Coming to your inbox for a special ~spring edition~ of the healing arts press this week, as the wheel of the year keeps on turnin’. I realized that I have sent out a newsletter on each of the year’s quarter days since starting, so I am certainly not about to end my streak. Plus, it’s spring!! And that is most definitely worth writing about.
Given the title of “nature’s birthing season”, in one of my favourite books to come back to again and again, Staying Healthy with the Seasons, spring is the time to be reborn. Nature shows us this with the arrival of budding flowers, new saplings sprouting up, and babies coming into the world (think bunnies, lambs, and little chicks). When we are living in harmony with the seasons, we can take this energy to encourage the birthing of our own dreams into fruition. This can be an idea you’ve been sitting with, a habit you’ve been wanting to form, or a new story you mean to tell. I like to think of the stories we tell ourselves of who we are versus who we want to be. Spring provides us with the invitation to take who we are inside and present it, fresh and anew, on the outside.
I truly resonate with the TCM approach to seasons and the elements. For the past few weeks I have been suddenly ultra conscious of my liver. There felt like a stagnancy in my body, like it wasn’t processing toxins efficiently (this meant skin problems and sluggish digestion for me). Well, lo and behold, spring is the time of the wood element and the corresponding organs are the liver and gallbladder. This just intuitively feels right for me, and it’s a good lesson to tune into the signals your body is sending you as these seasonal changes take place. I’ve been hitting the dandelion and burdock root hard to give my liver the support its been craving. Another herb that is a shining star during this time of year is nettle (I am obsessed and will be writing all about nettle soon!). Sour things are also supportive for the wood element, so think lemon, lime, or ACV. I love to drink water with lemon, lime and some salt.
The spring or vernal equinox is known as Ostara in pagan traditions, with the name coming from the Germanic goddess of dawn, Eostre. Somewhere down the road Eostra → Easter and here we are today. Not so far from the roots of where it all began but a little out of touch with the origins and traditions, no doubt. Luckily, it’s not so hard to pay homage to the days of past. Get outside today, thank the sun for its timely return, smell a flower, find a petting zoo or farm to watch a baby goat, make a list of what you want this new season of life to bring you, do some spring cleaning - literally or figuratively, eat some spring greens, you name it really. I picture myself doing any of the above while drinking some tea, wearing one of these dresses, and listening to some soothing, brain balancing sounds.
With spring comes Aries season, with its fire and need for action. It’s truly a time of out with the yin and in with the yang. May we all go from our roots and rise up to the sun to shine our brightest selves, restored and reenergized by the new light. Here’s a photo of three lambs, just a few of the sheep that arrived at my parent’s place over the weekend. A true spring blessing <3
Happy equinox y’all! Have a playful and joyous start to spring!
the lambs :')