Fall Equinox occurs at 09:04 am September 23, 2011
in the northern hemisphere, as well as the spring
or vernal equinox in the southern hemisphere.
A Greek astronomer and mathematician Hipparchus
was attributed to have discovered the equinoxes.
The word “equinox” derives from the
Latin words meaning “equal night” and
refers to the time when the sun crosses
the equator. The first day of autumn is the
time when things begin to decrease. It’s the
time to prepare for winter, tree leaves turn
colors, and the air takes on a chill. Most
cultures consider this a time for harvesting
crops and taking stock of life’s fragility. It is
also a time when people begin noticing the
waning hours of daylight in anticipation for
the Winter Solstice. Since this time of year
is one of the most temperate, it is also
considered a good time for reflection
on the meaning of life.
In every culture the Autumnal Equinox
signals the return of weather that favors
slowing down, introspection, and conservation.
It is also a perfect day to contemplate your own
thoughts on the meaning of life and share
them with fellow freethinkers.
I’ll be in Michigan for the changing of the seasons.
It’s one of my favorite times of the year as
it finally starts to cool down in South Florida,
and the windy hurricane season is just about over.
I always do some kind of ritual when the seasons
change and this is no exception. My son lives
on a beautiful piece of property on the lake
with his wife and two children. I called him
today and asked him to cut and stack wood
for the harmonizing fire Puja on the Equinox.
You may be asking yourself right now,
“Doc, what is a Puja?”
A Puji fire is a ritual fire to harmonize the
elements. Sometimes Puji’s are made to
increase the energy or to decrease it. This
particular Puja will be to balance and
protect the family through the winter season.
It’s a festive time and the neighbors usually
gather around, as well as my family to bring
in the fall season and to balance
their body, mind, and spirit.
Fall is the season of harvest, a time to pull
inward and gather together on all levels, a
time to store up fuel, food and warm clothing,
a time to study and plan for the approaching
stillness of winter. Everything in nature
contracts and moves its essence inward
and downward.
“The forces of autumn create dryness in
Heaven and metal on Earth; they create
the lung organ and the skin upon the
body…and the nose, and the white
color, and the pungent flavor…the
emotion grief, and the ability to make
a weeping sound.”
-Inner Classic
Fall is related to the Metal Element,
lungs and large intestines. The foods that
are most harmonious to this season include:
sourdough bread, sauerkraut, olives, pickles,
leeks, aduki beans, salt plums, rose hip tea,
vinegar, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and the
sour varieties of apples, plums, and grapes.
It’s a good time to focus mentally, and to
begin the process of contraction. In general,
cook with less water, and at lower heat, for
longer periods of time. This internalizes one’s
focus. Likewise, the bitter and salty flavors
move energy strongly inward and downward;
ideally, they are gradually introduced as the
fall progresses into winter.
The major symptoms of autumn are thirst,
dryness of the skin, nose, lips, and throat,
and itchiness; those who are chronologically
dry also tend to have a thin body type. This
season usually brings in the cold and flu season,
it’s an important time to start building
our immune system and strengthening
your kidneys for the winter.
To treat conditions of dryness in the body
in any season, foods which moisten can be
emphasized: soybean products, including
tofu, and soy milk; spinach, barley, millet,
pear, apple, persimmon, loquat, seaweeds,
black and white fungus, almond, pinenut,
sesame seed, honey (cooked), barley malt,
rice syrup, eggs, clam, crab, oyster, mussel,
and herring. Using a little salt in cooking
also moistens dryness.
The emotions of the metal element have to
do with sadness and grief on the negative side.
On the positive side, it has to do with moving
forward, valor, and courageousness.
Because the fall is when we start to go inward
this is the time to increase our meditation
practices and begin more internal practices.
Sometimes, our minds jump around like
a monkey from branch to branch, and
when we are trying to do our mediations,
we are pulled from one thought to another.
When this happens, I begin doing a mantra,
like the one in “The Internal Mantra Program.”
This program is a 3 fold:
1. A DVD explaining all about Mantra,
how to use it, and what it
will do for you.
2. An interview with Eluv,
who is trained and practices chanting and
Mantra.
3. A special subliminal CD
where the Mantra is repeated 100,000 times.
http://rechargingqigong.com/the-internal-mantra-program.html
Every Wednesday night, I teach a meditation
class to those of you who live in south Florida.
Soon the class will be televised via the internet.
I’m really excited about this and can’t wait to
invite all of you to the FREE meditation
classes that I teach.
I wish you the best in your Health,
Wealth, and Happiness
Dr. Wu Dhi
