The bitter side of Love - Summer Chicory flowers story

Initially, it might seem harsh to equate Love with a bitter flavour because of our cultural link between bitterness and displeasure. However, consider how many people enjoy drinking coffee or tea. Both beverages have a bitter taste, with coffee being more bitter than tea. This suggests that our negative perceptions of bitterness may need some reconsideration.

What is the function of bitter in Chinese Medicine? Bitter has the energetic effect of descending. Whether it is to send down a big and heavy meal or calming overly excited Heart, it has a downward directionality.

You might wonder, if love is about elevation and passionate energy, then bitter surely works in the opposite way, correct? Well, let's explore it further.

In Chinese Medicine (and likewise in Classical Greek philosophy) there are Five fundamental elements/energies on which all material and immaterial existence is based. The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine are: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood; and everything can be associated with these elements.

Fire is associated with the Summer season, with fire, with the red colour, with the Heart, with Love and with the bitter taste. That already suggest that bitter tasting herbs, especially blue-violet Chicory flowers, are going to be beneficial to the Heart and its emotion of love.

Studying Bach flower essences has helped me grasp the significance of this bitter herb in relation to the emotion of Love. Edward Bach wrote about people who need the Chicory essence:

"…people are full of love and care for their families and friends. But they expect to receive love and attention in return, with interest, and feel slighted and unnecessarily hurt if they don’t get all they expect.

Their great love can lead them to hold onto their loved ones and try to keep them dependent and close to hand.

This may stifle the development of other personalities, or simply drive people away.

When we fall into this state the remedy helps bring out the positive side of Chicory: love given unconditionally and in freedom."

Chicory flower essence

To me, the significance lies in how Chicory serves to strengthen and solidify the emotion of love, making it even more lasting. Reflecting on it, in any loving relationships there comes a point where we must acknowledge and accept something about our partner or family member that may not agree perfectly with us and we may attempt to impose our will rather than let the other be. The bitter-tasting Chicory helps us with accepting the other lovingly, sending it down, swallowing the facts, and by doing so our loving feelings are actually anchored down.

This process in Five Elements describes the dynamic of the Fire and the Water element. Water element corresponds to the Winter season, the colour blue, the Kidneys and the emotion of fear. By ancoring the emotion of Love in the depths of Water energy, the Heart may become unsure and insecure. Hence the blue-violet blooms of Chicory serve as a perfect bridge between the Fire and Water element; supporting the Heart and assuring its connection with the enduring and life-sustaining Water element.

In conclusion, enduring, profound and lasting love requires bitterness as a crucial ingredient. Without it, love may remain superficial, self-centered, conditional or fleeting.

Now... I am off to finish my Chicory flower essence I have harvested and infused earlier today, potentiated with crystals.

If you would like to get my Chicory flower essence contact me by clicking below:

Contact for Chicory flower essence

Lunar New Year - your health with the energy of the Green Dragon in 2024

On the 10th of February there will be a New Moon that will mark the beginning of the Chinese New Lunar Year, the year of the Green Dragon. The Green is associated with the Wood Element, therefore with the Spring, and all that which this represents. The Dragon itself is associated with the Fire Element.

It will be a truly different year from the past several years as we are moving out of a two year period in the Water Element, and out of a five year period of the Yin energy. It is like flipping a coin, there is a sudden move into a full Yang energy of Wood and Fire elements.

What are all these changes in the energy going to mean for your health? Read on below.

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The Green Dragon and your physical health

Even though we have had a year of a peaceful Rabbit in the Water Element, the energies have been pretty active despite that. So, it does not require much imagination to work out that entering into the year of a ferocious creature such as the Dragon and into the very active, rising Yang energy of Wood Element, is going to be very fast and full on. It can be compared to having a new born baby or to having school age kids around the house, all the time. You are going to be kept on your toes.

Wood Element is linked with Spring, with growth, childhood, creativity, overstepping the boundaries in order to find new experiences to learn from. Wood element is associated with Liver and Gallbladder, so these two organs will get an extra energetic support and, beware, could overheat. Hence it will be an excellent year to detox your Liver! It is best to start in early Spring to prepare your body for a busy year ahead. Follow my other blog for a Balanced-6-Week-Detox programme.

Detoxing your body systems all around will help you feel rejuvenated and ready to face a busy year ahead. Wood element is linked to Liver, and Liver detox is key especially if your emotions are hard to keep at bay. After the detox you will find it easier to contain them. It may be a difficult year, in fact, for containing anything, be warned! On the positive side, you will feel more energised and hopeful for the future, despite all.

In the same time, it is the Dragon year, which will add the pressure on your Heart. Be mindful of it and take times off to rest, spend time in Nature and open-air spaces, which will give your Heart the calm it requires. You may also like to join me in weekly live meditations to practice Heartfulness. It will be necessary to take care of your inner peace for maintaining deep sleep at night. Develop regular sleeping habits and rituals to assure adequate amount and sleep quality.

The Green Dragon and your mental health

Getting enough of good sleep will be essential for your mental health this year as your mind, during the day, will be kept occupied with many activities, projects and all unexpected events.

In the Green Dragon year we will have a greater need and capacity to learn new skills and acquire knowledge, start new activities or projects. So, do take advantage of it, be courageous and sign yourself up for a course and learn a new skill or finish a diploma you've dreamed of for a while. The key to success will be to choose well and stick to it! Particularly now, the tendency will be to be swayed by the winds and be unstable and easily distracted in your mind. Therefore, at the beginning of the year, set yourself a plan for attaining your objective. That will help you keep focused and peaceful mind.

The result of choosing too many studies, projects, jobs, etc may lead to mental "overheating" or confusion. So, prune out the actives that are not essential for driving you to your final goal or destination. The Dragon energy will help you eliminate all that is not necessary for you, if you have the mental will to command your mind.

You will need a conscious, concerted effort to will your mind when necessary as the energy of the Green Dragon can also be rather immature and scattered at the same time as being courageous and determined.

The Green Dragon and your spiritual wellbeing

Equally scattered may be your psycho-spiritual wellbeing during the Wood-Fire year, if you are not attentive. It is with no doubt a year marked for change and growth. We will be challenged, in one area of life or another, so being elastic and adaptable will be an essential trait for your wellbeing and personal growth. It will come easier and more helpful to take your life changes with the openness and curiosity of a child.

There are two ways in which to approach changes as explained by Confucius:

On one hand he says:

"It is only the very wisest and the very stupidest who never change."

Instead in all other cases, Confucius says:

"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."

Before we all think that it is our inner voice of wisdom that murmurs us to never change, check out that such state is in line with your life realisation, in Chinese Medical terminology Ming Men. If not, Lao Tzu warns:

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

And where you are heading may not be your Ming Men, realisation of your life purpose.

The change may actually come as an unexpected falling in love! The Dragon energy is capable of inciting a lot of passion in us, however, fuelled by the argumentative and assertive Wood element, we need to be aware of not getting into huge fights whilst being transformed by the fires of passion.

In fact, we will be surrounded by news about conflicts and wars around the world. It is crucial to maintain the innocent vision of the world in peace, despite all.

As Lao Tzu has taught:

"If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities, There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors, There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart."

On that note, I wish you a peaceful, passionate, fortunate but most of all healthy year of the Green Dragon! (Dragon is a symbol of fortune).

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Winter and the Water Element - the Inner Explorations

How to Stay Healthy and Balanced During the Winter Season with the Five Element Energies?

Have you noticed the clouds in the sky have become dark blue? Have you noticed the cold humid air penetrating your skin and getting deep into your bones? The energy is that of inward direction and of inner explorations, both for us and for all the Nature around. Even the energy pulses I sense on my patients have now been withdrawing and going deeper than in summer months. All this inner activity requires us to slow down and reflect more.

Connecting with the Water Element in Winter

Spirit focus

The penetrating energy of Winter is allowing us to dive deep into our Soul and see the bare bones of our essence, that is of who we really are. Winter is a perfect time for reflection on our identity, on the incarnation of our Spirit in this life. Knowing yourself is knowing your path in life, the Tao. The illness comes when we stray away from our path, from our essence and moving further away from the completion of that for which we were born. Hence, self-reflection is the time well spent for our health and wellbeing.

Apart from the downtime spent in self-reflection, it is useful to reconnect with your tribe too, the people who root your Soul into the society. So, family and long-time friends can be a mirror of your current existance; realising that you and them are one as the drops of water in the ocean. The only difference is that each human has an individual Soul, incarnated on Earth for his/her specific purpose. That implies you also need to recognise the boundaries between you and your tribe in order to direct your essence at your will. Otherwise, you become ill.

So, take time in Winter season to, first self-reflect and recognise your own essence, both individual and colletive, and then take notice of where your boundaries must lie. By the way, "the boundaries" does not mean erecting the walls, but recognising when you allow your essence to be compromised to the point you cannot will who you are into being.

Mind focus

It may not be easy to reflect on your essence and your place in the world. With such tumoulous energies in the worlds right now, one can find that the mind is easily dispersed by the social media, fast developing technology, constant availability to asnwer a phone or messages. Sleeplessness or emotional tribulations can result from such restless mind.

Winter energy in itself can be still but can be rough too, just as the sea, depending on the winds. In fact, the conscious mind can navigate those rough winds. Mind control comes particularly strong in Winter. Some of you may know that the mind is closely linked with the Heart in Chinese Medicine, fewer of you may know the brain is also related to the Kidneys. Kidneys, with their will power, determine what your mind focuses on. That's why we need to realise that "the mind over matter" does matter sometimes and disciplining of the mind is an act of our own will power.

I encourage you to try out one simple exercise of willing your mind. If you have thoughts that are negative and/or repetitive, try to say to yourself three time (more potent): "(your name) stop thinking about it, now". Sometimes willing your mind that way does work. There can be other ways and methods of training your mind.

Meditation practices are aimed at focusing your mind. I remind you of my weekly meditation sessions I hold live on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/DoroTao.ClassicalChineseMedicine

and soon to be available also on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/dorotao.kowal/

Body focus

Kidneys and Bladder are related to the Winter season and the Water Element. These organs take care of our waterway systems in our body, including distribution of warmth. Just like the central heating system, the thorough distribution of warm water around assures the right temperature is maintained in every parts of the body.

How to maintain our good circulation when it is freezing or nearly freezing outside?

First of all, the diet. Absolutely avoid ice-cold foods and drinks. They will not only slow down your circulation but also digestion, creating more phlegm and in turn lower your overall energy. There are also foods that are cold or cooling in nature, such as cucumbers, lettuce, mint and most fruits and raw vegetables. It is best to avoid or reduce cooling foods, selecting the seasonal ones and cooked preferably. If you are consistently feeling too hot in winter you may be having toxic heat inside and should seek treatment to adjust your energy rather than eat or drink ice cold foods to cool down in winter.

Secondly, I suggest hot and cold showers (with gradual application) to stimulate the circulation. Thirdly, do regular brisk walking or better: running. Yes, Winter is actually a good time to do some running. Since we are not totally hibernating species, we need to keep the circulation going well. Running awakes in us the primordial memory of flight from the danger, which stimulates the life preserving energy of Kidneys and the Water element in us.

And if you are feeling pulled down by long and dark winter days, remember to drink tea from the flowers of St. John's Wort plant. It's flowers have enclosed in them the peak summer sunshine and now you can boost your mood by drinking its infusion.

Generally, the Winter season is the time to eat more root vegetables and herbs based on roots, tubers or rhisomes. They give us sustenance necessary to keep the body going but simultaneously sustaining our Winter Yin energy. If you would need a consultation for diet and herbs best fitted for you in Winter months, contact me here https://www.dorotao.com/clinic-contact.

How do you live through the winter season yourself? Do you know that depending on our energetic make-up we approach each season differently? Leave your comment about your particular challenges or tips for living through the Winter season.

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