Autumn is a season I did not know as a child; in Malaysia, we have only 2 seasons – dry season and rainy season. As I got to the USA for my studies, I began to experience Autumn but again, where I went to university first, in Reno, Nevada, is a high-desert, where only few trees grow. I heard the Americans describe “Fall” for Autumn, but I didn’t really get the full experience of it until I got to Switzerland, where there are many trees that fall leaves. The moment of Autumn when the first cold hits the skin after a warm Summer, the light diminishes in the mornings and evenings, and the colors of the trees change as well as the trees become bare of leaves. I used to dislike this season, it felt like a “hard” time was coming; of feeling constantly cold, getting sick, looking outside and seeing nothing but grey, dark skies with no or little sunlight, like a premonition for death. But this has changed over the years of living here and understanding the 5 Elements. Maybe my views on death have changed too.

Many of us in Chinese Medicine become observers of Nature, at some point. This comes from our Daoist foundation of seeking harmony with our environment and the belief that we humans, are not separate but a part of Nature. I have become a fervent observer of Trees and Plants; I often find that they have so many lessons to teach me. Right now, I am gazing out of the window at our Japanese Maple tree, which has gone from dark green, to bright red and today, after the winds of last night, almost bald, leafless over a span of a month. One of our Chinese Medical scholars, Deanna Slate Stennett describes,

“I believe that all aspects of our planet, and most likely of the entire Universe, are linked in such a way that what happens in the autumnal trees simultaneously happens in other forms of life. In the trees, though, the process is easy to see: to make ready for the chill of Winter, the trees choose what is valuable and worth storing, versus what must be let go. They pull their vital essence to the safety of the roots, depriving the leaves of that essence. So those beautiful colors are actually signs that the leaves are dying. Eventually they fall and turn brown, withered corpses of the beauty they once were […] In nature, Autumn is when all forms of life store their valuables where they are safe, yet available, and let go of everything else.”
(Slate Stennett: 2018, 17-18)

We have come to a point in the year where we can no longer hold on to the external accessories or adornments that serve to decorate our exterior. If we are to survive the “death” of Winter and rebirth in Spring, the transformation of our Self, then we need to let go of excess baggage to delve deeper into our beings. Slate Stennett suggests some very powerful questions that we should ask ourselves, in deciding what to let go of, whether “physical belongings, emotional baggage, or spiritual practices.” They are:

1. What is most valuable?
2. What is precious and serves life?
3. What is unnecessary and no longer serves life?

(Slate Stennett: 2018, 18)
 
These are sometimes not simple questions to answer and to apply in our lives, as they can be relationships to people who have been with us for a while, but are no longer aiding us in life’s journey. Or maybe it could be a job that is draining us of our life essence but we can’t see a way yet to let go of it without some other way of making a living already lined up. These can bring up themes of survival and the fear of not being able to make it through.
 
Chinese Medicine attributes Autumn to the organs or `officials´ of the Lung and Large Intestines. Both have to do with purifying the body; with air (Qi) by the Lung and letting go of feces, the waste, by the Large Intestines. In this time of year, we may experience many Lung and Large Intestine themes, especially if we do not give space for these processes to occur naturally. The body is then forced to do it on its own by creating dis-ease, like fever, upper respiratory or digestive disturbance to compel us to slow down or even flat out immobile, in order that these organs can do their jobs to purify our beings of the unnecessary; these unnecessaries can be from an emotional or even spiritual point of view but still manifesting as physical symptoms.
 
Once more beautiful and precise advice from Slate Stennett to end this post:

“In our Autumns, then, let’s be deliberate in deciding what we want to let go. Honor each item – then let it go. Let it be like the brown leaves that fall to the ground and return minerals to the soil as they decompose […] In the mind and spirit, letting go leaves an empty place for something new.”
(Slate Stennett: 2018, 19-20)
 


Reference
Slate Stennett, Deanna (2018) : Poetry of the Body – Stories about Acupuncture Points. Bloomington, IN, USA: iUniverse.
 
 
 

Image by Elaine

A few years ago, my family and I went on a trip to Argentina. The first stop on our trip was Iguazu Falls, which lies between the countries of Argentina and Brazil. Iguazu Falls is the widest waterfall in the world with 275 waterfalls and islands. As we got there, there were obviously thousands of other people coming to see this river and its waterfalls; on this hot day butterflies were flying in the spring air, the waterfalls were thundering down and the emotions of the people were high. I had an insight in this moment. I realized that all us humans there were gathering at this place to see and feel the magnificent splendor of Water, Earth, Wood, Sky. We were essentially pilgrims on a journey to a holy spot, coming to pay reverence and be touched by the power of this place.

By definition, according to the American Heritage dictionary, a pilgrimage is “a journey to a sacred place or shrine” or “a long journey or search especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.” Often times, pilgrimages have a religious connotation. In Europe, we know of the Camino de Santiago, the famous Christian pilgrim’s route to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. In the Middle East, Islam has the Hajj or Umrah as they travel to Mecca. Tibetan Buddhists pilgrims walk the Mount Kailash Kora. These days people of different walks-of-life follow these and many other routes even if they aren’t of these religious faiths and why not? Religion, at least in this age in the Western world, does not have the exclusive rights to dictate who and how people practice their spirituality or how they live their lives, unless these individuals allow themselves to be so commanded. I became aware of Frank Fahey’s attempt to distinguish between pilgrimage and tourism on Wikipedia. It is an interesting comparison but I get a sense it is a very one-sided one, as he assumes that religion is the know-all and end-all of anything spiritual. It is my belief that spirituality is a very personal experience as well as relationship to the Divine, whereas religion is the outward, socialized-system agreed upon by a collective body, to honor a specific Divinity. Ultimately, each individual has the right to choose who or what s/he believes to be Divine.

Personally, I have found that most places in the world where I have sensed the presence of the Divine have been in Nature, not often those made by human hands. I have been to oceans, mountains, deserts, and so many other environments, which have invoked in me a deep sense of awe and a feeling of reverence to the higher power(s) that have created this planet and universe.

One such place that my husband and I go to almost every year now for the past 14 years, like a pilgrimage, is Scuol in Canton Graubünden. This is where we hold our Tai Ji Quan/ Qi Gong Summer Retreat together with a colleague of ours from Eastern Switzerland. We have been coming here with our families, to practice and to spend time in the presence of what I sense as the Divine. In this area where Scuol lies - Earth, Sky, Water, Trees come together in a harmonious manner, rousing in me a sense of peace and acceptance. Acceptance that I may be small, compared to the greatness of the mountains and the wideness of the sky, but also that I am part of this matrix that binds all living beings and the Elements with the Universe. We practice Tai Ji Quan and Qi Gong to connect with each other, as well as with the Elements and the Divine. It is essentially our yearly pilgrimage to a place I hold sacred within and without. Come join us, if not this year then the next!

Tai Ji Quan/ Qi Gong Retreat in Scuol



Image by Elaine 

​As I stood on the rocks at the edge of the cliff, breathing in the salty air of the Pacific Ocean, I could sense the wind blowing in my hair and against my skin. With my being, I sensed the magnitude of the waves, the vastness of the ocean, the solidity of the rocks under me, the unending blue of the sky and something within me recognized the insignificance of humanity. I, like my fellow human beings, am but one minute grain of sand, lying on one tiny beach in the great expanse of the universe. I realized in this moment that I was in awe of nature, of the immense world and universe that we live in. I felt content as I knew my place as a living being in the way of things.
 
Nothing like a good dose of Nature to get you out of your drama of human self-importance. This was my experience as I was on vacation this past weeks in the area where I lived in and went to university in my 20s, California. It is a special place, where the elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water come together in an intense mixture of generative-destructive-regenerative energy yet pieced together harmoniously to create a blossoming, fertile place. By the way, when I speak of the themes of life-death-rebirth, I often hear a voice say, "Circle of Life," which was a song by Elton John and Tim Rice featured in the Disney movie The Lion King, that was made in California ;-). Over the past years, I have become more informed geologically of our Earth and have come to realize why there is a draw for me as a human being, among millions of others, to California. Back in the day when I lived there as a student, I never really questioned why or what attracted me there, except that places like San Francisco were centers of culture, learning, thought, ideas, industry and commerce. But let's forget about the cities of California, these are made by the hands of humanity, with the illusion that they are great and will withstand the powers of Nature. Now, 20 years later, with the healthy distance of space and time, I have come to understand that it was the strong interaction of the Elements that drew me to live there for a time. 
 
California lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, as does the whole of the Western coast of North, Central and South America, the islands on the Pacific, like Tonga, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, parts of Russian like the Kamchatka Peninsula and parts of Antarctica. These areas have high amounts of earthquakes and volcano eruptions occurring very regularly since millennia; still regularly moves and erupts. California is no exception to this. It is probably this deep movement and power of the Earth that draws humans to live in this area, as it inspires not only a creativity as well as a fertility in the land and ocean but also within our beings. Ideas and inventions sprout out of these areas like weeds; think tech firms like Google, the film industry of Hollywood, Disneyland and numerous other products/ ideas that have shaped our modern world. Once you become aware of the geology of California, you realize it is only a matter of time that all its "great" and wonderful cities will crumble like dust, when the San Andreas Fault cracks open further with the next great earthquake. I imagine what brought me there over 20 years ago was this power - to experience it, create with it and to grow from it.
 
As I return here to Switzerland, Nature is still very present; just a little calmer, subtler and narrower. As the Nature there in California shapes its people, so does it here in Switzerland. The movement of the water here is calmer, as in the many lakes, inspires slower, tranquil, containing energy, with less impulses to quick changes. Maybe I was drawn here too as I was to California, to learn this way of being as well. 



​Photo by Elaine

 
I wondered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
 
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
 
The waves beside them danced; 
but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
 
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon the inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
 
 
William Wordsworth (1804)
 
 
It is a cool Spring day; the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Yesterday, the sky was grey and it was snowing. On the ground the snow is gone but the coolness prevails. Last week, it was dry, warm and sunny; all the plants were blossoming. I heard the exclamations of joy from people around me of how beautiful and warm it was, but also the apprehension of how dry it was for the plants. I listen and observe. I note that it is Spring, a time of extreme change. The weather of this time of year can change from one end of the spectrum to the other in a day, which we experienced this past week. 
 
What has caught my eye and my consciousness are the Daffodils; those yellow, golden rays of sunlight that have burst through the Earth and prevailed through sun, dryness, rain, snow and cold. As a young student in a former British colony, I learned the poems of the British Romantic poets, such as William Wordsworth, which I could not really understand then since I lived in the tropics and had never experienced real Daffodils growing in the early Spring. What a wonder they are!
 
Daffodils or Narcissus are bulbous plants, that stay dormant for more than half the year. Then at some point in time in late winter, they manifest their first green, pointy shoots out of the Earth. Every ray of sunshine nurtures their inching-shoots out of this fantastically-designed bulb, that not only nourishes with food, but also protects this being like a cocoon as it develops its bud into flower. We admire how humans design and create intricate things but look at this "simple" bulb that keeps growing and receding year after year, even if we do not really put much attention or care to it, in the most extreme of temperatures (between 30-35 degrees Celsius difference). Through its long leaves, this being gets enough food and energy to go into dormancy from Summer to the end of Winter. I read that bulbous plants, including the Daffodils, have been in existence since the Miocene geological epoch, between 23.03 to 5.33 million years ago, as a result of the decrease in global temperatures. Crazy, amazing ancient technology that is still functioning! 
 
Now, every time I pass by a troop of daffodils dancing in the breeze under a tree, I recite this lovely over-200-year-old Wordsworth homage to some very ancient beings, who not only impress me with their bell-shaped-flair-skirted fair blossoms but every aspect of their existence, most especially their resilience to the snow, the heat and the changes of Spring.
 
 
 
Image by Elaine

 
What first drew me to study Chinese Medicine or more specifically Acupuncture and Tui Na massage, the 2 bodywork methods of Chinese Medicine, is that you have it all on your own body. I can be anywhere, at any point in time and if I feel some sort of symptom coming on, such as a headache, I could press an Acu-Point on my own body to relieve it. This does not mean that the symptom may completely disappear, as it may be that I have to change the environment or situation that I am in, in order that the headache can dissipate completely. But being able to press a point on my own body to relieve the pain, till I can alter the space that I am in, is quite empowering.
 
The Chinese call Acupuncture, 針灸 Zhēn Jiǔ,which actually refers to both Acupuncture and Moxibustion. The Zhēn character has a metal or gold character on the left, which also contains the character for Earth, 土 Tǔ, and threading a string through a hole of a needle on the right. Jiǔ has the Fire character below and above the phonetic character to create the sound Jiǔ. In English, the word "Acupuncture" first presents itself in the late 17th century; a combination of Latin for needle, acus, and punctura, pricking. This is most probably a description from observations from Western physicians who traveled East Asia at that period in time. As you read these two descriptions of what we call Acupuncture in the West, you come to realise that the Chinese refer to more than just the "pricking of needles" when it comes to Acupuncture. They are referring to the elements of Metal, Earth and Fire coming together, with precision of "threading a needle." Moxibustion is performed with the burning of the plant Artemisia vulgaris on or by an Acu-Point. For me this incorporates the elements Metal, Earth, Fire and Wood. If you have ever had direct Moxa, you will also have had Water being used to moisten the skin. Hence, all of the 5 Elements are being incorporated into a treatment.
 
Even the translation for the word Acupuncture Point is not the same as what the Chinese understand. As Ellis, Wiseman and Boss explain:
 
'The word "point" indicates a linear coordinate, i.e., the intersection of two lines, a dot on the skin suitable for the insertion of needles or the application of some other stimulation. The Chinese character for acupuncture point,  穴  xuè, brings to mind a "cave" or "hole." The meaning is clear from the two parts of the character: the top portion represents a roof, while the bottom portion is a character on its own, meaning to divide or remove. The combined meaning of the two parts is a dwelling that is made by removing dirt or rocks, i.e., a cave, a hole, a den.' (Ellis, Wiseman, Boss, 1989)    
 
In the West, students of Chinese Medicine are taught the names of Acu-Points with an association to an organ and a number, for instance Large Intestine 4 (LI-4). In the Chinese-speaking world, students are taught in traditional names, some a thousand years old, depending on the lineage that their teacher holds. The Acu-Point I mentioned before, LI-4, is named 合谷 Hé Gŭ in Chinese, meaning Union Valley. As you can already observe from this name, there is an image of a valley where two mountains unite. One interpretation of this name is that it refers to the location of Hé Gŭ, between the "mountains" of the thumb and the index finger, where there is a valley-like depression. 
 
This Acu-Point is on the Large Intestine channel, as such it will treat issues with digestion like diarrhea. It is also used to treat headaches as it is the control point of the head, regulating the face, eyes, nose, mouth and ears, as well as pain in other parts of the body. It also helps in treatment of colds and flus. One other very special indication is that it induces labour or stimulates uterine contractions to aid in menstrual cramps. Hé Gŭ is also what we call a Yuan-Source Point; it is one of the Acu-points in a category of points that hold the Source of Qi for its designated organ channel. As you may have observed from its indications, this is a special Acu-Point that is used often as it can have profound effects on many parts of the body.
 
You can locate this Acu-Point by making a fist with one hand and covering the fist with your other hand cupped over, as in the image. Where the thumb of the top hand lands is where Hé Gŭ is located. This is the called the "palm-hold-fist" greeting, the way many Chinese people greet others since thousands of years. When you press on this Acu-Point you will feel a sensation that is stinging or heaviness, which is the stimulation that you want to have in order to affect the body. 
 
I find pressing Acu-Points on my own body a very good way to be connected to my being. The points do not always manifest the same sensation, as our bodies are in constant flux within and with our environment. Try finding Hé Gŭ on yourself, begin your own journey to yourself.   
 
    
 
 



Reference
Ellis, Andrew / Wiseman, Nigel / Boss, Ken (1989): Grasping the Wind. Brookline, MA, USA: Paradigm Publications
 
 
 

Image Mountain Lake by GSquare on Pixabay
​Image Palm-Hold-Fist by Elaine

As we go through the seasons of the year and I observe the changes of the climate, it reminds me of the Wu Xing or 5-Elements or 5-Phases. This philosophy is not just a Chinese medical theory but one that was/ is observed in all areas of life, as with the Yin-Yang philosophy. The 5-Element philosophy is very old. Historical records display writings and observances of it since the start of the Han Dynasty in 206 BCE, but the ideas of this philosophy are much older.
 
I am impressed by how so many, if not all areas of our lives are influenced by the 5-Elements; whether it be seasons of the year, cooking food, making medicine, breathing techniques or making day-to-day objects/ crafts that we use in our lives. There are traditions all around East-Asia (i.e. China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea) where the 5-Element philosophy is part of normal, daily life. As I contemplate the element that we are experiencing at the moment, the Metal element, I can't help being reminded of the skilled Bladesmith, one who works with Metal to create tools/ weapons. The Japanese are famous for making the best knives and swords in the world. The Katana, the Japanese long sword, is most celebrated for its artistry as well as its sharpness and ferocity. It is a blade so fine and flexible but so resilient, in the hands of a skilled swordsman (or woman), you would be unaware of its cut until it is done. You can tell how many martial arts movies I have watched growing up in Asia. What fascinates me most is not the end product, the sword, itself but the process in which it is made; how the 5-Elements are present in the process to transform raw Metal into a tool, an art form. The Metal is put into Fire to be smelted, then comes the process of the forging, which involves more Fire, Water, Earth and of course to begin with there was Wood for Fire. In the process to create this tool, the 5 Elements were going through the generating and controlling cycles, all in movement towards a creation and transformation guided by the human hand/ mind.
 
I feel this often when I practice Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan or Yoga. I sense the Elements in me, helping me transform my body, my mind, my being to connect/reconnect within and without. What then manifests outwardly is simply a product of the process, there is no product without the process. So if I perform a headstand, it is a coming together of the elements within and around me to find an inward balance, which then manifest as me balancing on my head in the physical realm. 
 
Another of the Breath practice that I have gathered on my journey is the 5-Element Breath Sounds. It is a practice that involves the exhalation as a sound. Many of us make sounds quite instinctively, in the form of a sigh or a groan. This practice is a conscious manifestation of Breath to balance the organs and elements. Practice the sounds like it is listed from above to below, as this is the generation cycle. You may notice that the Fire element comes twice. There are reasons for this that I won't get into in this post. Do try the breath sounds and sense how they affect you! 
 
 
 
 

​
5-Element Breath Sounds

Element   WOOD 
Organ       Liver
Sound       Sheeee 
Element    FIRE                        
Organ       Heart                     
Sound       Haaaa                               
Element   EARTH
​Organ       Spleen
Sound       Hoooo
Element   METAL
​Organ       Lung
Sound       Tssss 
Element    WATER
​Organ        Kidneys
Sound        Huuuu
Element     FIRE
​Organ        Triple Burner
Sound        Heeee


Image Smith by Dirk Hoenes from Pixabay
Image 5-Element Sheng Cycle by Elaine

Over a month ago, we were discussing the coming of autumn in my yoga class. A few of us spoke of the "dread" of the change from summer to fall season; the change of light and temperature. I find this time of year has its beauty but it is not simple to adapt to. From the full openness that the summer warmth has created in us, we begin the journey back inward of autumn. The darkness and the coolness outside forces us inward, our bodies are pushed to close the pores of our skin in order to conserve warmth. Since I began studying Chinese Medicine, I have begun to understand and appreciate each season of the year better and observe how my body/being changes with them.
 
As Claude Larre and Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée, sinologists and Chinese Medicine scholars describe in The Secret Treatise of the Spiritual Orchid:
 
"To rise in order to fall, and to fall in order to rise, that makes circulation. It is so high that we cannot perceive the essence of it. It is so universal that everything, everybody, every animal and every plant is affected and is under the same natural movement of tian yun. The progression of this is seen through the four seasons [...] Spring manifests itself everywhere as some beginning of life or renewing of the beginning of life [...] Summer takes what has been started and progresses along the line up to an acme, to the highest point of that progress, and then suddenly, in order to protect life and to protect the universe, it has to reverse its movement. So on some uncertain morning in the autumn time, the quality of air is very different. It's shocking. Something has started to reverse. It means that the yin which has been there but covered, unable to manifest itself except as a hidden, sustaining power, is now able to arise in its own right." (Larre, Rochat 1992: 7)
 
This "uncertain morning in autumn" is upon us now and we knew it was coming. Nevertheless, it is "shocking" for our beings, just as a metallic object touches our bare skin; a certain coldness makes us contract inward. This is the effect and energetic movement of Metal, to be more inward focused and passive, more Yin.
 
From the 5-Element perspective, Metal is associated with the organs of Lung and Large Intestine. It is not surprising then that many of us will experience Lung and digestive themes, such as a cold/ flu or those with asthma can have a flare-up or a gastrointestinal virus (stomach flu) at this time of year. As with all the elements there is an emotion associated with Metal, it is sadness/ grief. The direction is the West, where the sun sets. Makes sense, doesn't it? The Yang, like the sun and daylight, is setting, and the Yin, the moon and night, is rising. The climate becomes dry, making our skin dry. This is that clear manifestation of the energy moving inward, no longer nourishing the most external parts of us, as with the trees. In humans, the skin and in trees, the leaves. 
 
For me, this is a beginning of a death that will happen in winter. But through this death, comes new life next spring. Can we find beauty in death? Yes, I believe so. I look to the trees, the Japanese Maple tree, Acer palmatum, especially. We have a few in our garden. One in particular has a longer process of a "glorious death." He, I sense him as male, is green and robustly thick all summer. Then, just as that "uncertain morning in autumn" comes, he transforms his green leaves into a rusty red. Then suddenly comes the piercing frost at the end of autumn and then begins that magnificent, crimson red phase till he drops his leaves completely for his winter's sleep. The Japanese have a practice in this time of year, momijigari, "the hunt for deep red leaves." Many go on a "pilgrimage" to places where the Maple trees are transforming life to death, to appreciate this beautiful process. I personally have not yet been to Japan but I know that I will be at least once in this lifetime on a momijigari.
 
As I have mentioned before in other posts, I look to the trees for life's wisdom. Even in this time of contraction and closing in, there is beauty and purpose for the inward movement. It is as Larre and Rochat state, it is "in order to protect life and to protect the universe."


Reference
Larre, Claude/ Rochat de la Vallée, Elisabeth (1992) : The Secret Treatise of the Spiritual Orchid. Nei Jing Su Wen Chapter 8. Cambridge: Monkey Press.

Images by Elaine ​