Cultivating Wellness Blog
Sarita Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc
Listen and wait. Winter is the most yin time of the year – the most receptive season. Practice reserve. Spring has not yet come. We are still dreaming our dreams. Practice listening to the stillness. Practice waiting in the void. Join our email for seasonal retreats, nature connects https://follow.it/drsaritaelizabeth?action=followPub
Continue reading →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 →
Discover hidden potential. Winter is the season of potential. The essence of the kidney is likened unto a seed. A seed hidden by soil or leaf litter or snow or ice. A seed in dark potential storing and protecting all of the necessary information and instructions to grow at just the right time. This is not the sprouting of the seed for that is spring. We all have latent abilities that arise situationally or can be developed. What are yours?Within the science of ourselves and the universe our potential, systemic energy is stored and dependent upon relative relationship forces like … Continue reading →
Expand your circle of love. When we honor the stillness of winter, love settles. Winter is the quiescent season. The season to remember, accept, forgive and heal generational to generation. This is all work to be done in the deep and quiet essence of spirit. First we find self love. Then we find love for the other, the beloved. Next we expand our heart to those with which we have difficulties. Finally we can honestly expand our circle of love to the greater community. This is metta. This is the practice of loving kindness. It will rock your … Continue reading →
Invoke your innate intelligence. We have never had more immediate access to information. We can acquire certificates and degrees from the comfort of our own home. Opinions on most anything is available 24/7. Agenda and propaganda masquerade as news while dissenting voices are censored. Intelligence is the ability to acquire, filter, sort and apply information. There are many forms of intelligence: artificial, abstract, logical, emotional, social, creative, adaptive, self-aware, critical thinking, problem solving. Intelligence is not an agency. The proper place for human beings is between heaven and earth. Our birthright is heavenly connection and earthly incarnation. Our innate intelligence … Continue reading →
Develop true humility. How can we develop healthy humility? Passionate curiosity is a start. In the asking, we engage the other and the ego is checked. Service is a good middle. How does it feel when we volunteer our best hours of the week, donate our most valuable items or fund a heart felt cause? In the end, seek original origins. Humilis is the Latin root meaning low. By our own choice, consequence, or chance, true humility is often the outcome of experiencing great depth, deep troubles or profound sorrows. Water, the element of winter, teaches us how to … Continue reading →
Power, drive & will. The kidneys are the storehouse of will. They are our ambition, our batteries, our strength. The kidneys, adrenals and bladder are ruled by water. Water is the element of winter. Have you ever considered your power, your drive or your will like unto water? I was raised up on the Tennessee River. The singing river has been harnessed to provide hydroelectric power to the multitudes at the expense of snails and darters and such. In our highest, most healthy state our power is like a mighty river determined in it’s purposefulness. In our highest, most healthy … Continue reading →
You are a visionary. The water element paired organs that peak in winter are the Bladder and Kidney (plus adrenals). The bladder meridian travels from the inner canthus of the eye across the head down the back side of the entire body exiting out the little toe. It traverses all of us. Many of the point names indicate their function: bright eyes, supporting yang, supporting middle, celestial pillar, soul door, spirit hall, spiritual celestial connection, soul gate. Acupuncture treats all levels of the human – mind, body, spirit. Treating the bladder points can not only treat our organs like the … Continue reading →
Supervise the storehouse of pure energy. The kidneys store jing – our primal energy. This essence is to be guarded, protected, treasured not squandered or frittered away. It determines our fertility, growth, development, vitality and longevity. It is one of the three treasures: jing, qi and shen. The kidneys are the expression of the water element in our bodies. Their energy peaks in winter offering harmonious opportunities for winter support and healing. Fulfilling our destiny is healing. The way of this deep healing summons and joins celestial jing with our terrestrial jing. In other words, jing is our DNA. In … Continue reading →
Adaptation is key to evolving. Humans and all other organisms are consistently modifying and adjusting to survive, become more fit, and thrive. Physical and behavioral traits evolve in response to stressors or rewards. In a world of increasing technology, transhumanism, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, we have grown increasingly disconnected from nature. I invite you to return to the dynamic and seasonal rhythm. In the slowing, you will find your true connection. In stopping, you will find your way. Winter is the season to rest, restore and reconnect. We may be uncomfortable in the stillness of this season, unable to … Continue reading →