This week has been a big one energies wise + astrologically… Venus has gone retrograde in Scorpio, the new moon in Libra FEELS as though it was in Scorpio due to its square to Pluto (Scorp’s ruling planet)…
.
.
Ultimately this means transformation, transformation, transformation… And the focus of this transformation right now is in relationships – with others, but perhaps more importantly, also with OURSELVES…
.
.
I am Scorpio with Scorpio rising, plus I have a whole heap of other stuff in Scorpio too, including Venus! So yeah, now is intense!
.
.
My friend + astrologer, Natalie Delahaye, said to me at the start of this year, that the movement of Pluto in my chart would highlight the shamanic-like, deep energetic work I do… Transforming people’s ways of thinking, giving people new ways of seeing things, writing, expressing + guiding others to a new way of meeting the world…
.
.
And ultimately, this is why I do what I do – delving deep with my acupuncture patients, my coaching clients, + anyone going through my online courses – bringing depth, healing, transformation + rebirth on all levels (hello Scorp + Pluto)…
.
.
I’m not going to lie, sometimes this can be uncomfortable, but oh my goodness, I will hold that sacred space for you, hold your hand when things get scary + support you in coming out the other side, finding your amazing breakthrough + your beautiful transformation!
.
.
It is exactly what I am MADE to do + I have something exciting for you, coming next week, so we can get YOU some life-changing insight into the relationship you have with yourself + the world around you… And what better time to do this stuff, than when Venus is retrograde in Scorpio?!
.
.
But for now, have you seen my transformational online coaching course, “Embrace Your Element – 9 Weeks to Life Changing Self Acceptance”? See how you could benefit from understanding yourself through the Five Elements HERE…
The last few days I have been tired, exhausted tired, falling asleep at the drop of a hat tired… I’ve been putting it down to the waning moon energies, plus all the processing, growing + shifting we have been doing during this eclipse season, + just resting when my body tells me that’s what I need…
.
.
And today, with the New Moon, Solar Eclipse in Leo I had a quiet morning, sat in my pyjamas, at the exact time of the eclipse here in the UK, writing out everything my heart truly desires – because this is what the Leo moon is all about – all the big magical dreams, all the positive, beautiful things I want to call in to my life now…
.
.
I am a Scorpio, with Scorpio rising, but as my natal chart has my moon in Leo, I resonate massively with this new moon + it influences my emotions deeply (yes, there have been tears today too)…
.
.
I’m also aware that this interplay between the Fire + Water Elements in my astrology chart does in fact match the interplay in my Chinese Medicine Elemental make up – BUT if you saw my video last week, you will know that this ISN’T always the case! Watch to see why the Chinese Five Elements are actually DIFFERENT to those Elements used in astrology + yoga, here – http://goo.gl/J2Jrrb
.
.
The astrology gurus say that this third eclipse is the one that will bring new energy in, allow us to get more clarity on where it is we are going next, what the changes this eclipse season has brought us actually mean for us going forward…
.
.
This is good news, as I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to my next steps revealing themselves + seeing what is to come, as so much has changed these last few eclipse-filled months, including me leaving my Thame acupuncture clinic after nearly ten years of practising there… As I say, big, big changes!
.
.
But don’t be surprised if you still feel a bit restless + can’t see forward JUST yet, it’s still all filtering in… The video I made for this eclipse season might also help you understand some of these energies from a Chinese Medicine perspective – http://goo.gl/L6gohH
.
.
So how are you marking this new moon eclipse? Let me know how you’re going, sending goodness, R xx
As I’m sure you’re aware, there are many modalities that have the Elements at the core of their messages, understandings and teachings… they are also usually the ancient and powerful practises, such as astrology, Ayurvedic medicine and yoga. Because, let’s face it, the ancient cultures really understood the importance of living in sync with nature, the seasons, the planets, the moon – the energetic patterns and shifts and alignments…
.
And typically, the four Elements that these traditions tend to use are Fire, Earth, Water and AIR… In Chinese medicine, they are slightly different… Instead of air, we have Metal – though the vibe or feel of these energies can be very similar… and we also have Wood as an additional Element in the mix… But it should be said that if you are ONE particular Element in astrology, you won’t NECESSARILY be the same one in Chinese Medicine – it might be, but it often isn’t, and that’s where initially, some confusion can come in…
.
So, in traditional Five Element Acupuncture, there is the theory that the Five Elements – Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood – are ALL within each of us, mirroring how they are all present in nature to ensure balance in the ecosystem… but we also recognise that we all have ONE particular Element that we are most aligned to, the one that influences us the most, the one that might need more support than the others…
.
This main one is OUR Element, the one that is like our default setting, the one that shows itself the most in everything that we do. This group of “Element personality types”, for want of a better term (because it REALLY is SO much more than that), but it, provides a framework for us to understand ourselves more deeply, so that we can have more balanced physical and emotional health.
.
Understanding ourselves in this way focuses on the fact that we don’t need fixing or changing (even if we think we do), we are not broken or lacking – we are just OUR Element, and that is ok. It’s ok if that is different to those around us, our family, our friends, our work colleagues… they will just be DIFFERENT Elements to us… and that’s ok…
.
Understanding yourself in this way, THROUGH the lens of the Five Elements, allows you to breathe a sigh of relief, and gives you FREEDOM and permission to really just be YOU. It ALLOWS you to understand yourself at a deep, transformational level. It helps you to connect into and be able to CELEBRATE your TRUEST self…
.
And I want to share this incredible magic with you, to spread this knowledge far and wide, so that EVERYONE can experience the life-changing level of self-acceptance and FLOW that comes from this ancient Chinese wisdom.
Look out for the next video!
R xx
P.S. please excuse the pigeon cooing in the background of this video – it was the hottest week in the UK ever & I needed the windows open to breathe!!
.
And if you don’t know what Element YOU are yet, make sure to download the FREE ebook here – http://goo.gl/VymvnU
Join my transformational coaching course, “Embrace Your Element – 9 Weeks to Life Changing Self Acceptance” – http://goo.gl/zAsghB
You know that thing when you go somewhere + all of the quotes, readings, teachings or asanas seem to be made just for you, speaking directly to your soul, giving you exactly what you need at the right time? Well that was me, Kanti Freeman’s Divine Harmony yin yoga day this weekend…
.
Long-hold poses to gently move the (previously) stagnant Qi in the Liver + Gall Bladder meridians (channels), helpfully working with the Wood Element + it’s frustrated eclipse-related restlessness, plus accompanying Buddhist wisdom about “not knowing” – all themes I had discussed in my vlog this week…
.
“We don’t always trust it because it can be difficult + uncomfortable to walk the way of not knowing… (Yet) ‘don’t know’ is very good for cutting through doubt…
.
When the mind is constantly trying to solve problems that it can’t solve properly, we can find ourselves in a very small world, a world that is tight, predictable. It is very important to be with the open mind, the ‘don’t know’ mind.
.
When we say ‘don’t know’, nothing has changed externally, but internally we have suddenly stopped sticking to the idea that we SHOULD know, that we MUST know… And we’ve also stopped our loyalty to the opposite idea, the despair of worrying that we will never know… So we just sit quietly on our (meditation) cushions + just notice…” – Ajahn Sundara
.
So, as the beautiful Kanti asked us during the session, can you be ok with just sitting in the not knowing?
.
In full transparency, my Water Element + it’s love of safety, certainty + control, really makes TRUSTING the unknown, staying in the ‘don’t know’ space, a real challenge for me… It’s scary + unfamiliar… I’m learning + growing in this eclipse season, the moon isn’t giving me any other choice!
.
P.S. my parents bought me back this sweet little Buddha (in the phot above) from their trip to Vietnam + Cambodia earlier this year… My sisters got biscuits, I got a Buddha, obvs…
.
Watch the vlog about the eclipse season, the itchy-stuck Wood Element energy + what to do when you don’t know what’s next for you, here
We are in eclipse season & it’s BIG, there are three this time, when there are normally only two, & most of us are feeling it in one way or another, I know my patients certainly are, & I most definitely am right now… I have recorded you a video of a download I had late at night about what’s going on energetically for us right now, & what to do when you just don’t know what is next…
.
And if you prefer to read, rather than watch or listen, then the words are below…
.
.
I’ve been having a lot of chats in clinic about this “emotionally itchy” energy that so many of us are feeling – knowing there are big shifts & big changes happening or ABOUT to happen, but we don’t know what they are, and things aren’t moving forward, we have to wait…
.
Itchy energy is Wood Element stagnation, the frustration at HAVING to sit still, HAVING to wait, not knowing what’s next, not being able to SEE what’s next, not having the Wood Element’s virtue of VISION, to have the vision of the future, to be able to see the bigger picture… There’s a reason for that old saying “you can’t see the wood for the trees” when we are unable to see the bigger picture… It’s all Wood element energy in Chinese Medicine…
.
Cross, frustrated, impatient, and irritable feelings are all the domain of the Wood Element – that WANTING to shout “hurry up” to the universe, (or to the moon, or the eclipses), you want the next step to be revealed, but it’s too slow & it’s too uncomfortable to be in this “itchy”, restless energy…
.
And whilst we aren’t in Spring right now (in the northern hemisphere), which is USUALLY when we might feel this kind of energy within us & around us, (as Spring is the associated season of the Wood Element) – and think about how we have to sit & wait in Winter, before we can actually SEE the growth of shoots & buds coming through the ground – and in some years, it feels like that wait for Spring is endless, it takes sooooo long that we get impatient & frustrated…
.
So it’s the same energy we have here now, although in a slightly different context – and yet it’s potentially no surprise that as this eclipse energy, the bigger planetary alignments, as THEY ask us to make big changes, to grow, to expand, to EVOLVE, to ALIGN with growth, to push through the stuff that is illuminated in this eclipse season, to flow WITH whatever happens, not to resist or block things that are changing during this time of crazy big shifts – THIS is what we recognise as Wood energy in Chinese medicine… It’s about FLOW of energy – the Wood Element Organ of the Liver, ensures we have good & correct flow energy in our bodies & our lives – so if we are not in flow, we get stagnation… when we resist, we get stuck, we get stress and pain…
.
And THIS is what the planetary stuff, the new moon & full moon eclipses – this season of three eclipses – THEY are asking us, or maybe even forcing us to GET into flow, to GET into alignment… To leave behind the stuff in our lives that has been creating stagnation, things we have outgrown, things that have been causing us pain, not allowing us to flow, to get OUT of sameness, out of stuckness in our lives – physically, emotionally and spiritually…
.
And this is the tree, this is the Wood Element at its finest, it is growth, it is upwards & outwards movement… and this is for ALL of us right now, whatever Element type we are, not just the Wood Element type people…
.
So what can we do NOW, in this weird, restless waiting time? What can we do to move this stagnant energy, if we can’t move forward yet (because we do kind of have to wait right now), or if we don’t actually know what’s next?!
.
I go through breaking down the big visions and our big plans, into smaller, easier steps to reduce overwhelm, ALLOWING us and ENABLING us to move forward more EASILY, in my online Spring course, but for today focus on JUST ONE SMALL THING that you COULD do today to move forward – it can be a TINY thing, but just STARTING TO SHIFT some of the stagnant Qi, that WILL help you feel better…
.
And right now it’s hard because NONE of us, including me, really know what is next for us, what the big vision or big change in our lives is going to look like… so if you can’t even take one tiny PRACTICAL step forward right now, because its too unclear, just focus on moving the stagnant Qi in your BODY and your emotions…
.
Drink hot lemon water, or green tea… MOVE your body – walk, dance, do yoga, stretch – all of these MOVE Qi physically and emotionally – if you can’t do something with the BIG life stuff yet, do one of these small things to shift the Qi & get some sense of FLOW back again…
.
And obviously, I must say, I am not an astrologer – I have some amazingly talented people that I consult when I need more insight – but Chinese Medicine wisdom very much has the “as above, so below” school of thought, with heavenly Qi & the importance of balancing our connection to the heavens (through the Metal Element) as well as to the earth (both the literal Earth, the ground, & the Earth Element itself)…
.
And THIS is how we live a Five Element life & how we live in alignment & flow – we see what the energy of the moment NEEDS, or what it is asking us to do, and adapt or live accordingly, even when it’s challenging & “itchy” – because as long as we let go of resistance, remove stagnation & embrace flow, we have balance – and in Chinese Medicine, balance is key – balance in our bodies, our minds, our emotions & our souls…
.
I hope this has been helpful & maybe gone some way to explain some of the stuff you’ve been feeling or wrestling with these past couple of weeks – let me know, & let me know if you’d like me to do more of these kinds of Element energy videos for you…
.
Sending much goodness & bye for now
R xx
.
If you don’t know what Element you are, download the FREE ebook here