In Your Cave With Your Sage
On the element wheel we have well and truly shifted from autumn and the metal element to winter and the water element. We have even made it though mid winter and solstice, starting our accent towards Spring…. yet there is still time to connect to what the drawing in of winter has to offer us. On the Daoist 5 element wheel, each season connects to organ systems, emotions, virtues and archetypes. Water is the alpha and the omega, being the end of the seasonal wheel and the place of rebirth into spring, connecting to the kidneys/bladder and our inner sage.
From where all life began…
In terms of water, we can relate to starting life in amniotic fluid and as the root of life itself, without it we dry up. Symbolically, black is the of colour of the water element likened to the dark inky black depths of the ocean and fear relating to the unknown and surviving. It is in those depths that we hold the energetic reserves that grant willpower, courage and self actualisation. So it makes sense that the water element connects to the brain, adrenal system, endocrine organs, all hormonal secretions and our DNA which help us adapt and navigate the challenges of life.
The wisdom of our depths…
Naturally we all feel winter’s seasonal influence, some more than others. The loss of light at this time of year effects our seratonin and melatonin which has a big effect on our desire to sleep. Although life must keep rolling, we can relate to that calling by entering our metaphorical inner caves… where we can hear that deeper conversation resound, at times almost inescapably. Yet in the silence and introspection lie the answers offered by our inner sage.
So in winter’s darkest moments, which we are thankfully through, there can be questioning, fear and doubts. If open, our inner sage brings the qualities of wisdom, trust and acceptance of the unknown and unknowable mysteries of life. Fortunately our sage also holds the knowledge, wisdom of accumulated experience along with the virtues of trust and faith thankfully!
With the wisdom comes the knowing that it’s not a time to push but to conserve our energy, quite appropriately, as there is a time to unleash the immense reservoir of our water energy, that being Spring! We need the wisdom of our water to bring life to the new seeds, of the wood element, looking to grow.
Great affirmations are:
- My Kidneys cleanse and care for my body
- I allow the qi to regenerate in my kidneys, replenishing the very core of my being.
- I am safe and secure, able to face any challenges that may arise
- My willpower is resolute and gives me newfound strength.
- I cherish my kidneys as they are the root of all life and new beginnings.
- I am fearless
As a five element acupuncturist, I look to uncover your constitutional element, if these themes strongly resonate, perhaps water could be yours?
Enjoy the last of the time you have with your sage and the wisdom that you reap.