In Traditional Chinese Medicine, late August and early September are the time of year most naturally supportive of nourishment, comfort, and enjoyment, where the land is ripe and we harvest the fruits of our labours. It’s the time of year most associated with the Earth element and the organs the stomach and spleen.
Think of the stomach as a big pot that receives our food and ripens it for digestion so we feel full and satiated. The spleen is our ‘transport official’, separating and transforming the essence of food into Chi (vital energy), transporting the essence to cells that need it, forming the basis for the production of blood, governing and regulating the vital essences, which includes regulating skin moisture levels and keeping muscles toned and strong.
What this means is that when these two organs aren’t functioning optimally, or we’re making it harder for them to do their job, we run into potential issues like a lack of grounding, poor digestion, bloating, reduced blood flow, a turbulent mind, feeling as if we’re not provided for or that there’s never enough, leading to further anxiety, inability to cope, excessive worry and repetitive difficult thoughts (worry being the negative emotion associated with an Earth element imbalance). Since this is the time of year most suited to a healthy Earth element, and these organs, if these are issues for you, you’re in luck. (Meaning, there’s hope, and it’s a good time to work on it, not that you’re lucky to be experiencing any of these struggles; obviously… But you are lucky to be engaging with the possibility of holistic change!)
So let’s help that stomach and spleen of yours relax and thrive!
And how do we do that?
The stomach and spleen’s requests:
Now is an especially abundant time of year where it is easy to obtain and ingest food that is vital, fresh, colourful and rich in Chi; and the more local, the better.
Eat as many home cooked meals full of fresh local and in season fruits and veggies as possible, along with good quality grain and protein.
Include the right probiotics to help both these organs do their job effectively. Without them, the stomach can’t properly break down nor can the necessary nutrients be properly extracted and directed where they need go.
Ashwagandha, cordyceps and turmeric (what curcumin is derived from) are recommended for spleen function in TCM. Based on its actions, some have theorized Lion’s Mane works on the stomach and spleen channels too. In fact, in the forest, fungi in general shares and spreads essential nutrition, regulates and stabilizes. In that way all the medicinal mushrooms have an affinity with the Earth element.
The Other Side of Digestion
That’s for the physical side of these organs. But here’s where it gets interesting:
Both these organs also function beyond just the physical. If we broaden our sense of what we ingest and ‘feed on’ to include what we take in mentally or emotionally, as well as through the senses — be it imagery through the news, sights, sounds, smells, our thoughts and feelings (essentially all that make up our experience) — we step into a deeper understanding of how to connect with the Earth element in a healthy way. The same recommendation applies here: Ingest what is nourishing, stabilizing, and full of vital life force this time of year in terms of mental and emotional impressions, and savour what you have, without taking in too much at once.
Practice appreciation of what is here, instead of funnelling a thousand unnecessary images and text lines into your psyche within a few minutes of scrolling.
Imagine how you would feel if you tried to do the same thing with food…. Not pretty.
Multitasking and our attention going in too many places at once (especially while we eat) directly hinders the spleen to do its job physically, and beyond, limiting our ability to intake and spread essential nutrients and energy throughout us. (Some practitioners of TCM actually believe spleen imbalance is a modern epidemic, where its symptoms are commonplace and we experience information overload daily. Think about trying to eat and digest while on a website with flashing advertisements in every corner of the screen, music blaring from another room, horns honking outside and you’re simultaneously trying to have a conversation or texting. Phew, poor spleen.)
Share!
There’s another important element here to connecting with the Earth element. Be like the Earth: Share the abundances and nourishment with others as the Earth does — spreading and directing its nourishing vital essence. Enact the physical act of transporting goods and nourishment. And enjoy the results, sharing with your loved ones or even strangers. It’s another one of this season’s gifts. The feeling of participating in someone else’s delight and appreciation, by spreading the gifts of the season, is a gift that keeps on giving to us as well. A person’s delicious thanks, and good company, with fresh food in the late summer light, is a sumptuous feast indeed.
Thank you Earth and to all the forces and powers that go into it.
Harness the energy of the Earth element by focusing on comforting nourishment, creating stability and ease, without stagnation, on all levels of your being and your body and mind will be more equipped to do what it does — root in health and vitality in this season of balance right between the heat of summer and the dip into the cooler months.
And last but not least — Enjoy, in restful joy, everyone.
That’s the blessing of the earth element in good, bountiful repose.
With love in Late summer!
See you out there!
(Ps.
We are each unique and complex. The imbalances and problems listed are all potential issues associated with the Earth element, but if you’re dealing with chronic issues, seek actual help from a professional TCM practitioner who can diagnose you specifically; and get to the root problems. These recommendations can help in the mean time and are a gift to undertake.)
