YOU HAVE COME ON A JOURNEY - WELCOME TO YOUR HOME = HEALTH
GROUP SUPPORT SEASONAL AND ORGAN DETOX - see below for details
You can also choose the cleanse other times of year for these organs
FALL: LUNG, COLON, SKIN
October 6 to October 26 2025
WINTER: JANUARY - KIDNEY, BLADDER, ADRENAL, ENDOCRINE
January/February 2026
SPRING: LIVER, BILE, GALL BLADDER
March /April 2026
SUMMER: HEART, CIRCULATORY, SMALL INTESTINE, NERVES
July 2026
TEN DAY POWER CLEANSE: ANYTIME FOR A RESET, BLOOD SUGAR, LIVER, PANCREAS, ADRENALS, INTESTINES - CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Craig discusses the importance of feeling good after we eat - not same and not worse!
FALL - LUNG, COLON, SKIN - CLICK HERE FOR CLEANSE FOLDER
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Autumn is a time of preparation for the winter ahead, at least in traditional cultures without modern appliances, and in nature. The energy in nature is condensing. Watch the progression of a tree as its leaves go from green to yellow to brown or red, then fall to the Earth, signaling winter. This is the life force of the tree condensing inward in preparation for the cold season ahead. This is a time to eat heavier foods, more cooked foods, hearty casseroles, more animal flesh, and ground/root vegetables such as carrots, burdock, daikon, pumpkin and squash. Eating heavier and richer foods facilitates more caloric warmth from the digestion of the “high octane fuels.”
Taking more time alone to meditate, read, walk in nature, and accept the coming dark months ahead. It is also a time for letting go…letting go of the wonderful warm summer months, letting go of attachment to activity and light, and letting go with every breath, leaving space for unknown things to come to us.
A potentially dominant pattern of this season is dryness of the body’s tissues (in the west coast of the US) and a low-grade sadness/depression. These are natural. The dryness can be counteracted with moisturizing (yin tonics) foods and herbs. Sadness and depression are opportunities to look at what wants to die in us, then letting that part die. This can only be done with acceptance and feeling what wants to be let go of. It cannot be understood or intellectualized. It must be experienced with the light of awareness and feelings.
In this season, our blood quality changes to protect our tissues from damage by cold. It is like changing the oil in your car for different climates…thicker oil for hot climates and thinner oil for cooler ones. Think of the omega 3 fats in salmon. These fats are very unsaturated. They are so because the fish is swimming in freezing cold water. If the fat was hard and saturated, it would not move in the cold conditions. This would cause the cells to stop functioning. The same thing is happening in our bodies with the change of climate.
Imagine squeezing a sponge. This is what is happening in the fall. The excess of our being is squeezed out, for winter adaptation. Our plans and growth for the year have slowed or stopped (sometimes only symbolically). This is the energy in the 5-element TCM theory of earth solidifying into metal. It is the letting go of old, dying parts of our lives and, paradoxically, the breathing of air into metal/contractive states. If this energy is blocked, then we may feel low-grade depression or sadness. This feeling is nothing more than an invitation to come back to presence and accept what is occurring. Also, this season is one of setting aside part of the harvest for the bleak months of winter (at least in those areas with very cold and dark winters where little will grow).
WINTER - KIDNEY, BLADDER, ADRENAL, ENDOCRINE Detox - CLICK HERE FOR CLEANSE FOLDER
Going within, “floating” energy, dream-time, wet, dark, think of the seed waiting for conditions to be right to sprout, resting, time of storage, nurturing. Winter is a time of cold, dark, and wet, sometimes wild and windy. These are not good times for a lot of activity and cold foods. The body tends to need warming rich foods, lots of oven cooking, big fires, and communion with our loved ones, family, and friends. More than any other season, this is the time of the kitchen.
Winter is the time of storage of energy and hibernation for some plants and animals. Observe nature around us and see that life has turned inward and is waiting for the first signs of spring’s warmth. Because many of us spend more time indoors, sickness often spreads quickly. Water balance, bloating, edema, infections of the bladder and kidneys, high or low blood pressure, headaches, colds/flus, and other symptoms may manifest more often during this season. Also, more than ever during this season, protect the righteous inner energy of your body. Keep covered up and avoid strong winds and downpours. Spend time reflecting on life.
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Very subtle patterns in our lives can emerge during this time period. This is the close of one cycle (year) and the beginning of another. The contraction of the previous year (which mirrors all living cycles no matter how short or long) ends with the symbol of metal in the 5-element system. Funny thing is that when water (the element of winter) passes over metal or rocks long enough, part of the metal (minerals) leach into the water, feeding another cycle. Water carries information. Water is a storage vesicle for other substances. Humans tend to become attached to things. Have we fully let go enough to open space for new things in our lives? This is what spiritual edema is like. We cannot dream new dreams until we let go of the old. In addition, if we live from fear, this will be mirrored in fear of the unknown, fear of silence, dark and emptiness. Can we float like a raft upon the water? That is the image of winter in TCM. Floating energy. The opportunity of this season is to recharge our batteries, so to speak, for the coming cycle of manifestation of dreams. Those dreams begin during winter (or death and afterlife cycles). Annual plants die off before winter, spreading their seed so that another cycle can begin in the spring.
Spring is the time of renewal and new growth. Seeds that were sown in the previous seasons are now sprouting, delicate, and seeking light and warmth. With this in mind, we can see the liver systems, and the cells of our bodies are trying to regenerate new tissue and expel accumulation. Many people experience allergies and hay fever during this season due to a hypersensitive immune system and liver (see allergies chapter). Fasting for one day a month during the spring, or, at a minimum, skipping a meal a day here and there can be especially beneficial. Eat more sprouted foods during this season, such as sprouting your grains and beans before cooking. Vegetable, bean, and other fresh raw sprouts are some ideas. Some people may need to steam their sprouts for a few seconds before consuming them if they are thin, weak, have loose stools, are pale, and are often fatigued. (See the section following on suggested foods to eat during this season.)
The dominant weather patterns of this season are highly changeable. There is turbulence in nature, mirrored in tornadoes, strong winds, violent thunderstorms, very cool nights to warm days, and soaking wetness followed by sun and dryness.
SUMMER - HEART, CIRCULATORY, SMALL INTESTINE, NERVES - CLICK HERE FOR CLEANSE FOLDER
growth, maturation, plans into action, heat/fog/humid or dry, consistent weather
Summer is the time of heat, growth and activity in nature. The feeling of joy and lightness are our birthrights during the summer. This is a time to increase our physical activity, eat lighter foods and smaller meals to help balance the heart and small intestinal fires, and help nurture the “yang” influence of this season. It is very important to feel warm, yet not to become too active, because this wears the body out for winter.
A general guideline to follow is to eat more freshly picked local fruits and vegetables, less or no animal flesh during very warm weather, eggs during the cool hours also, no nuts/seeds in excess, and avoid heavy grains on hot days - (oats, rye, barley, wheat, spelt, kamut, and sweet rice), more raw foods in general, lightly cooked vegetables, and some light grain dishes such as pastas, millet, quinoa, and corn.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON SEASONAL EATING
One paradox of summer is to eat fewer salty foods because this can cause congestion, yet we sweat more in the heat and need to replenish our electrolytes. The key lies in the type of “salts” we take in. We need less sodium during the summer months, so the potassium and magnesium based salts in fresh fruits and vegetables are a great way to do this. Sea vegetables are another way to replenish electrolytes. If we do not replenish gradually and consistently, we can crave sweets and ice cream type of treats, which can cause problems in the long run. Another aspect of summer, seemingly paradoxical, is to drink warm liquids and take hot showers to disperse heat. Cold causes contraction, which actually ends up holding heat in the body.
This season embodies the desire of manifestation coming into form (wood changing to fire). The fires of clarity help refine the goals for the year. The fire of activity helps productivity. Dominant patterns this time of year are fire/heat syndromes, dryness, congestion (from lack of fluids or blood that is too viscous), and fatigue from excess work.
This season embodies the adult stage of life, maturity. Plants show this with full leaves, lush green growth, and vibrant smells. Insects are buzzing about, birds singing, and the cool wind refreshing the heat. Water is very important to balance the fires of summer.
TEN DAY POWER CLEANSE - CLICK HERE FOR CLEANSE FOLDER