A memory comes back to me from over 20 years ago, just before my husband and I left California to move to Switzerland. We were in the garden of our Qi Gong/Tai Ji Quan master, Shi Fu Donald practicing Ba Gua Zhang, the Eight Trigrams martial arts form. Shi Fu Donald had instructed us to lay bricks in a form of a circle and we were doing our “circle walking,” which is a core aspect of Ba Gua Zhang, on the bricks. We spent many mornings doing this and of course falling off the bricks. Our Shi Fu did not require any form of penalty for us falling of the bricks, but we however decided that we wanted to motivate ourselves to stay on the bricks. We volunteered 5 push-ups for every time we stepped off the bricks. By the end of the first training, I remember having done something like 50 to 70 push-ups. It was tiring but also a good feeling of achievement. At the end of this training phase, when we moved to Basel, I could walk on bricks with a steadiness and could do push-ups like I never could in all my life; I could push down all the way to the ground and back up with ease for at least 5 repetitions and in multiple sets.

This past January, I got inspired again to start my push-up training beginning with 3 repetitions in 3 sets, with the plan to extend to more repetitions. I have been in the process of training for handstands for a few years now, so I figured having a little more upper body strength would benefit the practice. I am up to 8 repetitions in 3 sets currently.

On my vacation in February, I was on a beach in the south of Spain doing push-ups on the sand. I realized then that I was just going through the repetitions, counting but not really concentrating on my technique to go down all the way to touch the ground. I was holding back on going deep after 2 push-ups, as I knew that to get to 5 and 3 sets to complete would take a lot more strength. This was when I came to the realization that I was not living in the moment. What was the point of fulfilling the numbers but not performing the motion fully? – I asked myself. If my goal was to gain strength, would doing the movement half-way, while thinking about getting to the end of the set be of any use to me. I became aware in the middle of my push-up that it was not. I chanted “stay in the moment” to myself and continued all the way down to touch my forehead to the sand, pushed back up and repeat. After finishing my push-up training, I sat on the beach watching the waves move to shore and away endlessly. I recognized that this was a life lesson from my own body – my intelligent Bodymind.  

What does it help us to go through the motions of life, just counting the days passing but never really living it to the fullest? If I have a purpose for life, what is it? Am I fulfilling it right now? Or am I just counting the repetition of the seasons, wandering aimlessly through space? Why are we waiting for life to come to its end and only then start to live it or regret that we had not lived? It makes no sense. Live now, do what you need to do now because “this too shall pass.”
 
 

Image by Maksim Goncharenok on pexels.com

 
Since 13 years, my family and I have lived in the home we are now at. There is a cherry tree that has stood in the garden for almost 50 years. Ever Spring, we admire it, drink tea and sit under its blossoms, like they do in Japan; this practice is called Hanami. As we do this, we realize that we are not the only ones drawn there, to the beautiful white, pinkish blossoms, with their sweet scent. There is a buzzing hum, a vibration around this tree. As we look closely at it, we sense another presence – the bees and possibly other insects. They have also been attracted to this tree like us. The bees are busy, hovering over the blossoms doing their thing. This makes me realize how limited I am as a human being, imagining that this cherry tree is just simply an object. It is so much more - this cherry tree is an environment in itself.

Chapter 11 of the Dao De Jing (also spelled Tao Te Ching) states:

“We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.
We shape clay into a pot,
But it is the emptiness inside
That holds whatever we want.
We hammer wood for a house,
But it is the inner space
That makes it livable.
We work with being,
But non-being is what we use.”

These wise words of Lao Zi often come to me when I contemplate space. In our modern world, we are so preoccupied with stuff, things, material, that we often forget to look in the spaces in and around the stuff, which actually are essential in the creation of the stuff. We become so obsessed with the object that we forget that without these spaces, there wouldn’t be the object.

This awareness of space is especially manifested in Chinese Medicine in its definition of the Sān Jiāo, Triple Burner, which is one of its 6 Yang organs. In the Western view there exists no such organ. The Chinese define this organ also as an “avenue for the Original Qi” and as “the three divisions of the body.” Sān Jiāo is considered one of the 6 Fu organs, which are in charge of transmitting and moving substance through them. Sometimes Fu organs are also defined as hollow organs; thus, they are space creators.

Chinese Medical diagnosis views the body as a “terrain,” an environment. Dr. Leon Hammer describes how his teacher, Dr. Shen used the analogy of a car to describe the body and how our body is a terrain:

“We are not all born equal. We each have a different quality of car: the interplay of genetics and the exigencies of conception, intrauterine environment and birth. This is our terrain, upon which the stress of life plays out. Terrain represents the totality of an organism, from what is created, to what is done with that creation, through the entirety of life, in all dimensions: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.”  

As the sunlight shines in this phase of the Spring Equinox, I will look/sense the cherry tree in my garden and the space that surrounds it with renewed respect. I will remember that the cherry tree exists because of the space that holds it - above, below and all around. Just as I exist because of the space that holds me and within me that creates my internal universe.
 
 
 


References
Hammer, Leon I., M.D., Nash, Oliver. (2017). Contemporary Oriental Medicine Concepts. Gainesville, FL, USA: The Contemporary Oriental Medical Foundation.

Lao-Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell. (1988). Tao Te Ching, The Book of the Way. London, UK: Kyle Books.

Maciocia, Giovanni. (1989). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. London, UK: Churchill Livingstone.
 
 

 
Image by GuangWu YANG from Pixabay

As I walk out on the street to get somewhere, I often notice people walking their dogs or pushing a pram or simply just walking as I am. This would not be an unusual sight but over the past years, it has become apparent that these activities are often accompanied by looking at the mobile phone. I am going to be honest and share that it disturbs me to observe this “multitasking” on the street.

When I was a child, I was told not to walk and read my book at the same time, as this could result in an accident. This was true then, even if I had not liked hearing it from my mom; I made the experiment to read my book, trip over the little step that I had not noticed and learned my painful lesson then. In my 20s, I began my training in martial arts, Shao Lin Quan, where we were trained to keep our senses clear and focused on our surroundings so that we would be able to react to any situation presented; in a martial art situation, one would be ready to respond in the event of an attack. I understood then that I was honing my skills for survival, when my senses are clear and aware, by being present in that moment and place I am in.

I came across an interview on the American Psychological Association APA recently, it was about attention span in the modern world. The researcher, Dr. Gloria Mark, who wrote a book titled ‘Attention Span,’ describes how she has been studying attention span for over 20 years and how it has decreased over the last 22 years. In 2004, with the help of a stopwatch, her researchers found that people averaged an attention span of 2 minutes and 30 seconds on an activity. In 2012, with the help of computer activity monitoring, it was down to 1 minute and 15 seconds. By 2016, it was at 47 seconds. Of course, in this time, the supposed ‘benefits’ of multitasking and the glorification of efficiency models were/are at its peak. Yet our attention spans are diminishing. She also observed that every time we moved our attention to another activity, there is a physiological response in our bodies, with an increased heart rate as well as in blood pressure, indicating a stress response. Why are we so surprised that we are feeling stressed or that we have high blood pressure when in the span of 10 minutes, we would have switched activity almost 13 times. Maybe we need to lay off the hypertension medication and just do one thing at a time. Not only would it be beneficial for our bodies and minds, but also for the beings around us and our environment. Maybe those babies in the pram and the dogs we are walking would feel more care and connection to us, if we gave them our attention instead of the mobile phone.

When I read the definition of the word ‘attention’ from the American Heritage Dictionary, it states:

1. “Concentration of the mental powers upon an object.”
2. “Observant consideration; notice.”
3. “Courtesy or consideration.”

If I apply these definitions to the current research about attention and lack thereof, it makes me sad to think that we have become less observant, less considerate and less courteous.

It is time to become attentive, not just for our own health and ourselves but also for all around us. Let go of that object that distracts us as we do the most basic human movement of walking. Walk with awareness, of our own bodies, of our environment and of the beings we are with. Go on, get out into the spring sunshine and take a walk with attention!
 
 

Image by Sam Lion on  pexels.com

Over the past Christmas season, I had the urge to reread the Harry Potter books. I read all 7 of them through the early 2000s and did “selective” readings as I was going through my Chinese Medical studies, to get my mind of medical themes. In rereading these books, I am currently on book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I am reminded of the power of 3s. In the Harry Potter series, even though the story centers around Harry Potter, it is the story of 3 friends: Harry, Ron and Hermione.

In Chinese philosophy and medicine, numerology is a very important principle. In Chapter 42 of the Dao De Jing (also spelled Tao Te Ching), said to be written by Lao Zi, it is stated (translation by Stephen Mitchell):

“The Tao gives birth to One
One gives birth to Two
Two gives birth to Three
Three gives birth to all things.”

One, written 一 in Chinese character is defined as unity, a symbol of Heaven, the Dao. Two is 2 ones coming together, 二 ,the duality, a symbol of Earth, the Yin-Yang. Three, written 三 , is The Three Powers or The Great Triad; Heaven above, Earth below and Human in between. Three is a number of movement, of creation and of growth.
 
The number Three is not just special to Chinese culture but to many cultures around the world. Take the Christian faith and its Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Or in Goddess-based Pagan spirituality: Maiden, Mother, Crone. In Hinduism, the Trimurti are Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. The 3 Jewels of Buddhism are Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. The stories we tell our children also have 3s, like The Three Little Pigs or Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Even well-known adult stories like The Three Musketeers, or the not so literary-rich black-and-white TV comedy The Three Stooges. The number Three is also prominent in math, science and art. Somehow or another this number has a resonance for us humans and life on Earth.

In my past 3 blogposts, I have been introducing 3 herbs that we commonly use in Chinese Medicine. These are Ginger, Licorice and Red Date. They are the 3 most frequently prescribed herbs in Chinese Medicine and are often prescribed together. The reason for this is their shared ability to assist other herbs in performing the formula’s tasks and to harmonize the herbal collective into a team, so that the body can better absorb the formula’s healing properties. Each of these 3 herbs shares the function of neutralizing the unwanted effects of any overly potent, hot or cold and uncompromising herb. Many of the classical formulae include this trio. This includes Gui Zhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction), Ba Zhen Tang (Eight Treasure Decoction) and Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction). It is for this exact reason that these 3 herbs, as one of my professors Dr. Jiao, used to call them the 3 Amigos – the Three Friends, are in so many classical and modern formulae. Ginger, Licorice and Red Date are all food-grade herbs too; this means that they can be used over a longer period of time and our bodies respond well to them; as I mentioned in my last post, they are like whisperers to our bodies, appealing to our inner environment while bringing the healing to its proper place.

Just as Harry, Ron and Hermione are best of friends, where each can depend on the others for support, so are Ginger, Licorice and Red Date to us. Not only do they reverberate the resonance of 3, but also evoke a harmonious rhythm within our bodies.
 
 
 
Image Ginger Root by gate74 from Pixabay
Image Red Date by SW Yang on Pixabay
Image Licorice Root by gate74 on Pixabay

The color red is considered very auspicious to the Chinese. During the Chinese New Year, which will be coming up on the new moon in mid-February this year, many things are red – red dress, red decoration, red cakes, etc. These are viewed as bringers of luck, prosperity and success. Not only do the Chinese dress in the color red during the new year celebrations but also during weddings, both bride and groom; this is to symbolize joy, happiness and a fruitful union. It is also common to place Chinese Red Dates, along with peanuts, longans and lotus seeds on the bridal bed, as a salutation of fruitfulness. These Dates are also often gifted by the Chinese to a person as a symbol of wishing one health and vitality in life.

In the Chinese Materia Medica the herb Fructus Zizyphus Jujubae, Hóng Zǎo  紅 棗 is also known as the Chinese Red Date. Sometimes it is called Big Date,  Dà Zǎo 大 棗. These fruits are not the same as the dates we know from our regular grocery stores in Switzerland, which are palm dates. Hóng Zǎo actually looks red (as the image above) or so dark that they are almost black, mostly dried and are used in soups, teas or alcohols, made into paste for sweet cakes and used in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Its flavor is sweet and its temperature neutral. Most times when an herb is sweet, it is used for tonification. It enters the channels of the Spleen and Stomach. It is a food-grade herb, which means it can be consumed very regularly as food. As such, it makes sense that it enters the Spleen and Stomach channels, as these organs are like the power-generators for our bodies; they digest our food and create vital substance to maintain life. Hóng Zǎo nourishes both Qi and Blood in the body and calms the Spirit. But its true power is in its ability to support, moderate and harmonize the effects of harsh herbs in an herbal formula. For instance, if a formula were to be on a bitter side, which is often the case with expellant ones that would have anti-bacterial or anti-viral capabilities, an herb like Hóng Zǎo would be added to moderate the flavor as well as neutralize the coldness of these herbs. This would make the formula more easily acceptable to the taste and digestibility of the body.

As Mary Poppins sang, “Just a spoon full of sugar, helps the medicine go down…” - Hóng Zǎo does that too. The Chinese view sweet medicine also as medicine, not just bitter ones and they put it into the medicinal formula directly, to create balance. No need for a spoon full of sugar when you have Hóng Zǎo.
 
 
 
 
Image by SW Yang on Pixabay

There is a commonly quoted idiom in English, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is something that I have come to take as a kind of life philosophy, in viewing people, places, plants and situations in life. Plants especially are deep reminders of this principle, as they appear to be simple and mundane beings to our human eyes, often unworthy of our attention. They however, are much older beings than we humans are; plant life has existed since 500 million years and Homo sapiens around 300 thousand years. Most plants produce their own food through photosynthesis, thus they are self-sustaining with the help of the Sun. They produce oxygen in the process, and become food for other living beings on Earth, such as humans; they are thereby essential for life on this planet.

One of these mundane-looking beings is Licorice, Glycyrrhiza, which is Greek meaning “sweet root.” The Chinese use the root too but call it Gān Cǎo 甘草 which means “Sweet Grass.” Radix Glycyrrhiza uralensis is the species used in Chinese Medicine. It is the most utilized herb in the Chinese Materia Medica, together with other herbs in classical formulae, which is the Chinese medical way of using herbal medicine. The Chinese use the ‘team effect’ in treating with Herbal Medicine; seldom is an herb used alone, to ensure that the positive effects of the prescription are emphasized and the negative neutralized. Licorice is so often used in formulae due to its ability to harmonize the effects of other herbs. It is a balancer, a neutralizer and an envoy. Its flavor is sweet and its temperature neutral. In some text it is stated that  Gān Cǎo  enters all the 12 channels, particularly to the Heart, Lung, Spleen and Stomach. Licorice on its own tonifies Spleen Qi, moistens the Lung, stops coughing, clears heat and toxicity, moderates spasm and pain. As stated before, it is a moderator and harmonizer, as it is used as an antidote for toxic substances.

Another form of Licorice is used in Chinese Medicine, Zhì Gān Cǎo 炙甘草.This is a prepared form of Licorice, where it is fried with Honey. Honey Fēng Mì 蜂蜜 on its own tonifies the Spleen and Stomach, moisten the Lung and Large Intestines, as well as eliminate toxicity from the body especially from the skin. This is already what Gān Cǎo does, but when honey-fried, it further strengthens Licorice’s capacity to tonify, moisten and detoxify the individual organs.

It is probably the trait of Licorice to communicate with all the 12 channels of the body that makes it so adaptable; it is able to ‘speak the language’ of each channel and thus become a kind of ambassador. I have an image of this herb as a being that is able to connect with its gentle voice to other powerful herbs, urging them to aid a human being with her/his ailment. On the other end, Gān Cǎo whispers to our different channels in its proper language in a mild, sweet tone, bringing the healing effects of the other herbs to the right places, assessing the situation of what is needed, how much gets distributed and where in a proper manner.

When we view this herbaceous plant, with its little leaves and light purple flowers, we underestimate its real power in its root to connect and harmonize in our bodies. Just as we look at those brown, unimpressive roots, we would not imagine that Licorice could perform such profound tasks in our bodies. Like old books, which may look dull or unimpressive, Licorice’s external appearance disguises its true power to neutralize toxicity, strengthen the Qi and harmonize in our bodies.
 
 
 

Image Licorice root by gate74 on Pixabay
Image Licorice plant from wikicommons

As we head toward the darkest day of the year, the Winter Solstice, I feel the need to find my roots, like the trees do. This can be in the practices that I do in Qi Gong and Meditation or even in the food and herbs that I ingest. A few years back, I wrote about the famous herb, Ginger. We find it in stores here like any other produce; recently I even came across Ginger grown in Switzerland. It has become one of those common household herb all over the world. It can be used as food, as a beverage and as medicine, when one knows how. This is the power of this plant.

Ginger originates from Maritime South-East Asia, which includes Malaysia, the place where I was born and raised. From this area, this plant began to spread to places like India, China and Arabia, which then came to Europe via the Roman empire. The Chinese described in text written in the Warring States period (475–221 BCE) how Confucius ate Ginger with every meal.

In the Chinese Materia Medica, Ginger is listed in a few different forms. They are fresh Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang), Ginger peel (Cortex Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜皮 Shēng Jīang Pí), dried Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis, 干姜 Gān Jīang) and quick-fried Ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparata, 炮姜Páo Jīang). This is because Ginger is a very versatile being. Each form can have one or more of the the abilities to warm, heat up, disperse edema, dispel the effects of toxic substances or harmonize the effects of other herbs.

In its fresh form, just like we get them here in the normal grocery store, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang, is a food-grade herb. As such, one can cook it with other ingredients to enhance the taste of that particular food, like fish, meat or vegetables. In some Asian supermarkets, you may find young ginger, that which is yellowish in color with a green stem protruding out of the rhizome. This form is a little less warming than the older brown version. Herbal decoctions regularly containing multiple Herbs, prescribed by a Chinese medical practitioner, often includes Ginger to harmonize the Herbal Formula combinations; aiding better absorption of the Herbs into the body and to prevent possible toxic side-effects from other potent Herbs. In fact, I have read that Ginger can be used as a remedy for food poisoning, and is cooked with fish in order to neutralize toxins in many traditions. 
 
In the everyday, we can grate it, make an Herbal infusion out of it just by adding hot water and letting it steep for 10 minutes just as a beverage. This can be very helpful too if you had symptoms like chills and/or fever caused by the common cold virus. In fact, making a foot-bath or a whole-body-bath with this infusion till one gets warm and sweaty would also help expel what we call "Wind-Cold Invasion" in Chinese Medicine. If you wanted to enhance the digestive effect of Ginger, then you can throw in a couple of slices of Ginger into a pot with water and cook it for at least 15 minutes. This infusion would be less spicy but more warming for the Stomach, good for stopping nausea and vomiting in pregnancy or otherwise, help relieve bloating and digestive distress. Shēng Jīang enters the Lung, Spleen and Stomach, is spicy and warm. In contrast, Shēng Jīang Pí, Ginger Peel is spicy-cool and is good for edema and promoting urination. 
 
As with anything, too much of a good thing transforms it into a hindrance. If you tend to heat in your system, then too much Ginger will overheat you. A spicy flavor will circulate Qi and too much circulation will dry out the body. Use moderately or speak with your practitioner, if Ginger is appropriate for you. I find that this is one of the many simple herbal foods that I almost always have at home or with me when I travel. One of our favorite meals is rice with chicken, cooked with Ginger, soya sauce and Sesame oil; a simple but scrumptious recipe passed down to me from my mother, which is also a postpartum remedy. Like so much around the world, people have used food as medicine since time in memorial. It is only us modern urban-dwelling, city-folk, who are often times disconnected from nature, who question the validity of food being able to affect our health or never really realize that what we put into our bodies might affect who we become.

Ginger’s power lies in its versatility to transform from home remedy, to medicine, to regular beverage for the everyday. It doesn’t have to have fancy packaging or come out of a gilded bottle to be potent. It is this simplicity that makes Ginger mighty.
 


Image Ginger Root by Engin Akyurt on pexels.com

In the year 1988, the song “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” was released by the American rock band Cinderella. I heard it a few years later, in my teen phase where rock music was totally cool. The song itself is not unique; boy has girl, boy doesn’t appreciate girl, girl leaves boy, boy laments his loss and wishes girl was still with him. I personally think that this isn’t such a great song, but the title is so appropriate to the human life story.

One of the things that we humans in the modern world do not like to openly talk about is our feces; the waste that we produce out of our bodies, from eating, digesting and creating energy as well as life-giving substances such as blood, to maintain life in our bodies. In English, we name it all sorts of names: poo, poop or kaka for kids, excrement, stools or feces for adults and of course those curse-words we use when we get mad, like shit or turd. One of the best ones that I find when someone wants to say that they have to go expel some feces but is embarrassed to describe the action, so they get a little vague by saying, “I have to go do a number 2.” We tend to get embarrassed as well as scared about our own waste, and for that matter any kind of fluid or substance we produce from our bodies like urine or sweat or menstrual blood, to the point of having to hide or mask it with perfume or deodorant. But the fact is, if we didn’t have them, we would not be able to live or function well.

In Chinese Medicine as with Western physiology, the Large Intestine is in charge of receiving the digested and sorted material, that has already passed through the Stomach and the Small Intestine. The job of the Large Intestine is to further absorb the fluids as well as electrolytes, and most importantly create the stool to expel the waste out of the body. If the Large Intestine did not do its work, our bodies would be poisoned by the bacteria and toxins that need to be released out in the form of the feces. The walls of the Colon are so intricately “designed,” like the rest of Gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it is made up of 4 layers. From inward to outward, the layers of the lumen (tube) are: mucosa, submucosa, muscular layer and, adventitia and serosa. These layers prevent the bacteria, that are transiting out of our bodies, from entering the rest of the body, and help the movement of stool with peristalsis. The layers are nourished by blood vessels, have multiple plexuses of blood, nerve and lymphatic innervations; thus, maintaining a strong connection to the immune, circulatory and nervous systems. It is only in recent years, Western science has acknowledged the gut as an organ for more than just dealing with feces; it has been dubbed the Second Brain. They are starting to realize that even emotional states, such as depression, or dis-eases such as autism or multiple sclerosis, could be linked to the GI tract.

Chinese Medicine views the Large Intestine as a partner organ to the Lung; the Large Intestine being the lower conduit and the Lung the upper, of the Metal element. The season of Metal, which is where we currently are, is Autumn. It is the season of going inward, letting go of the external manifestation, which are not beneficial to us and condensing the pure energy within. Its cardinal direction is the West, where the sun sets, once more the allusion to going inward as the brightness of the sun diminishes. The color of Metal is white, for purity; this is fascinating when one realizes that the Lung and Large Intestine both have the task to maintain purity in the upper and lower ends of the body. The emotion associated with Metal is self-confidence when the organism is in balance, and self-critical as well as grief, when not. The flavor of Metal is acrid, sharp on the tongue, like a metal sword cutting through soft tissue.

I came across a fascinating documentary about toilets, sewage and waste; how our societies have dealt with their waste across the centuries. The toilet, the appliance that we all use multiple times a day but is not really thought about, until of course when it doesn’t work. And what about where our feces go once we flush the toilet? We often do not want to see, or smell, or even pay attention to where the pipes that move our waste pass through or where the sewage plant of our area is.

Next time you go to the toilet to make a bowel movement, look into the toilet bowl and see what your gut produced from the substances you ingested. Take a look at the Bristol Stool Chart, see what type of stool your colon produced. Be grateful for the ability your body has, to remove waste from your system, absorb nutrients that are beneficial to it and protect the rest of the organs from the unbeneficial bacteria that may have tagged along for the ride. Remember that song I mentioned at the start – Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till It’s Gone? Be the person that appreciated what s/he had and didn’t have to lament after losing it.
 
 







Image Bristol Stool Chart from Stanford University
Image Abdomen-Intestine by MD.ABDULLAH AL-AMIR on Pixabay

Before I moved to a place with 4 seasons, that was about 30 years ago to go to university, I had only heard of them but never really experienced them; I had moved away from the equatorial tropics, where there is only really 2 seasons - warm dry and warm rainy seasons. I only then became aware of the distinct differences each season presents. Many would describe that there are 4 seasons. But as I got to studying Chinese Medicine, we were made aware of a fifth: Late Summer. This is a season where plants and trees come to fruition, like summer squash, early apple and pear, or nuts. In the USA, people sometimes called it Indian Summer, what I have come to understand as a time of mild weather before the cold of Autumn sets in, which was first observed by the Native Americans. I have come to know of it here in Switzerland as Altweibersommer. But what has revealed itself to me is that this Earth element season is also the time that manifests between seasons; a transition time to create a smooth flow from one season to the next.

The Japanese call it the Doyo period: it is defined as the 18 days before the season changes at the Equinoxes and the Solstices. Through the sharing of ancient Chinese philosophy and medical knowledge with the Japanese, they began to interpret and observe Nature around them through this lens. The Japanese, like the Chinese, observed a distinct period of time between these celestial events that we experience on Earth in relation to the Sun. These Doyo periods often bring a mildness to the climate, a warming that would signify that a change is coming. This is what we are experiencing here right now and in many other places in the world. In fact, we humans have affected our environment so strongly that I believe the Doyo period is beginning to extend longer than the 18 days, sometimes going on for a month or more, that we all, humans, animals and plants, get so confused to the point that we don’t know head from tail anymore; for instance, 18 degrees Celsius here in the Basel area in late December not so long ago, made plants and animals come out of hibernation too early, not to mention us humans getting unusual viral infections.





Chinese medical philosophy tells us that this is the time of Earth element. The binding element that allows for smooth transition into the next phase. It is linked to the color yellow, the organs of Spleen, Stomach and Pancreas; the organs of our Center. These organs are responsible for transforming food, through the action of digestion, into Qi and Blood, our resources for life, as well as transporting fluid and vital substances around the body. The tissues of the body that reveal the Earth’s energy are muscles, and the orifice is the mouth, including the lips. Makes sense, doesn’t it?  The place where nourishment comes into the body and the sounds of singing that come out of the body, are actions of Earth that occur through the mouth and lips.

The emotion associated with the Earth is a pensiveness, being thoughtful of people, beings and situations around us; this is when our Earth element is in balance. An imbalanced expression reveals worry, where thoughts churns around in us in circles, never finding a place of calmness. The Spleen is the seat of Thought and Intention, Yì. Hence, we are reminded that our consumption of information, digital or print or in any other form, also needs to be digested by our Earth organs energetically. What happens when our digestive system is overwhelmed by junk food? We get constipation or diarrhea. What happens when our Spleen is overwhelmed by news and information? Probably “thought constipation,” or what I used to tell my kids when they were binge watching on their mobile phones, "digital diarrhea," or other digestive problems, ruminating through our body-minds in the middle of the night.

The flavor of the Earth phase is sweetness, the taste of mammalian life’s ultimate nourishment - Mother’s milk. And furthermore, the sweetness of Mother Earth’s produce, like a crunchy, juicy red apple or a soft, moist orange sweet potato, nourishes us with a wholesomeness that no artificial, factory-made substance can. On the subject of Mother (human and Earth, respectively), there is an action of transformation constantly happening in our everyday life without us ever acknowledging it; the transformation from fruit/vegetable/grain/meat into food in our kitchens and ending up as meals on our dinner tables, as well as those from food to compost in the Earth, enriching the soil for the next year’s planting. Mother Nature is intelligent, there is no wastage; just the cycle of life, death, rebirth, transforming from one to another and beginning all over again.

It is now the time to give the space for transformation; let go of what we don’t need, this may include food or media consumption, but also thoughts and things that don’t nourish us. When we start to honor transformation, we can embrace change and we can mature; like the plump caterpillar metamorphosizing into a butterfly.
 
 
 

Image 5 Element Doyo by Elaine
Image butterfly cocoon by GLady from Pixabay

About a month ago, we were still in the throes of Summer. It got up to 35 degrees Celsius  even in August, which is unusual for us here in Switzerland. But this has become the norm all over the world. We are in the midst of big change, of our Earth overheating but it is not new; the heating and cooling of the Earth has been happening for 4.54 billion years but us humans are sure contributing large amounts to the current overheating in a short amount of time by how we choose to live.

Not so far back in the past, in 1989, the American singer, Billy Joel released a song – “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” In this song, he lists some of the events in world history from his birth year, 1949, till that year when he turned 40; he released the song in September 1989. Little did he know that in November of that year, the Berlin Wall fell, signifying the end of the Cold War; thus helping this song to catapult to the top of the music charts around the world. When I heard this song then as a teen, I didn’t quite understand it. He lists many things that was significant to the Western world, but most especially to an American; I was an Asian teen with little experience and knowledge of world events at that point in time.

Since I began studying Chinese Medicine, I have been fascinated by the Theory of the 5 Phases or Elements, Wǔ Xíng. This theory is not just applied in Chinese Medicine, but also in Chinese philosophy, science, politics, education, music, martial arts and probably anything to do with life. In medicine, we are taught that there are 12 Regular Channel/ Meridians, which are connected to 12 organs. All of these 12 have 1 of the 5-Elements associated with them; each Element has 2 partner organs except for Fire, which has 4. Just with this circumstance, one can assume that Fire is a very important element in Chinese Medicine. These organs are the Heart, Pericardium, Small Intestines and Triple Burner, Sān Jiāo; the Heart being defined as the Emperor of the organs. Just with this detail of having 4 Fire-Element-organs in the body, we can imagine that Chinese Medicine views humans to have a tendency to build up heat in the body.

Fire is important for life but too much of it would create an imbalance. We need a certain amount of warmth in the body in order that our natural body functions work. However, when we have too much heat, it would make the functions go into overdrive and burn out. Is this not the dis-ease of our time? In Qi Gong manuscripts, there are referrals from the Eight Trigrams (Bā Guà) to Kǎn, Water and Lí, Fire. Qi Gong Master, Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming describes in his book, The Root of Chinese Qi Gong:

“Kan is Water and represents Yin in relationship to Li, which represents Fire and Yang. Qigong practitioners believe theoretically that your body is always too Yang unless you are sick and have not eaten for a long time, in which case your body may be more Yin. When your body is always Yang, it is degenerating and burning out. It is believed that this is the cause of aging. If you are able to use Water to cool down your body, you will be able to slow down the degeneration process and thereby lengthen your life […] Fire and Water mean many things in your body. The first concerns your Qi. Qi is classified as Fire or Water […] The Qi which is pure and is able to cool both your physical and spiritual bodies is considered Water Qi.”

Therefore, many of the Qi Gong forms are for developing Water Qi, to cool and balance Fire Qi within our beings. A balance between these two kinds of Qi is what creates health. According to Dr. Yang, this can be achieved by having proper food and fresh air, regulating the Mind and Breath, steadying the Spirit and some special Qi Gong meditative practices.

Dr. Yang also hints that our thoughts and Intention, Yì, is shaped by Kǎn and Lí, Water and Fire; if we are fiery in our beings, we begin to have fiery thoughts and actions. This is often what we observe in Chinese Medicine, if someone has an imbalance of heat in her/his body, s/he will begin to manifest irritation, anger, obsessive and manic behavior, to the point of being violent toward the people around her/him. I believe this imbalance, within many individuals, is one of the causes that drove societies to seek to dominate and conquer others. I came across a very good documentary many years ago about fossil fuel, its origins as well of its effects on our planet and its living beings, called Crude: The Incredible Journey of Oil. It traces how the tiny phytoplankton from 160 million years ago, floating in an ancient ocean that makes up what is now the Arabian peninsula, stored the power of the Sun in the state of carbon and with the pressures of the Earth, became “fossilized Jurassic sunlight” deep within the Earth to conceive what we know as crude oil. It also creates an awareness of how our modern lives have been shaped by crude oil; from petrol in the car that transports us around, to the plastic of our kids’ toys to the skincare products that we put on our faces. We have become so detached and disconnected from life around us, that we may be unaware that the excess Fire within us is devouring us and all around us.

Billy Joel’s song chorus goes:

 “We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it.”

But I disagree, we may not have started the Fire, but we are fueling it. It is time to stop. We can choose to balance it out with the Element of Water, in how we live and what we practice in our everyday.
 
 

Reference
Yang, J.M. (1997) 2nd.Ed. The Root of Chinese Qi Gong. Wolfeboro, NH, USA: YMAA Publication Center.
 
 

Image by ulrikebohr570 on Pixabay