Late Summer

By Anne C. Crowley, MAc, LAc

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Late Summer

Yes, the last dog days of summer, the humidity, the dampness, and the stickiness are all part of the Earth season or Late Summer. Fruits come to fruition and so do we. Earth is well known as a nurturing energy taking care of others and maybe not yourself. We must take satisfaction for all our hard work and reap our wonderful harvest.

The climate of earth, dampness, stickiness resides in us. We move slower and feel heavier. People who suffer from fibromyalgia often experience dampness in their muscles. They may have an internal sensitivity to dampness to begin with and this season may present more challenges.

We can also appreciate the gifts of earth thoughtfulness, understanding, feeling centered, feeling at home in ourselves. It is a marked transition from spring and summer to autumn and winter. What a task no wonder it is weighty.

As we go through August and September, be aware of the energy of the earth within you.

Following are some tips to bask in the gifts of the Earth Season

Savor the last juicy red tomatoes, peaches, and squash.

Savor home bring peace and tranquility to your home or even to the space you most love to be in at home.

Nurture yourself find at least onenew way to take care of yourself, do it regularly.

Notice hunger and seek good food. We can feel empty on many levels, body, mind or spirit find “nourishment.”

Reap your harvest savor what you have sown. Don’t focus on what is undone, but rather on your accomplishments.

The Chinese organs for earth are the spleen and stomach. The stomach is about receiving and digesting food. Your mind and spirit also needed to digest ideas into useable form. Eat a good breakfast and schedule thoughtful projects during morning time. This will help you to digest and transform what you learn.

The spleen (metabolizer in the body) is about transformation. When challenges come our way, ask how you might transform the situation. How can you move worry or churning thoughts into thoughtful action?

When we flow with the cycles of nature rather than resist them, we follow our own natural cycle of transformation and challenges can become a lot easier. Savor the last glorious days of summer, reap your harvest and prepare for the seasons to come.