Wisdom and Herbs for Winter Grounding
“Have faith that you can go to the darkness and emerge back into the light; That you can know yourself in a deep way without getting lost.”
by Katherine Elmer, Clinical Herbalist
*Content adapted from teachings of Larken Bunce (Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism) and the work of Professor J.R. Worsley.
This is the gift waiting for us in the stillness and introspection that the winter season offers us.
The winter season, from a Chinese Five Elements perspective, is associated with water*. It is a time of great darkness and cold. The water element is about identity; who we are in the deepest sense. The action of water is deep listening, to ourselves (reflection) and others (active listening). It takes courage to develop our true wisdom, but from that place is birthed the quiet, enduring and wise use of our power. Honoring the water element provides the information to choose how to act based on who we are and what gifts we have to offer.
Qualities of Balanced Water Element
● the ability to know oneself and manifest one’s purpose;
● a balance of courage and healthy fear that leads to appropriate risk avoidance;
● stillness to allow adequate time for reflection, regeneration and rejuvenation.
Physical Body
Autonomic Nervous System: Sympathetic (Fight/Flee/Respond to Opportunities) vs. Parasympathetic (Rest/Digest/Regenerate)
Adrenal fatigue is linked to imbalance in the water element.
Ways to Cultivate and Balance “Water”
HYDRATE! Support your body with healthy beverages AND fats/oils.
Rest and Stillness:
● Get adequate rest and take breaks for recharging. Have you noticed that you feel less grounded and clear on your priorities when you are multi-tasking or haven’t gotten good rest?
● Develop personalized routines for being still and present with yourself. Yoga, meditation, prayer, and walks in nature (especially around water!) are excellent options.
Medicinal Roots:
● Edible and medicinal plant roots nourish us and help us remember how to connect to the earth. Some medicinal roots, a group called “Adaptogens”, are particularly useful for restoring and maintaining a healthy adrenal system. Ashwagandha, Shatavari. and Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng) are examples of these.
Call on the Earth Element:
● Fear and discomfort with the unknown are common emotions that come up when we begin to cultivate stillness and invite balance back to our water element. Support from friends and family, nourishing foods, time in nature, and/or gardening can bring in the “earth element” to ease and comfort us during those times.
Kundalini ~ The vital force lying dormant within one until activated by the practice of yoga, which leads one toward spiritual power and eventually salvation. (Dictionary.com)
“Go into the darkness of your own life, and you will find that the seed of your sacred work is often planted in the soil of your wounds…The initiation of the dark night of the soul is the training ground for your sacred work”