Staying in Touch ~ Summer Light

I have been sharing updates on a Substack and you can find that here.

Happy belated Full Strawberry Full Moon! Feeling the flow of the Fiery Sagittarius moon and solar energy in this Gemini, Air, season. I have the Many Moons Planner by Modern Woman and the activity for this Full Moon was to write a poem for yourself in the future, ideas for your next evolution and then repeat it to yourself. I thought it was a very sweet idea so give it a try.

STAYING HEALTHY WITH THE SEASON

Summer light in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the fire element that is governed by the Heart and Small Intestines as well as Pericardium and Triple Heater. Heart ability to rule, understand and see clearly and to serve compassionately. Small Intestine receives, digests and assimilates. Pericardium protects the heart and regulates blood flow, heat and nourishment. Triple Heater acts to maintain proper temperature and warmth.Fire element gives enthusiasm, vitality and energy. It’s associated with joy and sadness. Imbalance in your life can affect these things. Summer is the time to recharge your internal batteries with solar power. Keep balanced with water inside and out. Keep your body loose and get good exercise. Feed your body lots of light fuel. Summer is a time for growth and coming forth.

In balance you will have lots of sun, fun and laughter, get lots of vigorous exercise and sweat it out. Imbalance can show up as hiding inside, being afraid to play, being over serious, over eating and faint of heart.

Herbs for strengthening your fire are Cayenne pepper, Ginger Root and Garlic. You can make a Solar or Lunar Tea by putting dry or fresh herbs in a clear glass jug and putting the in the sun/moon for one or two days. Aromatic leaf herbs or flowers work best. Examples are Peppermint leaf, Hibiscus flowers, Lemon grass, Red clover flowers, Chamomile flowers, any green herbs, rosemary and Orange or lemon peel.

Hawthorn is an amazing herb for the heart. I’ve been using it as a tincture but you can make a tea by boiling a quart of water and pour it over 2 ounces of hawthorn berries and let it steep for 30 min. Herbs for the small intestines include comfrey root, licorice root, fennel seed and anise seed.

ABDOMINAL MASSAGE

Last month I finished the 2nd class of my Maya Abdominal massage certification, which focused on the low back. I was interested in learning this because I have had difficult periods and it has been very helpful for me managing them.

From digestive troubles, painful periods, fertility support, urinary, pelvic and prostate problems, to relief from chronic back and sacral issues, abdominal massage techniques can be a quite effective and powerful for you. I’m very happy to be offering this new modality. It includes a self massage portion to support your wellness called Your Abdominal Massage, YAM. You can find the instructions on my website HERE.

Another part of of the self care are using Castor Oil Packs. I put the directions for them on my site HERE. The Abdominal Therapy Collective says “wherever there’s congestion, decreased blood flow and need for healing, Castor oil can be an effective treatment when applied externally.” I’ve really been loving the results of working with Castor Oil lately. One of the acupuncturists in my class said their wife used topical castor oil to help with tendonitis in her wrist. Give it a try!