Each season that we enter and cycle through has its own innate medicine. And when we
can connect into the subtlety of that season and its particular character,
we can receive the different medicine that it's bringing to us. There is a little-known fifth
season in the Chinese way of thinking about the wheel of the year. I'm Asia Suler of One Willow
Apothecaries, and this is your introduction to the medicine of the fifth season— late summer.
In Chinese medicine there are five seasons, and these seasons are reflective of the cycle of
growth— from seed, to bloom, to decay, to rest, to rebirth. Right now we've entered the fifth season,
which is called late summer. And it starts around mid to late August until the September equinox.
So a lot of times, in our country, will call this Indian summer. And as I'm saying this
you might be having a particular remembrance or awareness of how this season really is different
than the others. It's this transition into the fall time with these still sort of hot-flash
days. There is a distinct change that happens from summer into this Indian summer time,
before we actually hit the fullness of fall. So in the Chinese way of thinking, this is actually its
own whole season with its own particular qualities and medicine. Late summer is the time of the earth
element in Chinese medicine. So the earth element is all about grounding, rootedness. This is also
at the very center of the five cycle season. So this season is oftentimes about creating a home,
finding stability, and you see this reflected in our patterning around this time. This is often
when people are going back to work, going back to school, maybe setting new goals for themselves,
and all these are good activities to have at the center of your altar during this late summer time.
This is also the transition from the real Yang of summertime—this real outward fire—to the Yin
of fall and winter. So you might find during this time that you begin to have some moments
of exhaustion, or tiredness. This is really your body's way of saying that it's time to transition
from the overexertion of summer, and start to cool into this Yin phase. The earth element is
always going to help us to understand how to slow down and nourish and take care of our bodies. So
this is a really good period of time to start developing a really nourishing practice of your
food, and your diet, and your self-care. Not coincidentally, the organs associated with this
time are the stomach and spleen. So these are the organs of digestion, but not just physical
digestion, we're also talking about here like mental and emotional digestion. This is the
time to start digesting all of the busyness of summertime, and really begin to process that so
you can move into the deeply reflective time of fall. Fall is often a time of doing this inner
work and preparing for winter time. It's a time of deep nostalgia and remembrance. So in late
summer we begin to process digest and break down everything that's happened so far in this year,
in this growth cycle, so we can prepare for the quieting down of fall. When Earth is in balance
we're going to feel really nurtured, we're going to be feeling really capable, and really solid
in our calm awareness and knowing. When Earth is out of balance you might experience worry
or having your thoughts sort of roll a million miles a minute. So if these things are happening
to you during this time, just know that it would be a good moment for you to step back and really
focus on nourishing your Earth. How do we nourish our Earth? Well first of all creating time in
your schedule for meditation, relaxation. Sometimes I find schedules really helped
me with my earth element—especially if you're embarking upon a new course of study this year,
or a brand-new job—to really write out a schedule for yourself. You know, when are you going to be
engaged in that and when can you have downtime? Late summer is a really good time to start
engaging with this. The colors of late summer are orange and yellow and the taste is slightly sweet,
so if you want some herbs to really help you sink into this time, there are a couple that really
fit this profile beautifully and they include shatavari, licorice, astragalus, and oat straw,
You're going to notice some commonalities between these herbs. They're slightly, sweet they're
nourishing, some of them are actually pretty high in mineral and vitamin content, and all of
them have this way of working with our nervous system to help us slightly relax. Some of them
are considered even adaptogens, which really is a term for helping our bodies, hearts, and minds,
and physiological systems adapt to any stresses that are coming our way. So this is really a good
time to come off the high of summer, re-establish this pattern of nourishing yourself so you can
move forward into the deep and reflective work of fall. If you liked this video, go ahead and
share it with your friends and like it here on the page. And let me know in the comment
section below what plant or what practice feels most nourishing to you at this time. Let's share
these here so we can begin to get some ideas from one another, of how to really cultivate and love
this earth time. Thank you so much for watching, and enjoy this unique fifth season of Earth time.