Nothing Gold Can Stay
BY ROBERT FROST
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
AUTUMN EQUINOX, 21st-22nd SEPTEMBER, SIGNALS EQUAL DAY AND NIGHT, AS THE LAST SUMMER SMILE, FADES AWAY, THERES A SHIFT IN LIGHT FREQUENCY AND NATURE PREPARES FOR THE COLDER, DARKER MONTHS. HOW DO WE MAINTAIN VITALITY AND PRESERVE WELLBEING THROUGH THESE TRANSITIONS? NATUROPATHIC INSIGHTS INTO A HOLISTIC APPROACH.
Seasonal transitions are timelines in Nature where we experience peaks and troughs in energy or light frequency and are often challenging, creating discord and disharmony. This is normal. Energetically nature is in a state of flux, as one season exchanges hand with the next through a 3-6week cycle. This also influences our vitality at a cellular level and therefore our performance (output).
Transition timelines:
Autumn Equinox 21st September
Summer Solstice 21 June
Over the last twenty years, as a naturopath, I’ve observed how these transitions have influenced healing, and more importantly how to access one of the most powerful healing experiences known to man to curate wellbeing.
The first signs of Autumn arrive shortly after the full moon in August.
Summer crescendos, fading away after a period of intense heat, commonly referred to as 'Indian summer' as the frequency of light shifts its wavelength. Autumn sweeps in, we begin to see the first signs of one of the most majestic time of the year, the richest myriad of colours bursting with golden shimmering light, bringing with it the harvest of crops, shorter days and preparation for Winter.
Along with Spring, Autumn is a time of natural cleansing signaled by a shift In atmospheric energy transforming Summer’s expansive heat to Autumn's dry air.
Look around and notice how energy transitions. The air becomes cooler. The animal kingdom begins to migrate home, crops begin to fall and mature, leaves turn from green to gold for a grand Harvest. Nature begins to withdraw and contract, returning inwards.
The seasonal transitions act as a catalyst for cellular cleansing, causing our interstitial cellular fluids to thicken. Preparing the body to be receptive to seasonal transitions by lifestyle adjustments, means we can often navigate natural stressors, and maintain balance.
Common Symptoms
The dry weather triggers a physiological response at a cellular level. Some of the common symptoms experienced during seasonal transitions are
Itchy throat and dry nose, chapped lips
Rough, dry skin
Congestion - mucus formation
Headaches and nausea
Coughs and colds
Inflammation.
Fatigue and tiredness
Hair loss
Dry stools, constipation.
These are signs that toxicity in the body is stuck along the routes of elimination and may require some naturopathic interventions to aid the healing process. If these are left unmanaged, ignored, or suppressed, they transform into deeper patterns of dis-ease. This cycle can take two years to manifest.
Managing toxic load
Making seasonal lifestyle adjustments are necessary to promote balanced homeostasis. Dietary changes promote the production of body fluids and their lubricating effects throughout the body.
The flu is the body’s attempt to transform toxicity and push it out of the body. It is an acute healing response to help the body repair itself naturally.
My observation, experience and understanding over the decades of observing flu jab administration are that of weakness and disempowerment of the body’s natural and innate ability to heal.
We are often too busy during transition times to make ourselves available to seasonal cues, to rest and heal and let nature work its magic, in doing so create our own sickness, simply because we have not listened to our own internal voice.
Further reading: impact of stress on physiology and wellbeing, and the manifestation of dis-ease.
Influence of Autumn on well-being
According to the five elements, Autumn relates to the metal (air) element and is concerned with creating healthy barriers, engaging in mental and spiritual activities, including the workings of the mind, the intellect and communication.
From rough ore to sparkling gemstones, the metal element symbolizes the process of refinement and its resulting products. Metal is connected to air through the lungs.
In this season, it’s time to make sure everything pure and necessary is used and maximized, and that anything unnecessary or wasteful is eliminated. Let go of that which no longer serves your peace of mind, well-being and vitality.
The inability to be open to new ideas or the rigid holding on to old thoughts and useful information could both point to an imbalance in metal.
Autumn Organ Correlation
Autumn correlates with the lung system, which dominates the organs of elimination, the skin, respiration, body fluids metabolism, blood circulation, immunity.
The lungs and the large intestine, deal with purification and elimination.
The lungs take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide through breathing. The large intestine absorbs water and completes the absorption of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. It also holds and eliminates waste.
Often we place a lot of emphasis on diet and activity, but forget to reflect on our emotions, Autumn invites us to explore our emotional tone, or resonance often expressed through melancholy.
Dietary Adjustments
Foods are important to ensure that the body adjusts to the changing seasons. The body needs extra fluids to counteract the dry environment, Include foods that are hydrating and promote the production of body fluids and their lubricating effects throughout the body.
A balanced autumn diet also consists of hearty, rich and warm foods, including meats, nuts, pumpkin, honey, white fungus, Lilly root, fish and oils, with hints of strong flavours like Roquefort, pepper and mustard.
Eating vegetables and whole grains is necessary as they serve as cleansers for the intestines.
Root vegetables – such as potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion – are particularly healthful metal foods, as are thick-skinned fruits like bananas and mangoes.
Cayenne, ginger and curry promote good digestion and elimination.
It is advisable to eat more food with sour flavours and reduce pungent flavours as onion, ginger and peppers induce perspiration, while sour foods like pineapple, apple, grapefruit and lemon have astringent properties and thus prevent the loss of body fluids.
Eat porridge for breakfast and soup for dinner that is made with wholesome seasonal ingredients to serve the body at this time of year.
Reduce stimulants and sugars as these disrupt the pH of the body, thereby creating an environment perfect for disease to manifest.
It is not a good time for weight loss or diets, as the body naturally prepares for the Winter and generally we will put on fat to serve our energy and keep us warm through the cold months. The easiest time to lose weight is Spring and Summer. By being aggressive about weight loss at this time of the year will create a 'stress storm' as we push our body to move against what Nature is directing.
Activities
Practice a form of breathing meditation for the health of your lungs. Try cohesive breathing technique, Healing Power of Breath.
Activity such as walking, weight training, stretching and resistance training serves the body-mind as we head into Winter.
Naturopathic guidance
Lymphatic massages or aromatherapy serve the body and sense organs. Mother nature provides the right ingredients to support our wellbeing. Autumn provides a generous harvest of herbs & spices that serve ailments during the season.
Retire to sleep earlier, by creating healthy routine patterns. Use essential lavender or geranium oils to relax and uplift mood, rosemary oil to provide relief for tired achy muscles, introduce a bath routine with epsom salts. This will serve your energy as we move into shorter days and longer nights.
Emotional well-being
Autumn is a time of reflection. Unresolved emotional patterns often surface at this time of year, weighing heavy upon our chest. Unprocessed emotions create inflammation of the digestive system. There is a strong association between gut and brain (mental) wellbeing.
The emotion-related to this season is grief.
Lockdown & Grief
Over the months of lockdown providing grief counseling, inspired us to launch a podcast platform to share techniques that have served people to work through grief, and provide a new sense of hope. You may find the Lockdown & Grief episode of Wellbeing Wizards helpful.
Autumn of our Being: Accessing Wisdom
According to energy anatomy, the mid ’60s is a key time to retreat from worldly activities, and devote time to explore creative pursuits that serve our spiritual wellbeing and connection to the divinity within. This could be through a new hobby, such as golf, art, tapestry, traveling, music - anything in which we can lose ourselves to experience bliss.
Autumn is often a time when we let go of responsibilities and retire to a quieter more enjoyable lifestyle and explore activities such as meditation. These empower us to access our third eye, or wisdom, and crown chakra and also prepare our soul for its flight of delight.
Autumn is a good season to:
Eat root vegetables, whole grains and hearty foods as a way to clean out the intestines
Do weight training to make good use of the muscle-building protein you crave as winter comes
Focus on relaxation in the evening hours. Autumn is associated with late afternoon and evening time, and getting ready for sleep.
Explore spiritual connection.
A seasonal immersion of small lifestyle changes offers an opportunity to heal thy self, providing hope and access to a new sense of mind-body vitality and freedom.
Wishing you an abundant harvest.
In service to your wellbeing,
Gee x
Working with Gee Gahir, a Pioneer of holistic wellbeing services within the NHS, and Co-founder of Wellbeing Wizards, a wellbeing podcast inspired through lockdown. Gee is an accredited EMCC intuitive lifestyle coach providing preventative naturopathic mind-body-space solutions to facilitate vibrant health and balanced lifestyles.
Connect with Gee to arrange a holistic, naturopathic and personalised coaching experience.
Credits : Autumn forest photograph @_fromthewild_ for prints contact Rebecca fromthewild@gmail.com