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Spring into New Options

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Spring is upon us. We mostly made it through winter. Some are still experiencing those last minute surprise snow storms and chillier weather but it is still moving towards us.

This is the season when we get out of our houses if we aren’t into the cold and rain activities. We want to get moving again. It is the natural order of things. Plants, bulbs, flowers come up and out for the ground. The days get longer. We reset our clocks to take advantage of the longer hours in the evening. (I personally prefer these hours, even if they aren’t the natural state.) Spring cleaning happens to open the home to the moving energy again and clear out that which has collected and gotten stagnant during our “cave” experience the last few months.

Clearing the cupboards, closets, carpets, etc is a great way to get the energy going. When you get rid of the stale and that which you don’t need you have room to bring in the fresh and new and allow for new growth. Let’s get rid of the blocks, obstacles from getting our ‘things’ done.

This is the season that the Wood element is dominant. The organs are Liver and Gall Bladder. The Liver is a great orchestrator, gets things organized and moving. When you are planning a party you want a great organizer. She sees the details and leaves nothing undone. The Gall Bladder comes along and helps to actually get it done. Do you know anyone that can plan all sorts of things but just can’t seem to finish anything?

This stagnation, not being able to achieve our dreams, keep moving forward can come from outside obstacles in our lives or obstacles inside ourselves. Are you clear where is the sabotage coming from? If we don’t control the stagnation we will literally blow everything up in the process of getting our plans fulfilled (Liver)  or grab and break down, wear down the opposition until you feel powerful and in control again (Gall Bladder).

We have to have dreams and goals but we need to have these while remaining cognizant that we are not the only people in the world. The world was not created for our satisfaction and entertainment. We are not the center of the universe. We have to make room for others. We need to share. As there are more and more people on the planet this gets to be a bigger and bigger challenge. We need to acknowledge and accept that we have this fire that builds up in us and find healthy outlets for it. It’s great to have this fire to right the wrongs or do amazing, positive changes in a wounded society. We are at at point where we need to understand that we are not powerless when we share the power.

To right the wrongs does not mean to be shoot, kill everyone who disagrees with you. There is way too much of that going on. It seems that we are getting to accept that that is the way things should be done. It’s OK to admit that you would like to rip someone’s face off or blow something up but it just can’t be done. We can choose to control the extreme here. When someone out to get you, you need to understand that they are coming from a place of extreme fear, even paranoia and powerlessness. What makes them feel that way? What factors make them think and act in ways that are so extreme so that they can feel powerful again? In turn, when we see them coming, what do we want to do to stop them in their tracks? War comes to mind but we’ve done that too many times and it hasn’t worked.

Remember that here is more than one way. It is the old thinking, weighty habits that often get in our way. We need to evolve in our thinking, grow in options for handling the stagnations, blockages, pain that come into our lives. Look to each other for understanding and support instead of undermining and annihilating opposing thought. Organize another way to deal with not getting only our way so we all get our way, all have self respect and self-esteem and have our personal power intact.

Create a new plan, goal. Strive to be peaceful, tolerant, patient. To understand that these strategies are not signs of weakness is a great challenge for us. Use this vibrant Spring energy to start you on another path, fine new insight and strength.

 

Welcome to Winter

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Winter. It is the Yin season. If fact it is the Yin within Yin season, the most Yin. Surrounded by the dark and cold. The perfect time to get deeper into our caves for warmth, protect our energy and actually restore the energy we used up all last year. It is not about total disconnection, though.

The connection or rather, reconnection, we should make at this time is with our inner selves.  Getting to know You time.  With the great darkness outside we need to shed some light but on the inside and discover the essence of our self. We spend most of our lives not connected to our spirit, soul. We are not grounded. We keep trying to have an out-of-body experience. As Wayne Dyer would say ‘we need to have an inner body experience.’

Water is the element of the winter season, its’ organ system is the Kidney.

We look as Water as the beginning. The beginning of our life and the next seasonal cycle. Our life started in water. Think of carbon life forms coming out of the oceans onto the earth. We came out of a placental sac filled with water. Water is considered deep and dark and it is connected to our source and our reserve bank.

Most things move slower in the winter. The cold contracts and make movements more restrained. It is the time to restore our reserves, filing them up for the busy year ahead. When we want to preserve food we put it in a cold and dark storage unit – refrigerator. We need to do this with our energy.  In reality, we should be getting up later and going to bed earlier. Our society is not one that likes to go with this flow of seasonal energy. It creates its own flow which is more like a perpetual tsunami, and in the process we exhaust ourselves. We reward ourselves and others for going above and beyond. With our longer life expectancies this is not necessarily the best option.

The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are considered part of the Kidney system. Because we do more and more to exhaust ourselves, working beyond our natural limits and draining our energy it is important that we make the time to rest and replenish. Try putting meditation onto your daily calendar just like getting up and going to work. You can take 10 min before you get up and 10 min before you go to bed. Just like learning to walk this takes practice. The important thing to understand is that your mind will never shut off, it’s not supposed to. You learn to master what you focus on and keep returning it when it wants to wander. You can also take short breaks during the day to do this. It really doesn’t have to be a long session. It is proven to slow heart rate, lower blood pressure and help you to better focus on the tasks to be done. It is the easiest way to get your second, third or fourth wind during the day. Free, no calories.

Every element has an emotional aspect and for Water the emotion Fear. Everyone is fearful from time to time. It is appropriate to use caution and act in a safe manner. However this fear is more a feeling of not having enough to face the challenges ahead. When you are constantly exhausted it is easy to feel even more fearful. Think of all the challenges our society faces today. Our new term ‘Homeland Security’ has become a euphemism for paranoia. When you are that scared, everyone is out to get you and you must arm yourself. Now that doesn’t mean there aren’t unpleasant people out there but everyone needs to take a step back, nourish our bodies and minds and educate ourselves in all aspects of these problems. Knowledge and understand are the balancing activities to conquer fear, not guns or hatred. The energy and attitude with which you address a problem with is what will come back to you. Try calm, meditation, understanding and a willingness to listen. It’s about communication, inner and outer.

So find a warm, comfy, dark place and spend some time exploring the inner You and understanding the world around you. It really needs to be done. This is the perfect season. What has been said for thousands of years “As on the inside, so on the outside.” If you see chaos all around you it is a reflection of what is going on inside you. Only you can change that. You can’t do it for anyone else but one person changing themselves can impact the world. It is the Power of One.

Acupressure for fall and winter

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The body is covered with acupressure (acupuncture) points. If you aren’t putting a needle in a point it becomes an acupressure point. You can use the tip of your finger, your nail, a knuckle, the finger pad, your fist. Depending on the site and what you are trying to accomplish there are many ways to stimulate a point.

These points can be very helpful. A lot of them on are the Lung and Large Intestine channels and are useful at this time of colds and flus.

Lt hand dorsum with points

Large Intestine 4 – Hegu, Tiger’s Paw

Moves qi (energy) for anything.

Helps with headaches in the forehead area, frontal sinus
headaches. Connects the Lung and Large Intestine channels to
support qi movement

Half way between the knuckled of the index finger and the thumb.  On the fleshy side of the bone.

Lung 7 – Broken Sequence. A point just off the dominent line of the channel.

Helps the sinuses and Lungs. It opens to the nose and descends the
energy to assist breathing.  Helps with difficult breathing, asthma, sinus congestion
Helps cough, cough with phlegm, sinus congestion common with cold  symptoms

On the side of the wrist just above the bony prominence of the radius bone.

Scott with face points_edited-1

Large Intestine 20 – Welcome Fragrance

Opens the nasal passages.  Nasal congestions, with phlegm, polyps, sneezing

In the groove on the side of the nose by the wing (ala)

Yintang – an extra point
Often called the 3rd eye point
Helps to relax
Open the sinuses

In the area at the bridge of the nose and extending up about ½ inch.

Bladder 2
  Helps with sinus pain, frontal headache,   Blurred vision, tearing from irritation, colds, itchy eyes

Above the inner corner of the eye along the boney ridge at a small notch.

Tai yang – an extra point
One sided headache, dizziness
Toothache
Eye disorders – dimness, redness and swelling, pain

In the depression at the temple between the end of the eyebrow and the outer corner of the eye.

Stomach 8 – Head’s Binding
Benefits the eyes
Severe headaches with chills, fever, nausea and vomiting

On the corner of the forehead just into the hairline.

You can rub these points on anyone with these problems. Can be helpful with young children or other don’t want to or can’t medicate. Of course the best action is to go to an acupuncturist. Herbs will be of great assistance. And it is best to get their assistance in prevention also.