Healing the Waters

Unlike most people I know who live for the Summer, Winter is one of my favorite seasons.   Best appreciated from inside a toasty room with a ginger tea, I love the beauty and wonder of snow. 

As I previously discussed in the Into the Yin article, Winter is associated with the Water Element.   It is a time when the qualities of Yin- darkness, cold, stillness, the moon, the Feminine, night, the moon, etc- are at their height.  In Taoist philosophy, Water is considered the archetype for Yin, while Fire is considered the archetype for Yang energy.

Yin Associations: Cold, Night, Moon, Water, Stillness

We live in a patriarchal society in which the Yang is often seen as superior to the Yin.  An obvious example is the pay difference between men and women holding the same position, and even more so, the lack of pay AT ALL for women in the position of full-time mother. On a more subtle level- we praise the "light of day",  but fear the mystery and stillness of darkness.  We pride ourselves on our ability to put "mind over matter", instead of listening with receptivity to the messages our bodies have for us.  And extroverted, social people tend to hold leadership positions more than quiet intuitives.

But the Winter season is a wonderful time to honor and nurture the Yin aspect of our beings. Check out these ways to harmonize your Water Element.

Sadness

The increased darkness and introversion of the Winter season affects many people at this time of year with sadness or depression. 

Flower Power Parties are great for the Winter

Lifestyle Recommendation:  social outings with friends can warm the cold with a spark of laughter and connection. Indoor festivities such as book clubs and Flower Power Parties are great social ways to honor the Water's affinity for depth and introspection.
Healing Tools:   The Illumine Flower Essence Spray and the St. John’s Shield Flower Essence Body Oil both help to balance the light and dark within our psyche, and are recommended for seasonal sadness or depression.

Fear

Fear is the emotion of the Water Element, which can be in the form of known fears and phobias, as well as in the form of anxiety, panic attacks, feeling paralyzed in some area of life.

Lifestyle Recommendation:  Flower Essence Therapy can help you uncover the roots of your anxiety and fears.  Like shining a flashlight into the subconscious mind (which controls a whopping 90% of our behaviors!), Flower Essence Therapy allows us to listen to our body's wisdom and re-program ingrained habits and beliefs.
Healing Tools:  The  Fear-Less Flower Essence Spray is amazing for acute anxiety, fear, or panic attacks.

Receptivity

The Water Element deals with the ability to “go with the flow”, rather than pushing too hard to ‘make it happen’.  It also deals with the ability to be receptive in relationships, and to cultivate the softer sides of our personalities.

Lifestyle Recommendation:  Though it might seems impossible in the seasonal hustle and bustle, more rest and less activity is ideal at this time of year.   Before the modern technology allowed us to have light 24/7, the ancients took their cues from the Sun and all of nature, resting during the Winter and incubating the seeds of change to follow in the Spring.

Healing Tools:  Grace Flower Essence Spray helps us to welcome the Sacred Feminine into our daily lives, while Calendula Caresss Flower Essence Body Oil supports us feeling nurtured, supported and receptive.

Family and Ancestry

During the seasonal holidays, we tend to spend more time with family (or become painfully aware of our family conflict).  The Water Element deals with our genetic inheritance on a physical and spiritual levels.

Lifestyle Recommendation:  Explore your family history by learning more about the generations that proceeded you.  Interview family members to learn about central conflicts or beliefs held by your ancestors, and reflect on how those conflicts or beliefs may be evolving through you.  Note: if you are adopted, this exercise can be done with either your adopted family or your birth family.  

Healing Tools:  The Sacred Heart Flower Essence Spray is a remedy that supports relationships of all kinds by helping us to love from a center of emotional containment, while the Benediction Flower Essence Body Oil is a heart balm that expands our capacity for love and compassion.

All of the Healing Tools listed above will be available at my upcoming events this Winter, or you can call 718-913-0037 to order.  Whether you celebrate the Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or the New Year- have a happy, healthy holiday season!