Late Summer - when transition is transformation

Have you noticed that the end of Summer brings on a particular kind of heaviness? Some attribute it to the conclusion of the holidays and the return to routine and the monotony of daily life. However, it’s all about the energy around us. Since early February, the energy has been building, but it began to diminish around mid-August. By early September, we find ourselves in the midst of a transition period leading us into the more Yin phase of the year. Yin is characterized by being more hidden, darker, slower, and less vibrant, balancing out the high vibe months we've just experienced.

Each seasonal change involves a transition period between the conclusion of one season and the start of the next. However, the transition at the end of Summer is unique. It is more than just a transition; it is a period of transformation. Transformation refers to altering form, nature, or appearance. Alternatively, it can be described as a metamorphosis, conversion, or transmutation.

Let's observe Nature; it's the last chance to transform flowers into fruits. This is the peak time for Nature to ripen its fruits before energy diminishes. Plants that have already borne fruit start to wither, undergoing their further transformation. It is truly the time of abundance, both of quantity and variety. This sense of satiety is one of the reasons for the heaviness left in Late Summer.

A close-up of the zucchini flower's vibrant center highlights its detailed textures and golden tones.

Just as changes occur in nature, similar shifts happen within human beings; we can also sense these transitions affecting our bodies. After following a quick "on-the-go" Summer diet, our bodies might signal a need for proper nutrition. The signs your body may exhibit in Late Summer can include digestive issues, slower digestion, fatigue, bloating, swollen legs and general swelling, headaches, difficulty falling asleep, exacerbation of some chronic conditions, and the return of candida and other fungal issues. These examples indicate that your body is struggling to transform food into nourishing blood. The organs involved are the Stomach and Spleen, and the symptoms appear when their energies are weak and in need of strengthening.

To enhance Stomach and Spleen health during this time, modify your diet to include more cooked foods (such as porridge for breakfast instead of cold yogurt), eliminate ice cream, and incorporate honey and warm water to support your Stomach and Spleen. Begin your day with a glass of warm water. If you experience digestive issues, consume some ginger after meals. Go to bed an hour or half an hour earlier than during holidays to adjust to gradually shorter days and ensure sufficient rest. If you are struggling with symptoms and a feeling of heaviness, eliminate gluten, dairy, and processed sugars from your diet until you feel better.

The Spleen and Stomach are two organs that will assist you in adapting to the approaching Autumn and also play a role in your current mental and psychological transformation.

We are experiencing a truly transformative period in September. It's an ideal time to mentally organize your life and transform the burden of new post-holiday responsibilities into a fresh routine. With the start of a new academic year, our daily habits can be reshaped. It's not about cramming your schedule, but rather creating a sustainable and nourishing rhythm. Let your days unfold like a dance routine—smooth, creative, expressive, and fulfilling. Analyze how you spend your time during the day: how much is dedicated to self-care versus house-care, how much time is spent working and commuting compared to being in nature, and how much time do you spend in front of a screen versus nurturing a hobby or relationship?

What thoughts fill your mind throughout the day? Engaging in conscious reflection, particularly during meditation, can help identify which thoughts should be transformed from repetitive or negative into more productive and positive ones. This practice of mental hygiene can release a significant amount of energy that might otherwise remain trapped.

This period offers your soul a chance to return to its origins after the erratic, vibrant, and social energy of summer. It's an ideal moment to reflect, find your center, and ground yourself to process everything that has occurred. Don't feel guilty if you're not up for hosting another dinner party! This feeling aligns with the present energy. Focus on your needs and nurture yourself with rest and beauty; for instance, enjoy a massage or another pampering experience. Receiving is crucial for transformation of the soul's nourishment.

In certain respects, it's another journey around the Sun since you last had the chance to re-center. What transformation have you already undergone and what aspects within you have matured for metamorphosis? Maybe you're prepared to take on new responsibilities that bring fulfillment and let go of those that are merely burdensome. Perhaps that is part of the heaviness you are feeling this month.

If you find yourself needing help during the transition period of September, schedule a seasonal treatment to support the transformation of food, thoughts, and experiences into nourishment for your body, mind, and soul.

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"Honourable Harvest" - Earth Element's higher octave of consciousness

What does the book “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer and the Five Elements, especially the Earth Element, have got in common? Having read the book this summer I have found out that actually the two speak of each other.

This marvellous book is written in prose but reading it is like poetry. To me it was totally music to my ears and probably not only to me, as Elizabeth Gilbert describes the book as “a hymn of love to the world”.

There would be so much to share about this book, so I only would like to concentrate on the main three reflections and insights I have had, that infuse Robin's tradition with what I know and practice in Chinese Medicine. All quotations below come from Robin's book.

The first reflection made me realise that all ancient and indigenous people, whether they are from the East or the West, had one thing in common: their relationship with the Nature. They observed the Nature attentively, its processes, cycles, in order to understand self and to understand the place which a man occupies in relationship with what is around him/her. In those times, human beings felt an integral part of an eco-system they lived in. Everything that surrounded them had a meaning and they took note of the cyclical nature of all process of the Earth. So, be it indigenous Americans, or Australians or ancient Chinese, they all lived with the same reverence in the relationship to the Nature. That means that some of the bases of the Classical Chinese Medicine (especially Taoism) are common to all other ancient and indigenous cultures.

The second insight I have had relates to Robin's call for going beyond gratitude and infusing more reciprocity in all our relationships. Reciprocity in Chinese Medicine is related to the Earth Element energetic quality. Robin explains reciprocity so well. It isn't only about "if I give you, then you will give me back" but rather "when I give you I create a relationship with you". The lack of attention to reciprocity in our-day-world has created anonymity and indifference in which reciprocal relationships are often considered more a burden than richness. So, "we are called to go beyond cultures of gratitude to once again become cultures of reciprocity". In the Chinese Classics that is the Earth Element energetics within us. Losing that sense of reciprocity we lose touch with our Earth Element, which we need for grounding and bonding with the place we live in.

My third insight into timeless and ancient wisdom is about "honourable harvest". Harvest is again related to the energy of Earth Element in Chinese medicine and philosophy. "Honourable Harvest" is an "exchange of life for life"... yes, their sensitivity whether to animals or plants, was the same. People living in true communion with the Nature knew that all harvest is taking away some form of life. Therefore, they were propenced to actions that gave that life back or to "take only what you are given and not what you need".

I know that ancient Chinese practitioners collected their herbs in the same "honourable" way as Robin describes indigenous Americans did, in order for the herbs to have that pure energy and be granted the Nature's healing potency. We practice honourable harvest every day by making choices in our daily consumptions. Whenever we buy something new, think about the life that's been taken away. In return, try to give that life back somehow.

The ancients' way of living was treading so lightly as if "longing to hear the land give thanks for the people in return". Wow! Do we ever ask ourselves that question? Is the Earth actually happy with me living on Her surface? Do we realise that for each gift we were born with, we also hold our responsibilities to utlise it well? It is the Earth that makes the "paste" of our bodies, the Earth creates our gifts and we have the responsibility to use them to create hers. The plants "can't meet their responsibilities unless we meet ours". Once we realise that we live in such interdependence with the Nature, we start wondering why we moved so far away from Her.

It is that consciousness that we need to truly understand our power. As if describing the Yin and Yang of Chinese Medicine, Robin quotes: "all powers have two sides, the power to create and the power to destroy. We must recognise them both, but invest our gifts on the side of creation".

These and other insights I have had thanks to Robin Wall Kimmerer's book, confirm to me that much of the bases of the Classical Chinese Medicine do not pertain to Chinese or Oriental cultures only, they have been lived and followed by most, if not all, of the indigenous populations worldwide. The Nature's language is truly global!

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Braiding Sweetgrass - "Honourable Harvest"

August the month of Late Summer - care and devotion for a plentiful harvest

This is technically the first month of Autumn in the classical division of the year into four seasons. Practically, with so much Yang energy still in Nature, it feels like we are still in Summer. However, the 8th of August marks the beginning of the Late Summer, the transition from Summer to Autumn. Late Summer in Five Element philosophy is linked to the Earth Element.

It is the balancing and stock taking month; the beginning of harvest.

After nearly uncontrollable growth in Spring and a diffusing expansion of Summer energy, the Late Summer is the time where the nature is just beginning to turn its energy inwards in order to produce and mature fruits. So, grass is not growing as high, foliage of plants is not as expanding now, however, fruits are getting bigger and more mature. That inward energy after months of very active Yang feels somehow balancing off. It is also the time when we are seeing what all that Yang activity has produced.

Looking at my garden I can see the quantity and quality of fruits my tomato plants have produced. I begin to assess how the Nature has gifts my efforts in growing tomatoes. We have had a lot of drought this year and had it not been for me watering the plants regularly they would have withered and died just like the grass that's besides them. Had I not been constant and dedicated to watering them nearly daily, I would not be seeing lush green plants producing fruits now. I can also see that this year my lack of constancy in timely tending to the plants, such as tying and cutting regularly, has produced fewer fruits than last year. Whenever we grow something, the rhythm is really crucial for adundant harvest. When the nature receives everything necessary at the right time and in the right amount, it gifts us with abundance.

Now, that can make us think analogically about our being, be it our body, mind or spirit, we need to tender to it with constancy, dedication and attention if we would like to see satisfying results. It is easier to think about the body. Giving it the right kind of food and regular meals, makes our bodies function well.

How about our mind? It is slightly more abstract, however, giving it good food for thoughts will make it produce marvellous ideas and concepts. Have you ever noticed that after reading an interesting book or seeing a beautiful exhibition or travelling you come back home and feel so mentally creative? That's because you've nourished your mind.

How about our spirit? It is even more abstract to imagine how we can best nourish our spirit. But you can imagine that analogically to our body and mind we need to nourish it just as regularly to satisfy our higher-selves. The nourishment of our spirit is when we feel our life is fulfilling (in our vocation, our relationships, etc) and when our efforts bring the abundant fruits in those areas, or when we make acts of kindness or practice stillness and perceive all encompassing state of peace and harmony.

So, this month is just that; assessing our efforts and what fruit it has bore for us so far. It requires us to turn our gaze inwards. After months of expanding our energy on many activities, socialising, trying out new things and places, we are now looking at the effect it's had on our being.

The Mother Earth teaches us how constancy, dedication, devotion and rhythm are important in caring and nourishing. You hardly ever spend a day without nourishing your body, without eating something. Why would you not need to nourish your soul and spirit daily?

Those qualities of the Earth Element were so important to the ancient Chinese that they associated it with their legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) and his assistant Sovereign Earth (Hou Tu).

This month give care and attention to what you want to see flourishing in your life and water just that, tender to it daily; whether it is a work project, your wellbeing, family love, home harmony, sharing and dreaming, or other part of your life that has not yet produced the fruits you need. Consider that during the month of August. I hope your reflections will be truly abundant. And finally, feel free to write me comments or questions on the topic.

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