For almost a year now, I’ve been doing a YouTube series called “Herb of the Week.” These are short, hopefully enjoyable descriptions of various seasonally-relevant herb energetics. These energetics are part of life—not just the life of an herbalist. That’s why I thought I’d share one of these little weekly herb messages right here on…
We are coming up on my favorite day of the year, March 4th. Why March 4th? It’s an incredible day: March Forth! It’s in the early spring, and what more perfect day to have the spirit of March Forth in the Wood element? So what does it take to March Forth, with a sense of…
There are two different acupuncture points that are about being totally lost. One is more worldly, and the other is more in the realm of spirit. Gallbladder 40 is translated by J. R. Worsley as Wilderness Wound. I’m lost, and the GPS is just going “Huuuuuuuuuuh…” Lost. The image of the point is actually a…
The health of the will is a very big topic for this time of year. Stephen Cowan reminds me that the character for “will” could be translated as will, but it could more helpfully be translated as willingness. How’s your willingness? Let’s start with deceptively simple matters like, “Hi, you’re here. Are you willing to…
NOTE: This post definitely doesn’t work too well as a transcript, so I hope you watch the video. It is worth mentioning that I am not teaching from a chakra-based model. I’m teaching from an East Asian or Chinese medicine model, in which the Heart is considered the center. It’s not just another rung on…
Here’s a quick tonification for your Bladder meridian, into a degree of stateliness and containedness that will not necessarily help increase your energy level immediately like a quick fix, but it will increase your efficiency and your wisdom, such that especially if you are already tired, you will not be shredding yourself further. You will…
There is an important connection between Bladder 1 and your lower dantian, the place in your lower body where you feel your gut wisdom. Let’s take a moment put one hand on our low belly, and with the other hand doing that thing that you see people doing when they’re totally exhausted, with their fingers…
In early October, I gave a short overview of the Five Element sheng (nourishing) cycle and discussed the transition from late summer to autumn (see How Earth Feeds Metal). Now we are coming to the end of autumn when we can most clearly see Metal feeding Water. In nature, it is not always easy to…
In ancient China, autumn was the traditional time of year for the beheading of criminals. In each autumn, in each village, how many criminals were beheaded was relative to the counting up of the stores and calculating how much food we have to take us through the winter. Metal is poised between Earth and Water,…
Autumn is a time when the energy of the season supports us to hone, refine, and pare down—and yet like the loss of the leaves on the trees, this honing and paring down becomes an opening. For instance, I may lose a relationship that I cared about, a job opportunity, or an angora hat that…
