October 9, 2022, is the first day of the Yang Metal Dog month in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar assigns one of the twelve animals, five elements, and the polarity of yin or yang to each year, month, day, and hour. The Yang Metal Dog month extends till October 9, 2022.
The Yang Metal Dog refers to the 33rd hexagram described in the I Ching and used in Feng Shui. Its image is Heaven over Mountain and signifies "Retreat" and as a whole represents a time to withdraw to conserve energy and resources, in compliance with natural laws.
The Yang Metal Dog hexagram:
This hexagram is linked with the forces of winter, which are already showing their influence. The Yang Metal Dog describes a Mountain within Heaven or the ascending image of darkness, whereas light (Heaven) retreats to prevent encroachment from the darkness. The Mountain trigram below the Heaven trigram is rooted in the Yang aspect of the Earth element. The Heaven trigram above Mountain is the Yang aspect of the Metal element. Yang energy represents many characteristics. In the case of Metal, it eludes to a strong excessive dry nature above, indicative of the Fall season. In the case of Earth, Yang energy represents damp heat below.
Each season consists of various energetic states, often in conflict. These active states will be reflected in nature and more importantly in our bodies. The influence of Dryness in the upper portions of the body along with Damp-Heat in the lower body sets up an environment of conflict within the body. During this season Dryness from exterior environmental pathogenic influences affect the Yin Metal organ, the Lungs. The Damp-Heat influence below is due to improper diet or dysfunction in the gastrointestinal tract. Together, these set up an internal environment leading to infections in both regions.
So, now that we have a picture of the nature of this month what can we do to optimize our health and wellness? In our family, there are various strategies we use in order to keep ourselves healthy throughout the year as the seasons change.
The first strategy is food. For those interested in discovering the best foods for this season along with the best foods for your constitution I recommend having a consultation with my personal health coach or Svastha Acharya, Michelle. Michelle is a Certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor. She can guide you to the proper foods for your personal constitution. We're all different and because of that, we all require different foods. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. According to Ayurvedic medicine from India and Chinese medicine each person has a unique constitution that dictates what is best for them, especially the foods they eat. Michelle can help you optimize your health simply by showing you how your current diet is either helping or hindering your overall wellness. Schedule a free 20-minute Ayurvedic Health Consultation today!
The second strategy is the observation and response to the environment. The Yang Metal Dog month indicates a definite energetic shift in the environment. Yang Metal represents extensive pathogenic dryness that affects the Lungs and Large Intestine. Consequently, it's imperative we protect ourselves from the effect of dryness on these two organs through lifestyle and diet adjustments.
Pathogenic Lung dryness can occur in two ways. First, Dryness in the external environment is very damaging to the Lungs, causing symptoms of dry throat, dry hacky cough with little or no phlegm, tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, dry skin and hair, dry mouth and lips, thirst, and sore throat. The second way dryness affects the Lungs is from eating an irregular diet or the wrong types of foods for your constitution. Both of these scenarios may lead to Dryness affecting the Large Intestine with symptoms of dry stools, obstructed constipation, or difficult bowel movements.
One last note on the Yang Metal Dog hexagram is the significant lack of strength in the Yin aspect of the body. This represents a weakness in the cardiovascular and kidney systems, and an emphasis on our psychoemotional well-being. So in addition to problems with the respiratory system, other issues involving the heart, circulation, urinary tract, and mental/emotional health are prone to surface this month.
Next month I'll go into additional strategies for keeping ourselves healthy throughout the year during seasonal changes.
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