Sacred Seasons
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Lì Qiū 立秋
Start of Autumn | August 7
The 13th of the 24 Solar Terms
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Seasonal Turning Point for Feminine Cultivation
Though named the Start of Autumn, heat and humidity still linger, making this a transitional moment where the Yang energy begins to recede and the Yin prepares to deepen. For feminine wisdom keepers, this term signals an invitation to begin gathering, consolidating, and anchoring. The body begins its slow descent inward, gathering what is vital, shedding what has grown excessive.
This solar term is sacred for:
• Tending to Lung and Spleen Qi (metal and earth—linked to boundary, digestion, immunity, clarity)
• Preserving Kidney Essence for the colder months ahead (especially important for hormonal health)
• Supporting the Bao Mai (the Heart-Uterus channel, essential in emotional and reproductive balance)
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Energetic Themes for Women
• Astringing: Begin sealing your energy—fewer outward exertions, more inner cultivation. Think of it as a sacred pause before the descent into Yin.
• Letting Go with Grace: The Lungs govern grief and the skin; this is the time to gently let go of emotional weight while nourishing outer radiance.
• Regulate Damp-Heat: Excess heat in the Blood or Liver can show up in irregular cycles, PMS, skin eruptions, or irritability. Begin cooling and clearing now.
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Feminine Health Cultivation Tips
1. Tonify the Spleen + Transform Dampness
Begin integrating foods and herbs that are warming yet lightly draining, to strengthen digestion and metabolism of hormones.
Try: lotus seed, job’s tears (coix/barley), ginger-steamed pear, cooked red dates, pumpkin, yams.
2. Support Lung Qi + Emotional Clarity
The Lungs open to the skin and govern breath, boundaries, and grief. Dryness may begin to rise—nourish with moistening foods.
Try: steamed Asian pear with honey and almond, snow fungus, sesame seeds, tremella soup, white wood ear, lily bulb.
3. Start Protecting Essence (Jing)
Though it’s not yet cold, begin slowing down overstimulation, screen time, excessive socializing, and intense workouts. Choose sacred rituals that help consolidate your energy—like breast massage, womb breath, or golden elixir meditation.
4. Ritual Bathing for Skin + Shen (Spirit)
Use herbs such as mugwort, chrysanthemum, or lavender in gentle foot soaks or bathing. This clears summer heat from the channels, soothes the Heart, and supports hormonal balance.
5. Tend the Bao Mai
Gentle heart-opening and pelvic awareness practices—such as acupressure on HT7 (Shenmen) or Ren 4—can stabilize emotional swings and deepen inner connection. Consider starting a Yin journaling practice: “What am I ready to let go of?”
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Sacred Feminine Foods for Lì Qiū
• Grapes: Nourish Blood, replenish fluids, support detox and fertility.
• Lotus Root: Harmonizes digestion and clears summer heat from the womb and breasts.
• Almonds: Disperse stagnation, moisten the lungs, and calm the Heart—supporting breast and respiratory vitality.
• Eggplant: Clears heat and dampness, helpful for balancing hormonal skin flare-ups.
• Bitter Melon: Cools heat, regulates Blood Sugar—a subtle support for mood and metabolism.
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Mythical + Ritual Notes
This period aligns with the Qixi Festival (七夕)—the weaving girl and the cowherd—a sacred love story echoing the reunion of Yin and Yang. It’s an auspicious time to reflect on devotional relationships, including your relationship with your body, your creative womb, and your lineage of feminine wisdom.
The Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan 中元节) is also observed—offering a powerful time to honor the ancestors, particularly female elders and guides. Tending the altar, feeding spirit with beauty and food, and clearing inherited grief can all nourish your own body-spirit connection.
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Sacred Breath & Movement
• Begin incorporating longer exhalations in breathwork to support Lung Qi and regulate nervous system tone.
• Practice gentle Daoist movement, Yin yoga, or womb spiraling to encourage fluidity and downward flow of Qi.
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Clinic Offering
Begin your personal Autumn Ritual Plan.
Schedule a 1:1 for herbal + energetic guidance on womb care, skin health, hormone balancing, and sacred body practices for the Fall season.
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Chù Shǔ 处暑
End of Heat | August 22
The 14th of the 24 Solar Terms
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A Threshold of Cooling, Gathering & Ancestral Memory
As Chù Shǔ arrives, the heat begins to recede, but the Qi of Summer has not fully withdrawn. Mornings and evenings grow cooler, signaling the descent from Yang into Yin. For feminine bodies, this marks a tender turning point: the beginning of gathering, moistening, and returning to essence. A sacred pause to replenish fluids, calm the Heart, and prepare the womb and spirit for autumn’s quiet power.
This solar term also coincides with the Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival 中元节)—a time when the veils between worlds thin and ancestral remembrance becomes part of the season’s spiritual rhythm. An invitation to honor those who came before you, especially your matrilineal line, and to clear inherited patterns from your womb and Heart space.
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Feminine Wisdom Themes for End of Heat
• Moisten, Nourish, Preserve: As external dryness rises, the Lungs, Kidneys, and Yin fluids (especially in the skin, womb, and breasts) must be protected and enriched.
• Transition from Yang to Yin: Slow the pace. Rest becomes medicine. Begin softening your daily structure to allow space for repair and renewal.
• Ancestral Offerings + Womb Clearing: This is a sacred time to honor grief, unfinished stories, and generational wisdom held in the pelvic bowl.
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Hormonal Health & Cultivation Practices
1. Nourish Yin & Fluids
Yin fluids support menstruation, fertility, skin radiance, and emotional equilibrium.
Try: stewed pears with lily bulb, snow fungus soup, lotus seed congee, and black sesame paste.
2. Calm the Heart, Ground the Spirit
The Heart and Kidney meridians begin a subtle rebalancing. Calm the Shen (spirit) with herbs, gentle breathwork, or foot soaks.
Use: Bai He (lily bulb), Lian Zi (lotus seed), and a daily nap ritual if possible.
3. Avoid Excessive Heat + Stimulation
Spicy, fried, and overly Yang-inducing foods (coffee, alcohol, excess screen time) drain Yin and overheat the womb. Favor sour flavors (plum, vinegar) to preserve moisture.
4. Rest into Rhythm
The body is signaling a shift. Early nights, midday rests, and gentle walking help regulate circadian rhythms and support hormonal balance.
5. Sacred Ancestral Connection
Light a candle for your female ancestors. Offer them food, flowers, or incense. Reflect: What grief or story no longer needs to be carried in your body?
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Feminine Foods for End of Heat
• Duck: A Yin tonic in TCM, duck meat moistens the Lungs, cools internal heat, and benefits skin and hormonal function.
• Pear: Moistens dryness, especially for the Lungs and womb.
• Lotus Seed (Lian Zi): Strengthens Spleen and Kidneys, stabilizes cycles, calms the Heart.
• Yu Zhu (Solomon’s Seal): Nourishes Lung and Stomach Yin; excellent for dryness and depletion.
• Black Sesame: Supports Jing (essence), lubricates intestines, and beautifies skin and hair.
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Rituals for Feminine Energy
• Lung + Heart Acupressure Ritual
Press LU9 (Taiyuan) and HT7 (Shenmen) to moisten Lung Qi and calm the Heart. Pair with slow, rhythmical breath and affirmations of release.
• Womb Clearing Meditation
Visualize a cool mist gently cleansing your womb space. Offer any emotional residue—yours or ancestral—into the earth to be transmuted.
• Ghost Festival Reflection
Create an altar. Offer incense, food, or a written prayer to the ancestors. Acknowledge both the pain and the wisdom passed down.
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Clinic Note
This is a powerful window to begin autumn attunement for skin, cycle, and emotional clarity. Schedule a 1:1 to receive your customized herbal, acupressure, and lifestyle plan for sacred seasonal support.