08/31/2023
As the intense heat of summer begins to wane and crops are ready for harvest, we enter the fifth season known as late summer which is dominated by the Earth phase. During this time, nature takes a well-earned rest from producing and heavily lays around in the warm fields, waiting for its ripeness to be harvested. There is an overall feeling of decrease in nature as the intensity of the sun softens, and people know that the outdoor and expansive activities of summer will soon be more focused on withdrawing indoors and inside oneself during autumn. This time of harvest between the Metal and Fire seasons is a time of nourishment, abundance, fullness, and ripeness. It is when there is neither the rising movement of the Fire months, nor the descending movement of the Metal months, making it a period of balance. The Wood spring and Fire summer seasons had an ascending movement as yang within the natural world increased, and now Earth is poised as the pivot between the Fire and Metal months, as now the yang will decline and yin will increase in the Metal and Winter phases.
The Spleen and Stomach, the organs corresponding to the Earth phase, favour warm, cooked, sweet foods such as sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and chicken. Yellow-orange coloured foods are in abundance during the time of late summer, and are good foods for nourishing the Earth phase. Spices with these colours such as turmeric and ginger are also good for warming the digestive organs. The Earth phase is the center of the cosmological cycle, it is the place from which all directions originate and where all directions meet; it is the axle which the other phases rotate around. As the center, we can support this phase through centering practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and embodiment practices such as breathwork, qigong, or yoga. The Earth is our center, our flesh, so bringing yourself back to the awareness of your body and integrating your mind and body together as a united whole with embodiment practices helps to center someone (acupuncture is good for this too!) Exercise to utilize the muscles, the flesh of the Earth phase, is also beneficial. The Earth loves to stand still but that breeds stagnation, so utilizing the movement of the muscles such as walking, cycling, running, and weightlifting, can all be beneficial for the Earth phase. Any exercises that utilize the abdominal, back, and glute muscles is good for strengthening our physical core. With the state of things in the Okanagan right now, centering practices are vitally important to keep our minds from spiraling.
In health and happiness,
Kylie
