Late Summer Season: Reap the Harvest
It’s September and we’re fully in late summer. Here in northern New England a few mornings have had some chill to them, but it’s still not quite autumn yet; the air on warm afternoons is heavy with the thick, ripe scents of another growing season. It’s earthy and rich and abundant.
In Chinese medicine, late summer is considered a unique, independent season. We’ve reached the height of the fiery, energetic, connective, expansive, heart-opening, outwardly expressive, full-on-Yang of the summer season, and now late summer enters as an invitation to pause before the inevitable retraction. The pendulum has swung up to its peak; can we look out from this vantage point and reflect on the wild abundance of the season while it’s still fully here?
Late summer is associated with the Spleen system, which is all about nourishment. It’s about nourishment through food, of course, but also nourishment through connection, friendship, family, and our relationship with ourselves. Do we have access to nourishment? Do we choose that which will sustain us over the long-term versus the short-term high of junky “food” or shallow connection? Do we allow ourselves to actually receive nourishment when it shows up in our lives in real ways? All of this has to do with the health of our Spleen energy.
The Spleen also governs our digestion, ie our ability to actually absorb the nourishment we encounter.
On a physical level, we may eat all the best food in the world, but are we digesting it well? Are we able to extract nutrition from it and generate more of ourselves from the material pieces our food provides?
On a psycho-spiritual level, we may be surrounded by friends and family, but are we actually feeling supported? Are we *allowing* ourselves to find strength in community, or do we insist on going it alone? Do we pause to allow our experiences nourish us deeply, or do we simply move from one encounter quickly on to the next? Are we able to let it sink into our knowing flesh that we are fully supported by the Earth and by our extended human family?
Problems with the Spleen system look like: chronic worry, overthinking or ruminating; emotional neediness or over-giving; bloating; poor appetite or slow metabolism; water retention; loose or watery stools; cravings for or over-eating sugar and carbs, and a tendency to blood sugar fluctuations and “hanger” instead of proper hunger; fatigue; feeling a kind of tired that’s not better with rest; feeling tired after meals.
If the Stomach system is also involved (and the two are closely related), we may also see reflux or heart burn; stomach pain; constipation; certain types of insomnia; belching; and difficulty digesting (like your meals sit in your stomach like a ball of lead).
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Harvest the Good in Your Life
If you’ve got a gratitude practice, now is a great time to ramp it up. Sit deeply in *all* of the abundance of your life. Seek and witness the riches in every last corner. Feel the fullness of your life like you’re hauling in the harvest from a late summer garden; fill up your heart to bursting.
Um… shit year, you say? Yes, some years are leaner than others. No matter; there is always something to harvest. Dig deep and haul it in.
Support Your Digestive Function
If you struggle with any of the above-mentioned Spleen system issues, this time of year is a GREAT time of year to work on them. Take advantage of the energy of the season to help balance/correct your internal physiology. Use this handout as a guide. I give it to patients and clients when digestion is an important piece of their healing; it covers the basic “hows” of eating that are so often neglected in our current eating culture. I can’t tell you how deep the impact of simple habit changes can be. I’ve seen lifelong digestive issues — ones that have stumped handfuls of specialists — slowly fade away. My suggestion: check out the list, pick one that’s not part of your routine, fully integrate it into your life for a week, and notice what shifts. I can almost guarantee you that something important will.
The most important seasonal shift to support your digestion? With the waning heat, light, and environmental Yang energy, it’s time to start backing off the raw veggies, morning smoothies, and salads. Begin to re-orient your kitchen, pantry, and food-prep toward the cooked veggies, warm porridges, soups, and stews that will sustain you and support your digestion through the colder winter months.
In need of some assistance sorting out your digestion function or Spleen-related issues?
Your initial consultation is always free — come meet us in person and learn more.