Five Element Healing

03/06/2026

In Chinese medicine, the passage from late Winter into early Spring is often the most challenging time of year.

Under the frozen ground, there is a tremendous gathering of energy beneath the surface as life prepares to push upward, crack the hardened earth, and reach for the light.

It’s not a quiet process. It’s a time that creates pressure as bound-up energy begins to release.

We feel this in our own bodies and minds as well. At this time of year, people often notice feeling more irritable, restless, and a sense of unease that can easily be mistaken for anxiety or fear. Part of that feeling is simply the energy of the season rising within us.

Add to this the current volatility and suffering raging throughout the world, and the 24-hour news cycle, overwhelming us with terrifying and heartbreaking images and information that lead to true fear and anxiety. It is a perfect storm of emotion that makes many want to pull the covers over their heads and retreat.

When these feelings arise, it can help to remember that some of what you are feeling may be the season's natural energy stirring within, asking you to move. Early Spring invites us to clear space. To open the windows. To let go of what has become stagnant over the long winter months. To listen for where our own energy wants to flow next.

Just as plants instinctively move toward the light, so must we.

This awareness may not erase the anxiety we all feel during these volatile times, but I hope that it brings a small measure of comfort and hope.

And as the venerable monks who inspired us every day as they walked for peace, pray, let us also ask each day:

“May today be our peaceful day. May all beings everywhere be well, happy, and at peace.”

As a wise teacher once told me, “One voice alone may go unheard. A million voices (and prayers) raised together can change the world.”

02/21/2026

As we say goodbye to the Year of the Wood Snake and welcome the Year of the Fire Horse, I’ve been thinking about what it really means to stand at a threshold.

In Chinese medicine and philosophy, the Snake teaches us about rebirth. But rebirth is rarely graceful. A snake doesn’t simply glide into new skin. It presses, strains, rubs against rough surfaces until what no longer fits finally gives way. It is a vulnerable, exposed process.

Many of us are in that place right now. Outgrowing old identities. Old systems. Old stories about who we are and how the world works. It can feel tight, uncomfortable, even frightening. When something is ready to change but hasn’t fully released, there is tension. Heat. Restlessness. The discomfort is not a mistake. It is movement.

And now the Fire Horse gallops in, carrying the new year.
The Fire Horse carries a very different spirit. Bold. Untamed. Vibrant. It does not creep forward. It runs free, heart afire, longing for open fields and clear horizons.

But we cannot ride that freedom if we are still clinging to old skin.
So, if this season feels raw, tender, and uncertain, know that it is also sacred. There is still shedding to do. There is still work in the dark before the gallop begins.

Let this be our prayer: that we emerge from this time of struggle with more love, more humility, more warmth and compassion for one another and for the world we share.

May the Fire Horse carry us forward into a freer, more awakened way of being.

02/14/2026

This winter has been rough. Big temperature swings are tough on the body, and it is no surprise that so many people are dealing with colds, flu, and feeling run-down.

In Chinese medicine, we talk about “external wind,” which often enters through the neck and upper back. That is why I always recommend keeping your neck, ears, and head covered when you are outside. Think scarf, hat, or hood. Your immune system will thank you.

This time of year, many people like having my ImmunoBalance and Respiratory Defense formulas on hand and taking one or both daily for extra support.

Eat warm, nourishing foods. Get real rest. Be kind to your body.
If you need support staying healthy this season, I am here. Reach out anytime. I always love hearing from you.

01/15/2026

At this dark time of year, small springs of light are emerging. One powerful example is the Buddhist monks Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington, D.C.—a living embodiment of nonviolence, courage, and compassion in motion.

Peaceful protest is not reserved for monks, clergy, or spiritual leaders alone. It is available to all who choose to stand, gently but firmly, against cruelty and violence—here in the U.S. and around the world.

These monks do not walk only for Buddhists. Their prayer is simple and universal: “May all beings be well, happy, and at peace.”

Elie Wiesel reminded us, “Silence is complicity.” As healers, as humans, we are called to bring light where there is suffering. Share your voice. Share your light. Share your compassion, your peace, your prayers—for all beings. Do not be silent.

🌅 Good Morning! Day 82 (1/15/2026) Begins - Heading toward Concord, NC!
We have just started our walk from Charlotte, North Carolina, heading toward Concord via the US-29 highway. The journey continues, one step at a time. We warmly welcome everyone to visit us at our stops!

📍 Use the Live Map in the pinned/featured post on top of our page to track our journey today and our stop locations. Check last night’s update for full details.

Have a peaceful day! May we be mindful in everything we do throughout the day. We invite you to walk with us in spirit.

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace. 🙏

12/23/2025

As we gather in this season of light, candles glowing, trees shimmering, and the gentle return of longer days, may we also remember those whose days still feel heavy or dim.

This is a time to soften and turn toward one another. To reach out to the friend who is ill, the neighbor who is alone, the soul who may be quietly struggling. A simple gesture, a shared meal, a warm message, a moment of true presence, can be deeply healing.

In Chinese medicine, light and warmth nourish life. When we offer our care, our attention, and our compassion, we help restore that vital spark in one another. Make eye contact. Open your heart. Let gratitude guide you.

May we each become a small, steady light, hopeful, loving, and generous, brightening the way for ourselves and for those around us.

12/09/2025

As we move toward the winter solstice, the year’s shortest day, many of us feel that natural pull inward. The colder air, the longer nights, the quiet in the trees all invite us to slow down and reconnect with our deeper rhythms. This is the season when the body whispers, “rest … go inside… gather your energy.”

And yet, the holidays call us into the glow of celebration. Thanksgiving tables, Christmas lights, Hanukkah candles, Diwali’s radiant fire, they remind us of warmth, joy, and the sweetness of being together. We feast, we toast, we stretch ourselves just a little too far until our bodies eventually ask for a pause.

This is the dance of winter: honoring both the inward stillness and the outward sparkle. When we give ourselves permission to enjoy the light and return to quiet, we move through the season with more ease, more gratitude, and more vitality.

So, celebrate. Rest. Laugh. Hibernate. And welcome the return of the light in whatever way feels nourishing to you.

(A gentle reminder: keep your ImmunoBalance and Respiratory Defense Formulas close by — your immune system will thank you.)

11/21/2025

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re invited to pause, breathe, and honor the abundance in our lives, the nourishment we receive from our relationships, communities, and quiet blessings. This season calls us to give thanks and share our abundance with those carrying more than their share of the world’s weight. Generosity brightens the light for everyone.

With winter nearing and the days growing shorter, we naturally turn inward. It’s a time for reflection and tending our inner spirit while looking forward to the returning light.

In moments like these, I’m reminded of a favorite teaching story: The Parable of the Long Spoons, a tale found across many spiritual traditions.

As we enter this season, may we reach across whatever distance exists, with our own long spoons, to nourish and uplift one another. When we remember our deep connection, the world softens, and we find that the difference between suffering and peace often lies in how we choose to care for each other.

10/24/2025

Each autumn, I’m reminded that nature heals through letting go. As the trees surrender their leaves, they make space for new beginnings to come. This season invites us to do the same, to pause, reflect, and care for ourselves with gentleness and gratitude.

Wishing you balance, good health, and warm hearts this autumn.

10/06/2025

As we recently observed Yom Kippur—the holiest day of reflection and atonement—it feels especially meaningful in these turbulent times to pause, look inward, and look outward. To recognize both the shadows within and around us, and then consciously choose light, compassion, and renewal.

May you celebrate a bountiful and peaceful year.

09/18/2025

Zen is often called “the middle way.” It invites us to pause in the space between—between right and left, this and that, reaction and response.
In these charged times, when the world pushes us to pick a side, it’s easy to lose touch with our deeper selves. Yet when we step out of constant thought and opinion, even for a moment, we rediscover Being. By centering in the breath and feeling our connection to the earth, we move beyond the mind’s dualism into a place of calm clarity.

If we choose only division, we lose empathy—and with it, the possibility of true healing. At this critical moment, may we find the courage to release what separates us and choose instead what connects us.

09/07/2025

In a world that pulls us toward noise and division, wisdom lies in becoming the quiet witness. Just as storms churn the surface of the sea, beneath it, there is always stillness.

When life feels like a cyclone, pause. Breathe. Trust the rhythm of the waves and let them carry you back to calm.

08/18/2025

Taking time to step away and disconnect is one of the most powerful ways we can take care of ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We are grateful to be in one of our favorite places in Maine, where we recharge, reflect, and let nature take over to refresh our souls.

You don’t have to travel far or spend a lot of money to get away. All you really need to do is turn off your computer, put down your phone, take a break from the news, and step out into nature. Whether it’s a walk in a park, a visit to a public garden, or sitting outside . without distraction, give yourself the gift of disconnecting. Drink in the peace nature provides. Breathe. Be still. Let go.

Wishing you peace.