tend your soil
one aspect of the earth element is its density. the density of late summer is present in the heaviness of the air, the ripe hanging fruits, your own desire to do a little less, rest a little more. it may manifest as a sluggish mind, swollen body or heavy spirit. nature is consolidating, preparing for the natural turn of seasons that is already, slowly happening around us and within us. the outward nature of summer - going out into the world, being in community - is beginning to wane. from this light ethereal state, we start to integrate. we come back down to earth, back into our bodies. our abodes. within the physicality of self.
the earth element governs our muscles and limbs, the densest part of our selves. since our muscles are connected to the earth element, let’s think about muscles like soil. soil can be too wet or too dry. being too wet can make it mushy like mud or hard like clay. being too dry can make it soft like sand or hard like cracked desert ground. we want our soil to be moist enough, our muscles to be dense enough to hold its shape but also allow for movement - that loamy, fluffy fertile soil us gardeners love to see. soil that can hold our ground but also move us around.
muscles too dense are like clay or dry desert earth. hard to dig into, hard to move and move through. stubborn. when it rains, water just sits on top. the muscles are not porous, not giving or forgiving. this is like muscle tension. too hard to move, not allowing anything in and through. feeling stuck.
muscles not dense enough are like dry sand or mushy mud. not strong enough to hold anything. things sink, get stuck, fall through your grip. its hard to move when you don’t have solid ground to kick off of. think about running in the sand and walking through mud. its almost like your muscles aren’t working properly. sandy muddy muscles can feel weak, fatigued, or out of your control because there’s just not enough “there” there to hold on to.
these metaphors are useful in the acupuncture clinic. like gardeners, we can work together to figure out what your soil needs - is it too wet and dense? too dry and dense? too wet and mushy? too dry and soft? how we bring your body back into balance is unique to your personal situation. you might need a dehumidifier or an electrolyte solution. you might need a good thunderstorm or a day drying out in the sun. various points on the spleen and stomach channels, the acupuncture meridians associated with the earth element, can be used to tend your soil in these different directions.
the same soil metaphor can be applied to your fertility and womb, to your digestion, to your mental health, to your attitude on life, or to your whole being. this earthy metaphor is also a boundary metaphor. are you hard and stubborn? not letting anything get through? do you have too much or too little of certain minerals? are you dry and brittle? or waterlogged and soggy, unable to integrate? do you feel like sand, everything just passing right through you? how can we be dense enough to hold what we need - to accept nourishment and integrate it - AND porous enough to allow for movement - so things stay fresh and aerated? it’s a constant balance and conversation between your inner world and the world outside. keep tending.
by Amanda Briody