Clarifying the Effect of the Energetic Seasons on Your Skincare Regimen: When to Switch from Water to Earth

January 17 marks the end of traditional Chinese medicine’s energetic Winter and the Water element.

This means that Water's energetic influence will cease operating and a new influence begins. From January 18 to the February 4 the Winter seasonal energetic activity returns to Earth for 18 days. Then the energy reappears February 5 as the energy of the Spring season (Wood element).

How does this change affect your skincare regimen and your choice of products?

We need to remember that there is a lag time between the change of energetic influence and the visible consequences, or symptoms, of the change.

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When the Water season ends, its climatic influence is still felt. At that time, the climate in most of the U.S. is still one of Winter, particularly in the Northern half of the country, and the need to protect against the cold and its effects on our skin is still present and not to be ignored. 

For most people it means that a continuation of the Winter regimen is quite logical as long as the Winter climate is in effect, but the people who have a predisposition to Earth conditions (pimples, blemishes or acne, and issues of lymph circulation) need to be aware that with the Earth season their condition will worsen.

It is also the best time to address the issues of the earth skin conditions. They are the people who need to switch lines (and professional treatments) on time.

Using both the Water products and the Earth products might be called for depending on the individual’s condition and the climate at the time.

Because the Water products are also anti-aging products (hydration and tone), given the age and skin condition of the individual, the Water line might be the right choice for most of the year. 

For many of our clients in the states, it’s important to prolong the use of the Water line past the January 17 unless their dominant concern is the skin conditions associated with the Earth element. In that case, switching to Earth is recommended. 

Late Winter Lifestyle Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

The Earth element in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) relates to transformation. It’s active four times a year in 18-day transition periods between the four major seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter). Although we tend to associate the attributes of Earth with late or Indian Summer, Earth also occurs in late Winter, late Spring and late Fall. 

In other words, as the end of each of the traditional four seasons approaches, the “heavenly” (cosmic) seasonal energy goes back to the Earth for transformation into the energy of the next season.

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According to Chinese medicine:

 “…its influence manifests for 18 days at the end of each of the four seasons and it does not pertain to any season of its own…” – The Classic of Categories (1624) by Zhang Jie Bin.

Earth is not unlike the center of the compass. It is a pivot point, so to speak, around which the four seasons and the other four elements spin. But, occurring four times a year for 18 days each, these periods totaling 72 days and which bear similar characteristics are referred to as the Earth energetic season or fifth season of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

The next Earth energetic period is from January 18 to February 4. An Earth imbalance creates any one of the following group of conditions affecting the skin:

• blemishes

• toxicity

• acne

• psoriasis

• enlarged pores and

• lymph circulation problems.

PHYTO5 has created a very specific skin and hair care line designed to help address these imbalances.

Unlike Wood and Fire elements in TCM defined by a rising and peaking yang, and unlike Metal and Water elements with a rising and peaking yin, Earth represents a balance between yin and yang energies. As such, the Earth element represents warm, stable, grounded, loving, emotional characteristics. It is nurturing, comforting, calm, solid and stable. Earth is all about family, community and gathering, eating now and gathering, collecting, holding and storing for later.

Earth energy type people are sentimental and maintain their attachments to other people, things, and places. Earth types tend to savor the sweetness of life and being human and they find enjoyment in all the comforts and pleasures of life. But, as with each element, Earth types can become imbalanced and demonstrate physical and emotional challenges.

According to TCM, Earth is about ingestion and absorption, not just of food but of ideas and emotions. An Earth element imbalance in the body is the result of ingesting too much, or its opposite–stagnation, the slowing down of chi energy flow in the body, or an outright inability to consume or subsequently digest ideas, emotions, or food.

Earth types are thoughtful but can worry too much. They can feel sympathy, deeply allowing them to feel connected to others, but these same emotions taken too far can cause them to feel stuck, unable to act or think clearly, with an over-dependence on others for their opinions, judgment and advice.

Earth types are quite good at maintaining family and friend relationships. They love situations that require them to work with others. They enjoy teamwork and collaborative work environments.

Well-balanced Earth people usually have a healthy complexion, soft facial features, sturdy and balanced body frame, exhibiting an earthiness to their appearance.

The organs most closely associated with Earth are the spleen and the stomach and the digestive system as a whole. The Discussion of Prescriptions from the Golden Chest (c. AD 220) by Zhang Zhong Jing says:

“During the last period of each season, the Spleen is strong enough to resist pathogenic factors.”

Earth also has influence over the pancreas, the large muscles of the body on the upper arms and lower legs, the abdomen, the middle back, the lymph system and the diaphragm. Of course, proper lymph circulation is important in keeping a strong immune system and a healthy complexion.

The Earth periods are the best time to address Earth conditions. They are also the times when Earth energy can make existing Earth imbalance in people worse, therefore balancing Earth energy during the Earth periods with Earth treatments and products is highly recommended, particularly for Earth type people.

…

Sources:

Maciocia, Giovanni. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text. Edinburgh: Elsevier, 2015. Print.

Bridges, Lillian. Face Reading in Chinese Medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, 2012. Print.

Best Eating Practices for the Time Between Energetic Seasons: October 21 to November 7

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), we can best nourish our spleen and stomach by consuming the natural sweetness of grains, fruits and vegetables. The best time to consume these is during the period between the energetic seasons of Fall and Winter. In TCM, we call this the Earth period. There are four Earth periods in the year. The autumnal Earth period runs from October 21 to November 7.

The taste associated with the season of Earth is sweet.

The climate associated with Earth is damp.

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Earth’s two yin and yang organs are (yin) spleen and (yang) stomach.
 
TCM explains that the spleen’s principal function is transforming food and drink into vital energy and blood. It distributes the chi (vital energy) and blood throughout the body.
 
In spite of the benefits most will realize eating sweet grains, fruits and vegetables, Earth types have a tendency to overeat as well as a tendency to gravitate to sweets. Earth types should be careful with this because it can disturb their overall balance of chi.
 
If you have a tendency to overeat, these tips may help you:

1. To curb the appetite, drink lots of water during the day which will increase the bulk of the food you have eaten while softening the food particles making them easier to digest.

2. Drink the bulk of your water in between meals.

3. Drink room temperature water.

4. Avoid icy beverages.

5. Consume smaller, more frequent meals.

6. Take small portions and eat slowly.

7. Take small second helpings if you’re still hungry.

8. Increase consumption of whole foods: grains, fruits, vegetables. You will feel full, they digest much more easily, and your body will absorb fewer calories.

9. Substitute fruit for sweet desserts. Figs, pears, persimmons, pomegranate seeds, grapes and, of course, apples are wonderful sweet fruits available at this time of year.

10. Stabilize blood sugar levels with legumes (lentils, chick peas, split peas, kidney beans, soybeans, fava beans) and root vegetables (carrots, celery, onions, turnips, parsnips, radishes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes).

11. Take the burden off your stomach and intestines by avoiding fatty foods, in particular, dairy products and red meat. Dairy and red meat are difficult to digest and create dampness caused by mucus in the system.

12. Eliminate dampness in your system by dry condiments like ginger, cinnamon, garlic, pepper, parsley, and cardamom. They support digestion and increase metabolism. They also help to reduce gas, water retention, indigestion, nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain.

The tendency of imbalanced Earth energy is to worry excessively. The worst fear of the Earth type is deprivation, most especially deprivation of relationships which are so important to Earth types. Often, when a relationship ends or is in stress, Earth types will resort to food to fill the emptiness and soothe the pain they feel. Many will even gorge themselves with food yet still feel an emptiness that cannot be completely filled.

It’s important to have a toolkit of practices in place so that when the going gets rough like this, we can rely on these tools rather than large amounts of food.

These tools could include:

• Relying on a trusted friend to share your feelings with

• A strong spiritual foundation

• A “go to” book of very powerful inspiration both in hard copy book form and audio format

• A memorized poem or passage of sacred text you can immediately pivot to to shift your mood

• A developed practice of meditation

• A small arsenal of mantras you can incant for quick relief and comfort.

…

Source:

Elias, Jason, and Katherine Ketcham. Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity: Understanding the Five Elemental Types for Health and Well-being. New York: Three Rivers, 1998. Print

All About FOOD for the Energetic Earth Season

The fifth or transition season between seasons according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In TCM, we call it the Earth element season. It runs until August 6 when energetic Fall begins.

In Chinese medicine, our bodies are microcosmic mirrors of the world. They are hemselves small worlds containing all the energies and elements of the Earth. Our bodies are fully connected to our environment whether we live as if we realize this or not.

Our organ systems, our emotional beings, our energies, even our personalities will reflect the color, the energetic characteristics, the flavors, the sounds, the tastes, the direction and the striving for certain perfections of the season.

Because we’re so intrinsically connected to our environmental world, our bodies must change as our environment changes.

When we move into the Earth transition season of late Summer (according to TCM), the 18-day bridge period between energetic Summer and Fall, our diets should change.

We should adjust our way of eating in a way that builds and tones the body. Mild tasting simple foods are best. As we get ready to move into energetic Fall, we need more fat and proteins than with our previous Summer diet.

We might start craving more sweets at this time. Be sure to choose smart sugars like those below as much as you can.

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Here are some of the best naturally sweet foods to eat during energetic Earth season:

• millet

• rice

• corn

• amaranth

• carrots

• parsnips

• sprouts

• potatoes

• sweet potatoes

• lettuce

• apples

• cabbage

• peas

• cucumber

• dates

• figs

• grapes

• olives

• peaches

• pears

• squash

• tomatoes

• apricots

• cantaloupe

• kidney beans

• string beans

• walnuts

“The Earth Element has a strong influence over the fifteen days surrounding each of the two equinoxes and two solstices (7-1/2 days before and after). These are neutral buffers between the seasons, which change at the equinoxes and solstices. These interchange periods represent pivotal pauses in the light patterns we experience from the sun, the center of our solar system… To attune with the seasons, choose some foods for each meal that harmonizing and represent the center–mildly sweet foods, yellow or golden foods, round foods, and/or foods known to harmonize the center… – Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California, 1993.

Season your food minimally with onion, leek, ginger, cinnamon, and fennel. It is now time to begin purifying and cleansing after a season of summer fun and indulging.

Now that we know what to eat, it is also important to acknowledge how we eat them. With stomach and spleen being the organs of the system, we want to assist them to function most easily by practicing more deliberate eating, chewing and digesting. Eat more slowly and with consciousness. Pay attention to portion sizes also.

Take a short rest after eating and follow it with some sort of movement. A simple short walk will assist digestion.

Late Summer is associated with community and mealtime. Share meals with friends in the open air, if possible, and take a walk en masse.

Our digestion represents and is located in the core center of our bodies. When the stomach and spleen organs are balanced and healthy we obviously will be full of vitality and energy. As a result, we will be more productive in our work and able to fulfill our responsibilities.

If our digestion is out of balance with the Earth season, we will experience fatigue, lethargy, lack of motivation and stuck behavior that prevents us from being truly creative.

Poor digestion and imbalance with Earth will show up as nausea, abdominal bloating, loose stools, loss of appetite.

Stay Well. Don't Ignore the Transition Period Between Summer and Fall.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), we strive to live in harmony with the seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. But TCM also has a fifth season which occurs four times a year. These are TCM’s 18-day "between seasons" periods called Earth that form bridges of energy from one season to the next.

"...the Earth element governs the change in the seasons, and ... thus the Earth element’s season, by definition, is the transition point between all seasons. By this logic, a weakness in the Earth energy of the body (which governs our Spleen, Stomach, and digestive function), could lead the body to be susceptible to outside illnesses when it is dominant–the time between all seasons." – from "Why Do I Get Sick When the Seasons Change?" by Marcie Griffith Bower, Lic.Ac., MAOM, Dipl. OM

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We are an inherent part of nature. We are not separate from it. Logically speaking, living in harmony with nature will assist us to have physical bodies that are in harmony in all its internal systems. We will eat in a certain way, exercise in a certain way, sleep and wake accordingly, give, love, contemplate, and nurture ourselves in alignment with the ways of the Earth season in TCM. Not only our physical bodies will benefit with health and vitality thereby preventing illness, our mental, emotional and spiritual aspects will be kept on balance and thrive as well.

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The element associated with this transition period is Earth, the color is yellow, the organs are stomach and spleen, and it's now the time to think about harvesting what we have sown throughout the summer. It's a time of "decrease" or slowing down and at the same time, abundance, when we can:

• realize the fruits of our labor (in the relationships we enjoyed this summer, in our exuberance of life, in the care of our hearts, both literally and figuratively);

• begin again to nurture ourselves in whatever way that looks;

• to intend to digest not only our food very well but our thoughts and emotions enabling them to reach our minds and spirits;

• start slowing down and gathering in all that we have created throughout the Summer;

• recognize the bounty of the earth as harvest is about to begin and to see how we can be bounteous in our lives in our giving to others;

• contemplate the harvest aspect of our lives to see the areas that are bearing fruit and which are not; then to determine in the Fall (beginning August 7) which ones can be let go or given focus;

• determine what is truly necessary in our lives and what is superfluous and a distraction then take steps in alignment with our discoveries; this is important as we prepare to enter the Fall season where letting go is paramount;

• observe and mirror nature at this time of year; the metaphor of the cycles of nature has much to teach us; now is the time to begin contemplating how the seeds we plant (both physically and metaphorically) reap corresponding harvests; we can contemplate the seeds we have sown and realize that every harvest bears the seeds for the next one.

The Four 18-Day Transition Periods Between TCM's Seasons and How to Harmonize With Them

There are four Earth energetic seasons in the Five Element Theory and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

These are 18-day transition periods between each of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. TCM principles tell us the energy of that seasons element “returns to earth." For example, the Fire element of Summer returns to Earth to be transformed into the energy of the Metal element for upcoming Fall.

This concept of transitional seasons repeats another three times during the other three transitional periods in the year from one season to another. Together, those four periods of 18 days each every 12 months constitute the full Earth energetic season, the fifth energetic season of TCM.

The Earth season is particularly important as it is a stillpoint in the yin/yang dance of energy throughout the year. In particular, from July 20 to August 6, the yang of Wood (Spring season) and of Fire (Summer season) has faded, and the yin energy of Metal (Fall season) that will peak during Water (Winter season) is poised to rise.

The color for Earth is yellow.

Yellow fruit and vegetables are highly recommended to consume during the transitional Earth season in order to be more in alignment with the energy of the season.

A more toxic body condition found more in some people than in others is what TCM refers to as an Earth condition, or imbalance.

Earth imbalance in the skin usually manifests as:

• blemishes, toxicity, acne, psoriasis, enlarged pores

• heavy looking hair, pimples on scalp

• lymph circulation problems (Lymph is the fluid associated with Earth.)

Acne is an Earth condition that needs to be treated with targeted Earth skincare and therapies. Severe conditions will require a pointed series of treatments to balance the energetic root cause. Drainage of the lymph is essential, not only on the face but also all over the body, especially in severe cases of acne. The condition of acne tends to flare up during the four yearly transitional periods described above (the Earth season).

Lymph drainage is essential.

When waste does not fully migrate out of cells, we manifest the most typical cellulite—an Earth energy deficiency. Cells have become increasingly more bloated with waste material. The condition is aggravated when there is already too much waste in the interstitial fluid. In this case also, lymph drainage is sorely required.

Although there are a few contraindications for lymph drainage, it is safe to say that, in general, most people will benefit from regular drainage, particularly people of the Earth type. A good drainage gives instantly visible results making lymphatic drainage a worthwhile spa treatment.

If your body is very toxic which is very common with Earth types, it is advised to do the entire body in two or more sessions as toxins released too quickly over a large surface might induce fatigue and headaches. It is always imperative for everyone to drink plenty of water before and after any body drainage treatment.

The energetic drainage is not painful at all. In fact, it is considered very pleasant and relaxing. Most people feel quite rejuvenated at the end of the treatment.

In light therapy, also known as chromatherapy by PHYTO5, we use blue light to target the fluid of Earth, lymph, with our award-winning light technologies.

The morphology* associated with Earth can be described as:

• good proportions between upper and lower body (yin and yang in balance).

• likely to develop a belly

• thinking type with stable demeanor

• can be nervous when problems occur

• sensitive to humidity.

The elements in TCM are also associated with epochs in our lives. Earth tends to be the time for more mature adults while Fire, for example, is the time of young adulthood.

The PHYTO5® facial for the transitional periods between seasons/Earth element addresses energetic imbalance with two energetically potent products–the high vibration Earth serum (Phyt’Ether) and the Yellow Colored Clay Mask.

Spleen and stomach are the organs of the Earth seasons.

Spleen has a critical and ongoing management function in Chinese medicine converting and distributing energy from nourishment. It also regulates lymph flow, a major actor in toxin removal from tissues and a critical function of the immune defense system.

Earth is a time to regain our physical and psychological balance and to be prepared to sustain the energetic influences of the next season.

Indeed, during each of the other four seasons, either yin or yang will be on the rise or on the decline.

Each one of us will react to the changes in our own particular ways that can lead to imbalance, but Earth provides the perfect time to detoxify both our physical body and our mental/emotional one. It is the time to be grounded, and to cherish our CHI.

*Morphology is the study of body shapes. Your physical appearance is the specific manifestation of the sum total of all hidden and subtle energetic influences at work within you—what you were born with as well as what results from where and how you live your life. While there is an infinite number of body shapes, they can be classified according to TCM into five groups based on specific characteristics. To each of the five elements corresponds a body type—a specific morphology.

Earth Season Morphology

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