Bucks County & the Metal fall
Happy Equinox!
As autumn arrives over Bucks County, PA, the landscape transforms into a vibrant tapestry of colors. Trees don their rich hues of red, orange, and gold, creating a picturesque backdrop against the crisp, clear blue sky. The air becomes cooler, inviting our community to enjoy apple picking at Solebury Orchards and exploring local farmers' markets (looking at you Wrightstown Farmer’s Market). Fall in Bucks County epitomizes the transition of explosive, energetic Yang into the depths of Yin.
I don’t know about you, but always feel the most uncertain at this time. The weekends get booked up quickly. Time feels less and less available. Everyone is busy. My clinic tends to slow down in August and September and then all of a sudden picks up and get so so busy again. The uncertainty is hard. We are all busy, tired, overwhelmed, trying to get things done.
In Chinese Medicine, this time is the time of the Metal Element. It is also the season of our Lungs and Large Intestine according to Chinese Medicine. What this means is that grief, sadness, overwhelm, difficulty with letting things go (the large intestine is responsible both physically but also emotionally for this), and colds/flus can come to the forefront.
So how can we manage this transition with ease?
I like to consider this time during the fall in Bucks County as one of my favorite times of year, but I can sometimes overbook myself. I don’t know if you relate. But, I consider it almost like the trees. In Chinese Medicine, the summer is Yang like. This means there’s more heat (it’s literally hotter!), there’s more sunlight, there’s more movement, more things to do, more things to accomplish. It has a whole ton of energy associated with it. We woke from our slumber of the winter, emerged into the spring (like little sprouts through the dirt!), and sprung open with gusto. Now, we are dying back, retreating. But, I like to remember that there is one more burst of color that emerges from the leaves before they fall. This is the last burst of energy before we really retreat into the full and deep Yin of the winter.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, know that the time of Yin is here. In the Northern Hemisphere we have shifted into the deeper, quieter, yin state and we still have deeper to go. Now we are just waiting for the last dregs of energy to down shift. So, use the last bit of energy you have, but then remember- it is okay to rest.
Need some tips? Here ya go:
Eat Seasonally- Look to the farmer’s markets to help inform this! Eating seasonally is literally using the earth’s judgment, consideration, and deep unerstanding on how the season’s shift. Follow the Earth’s cue. She is retreating, retreat and eat with her. My favorite seasonal food at this time is the honeynut squash. It is a smaller version of a butternut squash and I find it is a little more tender as well as sweet. In Chinese medicine, the spleen/stomach system is the mother of the lung/large intestine. So, similar to the idea of breastfeeding, to nourish the child you have to nourish the mother. The spleen/stomach systems are the most supported with root veggies, complex carbs, warm foods (soups and stews!), and foods that are vibrant and yellow in color.
Protect your body from wind and cold- the cold is coming! The lung/large intestine systems in Chinese Medicine are related to the immune system. Acupuncturists know that to protect and support your immune system, it is important to protect a part of your body called the wind gate. The wind gate is found at the back of the neck (it has deep ties to the medulla in the brain- which regulates immune system function and temperature regulation!). Chinese Medicine practitioners will recommend wearing scarves, cute little wraps, coats, and sweaters that block the cold from hitting the back of the neck! Give it a try.
It is time to let it go. What have you been holding onto? What has been hard to process? Something sticking around that has been particularly painful? This time is the time of grief in Chinese Medicine. And grief can be a plethor of emotions layered on each other. The quiet of yin allows us and even WANTS us to process these emotions. Allow them to flow through you and out. I imagine the emotion, event, feeling, sense, or pain I am holding onto. I imagine it in a box, contained and safe. I imagine opening the box, turning it over, and letting it spill out. What spills out though is sand. Clear, cool, and light sand. And that sand tumbles out of the box, spills over, and is gently blown away by the wind.
Want to explore more Yin? Expand on this with a blog post I wrote at this time last year HERE.
Need support with this transition: book an appointment here.
