Summer is here even with all these grey and rainy days in England, it is summer!!!
The sun will appear again.
" Our task is to take in light (when we have it!) so that we may merge with our true selves and our destiny, thus facilitating the healing of the planet. As each of us becomes whole we radiate light - light from within - unimpeded by our self imposed emotional and physical blocks". Jacob Liberman
Summer is a period of abundant growth.
Expansion - Growth - Lightness
Outward activity - Brightness and Creativity
Summer foods:
Use loads of colourful summer fruits and vegetables and have fun creating beautiful meals. Use flowers to eat and decorate your plates and table.
Serve cooling fresh foods like salads, sprouts, cucumbers, fruits. Apples, watermelon, lemons and limes are best cool summer heat.
Eating heavy meals on hot days cause sluggishness. Such foods as nuts and seeds in excess, dairy, meat and grains. Well, with our weather here in England we can play with it. Eat more fresh foods for sure, specially in hot days and in the grey ones, add grains like quinoa, amarranth and brown rice to our salads.
To be more comfortable on very hot days, drink more warm or hot drinks to induce sweating and to cool the body. Cold drinks are no good, really! Interesting to know that ice creams and ice drinks contract the stomach and stop digestion.
In the Chinese Five Elements philosophy the
Summer is represented/connected with the
Fire Element.
The supernatural forces of Summer create heat in the Heavens and fire on Earth; they create the heart and the pulse within the body... the red color, the tongue, and the ability to express laughter... they create the biter flavor, and the emotions of happiness and joy. Inner Classic
The Fire Element rules the heart and the small intestines. In chinese, the word heart is xin, and is translated as "heart-mind". Dean Ornish, heart specialist in California has developed from his own experience this awareness:"I think the mind is where heart disease begins for many people".
General Symptoms of a Heart-Mind Imbalance:
* Scattered and confused mind
* Excess or no laughter
* A rudy or very pale face
* Speech problems (stuttering, excess verbiage, confused speech)
* Depression
* Poor circulation
* Weak spirit
* Aversion to heat
The heart in harmony:
Those with a healthy hearts are genuinely friendly.
Clarity is a central attribute of those with a harmonious heart-mind. They seem to see effortlessly through a problem to arrive at brilliant solutions.
We of "the information age" tend to have mental hyperactivity. Energy from the excessive thought and worry races through the head while the heart is weaken.
When spirit becomes sufficiently concentrated in the heart, superficial thinking stops and integrated thoughts begins. Rather then thinking about "reality", thought becomes reality - one becomes fully present.
Foods for calming and focusing the mind:
A simple diet with occasional light fasting promotes deep, peaceful thinking.
. Grain: whole wheat, brown rice and oats gently calm the mind.
. Silicon foods: cucumber, celery, lettuce, celery-lettuce juice.
. Fruit: mulberries and lemons calm the mind.
. Chia seeds: have sedative action
. Spices: dill and basil can be use both in food and teas.
. Herbs: chamomile (my favourite!), catnip or valerian - helpful for nervous person or insomniac.
Magnesium in foods is healing to the heart. It retrains the "anxiety peptide", a complex of amino acids in the brain which appears to contribute to anxiety.
Green foods re rich in magnesium as well as organic whole grains.
Let's explore this Summer! Even if it really does not feel like it is Summer at times...
Observe your
heart-mind!
Be at peace!
Love & Health,
Carolyne
