By consciously plugging into the POWER FLOWS of each season and aligning with health habits, dietary shifts, and vitality practices during the seasonal shifts, we can support our bodies and souls to flourish. Honoring the cycles and seasons is a value of the Feminine and supports us to mirror and harmonize with the Earthly and Cosmic energies.
Fall Season Chinese Medicine Correspondences Quick Sheet
- Space & Time: West & Dusk
- Organs: Lung, Large Intestine
- Element: Metal
- Color: White
- Taste: Sour
- Emotion: Grief
- Principle: letting go, release, the scythe, cutting away
- Energetic Movement: Astringing, Contracting, Down & In
- Soul Movement: Receptivity, pathway to the inside
- Action: Sitting Meditation
- Cooking: stews & baking
- Food: Poached Pears
- Preparing for Winter: Warm the Interior, Building the Blood, Bolster the Defensive Qi, and Strengthen Immuno-Vitality
Fall is the time of contraction and “astringing” which is why the sour flavor is energetically the same as the energy in the fall. The summer is a yang time of year when all of our energy is out on the surface. Fall is the time when the energy gets astringed – pulled in and down – the cooler weather, the dimmer light, the bright colors, the drying and falling of the leaves, are all energies that contribute to the natural rhythm of this time of year. Our body wisdom naturally aligns itself. But sometimes it doesn’t – because we are human, have minds, and a culture very distant from the intimacies of nature. We want to help ourselves to make this energetic shift and we can do this through food, herbal medicines, lifestyle practices and through being conscious of what is occurring in nature.
The paradox is that fall is a time of both letting go and receiving. In one sense, we release, cleanse and purify so that we can receive at the deepest levels. We surrender that which is not serving or working so that we can go deep into ourselves.
Fall is a Yin time of year and therefore a time of receiving: to receive is totally different than to take. To take is acquiring without actually receiving. At this time of year we cultivate a deep presence and attention with the intention to fully receive (the pleasure), because when we do that we need much less and feel more satiated.
At this time of year, we are moving from the exterior to the interior, an inward motion that creates an avenue to receive things to our depths. This road inside, should it be clear, offers us the potential to be nourished at the spirit level of our being.
Practices:
Sitting Meditation – try a somatic meditation or find a meditation on the Insight Timer App!
Rest- pause more. Take more silence breaks. Dream and spend quiet and alone time in nature.
Herbs & Sacred Plant Medicines
Herbs and plants work on many layers of the body and have been evolving with humans as our allies for hundreds of thousands of years. We are old friends and our bodies know exactly how to work with plants and plants know exactly how to work with our bodies. Getting to know a few plants each year, finding the remedies that work for you, and incorporating herbs and superfoods into your regular diet all year long can greatly shape your physical resilience, mental emotional wellbeing as well as your spiritual power.
Here are some tips when working with herbs and plant allies:
- always give heart-felt gratitude to the plants
- make offerings to plants when you are in nature
- do not take everything all at once – alternate your herbs and supplements
- cycle through different herbs and formulas so your body does not build resistance to any one plant or formula
- use your intuition and body wisdom to guide you
- consult a healthcare provider knowledgeable about herbs for medical advice and conditions as related to herbs and formulas
Fall Season Herbs and Supplements*
- Elderberry – Strong Anti-viral and Immune boosting. Great for kids and adults. Earth Mother energy, Magical tree that wards off “evil”!
- Reishi – Mushroom of Spiritual Potency; An adaptogenic medicinal mushroom
- Angelica (Dang gui)** – “Female Ginseng”, Builds the Blood
- Astragalus (Huang Qi) **- Immune Defense, Boosts the Qi
**Usually Angelica and Astragalus are found in herbal formulas. You want to consult your chinese herbalist for the best formula for your constitution and conditions!** Here is a link to scheduling a holistic wellness consultation with me which includes herbal prescribing.
Supplements* that may support immunity during the fall and winter seasons:
- Vitamin D – evidence based medicine research shows that this is the #1 determining factor in covid outcomes! Plus other research that shows how important D is in maintaining health + avoiding chronic and acute disease.
- Zinc – same thing – so much evidence based research about zinc for immunity!
Daily Detox!
Detoxing your body of personal hygiene products that contain harmful toxins and chemicals is key. Get rid of household products that are chemical laden and replace them with plant based products!
Incorporate daily detoxing into your diet – a greens powder is a great way to do that! Add to water, your smoothie or juice!
- Greens Powder blend
- Spirulina or Chlorella capsules
Find these products at my apothecary!
- Create an account and then navigate to Favorites: RADICAL IMMUNITY
- Here you will find some of the supplements and herbs listed above*.
*Please See Disclaimer at bottom of guide!
Ancestors
The fall corresponds to the time of dusk, the time when “the veil is the thinnest.”
Time of Shadow. Time of the Ancestors.
In the fall, (or anytime of year), we can call on our Bright and Well Collective Ancestors to support us and the healing of our ancestral lines.
Tracking and healing our personal behavioral and negative emotional patterns are portals for healing our ancestral lines.
Ritual:: You can create an altar dedicated to your bright and well ancestors. Make offerings – Light candles, burn incense, offer food from your meals. I have an altar going all year round.
Dusk is a time when everything seems a bit fuzzy, nothing is distinct, things blend together and that is equally true about the worlds: this reality and the Other reality. This is why it’s considered a time of the ancestors and that this is a good time to honor them and communicate with them. The ancestors can be a very real part of our lives.
Some Process Questions:
Who are your ancestors?
What is your heritage and which blood line do you feel most called to explore at this time?
How well do you know the history of your people over the last few centuries?
Is there anything that needs to be forgiven between you and your recent ancestors?
Grief
Grief is the emotion that belongs to the lungs and to the time of autumn. This is part of the energy of cleansing and inner alchemy that is possible if we plug into the flow of the Earth at this time of year.
“Grief is praise, because it is the natural way love honors what it misses.”
― Martin Prechtel, The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise
The Lung, considered a Yin organ, is associated with taking in the new.
Emotionally, the Lungs coincide with:
- Grief and Sadness (unprocessed grief and sadness can stagnate the lung meridian)
- Attachment (difficulty letting go can stagnate the lung meridian)
When the lung qi is flowing and balanced, one can experience enhanced:
- Clarity of thought
- Positive self-image
- Surrendering to and allowing inner peace and joy regardless of circumstances
RESOURCES to check out in tending to your grief:
- “Grief & Praise” (YouTube) — Martin Prechtel
- Book: The Smell of Rain on Dust by Martin Prechtel
- @tendingtogrief — Tasha Zigerelli, grief guide
Letting Go…
The Large Intestine is the other metal organ associated with the Fall Season in Chinese Medicine.
The Large Intestine, considered a Yang organ, releases the old.
The Large Intestine channel is often associated with:
- Inability to let go, uptightness, stubbornness, stagnation, negative outlook (glass half empty vs. half full perspective)
- How we flow with life’s current
When the large intestine qi is flowing and balanced, there can be increased:
- Sense of relaxation
- Release of what no longer serves a person
- Flowing with life vs. resisting
- Focus on the day-to-day vs. big picture/meaning/purpose
*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA because they are in bed with corporations and B i g P h a r m a. This information is for educational and healing purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Please consult your body, higher guidance, local herbalist or a competent and compassionate holistic health care professional with any health-related concerns.