulating energy of spring provides a natural seasonal boost. It is a time to renew health, to cultivate new … Continue reading →