Late Summer: The Season of Digestion and Transformation

According to Five Element Theory, a millennia old framework that describes the interrelationships between us and nature, late summer is the season associated with your Stomach and Spleen. What does this mean in terms of your health, in mind-body-spirit?

This season energetically resonates with and supports your Stomach and Spleen, the major organs responsible for digestion. They are also generally "in charge" of your body's energy and other organs at this time, taking on the patrol shift, so to speak. However, if your Stomach and Spleen are out of balance or low in energy, then they won't do a great job managing your body's daily tasks, let alone doing their own job in a decent fashion. You may feel tired, fatigued, nauseous, prone to digestive complaints, or just out of sorts during late August to early September.

The emotion associated with the Stomach and Spleen is worry -- so you may also be stressing more easily at this time, tossing and turning at night thinking about work, money, relationships, etc. You may also be reaching more for sweets at this time of the year, as your body craves this taste when your Stomach and Spleen are unbalanced or overwhelmed.

The best thing to do if you're experiencing any of these symptoms is to not only pay attention to your diet, eating lighter and healthier at this time, but also to your emotions and your life. The root of any physical issue is almost always emotional or lifestyle related. These organs work daily to sustain and nurture your physical body, but they are also responsible for helping you nurture yourself spiritually and emotionally. Oftentimes, when you severely neglect this aspect of your life, little by little your digestive organs will fall out of balance and let you know, through physical symptoms, loud and clear, that it's time to get your self-love act together.

Now is the perfect time to take a step back and look at what it is that you can do to nurture yourself in mind-body-spirit. See what causes worry in your life. Can you change your perspective and truly believe that you can transform all of life's experiences into energy that can sustain and nurture you, instead of letting them keep you up at night? Can you enjoy the sweetness of life instead spending so much time worrying about life's more challenging experiences? Use your precious digestive function wisely -- not to hold onto your experiences and worry worry worry, but to transform them into something useful that you can use to grow and add to your unique creativity.