Years ago, I used to periodically think my practice was falling apart. Patients would show up on the wrong day or at the wrong time or completely forget appointments. Even worse were my own scheduling glitches- the acme being the time that three THREE people showed up for the same appointment. As I studied the movements of the seasons in earnest, I began to realize that these fun times occurred regularly during the earth transitions between the seasons.
Chinese classical theory holds two positions re Earth element and the seasons. The first is that Earth governs the last month of summer (July). The second is that Earth governs a 3 weekish period centered over the cross-quarters. I’ve now spent fifteen years watching this process more closely. The timing is definitely fudgy. Over the last five years, I would even say that the earth transitions are lengthening. In general, I note a potential starting point. But then I wait for the signs. This week, it was when I heard a knock on my treatment room door. I’d just started with my 10:15. On the other side of the door was another 10:15 person who was actually where they were supposed to be. Well, they weren’t really- they were meant to be on my side of the door. The person in the chair had come a day early and I hadn’t checked my day planner before bringing them in. Bango- earth transition is rocking.
There are other signs- lots more moisture. Depending on the season, it can be rain or snow or mists rising in the morning. In the winter/spring transition, it can be snow one day and rain the next. Here’s what the weather report I offer to my people-
Hey- for the next three weeks or so, just know that things THINGS will be changeable. The weather, the people around you possibly. There’s a lot going on. A pumpkin is in the process of turning into a polar bear. It can be messy. But if you realize that a tremendous amount of change is going on around you and don’t take it personally, it will be much more fun…
And magical. We are leaving one territory for another. A new invitation. It’s dusk and we are heading into the night. It will be cold and quiet and dark. (We are talking health here, people- not the cuckoo that we do in the modern world. Thanksgiving eating orgies, Black Friday spending expeditions, Christmas party overload and gift-giving wars of escalation. Oh, and the empty bank account/tight waistband/self-flagellating hair shirt fun of January.)
Yeah, that’s a little dark- but sometimes to see the crazy, we need to turn the volume up. And step waaaay back.
So how can we do this differently? A little smoother, a little more grace. Start with tending, a perfectly lovely earth activity. Tend your shit, people. Put things away for winter, go through your closets and drawers, clean out the bloody fridge. Put some love and attention into the mundane world of your home, your office, your territory. This does not mean restacking the basement shelves of ‘things people gave me that I don’t use, but am too guilt-ridden to take to Goodwill’. Earth (and its associated organs of stomach and spleen aka the digestive system) is amazing- it takes everything in, transforms it and then offers the result to the world. From a higher perspective, this could be a poem, a compassionate response to your friend’s tragedy or a batch of cookies. The mundane view- your digestive system is a long tube that takes everything in, converts the majority into more ‘you’ and poops out the ‘not you’ rest. We all know what happens if the letting go part doesn’t happen.
Constipation is just another circle of hell…
Don’t let your basement or your closet or your inbox get backed up. Tend it- what is vital for the next part of our journey? And what can we move on? Earth transitions are a great time to share the wealth. Earlier this year, I listened to Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. (Yes, it is a really wild life here in Parkersburg.) I loved her approach to avoiding the angst of ‘yes, but I might need that at some point.’ Truly look at the item you are considering getting rid of. Thank it for its service to you.
It has done its work. Whether you used it down to the nubbins or you hated it the moment Aunt Maude said, “Surprise, I bought you something from the Hummel factory outlet store!”
Then release it back into the world so some other being may partake of its goodness. The last part is key as it allows us to transcend the terror of ‘not enough' and tap into the richness of ‘there is always plenty’. Because earth knows that there is always enough. There is always more.
Earth is both yin and yang, a movement from the center to the periphery. And it must take in nourishment every day. Here are some thoughts re nourishment for the next period ( and every day after).
Eat real food, preferably warm cooked food. (The Spleen hates Chick Fil-A and the Stomach hates smoothies, especially now.)
Move your arms and legs- simply walking every day supports healthy earth. (The Chinese classics talk about the taxations- actions that strain particular organs. As far as the Spleen is concerned, sitting is the new smoking.)
Be mindful of what you ingest- not just food, but also what you read and see. Especially these days- a bedtime snack of news headlines is hard to digest.
Exercise your compassion- extend your understanding to those around you, especially the ones who drive you batshit crazy. Everyone has a story and it’s a mistake to think yours has validity yet others’ don’t.
Wrap your head around the concept of comfort. At its essence, comfort is a physical sense, a feeling within our body that we are OK. So, yes, there are some issues. The first is that most folks aren’t in their bodies below the chin. The second is that upon noting discomfort, we tend to immediately distract distract distract (oh, there are so many options, little Iphone…) Try doing something physical. Like just walking (no podcasts) or yoga or loofah the crap out of yourself in the shower. (Note that the quickest way to shut up a runaway mind is to simply feel your body. Go hang out in your toes- they are way more sensible than the monkeys upstairs.)
Let it go
then see what kind of magic
returns in its place.
Because,
I promise that
what’s for you
will never reach you
while you’re clinging
to something else.
April Green