Hello hello,
It's been longer than I'd like since I made my last video. Levi got up to some mischief last week that included smashing my laptop to the ground and breaking the camera. And it turns out webcams are pretty hard to come by these days (wonder why??). I've finally gotten my old-ish phone set up to help me make these videos and I plan to get back to it either tonight or tomorrow afternoon, but in the meantime I wanted to share some thoughts about the seasonal shift and where it sets us in the 5 elements.
Spring is here, and with spring comes the time of the wood element. Growth, change, twisting and winding pathways, and making choices are the movements of wood. Emotions associated with wood are exactly the emotions that can be associated with growth and change at their most intense: frustration and anger. To say that we are all in frustrating circumstances right now would be a massive understatement. But what I think is particularly challenging to the rising of our wood element is that all of our plans are on hold. Energetically we are so ready to put our ideas and desires for change into action, and we simply cannot. Moves are on hold, career changes are on hold, new adventures and travel destinations are on hold, and school is on hold. We are so ready to dive into the newness but we are not able. So of course our frustration and anger are doubling down on themselves.
The key to healthy processing of this moment of frustration, and likely anger, is to find the appropriate and safe ways to let it fully express. Physical movement can be extremely helpful. Take some time to move like a twisting, winding tree from the roots to the branches. Feel yourself winding out the kinks, and maybe let out some sounds and yells. Now is not the time to worry about what anyone else thinks of us, right? Feel free to shout and sing it all out! Feeling really angry? Find a good pillow to squeeze and shake and shout out to the world "I'm so angry!!!" (feel free to add your expletive of choice.) If your downstairs neighbors don't mind you could even let yourself have a nice little tantrum and stomp and shout it all out.
On a gentler and more ongoing note, meet yourself where you are. Acknowledge your frustration -- it is so valid. Take a few deep breaths. Where do you feel your frustration in your body? Your anger? Focus a ball of gentle white light into that area and take deep calm breathes letting the light penetrate and dissolve the stuck emotions. Breathe patience, self-acceptance, and kindness into the space you've created.
A last little thing you can do that really does help is start each day with a glass of hot water with lemon. This soothes the liver energy so gently and helps our bodies stay in balance.
If there is any way you can channel the changes you've been hoping to make into your current situation, go for it! I know that feels largely impossible for me and many others and that is hard, but I try to do my best to come to acceptance in any way I can.