The Earth Center - Shifting Towards Fall Season
Photo by Simon Berger
Today marks the halfway point between the Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox for the Northern Hemisphere. Believe it or not, we’re at the declining half of the summer season. It’s a powerful time of year for transition and also an opportunity to take inventory on our energy, resources, and abundance before the season changes. The last few weeks of summer and early weeks of fall are considered the harvest time. It’s time to collect, enjoy, and store the fruits, vegetables, and goods that we’ve worked so hard to grow all year. The summer to fall transition can be the hardest transition of the year because we’re moving from the biggest and expansive season to an inward and slower season. If you don’t make the conscious decision to start slowing down now, then life will find a way to slow you down. It could be from sickness, accidents, fatigue, or other life circumstances. Start the process of change and adjust your diet, clothes, social calendar, workload, and life pace so it matches the fall season.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is considered the late summer season, which is connected to the Earth Element. The Earth Element is all about centering, grounding, gathering, and slowing down. This gives us the chance to get stable before volatile changes happen. It is important to enjoy this time with your friends, family, and community through laughter and storytelling. We only have 6 weeks left before the Fall Equinox, so that means less sunlight and colder days are around the corner. Make the most of this time and spend it with your loved ones as best you can during this pandemic. The Earth Element of late summer is very strongly connected to spending quality time with quality people, whereas the Fire Element of early summer is more focused on play and adventure, which can be more individual at times.
The Earth Element is also linked to the digestive system through the Stomach and Spleen Meridians. Gatherings bring us together and often times surrounded by food. We bond through sharing meals and nourishing each other with our favorite recipes. We must transform and transport the foods that we eat and too much of anything can cause havoc. Be mindful of your food intake. As we transition into a colder season, it is important to start eating more cooked and warm meals. Raw fruits and vegetables are more tolerable during the hot months of early summer, but it can be harsh on our digestions during the colder months. Slow down on salads and iced/sugary drinks. Opt for cooked vegetables and warm teas/drinks. Now is a great time to start cooking with warmer spices and herbs such as ginger, garlic, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Additionally, dress warmer to cover your abdomen. All our important organs need healthy blood circulation to nourish them. Wearing skimpy clothes can invite cold into our system that can cause blood vessel constriction and slow down circulation.
There is no hardline boundary between seasons. We shift by the seconds, minutes, days, and weeks. How we decide to spend our time making changes is up to us, but the seasons and elements will not wait. The elements and outside world affects how we use our energy to protect ourselves. This is a common time where people get sick because of the season change, but it is more critical now with the pandemic. Living with the seasons and shifting your habits can help your immune system tremendously. Even though we still have 6 weeks left of summer, I would recommend treating this time as if it were already fall season. Fall season is connected to the Lung and Large Intestine Meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine. All this preparation to strengthen the Earth Element and digestion will help to build a healthy respiratory system for the next season. Take care of yourself and slow down!