Nourishing Yin

 The topic of the month is nourishing Yin. So often in my practice, my patients ask me what is Yin and what is Yang? How do these principles apply to my treatment? How do I work with these aspects of Chinese medicine in my every day life?
These are very big questions with multi-dimensional answers. I am going to answer them from my own personal perspective. Please note that each practitioner of Chinese medicine will have their own definition and application of these theories...
Yin is the passive energy that is defined by contraction.  As the season shifts and we go into the darker days and cooler nights we are entering the Yin cycle within nature. The element is water, the organs are the Kidneys and the Bladder, the colors are black and blue. This is the time where we prosper if we simmer savory soups, make congees, roast root vegetables, drink hot herbal teas with Manuka honey, rest more, go in, sleep longer hours, honor the delicate needs of our bodies,  and nourish our deepest Essence on all levels.
My favorite source of inspiration for recipes and food suggestions for nourishing Yin is Paul Pitchford's  book Healing With Whole Foods. Yin foods tend to be more cooling, salty, descending in energy and by nature build blood and nourish fluids of the body.
Outside of Acupuncture and massage treatments, rest and seasonal diet modifications, creative activities   may also nourish Yin.
The balance between Yin and Yang will manifest as a more balanced Qi, or vital life force.

Yin is the energy that is governed by darkness, creative energy, passiveness, serenity, moisture, the seed, the quiet, cultivation of nutrition, the new beginning, softness, the feminine, our sweetest inner dreams that wake us up in the early morning where we say 'yes' before the day begins. 

Knitting, cooking, embroidery, wood work, meditation, resting by a fire, enjoying the close comfort of a best friend with tea, a nap under a special quilt, a rest in the warmth of the afternoon Autumn sun, the essence of the moon, a rich velvety congee,  a stew simmering  in a crock pot, the sweet smell of the most delicate flowers, the essence of earth, all speak to the energy of Yin. 

For me, the expression of Yin comes when I can take a beautiful picture of an opening flower, or seeing the sparkle of the sun light on water that translates into an opening of my Heart. Also,  being in the vastness of the open sea...with my camera, or experiencing a special moment in nature... touching the earth,
and  knowing that it will nourish me for a long while.

'The closer you can lie against the Earth, melting into the Earth, the better. You become nothing in order to be come something....Touching the Earth, you are able to reabsorb the vital source of energy  bequeathed to you by your ancestors.'

Thich Nhat Hanh

A Strange and Beautiful Visitor

This visitor appeared yesterday in the soft September light. 

The picture was taken as this small moth was resting on a window, it was taken from inside of the glass. I found it rather mysterious to see how the light came through the wings. 

Wishing everyone a sparkly week end.

The End of Summer

As the light and the colors are shifting with the seasons, the spiders are busy weaving their incredible webs and many of the berries are turning the most delicious shades of red and orange.

Before the warmth and the sound of the crickets slip away I want to share my summer snapshots.

All of these pictures were taken with my iPhone.

The anagrams below came from my grandparents farm house. They have been with me since my childhood. Just today I took them all out of the box and began to make words. They remind me of the  precious hours that I spent with my grandmother learning how to spell at the dining room table on summer visits.

Wishing everyone a happy September. 

A Small Summer Gift...Amor Flores

I would like to offer a small gift to the fifth person who sends me an email to mariabowling@me.com. 

It is a sample of my first liquid perfume! It took over a year to make and is rich with floral notes, the predominate notes are Jasmine, Damask Rose and Honeysuckle. (I only use natural botanicals). There are many other botanical  ingredients but when I made this perfume I wanted the person wearing it to feel like they were in a garden of fragrant flowers. 

In the subject line please write 'Amor'.

Where in the world will it go?

Messenger of the Heart

Maybe there is something in the stars this month, or maybe it is time to pay attention to the voice that speaks from the inner chamber of the Heart. I have recently been inspired by the writings of several sparkly people. They shared their truth as they are seeing and experiencing the events of this very accelerated time. Their topics are centered on the energies of going inward, reviewing our truths and speaking this inner knowing or wisdom from our Hearts. 

In my practice, this has been the theme for several weeks. As I was writing this I decided to chose a card from my deck of orchid essences, each one represents a different virtue or healing capacity. Low and behold...I picked the 'Messenger of the Heart' essence. 

(This orchid essence comes from the Living Tree Orchid Essences from Scotland. Their link is on my home page. This particular orchid is Phragmipedium Grouville.) 

This flower essence 'gives voice to the heart and communicates what you are feeling, without fear of the consequences for speaking your truth. To help become more aware of what is deeply valued within the heart.'

It is profound that I picked this essence because I have been thinking a lot about how our bodies and our health can be deeply affected by holding back our truths. Emotions like anger, grief and the energy of resentment can build within our systems leading to a cascade effect which can effect our immune system. We can also feel out of sorts, tired,  ill at ease in our bodies and know that we are feeling a bit 'off'. 

I feel that when we speak our truth, we must dip into great courage and then many subtle and profound things can happen, ultimately for the good. 

This lovely rose bud has been opening outside my window. Since roses speak to the heart I decided to add these pictures. 

As the light is changing all of the colors seem to be glowing and the last precious moments of summer are being savored.

The truth is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is dull without it.

Pearl S. Buck

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

It appears to be butterfly week here.....this lovely butterfly has been here several times,  I recognize it because it is missing a part of its left wing. Fortunately it found enough nectar to keep it in the garden so that I could photograph it on the purple flowers. 

According to the language of Chinese symbols, I just learned that a butterfly may symbolize a man in his seventies because 'hu-die' the expression of butterfly phonetically resembles the pronunciation of 'die'... an older gentleman. A butterfly may also be symbolic of a deceased wife who reappears through nature to meet her living husband. Butterflies and plum blossoms together in a picture symbolize long life and immaculate beauty.

Feeding on nectar. 

Wishing everyone a very sparkly August.

Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

Today I had the beautiful experience of photographing a male black swallowtail butterfly. I captured it while it was flying and feeding at the same time. It was such a pleasing sight to watch all of the colors come together and create so much beauty.

I was reminded of how much elegance is around us at all times if we take the time to notice what is before us. 

Females have faded yellow dots on their wings while males have a bolder yellow dots. 

In my research I have learned that this beauty is the state butterfly of Oklahoma!

The flowers in the pictures are of a pink Agastache cana 'Heather Queen' plant, this variety is called the 'pink panther'. 

Butterflies feed on the nectar of flowers.

In many cultures they are symbols of change, growth and joy,  

their medicine is about transformation. As the life cycle of the butterfly is about one month from egg, to larva, to cocoon to butterfly they are powerful symbols of rapid growth and the celebration of transition.  This energy seems to be the theme of the summer. 

 I love how these amazing creatures show up in just the right time to offer their messages and their wisdom. At the time that this particular butterfly appeared I was thinking about a very specific topic. Taking the time out of my day to be with this butterfly gave me the gift of serenity and awe. It was a moment in which I witnessed nature's 'grace' in action. 

Some of my pictures were a bit blurry because the butterfly was moving so quickly. To me they look almost like little fairies, especially this one. 

'Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.' 

Zhuangzi (c. 369 BC- c. 286 BC)

Chinese sage