Seasonal awareness is important when the days start getting darker.
In Chinese medicine, each season is affiliated with an organ system and each organ system is associated with both a spiritual and an emotional aspect. Each time the seasons change, we have an opportunity to nourish and support our bodies by validating and recognizing the feelings that go with these organs.
Fall is linked with the lungs, and lungs are associated with grief and sadness. It’s not a coincidence that All Souls Day and Samhain occur in the autumn. It is natural to feel a bittersweetness or a sense of loss as summer turns to winter. Fall is not all about loss though, it is also about a deep sense of connection. It is like sunset – we acknowledge that another day has passed, but look forward to a new sunrise the next morning.
The spiritual aspect of autumn involves the sense of spirit that is tied to our bodies. While summer was a time to rejoice and celebrate, we can not help but feel a little more serious as we prepare to survive another winter – we must gather food and resources to make it until next spring. Fall is the perfect time to contemplate and acknowledge the losses in our lives, but also to remind ourselves of all the good that is still to come.
Rituals thanking our ancestors, mentors, family, lost children or pets are wonderful for this time of year. Even just flipping through old photos with friends or family can be a lovely way to express thanks for the gifts and blessings you have in your life. Fall is about gratitude and thanksgiving.
Winter is associated with the kidneys, the source of growth and reproduction. The kidneys are often said to be linked to fear, but a more accurate translation of this chinese character is vigilance or anticipation. Like a seed that hides underground during the winter, or a child growing in the womb, winter is not a time of complete dormancy, but quiet growth. We pool our resources, take time to nurture ourselves and tuck into cozy clothes to not squander warmth. While for some, winter is associated with death, in Chinese Medicine we think of it as hibernation. We should be spending more time indoors in the winter, and often this is a time of year, especially after the holidays, when people become less social, more insular.
The spirit that is associated with winter is the will. In the not so recent past, we would have spent the year growing crops and planning how to survive a long winter, and now we must have the will power to outlast the snow and cold. The virtue of the kidneys is wisdom – honor yourself and your accomplishments. Take time to contemplate the future. Shower those near to you with love. Make plans for the future, take advantage of a less busy social calender to tackle a new skill. Learn to paint, try a new instrument or pick up an old one. Here’s to you and everything you’re good at!
