Spring Equinox is Nigh!!
If you have missed the subtle changes from winter to spring that have been happening, you almost certainly are experiencing spring energy now that we are in its apex. Spring is the time of re-birth and upsurging life after a long-sedated winter. It is embodied by young animals, nurturing rains, rolling thunderstorms, and flowers in bloom. Equally important as the flowers are the insects, which meet spring in truly daunting numbers. In East Asian Medicine, we associate this season and its vibrant, upsurging energy with the wood phase.
Internally, the wood phase is responsible for creativity, passion, planning, and completing projects and dreams. When it is out of balance, irritability, discontent, and anger will arise. The Chinese Classics speak of the wood phase being like the army general: planning and overseeing all the troops through the chaos of war. However, the general commands from the peace and tranquility of inside the tent.
In life, as in nature, wood is balanced by fire. The Classics describe the fire phase as being the ambassador, in charge of communicating, responding, and managing relationships with others. When in balance, the ambassador and army general work in harmony to achieve mutually beneficial goals. If out of balance, the army general takes over, leading to feelings like, “It’s me against the world.”
Due to modern lifestyle and political/economical circumstances, this imbalance is not just common but prevalent in all of us. So, what can we learn from nature this spring about balancing our wood energy?
The Flower’s Bloom
An apt image of spring in any culture and a perfect example of balanced wood energy. The energy that is in charge of planning and completing projects is epitomized in the bloom. There is no hesitation, no doubt in content or timing. The flower blooms steadily and bright, with free abandon of what other flowers may think. It blooms in accordance with nature and that is truly what we mean by balance.
But this is only part of the story. The flower’s bloom isn’t the end or final manifestation of a plan but merely the beginning. It is the first step on a journey to propagate, to plant a new seed for the next generation. Like the first step of any journey, we should offer up a gift, a prayer or sacrifice. In this case, the bloom’s gift is its sweet nectar. This gift is readily accepted by an old friend, the insect, who is relying on this fuel source.
Here lies the true magic behind the flower’s unabashed bloom. The flower doesn’t bloom for its own vanity, or for its well being. It blooms for a friend that needs it and for future generations of both insects and flowers. This wisdom has roots in our modern world too. A psychologist may say if you desire something like love or acceptance, you must first give it. The last step of AA, an illness that is typified by imbalanced wood energy, is to be of service to others. The universal truth is, when a friend needs us, when we are called to be of service, we don’t hesitate, we aren’t self-conscious, we show up, as naturally as the flower opens its petals for the arriving insect.
