11/02/2023
Out in the fields, there is a hush. I stand surrounded by soft light, noticing the dampness in the air. I can smell the decay around me—a sweet and pungent smell. Like an old friend, fall is coming to visit with promises of rest, warm soup, and wool socks.
A tendril of crane song reaches out to my ear and loops a magic thrill into my heart. Tears springing to my eyes, I look up to see a flock of hundreds of mighty cranes flying so high, they are specks in the sky. Their songs are so resonant they carry for miles, back down to earth, where at least one small human is moved by their great migration.
Meanwhile, at my feet, a summer squash plant promises more than it can deliver. Spiky stems and leaves, white with powdery mildew, scratch my arms as I inspect the tiny fruits that will never ripen under the weakening sun. There are flowers that will never be pollinated by the bees, who are now busy preparing for winter in their hives. The warmth is waning, and the squash plant reminds me:
It is time to curtail my promises, and withhold my energy.
I will need it in the colder months to come.
***
I came to Chinese Medicine as a farmer and student of western herbalism. My twenty years of humbling service to the land and feeding community have flowed like a river to this moment, where I am proud and grateful to be a lifelong student and practitioner of Chinese Medicine, an ancient and powerful lineage of healing.
I feel at home here. Like farming, Chinese Medicine is Earth-based, and deeply connected to the seasonal cycles of the land.
As a farmer and an acupuncturist, I know that the natural world gives us all the clues and direction we need to make our human journeys on this jewel of a planet. Sometimes that understanding is shared in something as ordinary as a zucchini plant, and sometimes it is as majestic as a Sandhill Crane migration.
Fall is the season of Metal, which corresponds to the Lungs, and to the emotion of sadness, or grief. I know it’s easy to recoil from the emotion of this season, and these days, many of us feel saturated with it.
Like everything in nature, our emotions are multi-faceted. Grief is not an easy one to walk with, though we can examine it as we would a gem. Some other sides of grief include: nostalgia, remembering, sweet sorrow, gratitude for something that once was—even a deepening of commitment to carry something precious forward.
These beautiful energies of emotions are what make us human, and remind us that we are alive. And throughout the seasons, we will visit them all in turn.
We are not alone in these seasonal cycles of emotions. The leaves are turning colour and floating down to leave the branches bare. The insects and animals are slowimg down, dying, or migrating south. Goodbyes are being said all around us. Regrets, lessons, and memories will be reviewed and stored away for another season. We will pull out our wool sweaters and socks, and enjoy quiet cozy evenings indoors.
And we will reserve our energy for the colder months ahead.
