Tag Archives: element wisdom cards

Earth: Develop an environment of deep trust

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  Earth:     Lǎo shànrén kàn wǒ xìn shí. Wǒ xìn shí. 老善人看我信实。我信实。 Cleansing doubt & blame. Affirming信实xìn shí, the virtue of deep trust, integrity & trustworthiness. ~Confucian Chant, 500BCE Trust (n) As early as 1200AD the word traust appears likely originating in the Old Norse referring to help, confidence, support, reliance from sound qualities; religious faith (v) have faith, to rely, make safe and strong *source The emotional spectrum of the Earth element is worry to faith. The organs associated with the Earth element are the spleen, stomach and pancreas. Worry can manifest as blame and doubt, while faith express … Continue reading →

Element Wisdom Card Decks – Ways to Play ~ Mandala

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

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.     Did you know you can search the card titles on the Cultivating Wellness Blog?  Our … Continue reading →

Water ~ Power, Drive and will

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

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 →

Earth: Don’t worry be happy

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

  Don’t worry, be happy.   How to soothe your nervous system: Take a cold shower or plunge Splash cold water on face & neck Sing, laugh, chant, hum, & hug Restore the microbe of the gut Relax jaw tension Meditate on loving kindness Positive Social Connect Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The … Continue reading →

Earth: Too much sitting injures the spleen: qi gong

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

The digestive organs are injured by stagnation.  Desk or remote virtual jobs, long hours of studying, research and writing keep us seated.  Relaxing and decompressing may also become habituated to screen time, gaming or media binging. Fatigue sets in from lack of activity; a sedentary life is injurious. Frankly, it is killing us slowly. The combination of oversitting and overthinking is a harmful combination for the earth organs,  particularly the spleen.  The lack of healthy circulation settles dampness deep into our systems. If you are prone to oversitting, please build in healthy habits.  Set a timer at the desk for … Continue reading →

Earth: Develop equanimity

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Develop equanimity.    Even mindedness.    Earth season is about walking the middle path. Walk barefoot on the Earth   Even mindedness is the capacity to accept whatever comes with the wisdom that everything is impermanent.   We can encourage this disposition by coming back to the present moment when we have gone astray.    The present may be comfortable or uncomfortable. We often time travel backward or forward because of uncomfortable feelings in our body. These sensations are experiences locked in our body.   Ease is rooted in acceptance. Accepting things exactly as they are. Our minds become agitated … Continue reading →

Metal: You are precious

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

You are precious is one of the messages that I speak to my patients during the fall season. Outside of the clinic, I love to remind friends or strangers how valuable they are. Try it and notice how it makes you feel. It immediately moves me into heart space.  I delight in seeing the sparkle in their eyes or their body relax into goodness. What an easy way to make the world a better place. Metal is the element of autumn. Theme of the season is value, worth, letting go of that which no longer serves, honoring our grief, integrity, … Continue reading →

Metal: Let go of that which no longer serves

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Let go of that which no longer serves. Autumn is the season of metal in Chinese Medicine. The energy is exacting, precise, cutting, reflective and alchemical. Just as the trees drop their leaves, we too are to let go of the old. This is the natural rhythm of the season. Many of us have outgrown jobs, relationships, locations. With integrity, now is the time to cut loose that which no longer serves you. Sometimes these decisions come in a brilliant flash. The action required is crystal clear. At times, we are reconsidering change year after year. The action required is … Continue reading →

Metal: Pressure forms the gemstone

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Diamonds form from elemental carbon between 237,000 – 1.3 million times atmospheric pressure deep within the earth. Just like us, rocks and minerals are in a constant state of change. Life gives us both expected and unexpected pressure. Are you able to utilize these stressors to transform yourself? What gems are you creating in your life? your community? your family? Jade is considered a healing power stone in Asian medicine. 15-75 miles below the earths surface in zones where the tectonic plates collide, extreme temperatures of 480–1110°F and extreme pressures of 87,000–507,500 pounds per square inch metamorphic rock, dolomite, transforms. … Continue reading →

Metal: Top Performance

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Mindsets and patterns dictate our actions. Our actions create our outcomes.  The fall season is the time for self-reflection and honest evaluation of our daily mental habits.  Our habits are responses or reactions to the stories that we tell ourselves.  Moment to moment awareness, returning to the breath and interrupting our mind talk with inquiry creates pause. Change begins in emptiness. Emptiness is where possibility lives.  When you are ready for transformation, learn to pause.  Come back to your breath.  Stay with your breath for 3 cycles.  Then ask yourself.  What are the other possibilities? What may also be true? … Continue reading →