Chinese New Year 2021, Friday, February 12, Is the Year of the Silver Ox. Learn How to Harness Its Energies for Accomplishing Your Goals

Chinese New Year 2021 occurs on Friday, February 12 and it is the Year of the Silver Ox. In ancient Taoist astrology every year is not only assigned an animal to represent its energy and potentiality, it corresponds to one of the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and to a color.

Ox is considered to be a yin year. Yin can be described as more receptive, inward, introspective, and mysterious.

The color of the animal will always be either a yin or a yang aspect/hue of the element’s color which is associated with the year (according to TCM). For example, Metal’s color is white, however white’s yin aspect is silver with its yang aspect remaining white. To clarify this understanding of color yin and yang in TCM, let’s take Earth as another example. Earth’s color is yellow, therefore its yang aspect is yellow and its yin aspect is gold.

Metal element years end in zero and one. Silver years end in the number one, therefore 2021 lends its color, silver, to the Ox and it is a Metal year.

Many centuries ago, humankind’s relationship with animals was necessary for survival. Animals became domesticated and the Taoist priests took note of their qualities and characteristics.

Ox is blessed by the compassionate Chinese goddess Kwan Yin because of Ox’s gentle nature. The ancient Taoists harnessed the ox for their labor but never milked the Ox since they held great respect and honor for this hard-working, robust animal.

Through the Taoists priests’ careful observation of particular animals combined with astute astrological observations they developed a system in which they assigned every one of 12 animals chosen to each year in a 12-year cycle. They also concluded that various human physical and temperamental attributes matched with particular years in this 12-year cycle.

Ox represents the beginning stages of a plant’s growth, the seed’s struggle to break out of confinement and sprout. Ox’s qualities are steadiness, determination, perseverance, discipline, hard work, valuing family and accomplishing for the common good.

Ox symbolizes the yin attributes of contemplativeness and wisdom in the Taoist tradition.

If you were born in the year of the Ox and are more specifically a Silver yin Ox, you should know that balanced silver Ox is fair and patient. You’ll want to aim to be less opiniated, to accept change, and become practiced at releasing the past. Construction emotional expression will be key for you.

The year of the Ox means it’s time for real diligence as we go about our work, service and daily lives. Ox indicates that it is through our steadfast diligence in these things this year that we will achieve success.

While world events invite, even beg for change, the year of the Ox opens the window now for the global transformation we desire. But first we must pave the way for that transformation on a microcosmic level–in our own homes and in our individual lives. This year is not a time to be lazy or to procrastinate with the simple things we know we should be doing such as creating structure in our lives with a routine we’ll actually enjoy.

Perhaps we can look back to see what we may have done in the past that worked in our lives and which somehow we lost sight of and then reincorporate those practices into our daily living.

The Year of the Silver Ox is a time to get well grounded in structure so that next year, the Year of the Tiger, we’ll be well poised for what is new and perhaps more “leading edge.”

If you feel to create new projects, Ox would indicate that you carefully think them through and plan them out well. Set your goals and don’t relent until you achieve them. The persevering energy of Ox will assist you.

When we create this well rounded structure in our lives, it leads us to realize Metal’s balanced attribute of knowing that all is well indeed.

This Year of the Silver Ox is a time to realize high morals and standards for ourselves and a time to increase our individual honesty and integrity.

Though there will always be uncertainty, tap into Ox’s energy and know that rewards always come as a result of steadfast effort. Try not to feel frustrated when things seem to take a long time to realize.

Considering the tumultuous and often confusing current events and upheaval of the world and especially the U. S., is it any wonder that this year is the year of the Silver Ox? We think not. There really is no such thing as coincidence. Take the Silver Ox’s pointers deep into your life and living and see if it can’t guide you successfully through 2021 every step of the way.

Each one of us contributes to the whole therefore may the energy of Silver Ox guide us well through 2021 and lead us out of this epoch in time into a new and brighter future.

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Endnotes:

Levitt, Susan, and Jean Tang. Taoist Astrology: a Handbook of the Authentic Chinese Tradition. Destiny Books, 1997.

Photo by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash

Cyclical Living Is the Key to a Vitality Filled Life and Our Producing the Frequency of Love

Not all that long ago, the people of Earth lived in concert with it. They had to. There were no technological inventions to “make life better” and to keep them occupied, busy, even distracted. Instead, they were forced to look up at the sky for their entertainment and wonder. Many of our ancient ancestors noticed the cycles not just of the Earth but of the heavens and they came to understand that living in harmony with these cycles was key to their vitality and happiness.

Prior to the Piscean age (we’re entering the Age of Aquarius about now, from the Piscean) and a number of years into that epoch in time (approximately 1 A.D. to 2000 A.D.), very many people of the planet lived cyclically, mirroring the movement of the planets and stars and the changes of seasons here on Earth. They didn’t just observe these cycles with their eyes, they felt the significance of the cycles in their bellies–what some people call today the ‘other brain.’ Marking time according to planetary movement actually assisted the people back then to gain balance with the Earth and to strike a balance between logical thinking and intuitive feeling.

The ‘brain’ in the belly is not actually a brain as we know it, but it’s a center of feeling, discernment, trust and intuition. And it still exists in us today if we’ll use it. It’s what helps us cut through confusion to clarity. The belly brain combined with utilizing both right and left brain have the potential to create human beings of personal power and wisdom. Human beings of this kind have very little fear because they simply know.

During this ancient magical time of wonder where many people utilized both right and left brain hemispheres as whole-brained beings, they realized that embracing universal cycles initiated greater knowing and intuitive wisdom within themselves. They were able to identify phenomena and relate well to the outside world. Armed with this understanding, these ancient ancestors were able to move energy around in their bodies and very many lived quite long, happy and vitality-filled lives. Nature was not something outside of them. It was part of them and they were part of it.

As the Piscean age waned, so, too, did the peoples’ personal power as organized religion, governments and organizations sought control over the people for their own selfish agendas. Somewhere around 1000 A.D. to 1500 A.D., whole living was mostly destroyed by them. Those in power used fear to control the people. And even though the Age of Enlightenment came along bringing with it an acceleration of information, reason and a whole new way of looking at the world, fear was already deeply anchored in the people. It became the predominant feeling in humans, embedded into their very DNA. 

Along with the programming of fear, human beings were trained to think in a linear fashion only. They learned to use only their five senses and the use of the sixth sense, their intuition, faded away into the distant past. Most could no longer see beneath the surface to the core of truth. The only acceptable way of thinking was rational, surface and superficial. Those who ventured out of that mode of thought were tortured and killed for it.

Much like a spiral, the cyclical curves and bends and gives way to possibilities beyond our surface comprehension, cycling into infinity. Much like a straight line, the linear does not bend. It may go on to infinity but it is stiff, hard and unrelenting. It speaks that everything is black or white only and that information can only be found as points on that sterile line.

Nevertheless, women largely remained examples of cyclical living and women have never really totally lost their intuitive sense. With their bleeding time in tune with the cycles of the moon, their way of life and of bringing life into the world had to be based on cycles. This contradicted the existence of a linear meaningless world put in place at that time by the power mongers. And the cycles still live on today in women, embraced by women at least in part.

The Gregorian calendar, the calendar introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, is not quite 450 years old. The church adjusted the calendar and marked Christian holidays at pagan events like equinoxes and solstices which reflected natural phenomena and cycles. Hijacking these natural cycles and events which punctuated them, they implanted their own icons for each event, demanding that the people could not communicate directly with their Creator. Instead they would have to rely on a saint or priest to intercede with God for them. This further paralyzed the innate intuitive, feeling, divine nature of human beings.

We come by our overriding fear of truly living very honestly because generation after generation has passed fear and linear thinking on to us through our DNA. But even DNA can be changed which could be the topic of a whole other article.

Linear thinking shuts off the knowledge of cyclical living. Linear thinking does not allow for viewing life as flowing like an endless river. It does not allow us to truly see the meaning of life in the heavens or deep within us. It severs our ability to move energy within and around our bodies and to heal ourselves on the quantum level. It inhibits and imprisons us. And this has been the planet’s controllers whole plan all along for how could they manipulate our ability to see and know the truth otherwise?

Cyclical and whole-brained living nurtures the vitality of love, self-knowing and self-empowerment. Fear could never do that. Love is our biological birthright.

Surface thinking is the act of simply and tacitly digesting information others give to us without feeling it through our belly brain for truth. On some level we know our thought process isn’t complete, but entrenched in surface thinking, we take the incomplete path most travelled—we accept being spoon-fed information without doing our due diligence and then feeling it through. And for this, we end up producing the frequency of fear, totally manufactured for another agenda. 

The key to a life of vitality and balance is producing the frequency of love and a profound sense of being at one with all of life. The ancient meaning of cyclical time has largely vanished but it still exists deep within our cells and DNA. It truly is still a part of us.

Especially in our current time of confusion, chaos, strife and fear, whole-brained thinking and the ability to discern through feeling is vital to survive and thrive. It’s the key to producing the frequency of love.

Love creates. Fear destroys. Love is tantamount to cyclical, harmonious, magical, creative living. Fear rejects all of that.

Embrace whole brained and belly brain thinking and feeling simply through your intent and you will naturally understand the cycles of life and how to live in harmony with them similar to the way our ancient ancestors once did.

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Endnotes:

This blog article is written based on the author’s observations and experiences working for PHYTO Distribution, Inc., the U. S. distributorship for PHYTO5 skincare.

Photo by Sean Parker on Unsplash

Energetic Winter According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Is Here: Learn to Live In Harmony With It

The energetic Winter season is associated with the energetic aspect or element of Water. Water’s organs are the yin kidneys and the yang bladder. Both organs intimately associate with water circulation in the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), when kidney is strong and in balance, our bodies are able to regenerate themselves, and increase youth, vibrancy and vitality. PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Water element line of skin and hair care is expressly formulated to help bring your skin, vital energy and emotions in harmony with this season and element.

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They may sound merely like metaphors but when we look at the imagery and function of the Winter/Water season, the imagery we see has direct and important relevance in our lives and health. Just as the waters of the earth freeze over, Water energy within us has the potential to harden and solidify during this season. When we are in balance with the Water element at this time, we’ll find we tend to become passive and inwardly directed. Those who dread the Winter months or who develop “cabin fever” may want to consider that they are out of balance with Water. When we are not in balance with Water we will also tend to be fearful.

In the ancient medical text, the Neijing Suwen, the Yellow Emperor* advises the following concerning the season:

“During the Winter months all things in nature wither, hide, return home, and enter a resting period, just as lakes and rivers freeze and snow falls… Retire early and get up with the sunrise which is later in Winter. Desires and mental activity should be kept quiet and subdued. Sexual desires especially should be contained as if keeping a happy secret. Stay warm, avoid the cold, and keep the pores closed. Avoid sweating. The philosophy of the Winter season is one of conservation and storage. Without such a practice the result will be injury to the kidney energy.”

Though we each have attributes of all of the five elements within us, we do have a dominant element, called our Five Element Type. We are born with this type which presents us with both challenges and gifts throughout life. It can benefit us to understand our type.

You are a Water type if the following generally describes you:

• narrow shoulders, long spine

• large abdomen and head

• broad cheeks

• somewhat darker toned complexion

• cravings for salty foods

• you don’t do well in the cold, especially Winter

• retention of fluid

• memory problems

• challenging symptoms in menopause

• fertility issues

• low libido

• viewpoint tends to be honest, objective and sensible

• introspective

• tendency to fear (especially when out of balance with Water)

• lacking confidence

• tendency to depression in Winter

• challenges fitting in with others

• desire for spiritual and cerebral connections with others

• need for a cause to believe in or direction to follow

• pursuit of knowledge and wisdom

• idealistic visionary seeking to create a better world

• need for connection to something greater than the self and to fulfill ambitions

• a belief that life is inherently dramatic

• self-imposed isolation

• meditation is appealing

• emotional and philosophical

• ability to focus on goals

It’s important to note that the energetics of the kidneys oversee everything that we think of as aging such as: hearing loss, low back pain, knee pain, hair loss, greying hair, menopause, urinary frequency or incontinence, and feeling cold.

Whether you are Water type or a Wood, Fire, Earth, or Metal type, TCM tells us that your health and vitality hinge on whether you choose to live in harmony with energetic Winter or not. Refer back to the Yellow Emporer’s quote above for basic tips. Seek out ways to nurture your inner and outer calm. Utilize this time to more profoundly discover what lies within yourself. Hone your skills of focus and concentration. Find creative ways to surround yourself with the colors of the season–blue and black. Wear them in your clothing and decorate your home with them. Consume blue and blue black foods. Slow cook your food. Be still and quiet and conserve your energy. You’re going to need it for energetic Spring.

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Endnotes:

*The Neijing is one of the most important classics of Taoism andthe highest authority on traditional Chinese medicine. Its authorship is attributed to the great Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, who reigned during the third millennium BCE.

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

https://www.phyto5.us/blog-1/energetic-winter-fear-chinese-medicine-anti-aging-wellness?rq=kidney

The Cloud: Godsend or Potential Setback for Humanity?

It’s remarkable how a simple word can both describe an idea as innocent and at the same time hide its inconvenient, even dangerous, implementation. The “cloud” is one such word.“ The cloud evokes an image of a gently traveling billowing mass over our heads efficiently and conveniently storing all the files and images humanity wants to save with little concern for storage limits. At face value, it seems pure, simple and practical deserving of the seal of good house/office keeping, Really?

The cloud instantly helps us to free up more space on our mobile phones so that we can take even more pictures. The cloud stores all the documents we don’t wish to or can’t store on our computers. It makes us able to electronically create art of all kinds often with files so extremely heavy it seems to pay or be wiser for us to store them on the invisible cloud.

In the BBC news interview, “Dirty streaming: The internet's big secret” of March 5, 2020, we are reminded that the cloud is a euphemism for huge data centers ever larger and more numerous and prevalent all over the planet. They are full of huge amounts of computers and cables, creating mega energetic fields interfering with the energetic field of anything alive on earth. 

“There are now hundreds of thousands of data centres around the world, storing everything from viral videos to doctors’ notes and even bank account details. Many of them run on electricity generated by burning fossil fuels.

Film and TV writer Beth Webb went in search of the internet and discovered that ‘the cloud’ is actually a vast network of energy-guzzling data centres and undersea cables.”

— Naomi Pallas, BBC Producer

It is anachronistic and ironic to realize that the cloud which is the result of increasing needs and ingenuity of the high tech industry and symbol and manifestation of our creativity and forward thinking is actually an energy glutton. It relies on the oldest source of energy in the world – coal.

We might have assumed that in most, if not all, locations, clean energy sources like solar panels would have been used. Not so. Collectively, these data centers are responsible for the release of more carbon into the air than the total release of carbon from all airlines companies around the world. Moreover, the data center carbon release is increasing at a faster rate than that of any airline.

At a time when all signs point to the causes and effects of global warming, we might think that the creative and forward thinking mindset of the high tech industry would have been more aware of the long term effect of their cloud creation on the well-being of humans, flora and fauna. But when we observe, for example, how high tech corporations like cell phone manufacturers ensure that each new model has a slightly different design of charger dictating that we can’t reuse the same charger for an upgraded phone, then we know that their focus is not preservation but consumption. It demonstrates an utter disrespect for the environment and consumptions’s implications on all forms of life. It essentially stems from ignorance of the simple rule of respect for all others as well as the planet. It demonstrates a disregard for or ignorance of the universal Law of One – that everything each of us does affects every other one on the planet.

Unless and until we come to a major collective awakening surrounding the basic and fundamental realization of mutual respect, the consumption race will end very badly for us, our children and grandchildren.

This is what’s up for us at this time in our evolution. We cannot allow, we must not allow widespread global damage to our planet’s ecosystem, in fact, to our own human bodies. And this is accomplished by our arising in consciousness as we become increasingly more aware and refuse to accept what greed-oriented entities serve up to us. We have that power to change what doesn’t truly serve us.

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Endnotes:

“Dirty Streaming: The Internet's Big Secret.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Mar. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-51742336/dirty-streaming-the-internet-s-big-secret.

How We Create Momentum for Wellness and Greater Meaning to Our Lives

Linked to health, beauty the natural way, necessarily becomes a matter of overall lifestyle. This lifestyle can become a positive driving force in our lives and as we better understand the interrelationship of all the natural elements involved in looking and feeling good, we’ll observe ourselves spontaneously and organically removing destructive habits and practices, replacing them with those that contribute to our wellness beauty. This lifestyle will naturally help us to pinpoint where we stand in the natural cycle of life as we seek to achieve our highest wellness potential.

In this natural cycle of life, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) informs us that five energetic seasonal cycles affect us in virtually every arena of our lives. For example, just as we do not wear the same type of clothing from one season to the next, TCM infers that we might benefit by using skincare products designed specifically for each energetic season. This would be skincare that counteracts the aggressions of any particular seasonal energy such as those formulated by PHYTO5. This choice of skincare is just one enjoyable part of living this more conscious lifestyle that chooses harmony with each energetic season, and right now is our opportunity to explore the Earth energetic season which runs until February 4.

Time has proven that the cycles of nature and the cycles of human life seem to be interrelated. Whatever affects the whole, affects the parts. And these parts affect other parts. This view of humans, subjected to their cosmic and earthly environment is common, in various degrees, to all energy medicines and it is central to TCM.

Traditional Chinese thinkers were fond of pondering the cyclical aspects of nature with the repetition of days, moons, seasons and years as they observed the effects of those cycles on all living organisms. Humans like animals and plants are affected

by nature’s cycles so it is not surprising that the study of nature was the first basis in their understanding of vital energy. Knowing that there can be no effect without a cause, the predictable seasonal patterns pointed to the existence of a cause.

Unlike ancient Greeks and Egyptians who attributed cause to the whims of various gods, the Chinese simply saw chi (energy)

as the mover of matter but not as a deity. They saw this energy being responsible for cyclical and predictable stages and changes.

First, they broke down energy in its basic yin and yang components. Then they evolved the more complex and subtle Law of the Five Elements, which includes the energies symbolically named Wood  Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, and the multiple aspects of their interrelationship.

TCM evolved during an era when the metaphysical beliefs of Taoism prevailed in China, and therefore it was influenced by Taoist beliefs and related cultural implications. Taoists believed that to live harmoniously man needs to be in accord with the energetic laws of nature. They saw a strong parallel between the cycles of nature (the days and the seasons) and the life cycle of man.

When we respect and revere natural cycles and rhythms in our lives we actually create momentum for wellness. This momentum is fueled by energy, the energy that is created by the very act of living in harmony with these natural cycles. By doing so, we allow ourselves to give greater and well deserved meaning to these cycles and, ultimately, our entire lives.

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Photo by Jackson David from Pexels

New Possibilities for Chinese New Year 2020: Year of the White Rat

In Chinese (Taoist) astrology, each year has its own energy. It is said that each one of us is influenced by the astrological energy at the time of our birth. Every year, the dominating energy of that year will affect each person in different ways and according to their dominating personal energy received at the time of birth. 

The Chinese astrological calendar consists of 12 signs represented by animals to illustrate the different energies of each year. The 12 animals are declined into five types, each to reflect one of the five elements. These five elements describe the cyclical movement of the natural forces of yin and yang fundamental to all energy consideration in Taoist culture. Each animal appears in five different versions to take into consideration the characteristics of the five elements. Together they form a cycle of sixty years (5 x 12) that constantly repeats itself..

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Years ending in an odd number are said to be yin and years ending in an even number are said to be yang. 2020 is a yang year. It is also the year of the White Rat. White Rat is one of five colors (or types) of rats as each corresponds to one of the five elements. The White Rat is the Metal rat. In addition to the yang energy it brings together the individual characteristics ascribed to the mythical  rat and those of the Metal element.

The Chinese calendar is the lunar calendar and their 2020 New Year starts on January 25th.  It will end on February 11, 2021.

Those born in 1960 and in 2020 are influenced by the traits of the Taoist White Rat. For people born in one of the rat years, 2020 should be a year of great opportunity. Whether your Taoist astrological sign (one of 12) is the rat, tiger, ox, snake, dragon, rabbit, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, or pig, the 2020 Year of the White Rat will make its impact on you in different ways. It may involve personal transformation, improvements in relationships, financial abundance, the elevation of physical vitality or the opposite of many of these. What is important for everyone in this Year of the White Rat is to go into it with balance and positivity, seeing all things as beneficial and savoring every moment. 

Take the best most positive qualities of White Rat people below to make it your best year ever.

Attributes of the White Rat

2020 will be a masculine/yang energy year. Masculine/yang energy is symbolized by a weapon. 

The Metal White Rat person is a goal achiever and survivor and possesses very many powerful qualities which enable his or her ability to accomplish and survive. Among these qualities are kindness, independence, strong will, intensity, determination and an ability to focus. But there is a secret side to White Rat’s genteel personality: jealousy, competitiveness and an obsession with achieving success at any cost and acquiring possessions at the very lowest cost.

White Rat can be an astute business person and investor. He or she is often a charmer with an alluring and entertaining personality. On the flip side, White Rat can, at times, be overly talkative, loud and aggressive. She may impulsively demonstrate her gruff, callous, and cold nature – attributes which come from the influence of Metal.

White rat is often challenged to have balanced relationships instead finding himself in enabling codependent relationships and deriving worth and validation in indispensability with his partners. To find relationship balance White Rat will always want to allow his partner independence and latitude to express and to choose for himself.

Because White Rat is so goal oriented, if romantic and frivolous experiences are going to cost money, they need to provide tangible results. At the same time, because White rat is so much a sensualist and connoisseur of life she will somewhat uncharacteristically spend money on fine worldly possessions and experiences although she will want them at bargain rates!

White Rat feels all experiences very deeply and though she is often challenged to vulnerably express herself, she is often able to do so.

White rat succeeds best by embracing change, letting go of her opinions, and gracefully releasing the past.

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Source:

Levitt, Susan, and Jean Tang. Taoist Astrology: a Handbook of the Authentic Chinese Tradition. Destiny Books, 1997.

Swiss Skincare: Synonymous with Highest Quality and Efficacy

Switzerland, situated between France, Germany and Italy, benefits from the influence of the three surrounding cultures. One principle influence is skincare. Swiss skincare and routines are renowned across the world.

The tiny town of Fleurier, in the French-speaking part of Western Switzerland, is famous the world over for its centuries old exacting haute horlogerie(1) watchmaking companies. Everyone has heard of Parmigiani, Bovet and Chopard.

Fleurier is also home to PHYTO5 skincare’s Suisse Romande(2) manufacturing facility, Laboratoire Gibro, S. A.

The Swiss manufacturing ethic Swiss Fleurier watches are known for also and exactly applies to the manufacture of PHYTO5’s Swiss skincare.

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Essential Oil Rich Clean Swiss Skincare Made in Fleurier, Switzerland

The Fleurier name itself we roughly translate as Flowering Village. This name is entirely apropos for a factory like Laboratoire Gibro which creates Swiss skincare largely formulated with essential oils of flowers.

The factory is deliberately located very close to the Swiss Jura mountains(3) near Neuchâtel. Considering its rich history, it’s no wonder we say that Fleurier is ground zero for Swiss-Made skincare.

PHYTO5 entirely produces Swiss skincare in this uniquely situated factory in the district of Vals-de-Travers.

Here the gorges of Poëta-Raisse, the grottos of Môtiers and the Gorges de l'Areuse each express the sheer power and purity of spring water. This pristine water has endlessly flowed century after century carving narrow passages through the rocks.

And it’s this same water we formulate in all three lines of PHYTO5 Swiss skincare (Five Element, Swiss Line–traditional phytoceutical skincare, Ageless La Cure).

Because the 'aqua' (water) in all PHYTO5 skincare comes directly from the sub-Alpine Swiss Jura mountains, the water holds high vibrational frequency.

This frequency is higher(4) than water used in cosmetics manufactured near big cities where water’s been insulted forced through impersonal, transport piping networks.

Before we add Swiss Jura spring water any of our Swiss skincare formulations, we additionally run the water through high tech filters to extra-purify it.

Other skincare companies purify their water too. But because of their water source, it’s most often devoid of vital energy and beneficial vibration. All the purification equipment in an urban modern skincare lab can never equate with the energetic purity of Swiss Jura mountain water.

Highest Exacting Manufacturing Standards in Swiss Skincare

Gibro, S. A. is nestled in a clean natural environment. The factory follows extremely high European-regulated quality standards and procedures befitting the region. The standards honor the sanctity of the planet.

PHYTO5’s factory has diligently earned the coveted Ecocert and Cosmebio ecological and organic certifications (according to ECOCERT Standard).

The New York Times reports what PHYTO5 has known all along: 

“… the cosmetics regulatory system in the U. S. operates in complete contrast to a number of substantial rounds of regulations imposed on cosmetics manufacturers in the European Union (E. U.) in the last 15 years.” 

The Swiss government plays a proactive ongoing role in factory supervision for all Swiss-based manufacturers. This double layer of Swiss and European regulation and supervision provides a substantial level of protection for the American consumer buying authentic truly Swiss skincare like PHYTO5’s.

Keep in mind the skin absorbs much of what we put on it and what comes into its vicinity. The U. S. is largely unwilling to ensure your skincare products are actually and totally safe for your health.

For this reason, it makes complete sense to buy 100% Swiss-made skincare like PHYTO5. It’s been subjected to a double layer of Swiss and European regulation and supervision. 

Beware of companies generously using the Swiss flag in their branding. They often use catch phrases and titles including the word Swiss.

In many cases, these products are only Swiss-inspired or only a tiny percentage of the product actually comes from Switzerland. 

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Endnotes:

(1) High art of watchmaking

(2) French-speaking part of Western Switzerland; as opposed to Suisse Alémanique, the German-speaking part of Central Switzerland

(3) The Jura Mountains are a sub-alpine mountain range located north of the Western Alps, mainly following the course of the France–Switzerland border. The Jura separates the Rhine and Rhône basins, forming part of the watershed of each. The name "Jura" is derived from juria, a Latinized form of the Celtic stem jor- meaning “forest.” The mountain range gives its name to the Jurassic period of the geologic timescale from about 208 million to 146 million years ago. The Swiss Jura is one of the three distinct geographical regions of Switzerland, the others being the Swiss plateau and the Swiss Alps. In Switzerland, the range covers the western border with France.

(4) "...We strenuously observed crystals of tap water, river water, and lake water. From the tap water we could not get any beautiful ones [crystals denoting high vibration] from rivers and lakes near big cities ... however from the water from rivers and lakes where water is kept pristine from development, we could observe beautiful crystals with each one having its own uniqueness". --Masaru Emoto,  (1943–2014), Japanese author, researcher, photographer, and entrepreneur who proved human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water.

The Editorial Board. “Cosmetics Safety Needs a Makeover.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/09/opinion/cosmetics-safety-makeup.html.

13 Inspiring Summer Solstice Quotes to Celebrate the Longest Day of the Year

The Summer Solstice, marking the longest day and shortest night of the year, is a time to honor the sun’s life-giving energy and embrace the vibrant season. These 13 Summer Solstice quotes offer profound insights to inspire your rituals and celebrations. Whether you’re seeking spiritual growth or a deeper connection with nature, let these words guide you through this auspicious time.

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What Is the Summer Solstice?

The Summer Solstice, derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and stitium (still or stopped), occurs annually on June 20 or 21.

On this day, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, delivering the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Ancient cultures, from the Mayans to the Druids, revered this event, aligning monuments like Stonehenge with the Solstice sunrise.

Today, it’s a moment to pause, reflect, and harness the sun’s radiant energy.

Summer Solstice Quotes to Inspire Your Celebration

1. Embracing the Sun’s Radiance

I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and Summer days. — Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau reminds us to cherish the abundance of sunlight during the Summer Solstice. Take time to bask in the warmth and let it recharge your spirit.

I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that more trumpets life than the sunflower… Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. — Helen Mirren

Like the sunflower, follow the light this Solstice. Create a ritual to honor the sun such as meditating outdoors at sunrise.

2. Balancing Light and Dark

Both the Winter and the Summer Solstices are expressions of love. They show us the opposition of light and dark… — Gary Zukav

Zukav’s words highlight the Solstice as a balance of opposites — yin and yang. Use this time to reflect on your inner light and shadow, fostering personal growth.

This is the Solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year’s threshold and unlocking…  — Margaret Atwood

Atwood’s poetic imagery captures the Solstice as a turning point. Journal about your intentions for the season ahead to align with this transformative energy.

3. Evolving Through Solstice Energy

Give like the sun and the whole world grows tall. — Atticus

The Summer Solstice invites generosity. Amplify the sun’s generous kind of energy and share positivity with others, whether through kind words or acts of service.

The great gift of the energy of the Summer Solstice is that it’s designed to move you from one phase to the next on your terms. — Deborah King

King emphasizes the solstice’s power for transformation. Pair this energy with healing practices, like using our Fire Element skincare line , designed to soothe sensitive skin and balance emotions with the vibrant fiery red energy of Summer.

4. Honoring Ancient Traditions

If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my God. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Bonaparte’s reverence for the sun echoes ancient traditions.

From the Aztecs’ solstice-aligned temples to the Chumash’s¹ Solsticee light-capturing caves, cultures worldwide have celebrated this day.

Visit a local sacred site or create a small altar with red crystals like bloodstone or carnelian to connect with this heritage.

5. Celebrating Summer’s Abundance

I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the Summer… — Violette Leduc

Leduc’s vivid imagery evokes Summer’s intensity. Embrace this energy with outdoor activities like picnics or bonfires, a tradition still alive in Cornwall and Ireland.

It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside. — Maud Hart Lovelace

Lovelace’s words inspire gratitude for Summer’s beauty. Plant a rose or create a floral crown to honor the season’s lushness.

6. Rituals for Renewal

Not only is there the Summer Solstice, there is a full moon. May love surround you like sunshine on a sunny day. — William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s quote ties the Solstice to love and renewal. Celebrate with a moonlit walk or a candlelit dinner to deepen your connection to this magical night.

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees… life was beginning over again with the Summer. — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald’s optimism invites us to start anew. Try a Solstice ritual like lighting a fire, chanting softly, or baking potatoes in glowing embers to mark this fresh beginning.

7. The Moon’s Mystical Role

At midnight in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon. — Edgar Allan Poe

Poe’s words remind us of the moon’s quiet presence during the Solstice. Spend the evening stargazing or meditating to absorb its serene energy.

8. Welcoming the Dawn

May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you guide your way on.  — Snatam Kaur

Kaur’s blessing is a perfect Solstice prayer. Wake before dawn to greet the sunrise, feeling the presence of your ancestors and the sun’s empowering warmth.

Summer Solstice Rituals to Try

To fully embrace the Summer Solstice, try these simple yet powerful rituals:

• Evening Preparation: Eat lightly, unplug devices, and light candles to create a sacred space.

• Moonlit Reflection: Take a nighttime walk, observing the stars and moon. Chant or sing softly by a fire.

• Crystal Healing: Use red crystals like red jasper or carnelian, associated with June’s numerology (6 for healing, 2 for divine feminine energy), to ground and energize.

• Sunrise Greeting: Wake before dawn to welcome the sun with a song or prayer. Set intentions for the season.

• Skincare Ritual: Incorporate our quantum energetic Fire Element products to soothe overheated, sensitive, irritated skin and balance emotions. Align with Summer’s vibrant energy in balance.

Why the Summer Solstice Matters

The Summer Solstice is more than a celestial event. It’s a spiritual and vibrational gateway.

Ancient cultures, from the Mayans at Chichén Itzá to the Egyptians at Giza, aligned their lives with this auspicious day.

Today, yoga centers and spiritual communities worldwide celebrate with drumming, chanting, and bonfires. By engaging with these traditions, you can deepen your connection to nature and yourself.

Are you ready to glow this Summer? Explore our holistic skincare collection to nurture your skin and spirit with the season’s fiery energy.

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Endnotes:

¹ Chumash: Indigenous people inhabiting coastal parts of southern California.

Editors, History.com. “Summer Solstice.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 10 Aug. 2017, www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/history-of-summer-solstice.

Matthews, John. The Summer Solstice: Celebrating the Journey of the Sun from May Day to Harvest. Godsfield, 2005.

A Mama By Any Other Name Might Not Be As Sweet: Exploring the Origins of the Names for Mother in Honor of Mother's Day

When a baby first suckles at its mother’s breast the mouth is closed as it takes in nourishment from the mother. The only sound the baby can make in satisfaction is the sound of ‘mmmm.’ The bilabial /m/ sound is very easy to produce and also quite natural. It’s a sound of comfort and satiation in the mother’s arms. How interesting that even as adults we say “mmmm” when we eat something delicious. (In Why Mama and Papa linguist Roman Jakobson notes that babies make the sounds for mama as a “slight nasal murmur” while breastfeeding.) It’s interesting to note that in Latin mamma means ‘breast’ and is the obvious root of the word ‘mammary.’

Add to this the bilabial open vowel /a/, another easily producible sound and we have ma. Ma is among the first word-like sounds made by babbling babies. And humans being true to form, it’s believed that parents tend to associate the first sound babies make with themselves, therefore we have the words mama and papa associated with mother and father—at least this is what historians and linguists say. (/p/ is another of only a handful of bilabial sounds.)

The syllable ma is nearly universal among the Indo-European languages. In the ten most widely spoken languages in the world, the word for mama (mother) is: māma, mama, maman, mamá, ma, mama, mamã, maa, mama, haha and mamī.

In Mandarin it’s mãma, and in Hindi it’s māṃ.

In non-Indo-European languages, we still notice similar sounding words that mean “mother.” In Navajo it’s amá, in Quechua it’s mama, in Ancient Egyptian it’s mut (similar to ‘mother’), in Korean it’s eomma and in Swahili it’s mama.

The modern English word mother comes from Middle English moder, deriving from Old English mōdor.

Some scientists believe that mama and papa were among the first words that humans spoke.

Mama was first historically recorded in 1707. The more English mum appeared in use around 1823, mummy in 1839, mommy in 1844, momma in 1852, and eventually, we come to mom around 1867.

The American colloquial momma can conjure visions of sweetness and loveliness when Urban Dictionary says, “My momma is the best woman in the world!”

Momma can be used with sexist intent while summoning an image of voluptuousness as in “Whoah, that chick in the short skirt is a real momma!”

It’s slang for one’s wife or girlfriend as in, “I need to talk to momma before I buy the car.”

In earth’s ancient history, the primal Mesopotamian mother goddess, known under many Sumerian names (Nintud, Nintur, Ninhursag, Belet-ili) is very often referred to as Ninmah meaning ‘magnificent [or ‘great’]  queen.’ (In Sanskrit, mah means ‘great.’) She appears as the mother of humankind and the gods on earth and was the matron of pregnancy and birth and queen of the birthing hut.

Her other names include Makh, Ninmakh, Mamma, and Mama. In iconography she is represented by a sign which resembles the Greek symbol omega accompanied by a knife representing the uterus and the blade used to severe the umbilical cord.

Ninmah is thought to be among the most likely candidates for the original mother earth figure since she is so prominently associated with fertility, creation, pregnancy, childbirth, and nurture. Still another of Ninmah’s early names was Ki or Kishar identifying her as mother earth. Again, we see a startling correlation to qi or chi, the unseen vital energy that sustains life. 

In the Sumerian tablets Ninmah is depicted as the consort of Anu and co-creator of the world. She was the Great Mother who presided over all, commoners and nobles alike.

Given the history of the syllable ma(h) evolving to mama, mamma, and momma, and its early associations with birth, sustenance and nurture, do we think these are all mere coincidences? Many historians like to say yes, but you can be the judge.

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Endnotes:

Shepard, Edward. “Why ‘Mama’ Has the Same Meaning in Almost Every Language.” Motherly, Motherly, 12 June 2018, www.mother.ly/parenting/mama-is-most-universal-word.

Mark, Joshua J. “Ninhursag.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 8 Apr. 2019, www.ancient.eu/Ninhursag/.

“Roman Jakobson.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Jakobson.

Photo by Leandro Cesar Santana on Unsplash

How to Nurture Yourself

Beyond the usual worn out advice to get a massage, here are a dozen beautiful ways to nurture yourself. If you feel run down, neglected, overwhelmed or frazzled, you need to get back in harmony with the Earth element. Practice these Earth grounding tips and they’ll restore not only your body, but mind, emotions, and spirit as well.

How to Nurture Yourself: Understand the Earth element first.

Four 18-day periods of the year called Earth occur between the major energetic seasons of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). These are Spring–Wood, Summer–Fire, Fall–Metal and Winter–Water.

Earth is one of the five elements of TCM.

If you’re out of balance with the energies of Earth, you’ll feel stuck or stagnant. You might feel unable to complete projects or exhaust yourself taking care of other people at your own expense.

You’ll also find your skin gets toxic. Blemishes, acne, and enlarged pores will show up in your skin.

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How to Nurture Yourself: Start by being conscious of what you allow into your body, mind and life.

• Be conscious of what you put in your body.

  • Learn to create a yin/yang balance through food choices. This promotes health and longevity and you show your body some real love.

  • Be sure to incorporate produce from all colors of the rainbow but especially try to focus on consuming produce the color of the current energetic season. For example, during energetic Spring, eat lots of fresh green produce. Green is the color that associates with Wood, the element of the season according to TCM.

  • Read food labels. Go conscious grocery shopping and see how great that feels. Don’t just buy food because you’ve always bought it or because it looks good. Know what you’re putting into your body. Love your body enough to understand the relationship between your food choices and how you feel. Buy more food in the produce department than from any other department in the store.

• Be conscious of what you put on your body.

  • Consider clothing that helps your body heal and sleep better.(2) Opt for quality rather than quantity and you'll feel so much better. Choose organic cotton if you can.

  • Surround yourself with colors that resonate with you and make you feel at ease.

  • PHYTO5 skin and haircare will certainly make your skin, body and mind feel good. They’re consciously formulated and manufactured with your safety and vitality the goal. You will feel it.

• Be conscious of what you allow into your mind.

  • Turn off the news and play beautiful music.

  • Take some time to do something creative. Contribute your creativity not your negativity to the planet. It’s through giving we receive.

  • When past memories or worries arise, catch them quickly. Be ready with a small arsenal of pleasant thoughts or ideas you can immediately divert your mind to. Make this a practice and notice the peace you’ll feel.

• Practice mindful fitness. Mindful fitness is a catchphrase and another way of saying, meditate.

  • Just take time every morning to be still and relax. Let the thoughts flow through the mind but don’t engage with them or judge yourself. Eventually, the thoughts will stop and you’ll be in the sublime place that goes beyond the concept of nurture.

  • Join a meditation group. You may enjoy the quickening benefits of plural meditation and make new friends as well.

  • There are many ways to meditate (e. g. mantra-based, focused attention). Use this time to explore them and find the methods that resonate with you. This can be a fun process of discovery for you.

  • Take time out in the middle of a stressful day to reconnect with yourself. Take time to learn to slow down the breath to a maximum of six breaths per minute to achieve ultimate longevity and vitality.

• Practice yoga, a martial art, or weight training and cardio workouts. You will be amazed at how wonderful a newfound exercise practice can make you feel on all levels. You’ll breathe differently. Your posture and entire physiology will improve. Your confidence level will soar.

• Nature. Nature. Nature. Walk in it. Connect with it. Listen to the sounds. Be conscious while the breeze blows on your face and body. Literally hug a tree.

• Bring some green plants into your home. They’ll help transform the air you breathe and bring a sense of calm to your environment.

• Take a day trip. Get away from it all. Appreciate a change of scenery. It’s inexpensive and you’ll feel wonderful.

• Find three simple things you love to do, pastimes that are fun for you and then do them one by one.

  • It’s vitally important to have fun and experience pleasure as often as we can in life. We limit our ability to create what’s good, beautiful and true when we come from a place of chronic angst, worry, misery, or boredom.

• Enjoy natural fragrances and their healing benefits. When you squeeze an orange or chop fresh herbs, take a moment to really drink in the fragrance. Stop at the fresh flower bouquets in the stores and breathe in their healing essences.

  • Beware of synthetic essential oils sold in stores today. Did you know that very few perfumers actually use real flowers in their fragrance formulations?

  • You’ll never have to worry when you make PHYTO5 Swiss skincare part of your skincare regimen.

• Enjoy an alternative wellness therapy like Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It’s becoming increasingly practiced having now reached 183 countries and regions around the world. Based on the theory of the five elements and the five phases, TCM guides you to live in harmony with the Earth and its energies. Enjoy TCM in action with PHYTO5’s five element lines of skin and haircare.

• Slow down. If you feel like you’re always in a rush or stressed and pressured to get somewhere or do something, you’ve got to slow down. The alternative is burnout and compromised health on all levels and that’s not what you want.

  
  By slowing down and enjoying as many of the preceding tips as possible, you’ll find you are able to get all you need to get accomplished perfectly.

  
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(1) dharma: the principle of cosmic order

(2) Under Armour’s Athlete Recovery Sleepwear enmeshes bio-ceramic technology into pajamas that absorb infrared wavelengths emitted by the body to reflect them back as far infrared energy which, in turn, helps the body recover faster and sleep better.

Startup Lumiton offers light-energized apparel powered by laser technology that is designed to deliver multiple wellness benefits including producing red and near-infrared light whose wavelengths, they argue, increase collagen and muscle growth and reduce pain/inflammation.

Some companies are weaving ancient wellness healing and herbal properties into fabrics and clothing. Venice, California footwear designer Astara has created negative ion earthing shoes, using crystals like black onyx and blue apatite to make the shoes resonate at the same vibration as Earth’s magnetic field (7.83 hertz). It’s said the shoes make you feel like you’re walking barefoot on grass or sand.

Photo courtesy of Doğukan Şahin at Unsplash

Earth Day 2020 Was the 50-Year Anniversary of the Premier Global Earth Consciousness Raising Event

Just four days before Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, we enter the Earth energetic season, the period between energetic seasons according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This is the 18-day transition period between energetic Spring and energetic Summer.

Each season, including the four 18-day between seasons periods, are associated with one of the five elements in TCM and the transition period beginning April 18 is associated with the element of Earth. With worldwide heightened consciousness surrounding Earth Day, there couldn’t be a better time to bring natural living in concert with the Earth into practice.

Partake of the mystique of quantum energetic formulated plant-based skincare for your exalted natural beauty and well-being. Subscribe for a discount promo code, plus get truly unique holistic beauty tips and offers.

Earth Day is celebrated on the same date, April 22, every year.

Founder Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 for having founded the earth-conscious organization which was ultimately responsible for the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

At the time of founding, Nelson saw forming the Earth Day organization as a big gamble in an epoch of enormous civil unrest, escalating pollution, and a conservative establishment that had deeply dug in to the pursuit of progress at any cost.

He persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair and recruited Denis Hayes from Harvard University to serve as the org’s national coordinator. At the time, Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote Earth Day events all across the country on April 22, a day falling between college Spring break and final exams.

In 1990, Earth Day went global.

Hayes involved 184 countries to reach out to hundreds of millions of people. By the time 2010 arrived, Earth Day organizers and supporters became faced with “climate change deniers, well-funded oil lobbyists, reticent politicians, a disinterested public, and a divided environmental community” according to earthday.org...

Despite these challenges, Earth Day prevailed and Earth Day Network reestablished Earth Day as a “relevant, powerful focal point.”

Earth Day is today the largest secular observance in the world.

It’s elebrated by more than a billion people every year. Earth Day is a day that calls us to action by evolving our attitudes and behaviors to more conscious ones and through our collective numbers provoke our representatives in government to make policy changes.

The pursuit of a clean balanced environment urgently continues as we more and more obviously perceive the effects and ravages of climate change with each passing day. To learn how you can get started in assisting the Earth Day organization to leverage the power and momentum of 50 activist years in a time that is near dire for our environment and very survival, visit their countdown to 2020 site here.

Making changes in our lives that will be kind to the Earth and to our bodies, minds and spirits begins with the simple everyday choices we make.

Pay attention to choices like the products we bathe in, the products we purchase to moisturize our skin or the manner in which we seek to uplift our emotions. 

PHYTO5 five element skincare is natural, holistic and is founded on principles based on the Earth’s natural cycles and rhythms. High grade essential oils of flowers and plants combined with natural extracts, vitamins, minerals and other oils coalesce in leading edge formulations designed to nourish, revitalize and uplift skin and hair.

The unique proposition of PHYTO5 is the vital energy balance aspect of the energetic line products which contributes to our vital energy balance, a prerequisite to wellness. Our proprietary formulation of these lines enhances the vibrational frequencies of PHYTO5 products to the quantum level. PHYTO5’s five element lines (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are formulated to help bring balance to skin, scalp, body and emotions.

PHYTO5 does not test on animals nor have any individual ingredients we use in our formulations ever been tested on animals. We design our packaging with the environment in mind.

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Image courtesy of spirit111 on Pixabay

Raising Consciousness: Freeing Ourselves of the Problems Mindset

Raising our consciousness is a pre-condition to living more consciously for both our own benefit and the benefit of all the others around us. It means we become more aware of self, others and our environment. It includes awareness of the effects we have on ourself, others and the environment.

From Safety Consciousness to Raising Consciousness

Most people are overly self-absorbed with finding ways to meet their fundamental needs first, and beyond, to meet a multitude of perceived needs.

Such a search generates fears, worries and tensions that foster a climate of internal struggle as we look for solutions to our problems and ways to gain from opportunities. We’re not raising consciousness within ourselves, we’re embracing safety consciousness.

Raising consciousness means we open our hearts and live in gratitude. When we shift out of the problem mindset and into the deeply feeling heart we realize the more we work at addressing a problem as a problem, the more we validate the problem in our minds. We become more aware that the only problem we ever had was thinking a problem existed.

This echoes the admonition of the spiritual teacher Joel S. Goldsmith (1892–1962):(1)

“You cannot solve a problem at the level of the problem.”

Partake of the mystique of quantum energetic formulated plant-based skincare for your exalted natural bxeauty and well-being. Subscribe for a discount promo code, plus get truly unique holistic beauty tips and offers.

Raising Consciousness: Freedom from Suffering

When we suffer from a negative emotion as a reaction to another person or event, that primary emotion is generally short-lived. What extends and magnifies our suffering is the secondary emotion that stems from our reaction to our primary emotion. It’s all about the feelings we have about the feeling we had—internal dialogues and stories we tell ourselves.

As long as we cling to safety consciousness we prolong our agony. If we can rise to a state dominated by heart consciousness we shift our perception and step out of despair and into awe of life.

Now we create for ourselves enhanced emotional maturity. We understand that although we face problems in life, we don’t have to suffer. Suffering is a choice. It feeds the dramatic life story we tell everyone. We fail to realize we’re authors of our own life.

Raising Consciousness From An Open Heart

An open heart feeds a fuller, truer, and more exalted view of self and life. It makes us happier and more pleasant for others. This is true raising of consciousness.

Raising consciousness from within ourselves means we become more fully aware of the potential of our true selves. It improves our quality of life and of all the others around us including people, plants, animals and environment.

More and more we see assertive programs for raising consciousness in organizations around the world. In 2019, the British government announced 370 English schools began practicing mindfulness—relaxation and breathing techniques and other methods to help regulate emotions. This was a new initiative and study aimed at addressing the mental health crisis affecting their younger generation. The study which ran through 2021 was one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Happiness Comes from Raising Consciousness

It’s been said that His Holiness the Dalai Lama suggested that the purpose of life is:

“to find happiness in an imperfect world.”

This statement leads us to see that the way to happiness requires a strong degree of consciousness raising—conscious living.

We know that many people today are more stressed than ever before and that emotional imbalance has a very negative effect on both their health and their ability to reach and maintain a state of happiness.

PHYTO5 energetic skincare products and method give you a modality of wellness that’s part of a conscious living lifestyle. When you live more consciously you get happier.

PHYTO5 claims a greater approach to wellness and conscious living for two main reasons:

1. our energetic method promotes vital energy balance, a prerequisite to wellness, but

2. the quantum energetic potency of our 5-element lines help you balance emotions.

When your vital energy flows and emotions are balanced you’ve equipped yourself well to embark on the greater journey to raising consciousness within yourself.

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Endnotes:

(1)Joel Solomon Goldsmith (March 10, 1892 – June 17, 1964) was an American spiritual author, teacher, spiritual healer, and modern-day mystic. He founded The Infinite Way movement, a spiritual teaching revealing the nature of God as one infinite power, intelligence, and love; the nature of the individual as one with God's qualities and character, expressed in infinite forms and variety; and the nature of the discords of this world as a misconception of God's expression of Himself in His universe.

Sources:

“Thrilled To Be Alive.” Live Conscious, 13 Jan. 2018, liveconscious.com/2017/12/thrilled-to-be-alive/.

Magra, Iliana. “Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/world/europe/uk-mindfulness-children-school.html.

Photo by Jimmy Chang on Unsplash

Conscious Living: How Our Level of Awareness and the Choices We Make on the Local Level Affect the Global Planet

A lot of us want to live consciously. The thought of living an unconscious life is unattractive. But do we really understand what conscious living entails?

Defining Conscious Living

Conscious living is living in accord with the highest level of awareness (mindfulness) we are capable of at any given moment. That entails active self-awareness at all levels of our being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It also means we live with an awareness of the impact or the consequences of our being-ness on our own self, on others, and on the environment.

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Conscious living means we’re aware that what we think, feel, and do has consequences first on who we become but on other beings as well. Others means not only the people we’re in direct contact with, but those we indirectly impact by the level of our awareness, choices and actions. That’s the entire world population.

This conscious living action relates not only to all humans but to all animals and plants as well. And when we consider the environment, it’s not simply the ground where we stand and the air we breathe. It encompasses the local all the way out to planetary levels.

When Our Idea of Conscious Living Is Insufficient

Still, this awareness as broadly defined as we can define it is still insufficient if we lack responsibility, accountability and compassion for the negative consequences we create, knowingly or not, on the others.

Our awareness is insufficient if we lack the desire to shift and remedy our attitudes and actions in order to contribute to a more harmonious whole.

Care and Concern for All Others: Why Necessary for Conscious Living?

Humans are naturally very self-centered. This attitude immediately limits the scope of your and my awareness. It causes us to be influenced by all kinds of ideas and values handed down from one generation to the next and blindly accepted.

That collective consciousness unconsciously subjects us to a collective hypnotism that pushes us in preconceived directions. It robs us of the exercise of our free will.

Consequently, for a good part of our lives we’re likely sleepwalking—and not likely in the right direction. This creates undesirable consequences for ourselves and others. When we sleepwalk through life we’re not being our full selves. We allow ourselves to be robbed of part of our own living experience.

Conscious Living: How To

All this might sound ambitious and challenging. How do we go about living consciously?

The safety admonition air travelers are familiar with comes to mind:

In case oxygen masks are released from the overhead compartment, apply yours first before helping others, even the ones we love.

We have to take care of ourselves first if we want to be capable of helping others. In conscious living parlance it means we must rise higher in consciousness. And this starts with an enhanced awareness of our own selves.

The saying “think globally but act locally” is also appropriate.

We need to remember our actions have consequences, both positive and negative, and well beyond ourselves. This is why self-awareness is the first most indispensible step. And it’s neither obvious nor easy.

The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875 – 1961), one of the first Western explorers of collective consciousness (a phrase he coined), taught that:

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

Making the Unconscious Conscious

Life itself points us in the direction of conscious living all the time if we’ll only notice.

Think of your life experience as the projection of the content of your consciousness, including all the parts of the collective unconscious that you’ve unconsciously and consciously accepted.

What you don’t agree with or are proud of you project outwardly as a discordant life experience.

The only way to change the experience is to modify the content of your consciousness responsible for those undesirable experiences.

Observation and introspection will help you identify beliefs or values you aren’t in your heart of hearts in concert with.

Consciously dispense with them anytime they resurface. This practice requires practice, skill and patience.

Don’t condemn yourself for failing because the root cause is a set of beliefs that comes from the universal unconscious. But cultivating self-love will provide all the patience and awareness you seek.

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Sources:

“Thrilled To Be Alive.” Live Conscious, 13 Jan. 2018, liveconscious.com/2017/12/thrilled-to-be-alive/.

Photo courtesy of Kristopher Allison on Unsplash

The Water Scarcity Problem

The lack of broad awareness of water scarcity on a world scale and its consequences for sustaining human life on the planet is a bonafide crisis.

Because we’ve taken water, a gift from the sky, for granted for so long it’s hard to fathom a radical, maybe permanent, absence of water in some places on Earth. These are the traditionally agriculture rich regions that produce food for the world’s population.

The Water Scarcity Problem Evident in the Central Plains of the U. S.

Take the Ogallala Aquifer(1) in the U. S. as a case in point. It’s one of the world's largest aquifers(2) underlying an area of approximately 174,000 square miles in portions of eight states across much of the central plains. It’s a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel. And it’s seen its water level drop significantly every year since 1969. The natural replenishment from rain and melting snow is insufficient to compensate for the amount of water used year after year. As a result, the water level has fallen about 40 feet.

Large scale extraction for agricultural purposes started after World War II. Today, about 27% of the irrigated land in the entire U. S. lies over the aquifer which yields about 30% of the groundwater used for U.S. irrigation. The aquifer is at risk for over-extraction and pollution. Once depleted, the aquifer would take over 6,000 years to replenish naturally through rainfall. And the problem is generalized as we learn from the worldwide life dot org website:

“Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater—the stuff we drink, bathe in, irrigate our farm fields with—is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.

As a result, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year. Inadequate sanitation is also a problem for 2.4 billion people—they are exposed to diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses. Two million people, mostly children, die each year from diarrheal diseases alone.

Many of the water systems that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a growing human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up or becoming too polluted to use. More than half the world’s wetlands have disappeared. Agriculture consumes more water than any other source and wastes much of that through inefficiencies. Climate change is altering patterns of weather and water around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others.

At the current consumption rate, this situation will only get worse. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. And ecosystems around the world will suffer even more.”

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Lack of Leadership and Water Scarcity Worldwide

What’s really infuriating is that all this was predictable. Mitigating measures could have been put in place decades ago but were not because of lack of leadership in most major countries.

Consider that as long ago as the late 80s, Malin Falkenmark wrote an article in Ambio(3) entitled: The Massive Water Scarcity Now Threatening Africa: Why Isn't It Being Addressed?

The water crisis in Africa is, of course, more dire, however it signals problems the U. S. will have to confront if mitigation doesn’t occur immediately.

In the 1989 article, Falkenmark writes:

“Nations depend on precipitation + inflowing waters (rivers and aquifers)— evaporation losses form vegetation and wet surfaces—outflowing water (rivers and aquifers). Self-sufficiency in food production relies on water from rain and technical supplies (irrigation). Continual population growth in Africa cause water consumption levels to go so high that many countries have already reached the water stress level (>500 persons/flow unit). By 2000, 12 African countries with a population of 250 million people will be water stressed. 150 million of these people will live in countries with absolute water scarcity. Tunisia will be beyond the water barrier. By 2025, the total number of water-stressed African countries will be 21 (1.1 billion people). Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Malawi will be beyond the water barrier. Population growth accounts for the difference between 2000 and 2025. Yet many engineers and economists do not accept the existence of water barrier. They do not consider the fact that many African leaders do not have the mechanisms and tools available to meet water demand. This man-induced water scarcity is exacerbated by the fact than many of these countries are in arid climates and at constant risk of intermittent drought… policymakers must develop sound water strategies and integrate them with land management.”

Another sad example of this worldwide crisis is outlined in The Independent’s article, India’s ‘worst water crisis in its history’ is only going to get worse, government think tank says.

“India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and around 600 million people face a severe water shortage.

Approximately 200,000 people die every year due to inadequate access to clean water and it’s “only going to get worse” as 21 cities are likely to run out of groundwater by 2020.

In the longer term, the under-supply will become even more acute in the South Asian nation, as demand increases with the 1.4 billion population growing at a rate of around 1 per cent.

By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply the Niti Aayog report reads. “[This will cause] severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people.”

Addressing the Water Scarcity Problem Now

The water scarcity problems is an urgent global issue that requires immediate action both in the U.S. and worldwide.

Increasing population growth, climate change, and unsustainable water management practices are exacerbating this crisis, threatening agriculture, health, and economic stability.

In the U.S., regions like the Southwest are facing prolonged droughts that jeopardize water supplies, while many developing countries struggle with inadequate infrastructure and access to clean water.

To address these challenges, it’s essential to implement efficient water conservation techniques, invest in innovative technologies for water reuse and recycling, and promote policies that encourage sustainable water use.

Collaborative efforts between governments, communities, and organizations can pave the way for more resilient water systems, ensuring future generations have access to this vital resource. The problem is governments are not meeting communities and organizations to address the water scarcity problem on a significant enough scale.

No to Marriage: Millennials, Gen X and Gen Z Trends

Everyone wants love. We all inherently know love makes life worth living. We seem to know without being taught that love is a force that pervades the universe. We know that a world without love is a darker world and this drives us to seek and to share love in our lives. Gen. Y and Z’ers don’t equate love with marriage. They’re rejecting traditional marriage in record numbers. The median age for a first marriage is now age 27 for women and 29 for men. In 1960, it was 20 for women and 23 for men.

Love is the subject most written about in novels and songs. We think about it often. It’s seems very simple to us yet mysterious at the same time. And while we feel that love comes naturally to us, we grapple with what it really means and how we express it when we’re in love relationships.

Our society has constructed all kinds of walls and barriers in the form of rules around love although both Generations Y and Z are chipping away at them. As many question exactly why we’re all expected and trained to conform to these norms most especially around marriage we’re beginning to see new ways of living and loving demonstrated by the freer and more mindfully thinking population.

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Not Exactly No to Marriage

Millennials are showing signs they’re wanting to allow the institution of marriage to evolve. And they’re tending to view marriage as an option rather than a necessity or that thing you just do. It isn’t that they’re not exploring love and relationships. They are. They’re merely recognizing more and more that marriage is a construct that boxes in their exploration of love and of themselves.

Says Brooke Genn, relationship coach, “It’s a fascinating happening, and an incredible opportunity for marriage to be redefined and approached with more reverence and mindfulness than ever before.”

“Today an unprecedented portion of millennials will remain unmarried through age 40, a recent Urban Institute report predicted. The marriage rate might drop to 70 percent—a figure well below rates for boomers (91%), late boomers (87%) and Gen Xers (82%).”

— Meg Murphy, NowUKnow: Why Millennials Refuse to Get Married

No to Marriage the Old Way

It isn’t so much that most millennials don’t want to get married although a significant number of them do not. It’s more that they’re choosing to do it wisely—once they have careers well established, have satisfied many personal needs and have created a firm financial foundation. They want to gain a more established individual adult identity prior to marriage complete with more emotional development and self-awareness. And for many, their idea of what constitutes this more holistic foundation very often is preventing them from ever marrying. 

Beyond finances, there’s a social component too. Millennials are beginning to perceive marriage as an outdated institution. Opting out of traditional marriage is their way of rebelling against institutions they do not entirely believe in. Moreover, national surveys show that half of American adults believe society is not adversely affected if people place other priorities above marriage and children, according to a recent Pew report.

Additionally, says Meg Murphy in Why Millennials Refuse to Get  Married,

“For some millennial couples, they’d rather avoid the term ‘spouse’ as well as ‘marriage’ altogether. Instead, they are perfectly happy to be lifelong partners without the marriage license.”

No to Marriage If It Has a Hidden Agenda

Marriage for legal, tax and economic, and religious and social purposes does not appeal to them as much as it did to their forebears. 

“Instead, they claim their relationship as entirely their own, based on love and commitment, and not in need of external validation.”

Millennials have also witnessed a high degree of divorce among their parents and this makes them skittish about marriage. In their parents’ and earlier generations, people just got married and then worked to figure things out. Millennials are more about certainty, being deliberate and making the right decision therefore they’re slower to pull the trigger.

No to Marriage and No to Divorce Too

Should it come to marriage, millennials and even their predecessor Gen-Xers tend to shun divorce. University of Maryland professor Philip Cohen has found that from 2008 to 2016, the U.S. divorce rate has dropped by 18%. He says that the overall drop is driven entirely by younger women.

As our world continues to evolve, we’re finding we’re having to make shifts in how we do things—how we live, how we do business, how we communicate and interact with each other and more. We’re being required to make these shifts more frequently than decades ago and to table our judgment of what we sometimes view as seismic metamorphoses in favor of a “wait and see” approach.  This begs an openness on our part to accept the winds of change making us more resilient beings and leaving our inner happiness and joy undisturbed. We’ll probably find that many of the evolutionary changes we’re witnessing today will eventually prove to work out just fine in the end.

…

Sources:

Murphy, Meg. “NowUKnow: Why Millennials Refuse to Get Married.” PreparedU View | Bentley University, 3 Jan. 2019, www.bentley.edu/impact/articles/nowuknow-why-millennials-refuse-get-married.

Miller, Ryan W. “Add Divorce to the List of Things Millennials Are Killing.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 Sept. 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/09/26/millennials-blame-lower-us-divorce-rate-study/1429494002/.

Photo courtesy of rawpixel on Unsplash

Gratitude for Wellness

Positive emotions have a favorable effect on our vitality while negative ones damage physical and mental health and our emotional life. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) fully embraces achieving a balanced emotional state as requisite for health and wellness. And gratitude is a practice that inspires many positive emotions that result in greater wellness.

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Enriching Relationships Foster Gratitude and Wellness

When we enjoy nourishing relationships with others it naturally leads us to develop an attitude of gratitude. With the load of concerns and worries most people experience these days, if you can have even just one enriching relationship, it’s something to be grateful for. You feel more secure and grounded.

Some people are blessed with an innate predisposition to be thankful for almost all people and events in their lives but for most it requires a moment of deliberate reflection to focus on people, animals, things, conditions, and places for which to acknowledge and express appreciation. It is so important that Dr. Mercola refers to it as “a cure for everything,” and he adds: "It is free!”

Cultivate Gratitude for Wellness and Remedy for Feeling Low.

A feeling of gratitude is a blessing but it needs to be expressed to be cultivated and to become fully beneficial in our lives.

Appreciation is a next step, even more profound aspect of gratitude. It causes us to go beyond the surface of “thank you” and feel more deeply.

Feeling gratitude for anything at all is a near instant remedy for feeling low. Feeling appreciation for anything at all causes us to truly pause and deliberately savor the beauty of life. It can begin with appreciation for the simplest of things such as a smile offered, a butterfly, a tasty bite of food, a hilarious television show or a beautiful color.

Appreciation has the potential to take us to the more meditative state where healing begins to occur, “the junction point between mind and matter, the point where consciousness actually starts to have an effect,” according to Deepak Chopra.

It is this state of awareness and feeling that becomes the “best predictor of good relationships” in our lives. It contributes to a balanced and peaceful state of mind and it supports our chi energy helping us to maintain a stronger immune system and radiant health, vitality and sense of overall well-being.

Best Practices for Living In Harmony with Energetic Fall

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the Metal element corresponds to the energy of energetic Fall (August 7 to October 20). To understand the energies of the season, keep in mind the metaphor of the mountain composed of minerals of all kinds. Its base is wide and firmly rooted to the Earth. At the same time it reaches upward towards the heavens with authority and might.

Keep in mind this metaphor of the mountain as you realize that Metal:

• gives us our sense of quality and value

• offers us an avenue for looking at the majesty that lies beyond ourselves

• extends to us the power to let go thereby returning us to us our essence

• represents a paternal energy.

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Our inner attributes of the Metal element give us a sense of self-worth.

Metal is meant to be the period of tranquility of our conduct.

Metal reflects back to us our core issues. Even if we don't have a particular affinity for Metal, we are all called to deal with our core issues during Metal/Fall.

Metal calls us to connect with the most refined aspect of ourselves. People with an affinity for Metal tend to to be drawn to beauty. They enjoy symmetry and find inspiration in purity. 

Metal qualities include fortitude, independence, focus, intensity, righteousness, fluency in speech, determination and power. 

Metal’s Emotions

Metal types inevitably learn the importance of becoming less opinionated, accepting change, and letting go of the past. Metal types tend to dwell on the past if they are unaware so they need to be attentive to the action of letting go.

In TCM, the emotion of grief is associated with Metal. The challenge is to express grief and then let it go otherwise it can fester into persistent negativity and abject sadness. 

There’s often an acute awareness of time passing and growing old in the Fall. Know that this is part of the energy of the season. Just let those thoughts go without dwelling on them. 

In Fall, the Metal element is at its peak and particularly responsive to treatment. At this time of year, if we are out of Metal balance either physically, mentally or spiritually, the season's energies are very much supportive of bringing us back into Metal balance.

The energies of the season can support the replenishing of depleted mineral stores in the body and/or bringing Metal back into balance mentally and spiritually. 

Metal governs human behaviors such as organization, order, communication, the mind, setting and protecting boundaries. 

For your best harmonious energetic Fall experience, explore these:

1. Engage in self-evaluation.

2. Be open to new experiences; let go of always only what is familiar.

3. Stand up for what is right.

4. Follow your heart.

5. Persevere through challenges.

6. Take action even if you’re fearful; embrace hope.

7. Consolidate and begin storing energy for the upcoming Winter months.

8. Take time to meditate.

9. Speak only when necessary; stop the small talk.

10. Exercise your will calmly and quietly.

11. Contain yourself and behave with a degree of restraint.

12. Gather your soul and spirit together; explore your core issues.

“There are three months of autumn,

they denote taking in and balance.

The qi of heaven becomes tense.

The qi of the earth becomes bright.

Go to rest early and rise early,

get up together with the chicken.

Let the mind be peaceful and tranquil,

so as to temper the punishment carried out in autumn.

Collect the spirit qi and cause the autumn qi to be balanced.

Do not direct your mind to the outside and

cause the lung qi to be clear.

This is correspondence with the qi of autumn and

it is the Way to nourish gathering.

Opposing it harms the lung…”

— from The Neijing Suwen

How Our Emotional Intelligence Affects Not Only How We Feel But How We Look

In 1996, I attended a business conference and was asked to participate on a Q & A panel. In one of my answers I mentioned I was encountering some significant pointers in a new book I was reading, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman, first published in late 1995.

As soon as I uttered the name of the book I heard sneers of mockery or disbelief. How could those two contrary words belong together? In the time since 1996, the emotional quotient (EQ), coined by Goleman and in contrast to the traditional IQ, has been taking its place as a predictor of success in social and family relationships, in the management of people, and in teaching and learning (as stated by Goleman in his book).

We have, as a culture, largely come to realize that our EQ often matters more than the intelligence quotient (IQ) for living enriching, fulfilled and healthy lives.

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It requires a shift in focus to realize that, in fact, intelligence is not limited to rationality for indeed rationality and emotionality are dramatically different. But intelligence must not be limited to the intellect if we associate the intellect as the instrument of rationality.

In the last twenty plus years, an enormous movement in collective consciousness has, at least for many, made sense of the notion of emotional intelligence to the extent that it is now. It has also been studied for some time in colleges and graduate business schools. After a few centuries since The Age of Reason when rational intelligence dominated our Western culture, it became more broadly recognized that skillsets other than IQ are necessary to successfully undertake a number of personal and professional activities. 

The five components of Goleman’s presentation are:

• Self-awareness of emotions

• Self-regulation of actions driven by emotions

• Motivation to achieve

• Receptivity to emotions of others

• Social skills/managing relationships

Emotional intelligence captures a higher view of the relationship between oneself and others. It is less egocentric and more inclusive of how others feel and react. It turns its back on coercion in favor of cooperation. In a word, it is more respectful and more civilized.

The clincher is that EQ is proven to be more effective. And for those reasons we need to pay attention to the idea and its approach. This is also true at least for those of us who have the objective to live in a way that enhances our state of well-being and promotes a sense of happiness.

PHYTO5 is a quintessential wellness skincare line. From its conceptualization in the 70s, in the method underlining the formulation of the products and in the method of their application, the notion of balancing vital energy was key. It was recognized by the founders of the method and products that balanced vital energy was a precondition to feeling and looking good.

That relationship between how we feel and how we look was so clear that the company’s slogan was: “Beauty is Health Made Visible!”

In 2017, the exclusive Swiss manufacturer of PHYTO5 skin and hair care pioneered a breakthrough process to elevate the vibrational frequency of the already energetic level of the products. Now the products were raised to the quantum level of frequencies. At such a high frequency level the products are able to not only balance vital energy with positive effects on the skin, they also have the potential to balance our emotions. As negative emotions are dissipated the natural surfacing of positive ones take place. What results is a renewed feeling of happiness which is an incredibly important component for wellness.

…

Photo by Kyle Loftus on Unsplash

Sources:

Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. Bloomsbury, 2010.

Earth Element TCM: Get Your Best Lifestyle Tips for TCM's Fifth Season

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), energetic Fall begins August 7 every year. But in TCM energetic Fall doesn’t immediately follow Summer as it does in most people’s minds. The season called Earth does. In fact, there are four 18-day transition periods of the Earth element throughout the year(1)—one after each of the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

“Why is it then that Earth is most specifically awarded the place between Fire and Metal? The qualities of nurturance, abundance, fullness and ripeness align it naturally to the time of harvest, that time of year when the energy is neither rising (Fire) nor falling (Metal), a period of balance and harmony. Earth finds its natural place in the seasons of nature’s maturing.” —John Kirkwood, The Way of the Five Seasons: Living with Five Elements for Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Harmony

Earth Element TCM

TCM urges us to live in harmony with the seasons and their respective elements for our best health and enjoyment of life. Each season and element in TCM possess many attributes and conditions, including skin conditions and emotions. Because the five element lines are quantum energetic, able to move towards the deepest core of the mind-body system, these lines also balance emotion.

• Spring: Wood. The quantum energetic Wood line clarifies oily skin, lightens spots and stimulates blood flow and vital energy for a matte finish. Transform emotions of anger and lack of confidence to feel more kind and confident.

• Summer: Fire. Quantum energetic Fire line products soothe irritated sensitive skin, reduce excess redness, cool and calm skin and balance the energy of red blood circulation. Bring feelings of joylessness or over-the-top expressions of joy to a state of joy-in-balance.

• Fall: Metal. The quantum energetic Metal line eliminates impurities, decongest s and brightens dull skin, plumps fine lines and balances the energy of blue blood circulation. Balance emotions of worry and agitation and know that all is well.

• Winter: Water. Quantum energetic Water line skincare super-hydrate mature very dry skin, increase elasticity and balance moisture retention. The line gives you a sense of zenitude.

• And there’s the additional fifth season: Earth recurring four times a year. Quantum energetic Earth skincare detoxifies impurities, balances blemishes and acne, reduces enlarged pores and encourages the energy of lymph circulation. If you’re out of balance in the Earth emotion you’ll feel overwhelmed from over-caretaking causing you to feel unstuck or unable to finish projects. Feel more free to express yourself creatively.

Earth Element TCM General Lifestyle Practices

We cannot separate ourselves from nature. Humankind lives an integral important part of it.

For this reason, living in harmony with the rest of nature all around us, and especially with the Earth element TCM can help build and strengthen a physical body with internal systems equilibrium.

Eat, exercise, sleep and wake in alignment with the energy of the season and its element.

Give, love, contemplate, and nurture yourself in alignment with the ways of the Earth element TCM.

Your physical health will benefit and so will your entire well-being including emotional. It’s how you can better ward off illness and keep your mental, emotional and spiritual aspects in balance and thriving. Earth element TCM lends itself perfectly to care and health of your body.

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The ancient Chinese intensely and over time observed the human body and how it functions.

They also observed the movements of the heavens and climatic conditions. They realized that each element in TCM embodied an entire set of unique attributes.

These attributes include color, taste, smell, sound, direction, weather condition, emotion, skin condition and organs. For example, the color for Earth element TCM is yellow, and the organs are stomach and spleen.

Earth Element TCM Insights for Harmonious Living

The Earth season offers us time to think about harvesting what we have sown in the previous season.

Earth is simultaneously two energies:

• a time of decrease or slowing down (the yin energy aspect)

• and abundance (the yang energy aspect).

For the Earth element TCM, you might find it helpful to incorporate the following practices into your everyday life:

• Observe the fruits of your labor in many arenas of your life:

  • your relationships

  • your level of joy and happiness

  • the care of your heart, both literally and figuratively

  • the care of your digestive system

• Contemplate the harvest aspect of your life. Notice areas that are bearing fruit and those that aren’t. Learn from this and give fruitful areas more focus and let go of the fruitless ones.

• Focus on nurturing yourself. Let your intuition show you how.

• Support your digestion not just of food but your thoughts and emotions. This enables your thoughts and emotions to reach your mind and spirit.

• Wind down your pace of living. Gather in all the energies you’ve created, lived and spent throughout the previous season.

• Recognize and appreciate the bounty of the earth. See how you can be bountiful and generous in your life as you give to others and yourself.

• Get down to what’s truly necessary in your life. What is needless or a distraction? Now take steps accordingly. This is an important practice as you prepare to enter the next energetic season. You want to bring your best energies to it.

• Observe and mirror nature at this time of year. The cycles of nature metaphor teach so much. Contemplate how seeds you plant (both physically and metaphorically) reap similar kinds of harvests. Think about the seeds you’ve sown and know that harvest comes from that planting. Then every harvest bears the seeds for the next season of your life.

…

Endnotes:

1. For your reference, the Earth periods of the year are:

• January 18 to February 4

• April 18 to May 5

• July 20 to August 6

• October 21 to November 7

…

Source:

Kirkwood, John. The Way of the Five Seasons: Living with Five Elements for Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Harmony. Singing Dragon, 2016.

Photo courtesy of Brigitte Tohm at Unsplash

Do We Remember the Spirit of July the Fourth? How Current Events Provoke Us to More Profoundly Value Our Nation's Beginning

The 4th of July! A great day for outdoor celebrations, marching bands, barbecue, the beach… a welcome day off with friends and family. At the same time, how much thought goes into remembering what this holiday is about over and above the 13 colonies’ gaining of independence under the weight of the Crown of England leading eventually to the formation of our American Republic? These seminal events were the outcome of a collective state of mind of a handful of leaders representing those colonies and who have been referred to as the “Founding Fathers.” 

Their state of mind was anchored by strong convictions of the rightfulness of certain critical values. First and foremost was a sense of freedom and independence from the unfair and arbitrary treatment they suffered at the hands of the English government. But the new world had inspired many who were fleeing oppressive conditions and who had made a difficult trip across the Atlantic to enjoy a sense of freedom found and the potential to more fully enjoy the fruits of their labor.

That sense of freedom included the right to pursue happiness in whichever way they could that was both legal and possible and so much so that the Declaration of Independence stressed “the pursuit of happiness” as an inalienable right. 

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Now why are we talking about all of this—and from our vantage point as a skincare company?

We consider that our unique skincare line based on the principles of vital energy is more than skincare. PHYTO5 quantum energetic products come with the very important added value and potential of balancing not only vital energy but the skin and emotions as well. This makes PHYTO5 an active modality of wellness.

Wellness is difficult to achieve without a reasonable level of happiness, therefore a national and a home environment that supports our pursuit of happiness is also an environment that supports our pursuit of wellness and vice-versa.

Media regularly reports about the escalation of physical and mental health crises. We are realizing alarming increases in suicides, opioid addiction and obesity. Our population increasingly suffers the effects of mental stress from a mounting number of sources. This mental stress pervades our lives as we unconsciously develop and suffer from a sense of separation as a result of immersing ourselves in technologies. Our relationships tend to be more with smartphones, tablets and computers than with people.

Given the documented drop of the “Happiness Index” in the U.S. it’s reasonable, if not necessary, to ask ourselves if things are on the right track in our government in terms of providing its citizens with what will contribute positively or negatively to our rightful pursuit of our happiness, wellness and vitality of life objective.

In this regard, it is clear that we need to make it known to politicians that their mission is more complex than crusading for a single issue. We must let them know that we are going to need more from them if they want our votes. We deserve this and must demand it!

Photo by Patrick Brinksma at Unsplash