The Rising Up of Wood in Springtime
A photo of a waterfall and wading pool from one of Rachel’s hikes
Spring is a wonderful time of year, a time full of change with the days getting longer, the ground thawing and buds appearing on plants and trees, and perhaps a time to be outside more, getting more exercise, eating some lighter foods like salads and smoothies, spring soups and maybe even firing up the grill!
It can also be the time of year that brings seasonal allergies and headaches , vertigo and ringing in the ears, increased irritability and a "short fuse", insomnia , worse PMS symptoms, muscle strains and pulls... there can be more cognitive and emotional challenges, with feelings of restlessness and scattered energy, lots of ideas but hard to focus , or difficulty making decisions. We see all of this and more, on the increase in the clinic. And every symptom listed here is related to the Wood element, and the two Wood organ/meridian systems, Liver and Gall Bladder. (And of course these symptoms arise at other times of year, and they are still Wood symptoms, but they are more prevalent at this time or can be more easily aggravated).
It still amazes me on a regular basis, and validates for me what I now simply accept as a truth, that Chinese Medicine has accurately developed a comprehensive, systematic, practical, intuitive understanding of health and dis-ease, based on thousands of years of observation and experience . This is a medicine based on clinical experience, long before there were controlled laboratory studies.
Chinese medicine is certainly not the only system to recognize and appreciate how our bodies are reflected in nature. Many ancient traditions have done this for thousands of years, from the ancient metaphysical work of Hermes, and the concept, " as above, so below ," to the existence of fractal images throughout nature. You can find many examples of fractal images reflecting human biology online!
I invite you to consider your own experience this spring, and take a few of the concepts of Wood/Liver discussed in this article, and see how they apply to your own life and if you find them to be true.
Here are a few simple suggestions that will help balance your own Wood energy on a daily basis (along with getting your regular acupuncture, or a seasonal tune-up!) :
drink more water , especially with lemon; starting your day off with 16-32 ounces of water is a great habit to try in spring.
spend some time in nature , where you can be surrounded by more trees than cars or people - look at how strong and resilient trees are. Notice all of the green emerging from the earth and the trees. Our eyes recognize it as a sign of new life!
get to sleep before 11pm each night (11pm-3am is Liver/Gall Bladder time on the meridian clock), which means winding down and turning off devices, TV, by 9-10pm. You WILL sleep better, guaranteed.
spend a little time being quiet every day, even five minutes if that's all you have - whether you like to meditate, pray, do yoga, take a walk, or perhaps simply sitting with a cup of tea with your cat or loved one, but without talking - the Liver energy wants to rise up, just like the sap in the trees, and our job is simply to balance the natural flow of energy inside ourselves - so grounding and centering ourselves each day, especially in the spring, can be profoundly beneficial.
Give your wood energy some "roots" to grow from, water it regularly, and let it rest too... and you will feel your own spring re-emerging, from deep inside.