Spring…

A time of new beginnings…

Some say that spring has already begun, and some say it doesn’t start till the equinox, on Sept 22 or 23… Both are correct, both equally valid.. either way, we are transitioning from the Water Element of Winter to the Wood Element of Spring….

Spring is a time for new beginnings – for birth, growth, individuation and development…

And, so…

In this time of such significant change all around us, when so many are holding so tightly onto what they have always had or known…

In this time of such overwhelming tightening… how can we be nourished and feel safe to allow the natural cycle to flow and bring out the new and blossoming energy?

And also…

We are feeling physically restricted, and have been for a while.. how does our own personal rhythm or cycle flow with that of the natural world?

Spring is governed by the WOOD Element…

..the first element in the five element cycle of Chinese medicine.. symbolising birth, life and growth.

In theory, we have rested, and hibernated through winter… however, the reality is that most people have not rested, but been forced into some kind of lockdown… which seems from the outside like a time of ‘rest’, BUT, this winter has been filled with anxiety, polarisation and a splitting… not the environment for rest or restoration or indeed hibernation…

And so, with this in mind, we move into Spring – of growth, of planning and of ideas sprouting… the sunrise of the day… the planning and execution of those winter dreams.. an opening and an escape from the tightness of the cocoon… the creativity of new beginnings, new thinking, new moving, new being…

The energy of the Wood Element is associated with vision and direction – “positively expressed, Wood energy manifests as the courage of conviction, appropriate action, and the ability to hold one’s ground” (Chinese medicine in Every day Life. Gail Reichstein).

When our sense of direction or conviction is challenged.. or we abandon our plans easily… wood is weak in us…

If we stubbornly hold on too tightly wood becomes overly rigid and inflexible.

It is the balance of these things that brings our wood element into it’s own…

It is the awareness to hold each aspect of ourselves and the world around us with a gentleness, an openness and invitation toward new growth and understandings.

Unbalanced Wood flares into anger and frustration… we flare up when we don’t feel powerful or that change is being forced upon us… or our sense of self has been affronted…  sound familiar?

And so, we then head into a tightening of our soft and connecting tissues… back pain or eye conditions or red-hot inflammation.. or immune problems… or cold hands and feet.. or headaches…

The colour of the Wood Element is green… all shades of green…

The sound of the Wood Element is shouting…

The climate for the Wood Element is windy…

And so, with all of this, how can we move freely and gracefully into spring within the integrity of the Wood Element even with the chaos around us?

It is so simple and yet calls our every cell into action…

Awareness of the ‘AND’…

What do I mean by this ‘AND’?

We are presented with most things in life as either/or, black/white, happy/sad, right/wrong… it is in this dualistic way of thinking that we get caught and stuck, that we create belief systems that hold us there.

Have a think now... do you think in black/white or right/wrong or either/or terms…. ? Can any of these thoughts be opened by an ‘AND’ … a different precept to begin with.. a different invitation?

I recently became aware that I truly believed that to care for myself meant that I would not be able to care for others… an either/or state of being… I have come to realise, fully to my bones, that it is not an either/or… but an AND… me AND you… rest AND action…

All together, held in unity for the grand opening and blossoming into something new…

Have a think now.. what part of you is yelling out to you? Your feet or shoulders or back… yes and maybe… now, notice which part of you is quiet in it’s pain.. your jaw, your toes, your skin..? As we listen to ALL parts of us, not just those screaming we begin to soften, to be aware of the AND in our bodies too… Nurture AND movement… Bend AND flex…

Some possible goals for the wood element in spring could be:

• Life flows easily for me..
• I am acceptable no matter what I do..
• I enact the plans of my heart..
• I am open to growth and creativity…
• I am enough…
• I am open to all possibilities..

It can be a little scary to be open to possibility, to lay down your rigid thinking or your either/or belief system… BUT YOU CAN!

You CAN add ‘AND’ to your world, so that you can bend and stretch.. you CAN stretch out of the cocoon… you CAN imagine, plan and enact something new… you CAN!

And so…

If you would like help to stretch out and spread your wings, I am here to help… contact me so we can begin moving into your ‘AND”.

Lisa