Despite the wintry weather today is the vernal or spring equinox, which is when the sun crosses over the plane of the earth’s equator making both day and night approximately equal lengths all over the world.  The first day of spring is the only time that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west for everyone across the globe.

In TCM terms the organs associated with the season of spring are the liver and gallbladder and the element is wood. Think of the energy of a young sapling rising up from the ground, expansive, strong and flexible.

After the hibernation and introspection of winter time the energy of the new season and the wood element supports action and encourages us to move forwards with plans. Our energy rises as daylight increases and we naturally feel the urge to detox, declutter and spring clean, leaving the last year behind we can embrace the new.

The blossom is coming – enjoy!

 

x

 

 

This year Chinese new year begins on February the 16th, festivities traditionally last two weeks and culminate with the lantern festival on the 2nd of March. The date of Chinese new year moves because unlike western new year it is based upon the lunar calendar.

The global celebrations are an explosive mix of fireworks, firecrackers, bell ringing and traditional lion dances.

There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the cycle of which means that every 12 years an animal takes centre stage. Previous dog years were: 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006. Each animal is also paired with an element creating further distinctions within a sign. 2018 is the year of the dog, and the element is earth, so the last year that we experienced this combination was 1958.

According to Chinese astrology the year of your birth and the animal that represents it, determines a lot with regards to your personality traits. Dogs are seen to be intelligent, honest, trustworthy, loyal and responsible. Due to all these qualities they are said to make good partners.

Celebrities born in the year of the dog include: Donald Trump!?, Kate & Wills, Madonna, Dolly Parton, Micheal Jackson, Prince & Mother Teresa.

Enjoy the celebrations! x

 

 

 

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. 
”It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

“One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

“This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 
”Which wolf will win?”

The old chief simply replied, 
”The one you feed.”

A good reminder!

x

Today we are under the influence of the lunar eclipse and as if that weren’t spectacular enough tonight we have a super blue blood moon!

A super moon occurs when it the moon is closest to the earth, in this case appearing 7% larger and 15% brighter than usual.

As the saying ‘once in a blue moon’ illustrates, blue moons are rare. A blue moon occurs when there are two full moons in the same calendar month.

The blood aspect of this moon is named after the reddish tinge that it adopts during a lunar eclipse. The full moon turns red as it is covered by the earths shadow.

It’s a rare treat for these three events to converge and a good excuse to marvel at the moon tonight.

Enjoy! x

 

 

 

 

I had the privilege of studying Esoteric Acupuncture in LA with its founder Mikio Sankey Ph.D, L.Ac.

It is a beautiful system of higher energy healing that unifies the wisdom of the five elements, chakra system and sacred geometry to treat the energy of the subtle bodies.

Treatments use new encoding patterns that are designed to not only balance the chakras but also to align, strengthen and refine all levels of the heart energy. By raising the vibrations of your heart centre esoteric acupuncture treatments help you to access higher frequency healing and expanded levels of consciousness.

Come and experience the magic for yourself.

 

The temperature is dropping as the warmth of summer fades, the days are getting shorter and the leaves are changing colour, all signs that Autumn is here. The astronomical calendar uses celestial events to mark seasonal changes, in autumns case the autumnal equinox, which in 2017 falls on September the 22nd. The equinox is the point at which, due to the planets alignment, both day and night are of roughly equal length.

In Chinese medicine autumn is associated with both the lung and large intestine, the energy of the season is organisation, setting limits and protecting boundaries. Both organs enable our bodies to take in the new and let go of the waste. One of the best things we can do for our lungs is to breathe deeply, taking in vital qi in the form of clean, crisp air. Walking outside in nature surrounded by the beautiful autumnal colours is not only enjoyable, it is a truly healing experience.

In autumn we move from the external, expansive energy of the summer months towards the internal, contractive nature of autumn. The energy of the lungs is all about letting go making this a wonderful time to mindfully release anything we might be holding onto in order to free up space for new experiences that help us to grow. Autumn is the perfect time to organise and declutter, not only will you be working in harmony with the season, you will also be strengthening the lungs function of letting go, all of which can be incredibly liberating.

Keep cosy & enjoy x

Living in harmony with the seasons and aligning ourselves with nature and our environment is central to the philosophy of Chinese medicine.

Summer is the most yang time of year, reflected in the long days and heat of the sun. As yang energy is at its height in summertime we naturally need less sleep, going to bed later and rising earlier.

The summer season is linked to the fire element, the emotion of joy and our heart and small intestines. As the heart is seen to house our mind and spirit, emotionally it is associated with our mental stability. The hearts highest expression is love, enthusiasm, warmth in human relationships and our conscious awareness.

To counteract the inherently hot and yang nature of the summer months we need plenty of fluids to keep cool and hydrated. In TCM terms all foods have a temperature and energetic properties so in summer we eat cool, yin foods that are moistening and help to balance the heat.

Summertime is all about abundance as fruits and vegetables abound and crops are harvested during these months.  Generally most fruits and vegetables are cooling in nature and eating them raw makes them cooler still. They tend towards the green end of the spectrum – lettuce, cucumbers and watercress being some of the coolest. Eating seasonal, organic foods means we are in sync with the energy of the season – so enjoy some these plus apricots, strawberries, cantaloupes, watermelon, lemons, peaches and oranges while you soak up some sunshine.

Have a great summer x

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday the 21st of June is the summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year with sunrise at 4 43am and sunset at 9 31pm we will have a glorious 16 hours and 38 mins of daylight.

There are two solstices a year with the winter one marking our shortest day and the summer our longest. The summer solstice occurs when the tilt of the earths axis is most inclined towards the sun and directly above the tropic of cancer. The term solstice derives from the latin ‘solstitium’ meaning ‘sun standing still’ and is explained by astrologers as time at which the sun appears to stand still on the horizon where it rises and sets before heading off in the reverse direction.

Stonehenge is famously aligned with the solstices and many congregate to watch the sunrise on the one day that the rays of the rising sun illuminate the central altar. For pagans the summer solstice was the midpoint of the growing season and so was seen to hold a special power, a time when the veil between worlds was at its thinnest and when fairies were thought to be at their most powerful.

Similarly from a yin/yang perspective the summer solstice marks the most yang time of year, the pinnacle of daylight hours when we have much more energy and may struggle to get to sleep, we in fact need less rest than during the yin season of winter. Whereas winter is introspective and quiet, summer is outgoing, carefree, social and fun.

Enjoy the fire energy of the summer season and the summer solstice as it marks the longest day and from then on the days will gradually grow shorter until the winter solstice in December.

 

The Trees

The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.
Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too,
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.
Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

Philip Larkin (1922-1985).