GROW! THE DYNAMIC OF SPRING

According to the ancient Chinese, it is by observing the seasons that we learn to flow gracefully with the circumstances of life. The recurring cycle of the year teaches us both the inevitability of change and the equality of all things.

Chinese medicine associates the energy of Spring with growth, movement, and change. Within the body, this energy is related to the organ system identified with the Liver. According to Chinese medicine, blockage of the free flow of Liver energy can cause physical problems like headaches and digestive disturbances. Liver is also identified with the hun or personal soul, which flourishes with creative expression. What the Chinese call hun we might call imagination or vision. Lack of creative expression can lead to anger or frustration, also associated in Chinese medicine with Liver problems.

The element associated with Spring and Liver is Wood: not a solid static lump of timber, but the ability of a seed to penetrate the earth and grow towards the light; the pliable yielding strength of the willow, able to bend with the wind without breaking; and the vigor of ivy, well-rooted yet spreading itself outwards and up. The corresponding color is the vibrant green of living plants.

Associated with Spring, Wood, and Liver are muscles and tendons, giving movement and pliability; and eyes, giving clear sight. Liver energy spreads out and rises upwards. Problems related to Liver/Wood often manifest as an excess of upward and outward movement, with headaches, agitation, and irritability; or a lack of that movement, with blockage, stuckness, and depression. Liver/Wood symptoms are like the wind; they come and go, shifting, changing, creating chaos or bringing the life-giving quality of motion and transformation to that which is stagnant or in decline.

How to make the most of your Spring / Liver / Wood energy

Spring-cleaning is an appropriate image for Liver and Wood energy: throwing open windows and doors that have remained closed in the winter, airing out. As with our homes, so with our lives. Spring is a time to stretch ourselves, take on new projects, exercise more. It is an outward-looking, expansive time.

Problems related to Wood and Liver are generally helped by movement. Walking is especially beneficial in the springtime. Consider walking part or all of the way to work. Move in open spaces and fresh air to shake up your system, eliminate blockages, and get your energy flowing freely.

How supple and mobile are your muscles and tendons? Yoga and tai chi are two good ways to keep your body flexible and at the same time clear and calm your mind. Do your thoughts and emotions bend with ease and grace? Can you take a stand? Express your creativity? All these questions are related to the energy of Spring.

Spring is an appropriate time to notice your anger, your level of irritability and frustration.  When stymied, ask yourself: Do I need to change my plan or do I need to persevere? By being alert to your emotional state, you can recognize when your energy is stuck and find ways to help it move smoothly.

Practice patience. The seeds we plant take time to come to fruition. As the Chinese say, do not rush to early ripening. Does the apple tree in bloom reproach itself for not producing apples?

adapted from Sandra Hill, Reclaiming the Wisdom of the Body: A Personal Guide to Chinese Medicine (London: Constable,1997);  and Ann Bailey, “Springtime’s Gift: New Beginnings,” Meridians 5(3), Spring 1998, p 8.