Adapting to the seasons, being in harmony with their rhythms is a vital part of how we stay healthy. September 22nd marked the beginning of a two week long seasonal node called the Autumn Equinox. This is a time when the Yin contraction of nature is in preparation for Winter’s Sleep.
Read MoreFriday, June 5th, was the beginning of the Bearded Grain or Mang Zhong, seasonal node, the ninth of the year. Bearded Grain is the last node just before Summer Solstice, the most expansive and Yang time of the year. The name, ‘Bearded Grain,’ is a reference to the crops, and is the beginning of the long harvest. The image of death, transition and renewal is characteristic of the period of the solstice that soon approaches.
Read MoreFebruary 4th marked the Beginning of Spring. The solar beginning of Spring happens every year February 4th or 5th, and this year it started last Tuesday (February 4th). The other beginning of Spring is the lunar, also known as Chun Jie, the Spring Festival. This day is the Chinese Lunar New Year, and it falls on the second new moon following the Winter Solstice.
Read MoreJanuary 20th is the start of the Major Cold Seasonal Node. The days are slowly getting longer, and in the morning the birds are singing more than they were even just a few weeks ago. The bird songs were a reminder that Major Cold is the last node of the traditional Chinese year, and we are now only days away from the Lunar New Year, and about two weeks away from the solar New Year and the Beginning of the Spring seasonal node.
Read MoreAfter Winter Solstice there are only two more Seasonal Nodes in the Chinese calendar before the Chinese Solar New Year and the beginning of Spring - Minor Cold and Major Cold. What is more important is that now is the time of year when the potential for sustained cold is very real as, even though we are moving into Spring, January and February are usually the coldest months of the year.
Read MoreMajor Snow started Saturday, November 7th. It is the last Seasonal Node before Winter Solstice and represents the final stage of the most Yin time of year. The two weeks of Major Snow are the longest nights of the year. The main way to support health in this period is to focus on warm supplementation, while at the same time avoiding exposure to cold.
Read MoreTuesday October 8 is the beginning of the Cold Dew Seasonal Node, the first 15-day segment after Autumn Equinox. Here in the Northeastern United States fall is underway. The leaves slowly change color and begin to drop. Remember, it’s a time to begin slowing down, going inward, enjoying the quietness that this time of year offers.
Read MoreSeptember 8, was the start of the White Dew Seasonal Node, with the equinox only about 2 weeks away. The movement of Autumn is the movement of harvest. Nature is slowly winding down. Notice the contracting energy of the earth, the fallen leaves, and the changing energy of Nature.
Read MoreThis year the Vernal Equinox Seasonal Node starts Thursday March 21. Why then does the Chinese calendar regard Vernal Equinox as the midpoint of Spring? Because we are now at the balance point of Yin and Yang. Spring is the time when Yang of the natural world is slowly starting to push itself up and out of the Yin of Winter.
Read MoreWednesday, March 6th, is the start of the Awakening of Insects seasonal node, the third node of the year. This is the next segment of Spring, and although over the last two weeks weather has been particularly chilly, we're starting to see buds setting on trees.
Read MoreTuesday February 19th, was the beginning of the second seasonal node of the new-year and the new Spring –“Rain Water.” We’ve been experiencing rain, snow - mix of both, typical of this time of year. During Rain Water the expansion of Yang in the natural environment continues.
Read MoreThis time of year, the Beginning of Spring, is when the Yang influences are growing in the natural world. By now we are only about 6 weeks away from the Vernal Equinox , one of the times of year where the Yang and Yin are balanced and we have more equal day and night.
Read MoreAs we are fully embracing Summer, we can look at the nodes of Summer, which are smaller, mini-seasons that can tell us a lot about the natural rhythms of Summer and what we can expect. Each node is roughly 15 days in length with names symbolic of what is happening at that time of year.
Read More
