Blog Archives - Journey with the Seasons

The Winter Solstice

12/21/2015

This year the Winter solstice is actually in the early morning hours of the 22nd rather than the 21st but the effects of the solstice is felt before and after. Although the solstice is about welcoming the light it is also about valuing the darkness. The Winter generally brings the chance for hibernation, quiet time and contemplation but the extra darkness around the Solstice brings an added opportunity to dream more deeply and an opportunity to look at our shadow side as well as our light. We often spend so much time hiding from our shadow and yet it has much to share that can be transformed into light once we look it full in the face. So over the next few days, celebrate the light, lovingly embrace the shadow and seek to find the lessons in both...with blessings and love Carol and Sarah-Jayne xxx

Winter dreamtime...

12/18/2015

Winter is the most yin time of year, nature is retreating deep into its essence and we naturally feel more quiet and reflective. The deep Water element that predominates during this time gives us the opportunity and support to nurture and incubate our hopes and dreams for the coming year. This is in exactly the same way a tiny seed, deep in the earth, concentrates its essence and strength for the big push of Spring.
I believe that what we focus on grows and flourishes and this has even more power during the Winter when we have the gift of emphasis from the Water element to support us. Most people bring their dreams into being by accident because they are not consciously focusing on what they want, if however we make our dreams conscious and spend time dreaming them in we can become powerful manifesters in our lives.
Writing our dreams down and setting goals massively increases their chance of actually happening, if we then regularly review these goals, ammend and refine them we become part of only 1% of people who do this and who are most likely to succeed. So grab a journal and get dreaming... what are the seeds, the essence of what we want for the coming year, write your thoughts and feelings down and nurse these close to your heart so they can grow. When we can feel how life would be different this is when we are a few steps closer to experiencing our dreams and desires.
Have a deep and wonderful dreamtime, lots of love Carol xxx

Look after your energy...

12/16/2015

So many people find that their energy levels dip after 3pm. In the Chinese Five Elements the Water element's Bladder and Kidney meridians are meant to be at their peak activity from 3-7pm,(Bladder 3-5pm, Kidney 5-7pm). This is just the time when we are needing to dig deep into our energy reserves to get through the rest of the day. If people are at all dehydrated then this is when it will show up and we will literally feel that our energy is draining away.
Now one of the obvious solutions to support our Water element is to drink more water but people often worry that drinking more water will means more toilet trips through their busy days. I always explain to people that at the start of this process your body will be a bit like a dried out pot plant; if you water it when it is dry the water simply pours out the other end. If however you water it a little at a time your body will ‘receive’ it appreciatively and absorb it more easily . Here are a couple of useful tips to help you get hydrated more easily:
Firstly, when you are wanting to build up your hydration levels try to always drink a small glass of water more than the day before.
Secondly the following technique should help you limit the amount of toilet trips you make. With your first mouthful of water take your time, hold the water in your mouth for 5-10 seconds, rolling it around your mouth and tongue and breathing over it. This will switch your body on to absorbing the water rather than letting it flood though like with a dried up pot plant. Try to carry on drinking mindfully, imagining every cell of your body receiving the water gratefully.
Have a wonderful, energy filled day, love Carol x

Swim with the current...

12/15/2015

We are all striving for better health and vitality and so often we see it as a goal to get to. For me health is not something we achieve but rather it is about being able to 'roll with the punches' and to have that adaptability that means we never feel floored, or at least not for too long.
It is the Water element that gives us us the quality of adaptability; this wonderful flowing element fills whatever space it comes across, from the vast expanses of lakes and oceans to the tiny spaces in the soil. Water can be solid enough enough to walk on and cover whole continents yet fluid enough to drain away in a second. It is powerful enough to erode the land yet gentle enough to restore a desert to a fertile flowering land.
In us the Water element helps us change gear when we need to dig deep and find extra energy and gets things done, it helps us appreciate the value of stillness and recharging as much as action and movement and it helps us recognise the power of gentleness and working slowly everyday to achieving our goals rather than rowing our boats up stream and push, push, pushing.
The Five Element way of health is therefore about adaptability; learning to 'go with the flow' or should I say 'swim with the current' because as the Buddhist saying goes only dead fish go with the flow ...🐟🐳🐡🐬 have a gorgeous, watery, flowing day, lots of love Carol xx

Project gratitude & appreciation ...

12/15/2015

I took some time in the 'project' of a garden over the weekend to really notice the colours and make some decorations with the piles of prunings my son and i have made while trying to reclaim space. I took about 20 minutes out from the 'list' of what needed doing, and it transformed how I felt about my day and my garden. From list and project to gratitude and appreciation. What a gift. Happy Monday love Sarah-Jayne.

One to one Winter sessions

12/9/2015

Winter time is the most yin time of year, all around nature is stripped back to its bare minimum presenting us with a sense of stark clarity and awe.

Winter Nutrition Reboot: Using the Winter Water energy to review how you eat to stay hydrated and get support with stress and anxiety. With Carol £50 (1hr)

Winter Wellness Kinesiology session: Using kinesiology (muscle testing) to boost your vitality and get your batteries charged up; focusing on the Kidney and Bladder. With Sarah-Jayne £45 (1 hr)(£36 on income related benefit)

Winter Nutri-Cook: Two delicious hours of experimenting with seasonal foods in the comfort of your own kitchen. With Carol. £80 (2 hrs).

Winter Personal Growth session: Using kinesiology (muscle testing) to looks at the 'seeds' you are incubating and the essence your would like to bring in to the next years cycle. With Sarah-Jayne £45 (1 hr) (£36 on income related benefit)

Water, an inspiring companion

12/9/2015

I love hanging out with water, especially sitting beside moorland rivers and streams that are gently burbling along. I love the fact that they have burbled along for hundreds of years in exactly the same way, swelling and contracting with the seasons and nourishing the land.
The Water element in us, which shows itself most fully in the Winter time, has the same quality of constancy. It shows itself in our bodies by how hydrated we are and when we are topped up with water this provides a steady foundation for good health. We are almost 70% water just like the earth so it is not surprising that for many of us water has a healing and restorative quality; by simply showering and drinking plain water everyday we affirm and appreciate the Water element in us helping us to flow through life with ease.
So how do you love to enjoy the precious Water element?... share with us in the comments below, lots of love Carol xx ❄💧❄💧❄

Water & stamina

12/7/2015

As we start to feel the Winter season now is the time to give extra support to the Water element. The Water element within us and in particular the Bladder meridian is responsible for holding our energy levels. This means keeping it steady and giving us stamina to keep going throughout the day, and when the going gets tough having reserves to dip in to to keep us going.

Perhaps you feel that your energy is just draining away as if someone has left the tap on, rather than being able to use your energy in a measured and sustainable way. The best way we can nurture our water element is to drink more water. When we drink plain water this resonates with the Water element in us reasurring and nurturing it. If you don't drink much water start by drinking an extra glass a day building up your hydration levels slowly.

If your body is dehydrated your body may have switched off from being able to assimilate it efficiently and you may find yourself having frequent loo trips. I always explain the analogy of a dried out pot plant; if you simply pour water on to it it will drain out very quickly without being absorbed but if you water a little at a time the water will be held, and the more hydrated the soil, the more water it can hold.
...so start today, have an extra glass of water and start supporting and nourishing our inner 'lakes' because they really will sustain you, lots of love Carol ❄❄❄❄❄

The winds of change...

12/7/2015

Happy weekend everyone :) here in the UK Storm Desmond is blowing us ferociously into Winter, if there are any leaves left on the trees after the weekend I'll be really surprised. In the Five elements wind is associated with the Wood element which predominates in Spring, it is a dynamic transformer, blasting away the old and clearing space for the new, hence the expression the winds of change.
Anyway hope you are all keeping cosy and warm and let's hope good changes are on the way, love Carol and Sarah-Jayne x 🍃🍂🍃🍁🍃🍂

All about Water & Winter...

12/3/2015

At the JwS HQ getting into the Winter spirit ...loving the inspirations and insights :)