Longer days are the
Beginning of Summer's sign!
Welcome Fire Season!
Hello, Friends of Flying Needle!
Happy Beginning of Summer!
- first summer solar node -
Hope this finds you well during these interesting times!
Seasonal Musings
While the morning temperatures might make this hard to believe, Summer began on May 5th!
Day length, the main expression of yang tracked through the Solar Nodes, has appreciably lengthened. Summer is often called "the season of flourishing." Life is bursting forth in myriad expressions!
Continue to dress appropriately for the weather while turning attention to supporting the fire organ, the heart.
Traditional supportive suggestions are cultivating equanimity whenever possible, and daily stillness practice. Remember and review our relaxation/meditation practice from a couple of newsletters ago.
As the heart is associated with fire, it can have a tendency towards excess exuberance and upward flaring heat during the Summer. Cooling foods and clear liquids, and not exerting oneself during mid-day heat are suggestions that help to temper this tendency towards excess heat as we move deeper into Summer.
Reflections
In listening to a talk by Heiner Fruehauf, he mentioned a quote from the great physician of the late 19th/early 20th century, Zhang Xichun.
"Many recent medical journal reports take the view that [traditional Chinese] philosophy holds back the progress of medicine, but their authors do not understand the use of philosophy, nor do they understand that philosophy is actually the basis of medicine [...] philosophy is the true source of medicine, or rather that medicine is the natural outcome of philosophy."
It will likely come as no surprise to readers of this newsletter that I love this quote! Let's unpack some of it for our May reflection.
Philosophy from the Greek, meaning "love of wisdom."
Wisdom, as defined on Wikipedia, "is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight."
Philosophy, a love of contemplation and action.
A love of contemplative action, a love of active contemplation, these loves sound like an ideal basis for the practice of medicine!
It is my understanding that in the broadest terms, the practice of Classical Chinese medicine can be described as skillful non-coercive action taken to harmonize the microcosm of the human organism within the macrocosm of the dynamic forces of the heavens and the earth.
Skillful, in this context, meaning to offer the appropriate message at the appropriate moment. Non-coercive, meaning working collaboratively with the innate intelligence of the body.
An understanding of how these dynamic forces move is the basis of the philosophy that underlies this medicine. Cultivating an embodied understanding, which develops and deepens over time, of these movements is a medicine in and of itself. For many of us who have embarked on this study, one of the myriad gifts we receive from the medicine is to be called deeper into stewardship and service of this wisdom and its practical application.
Observe and follow
Nature's way. Harmonize with
Seasonal rhythms.
It is my sincere hope that you have found something of use in these words.
If you know folks who you feel would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it their way! Thank you!
Wishing you and all your relations wellbeing and good medicine!
With gratitude,
Taran