For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is this Saturday, December 21st. It marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
Seasonal changes and shifts are important themes in Chinese medicine. You’ve surely seen the symbol of Yin and Yang. The symbol is called the Taijitu, with its roots in Taoist philosophy. Yin and Yang is the basis of Chinese Medicine, a concept of dualism - where opposite and seemingly contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world.
They cannot exist apart
Yin is the dark part of the figure, where Yang is the light part. Though they are separate, they can not exist independently. They provide context for the opposing force - without dark, there is no concept of light, without cold, there is no concept of heat, without stillness, there is no concept of movement, etc. As you can see, there is a little circle of Yang within the Yin, and a little circle of Yin within the Yang, which implies that nothing is completely Yin or completely Yang. Furthermore, each aspect contains the beginning point for the other aspect, where neither Yin nor Yang is absolute, flowing and changing with time.
The winter solstice exemplifies this philosophy. This Saturday, Dec 21st, Yin will be at its peak. It will be the shortest day of the year and the longest night of the year. The solstice brings forth the Yin (the earth’s movement toward increasing darkness) transition to Yang (the earth’s movement toward increasing light). In this exact moment of the transition, there is believed to be a mysterious blending of the yin and yang that opens the possibility of new creation and rebirth.
Here, the seeds of Yang will begin to grow, and the days will incrementally grow a little longer. However, winter is still considered Yin time. This is a time of stillness to sit deep within ourselves and embrace introspection. Ironically, the holiday season brings forth Yang-type activity. We have a million things to do, people to see, shopping to do, holiday travels, etc. This extroverted expenditure of energy is the opposite of what we need at this time of year!
May this winter solstice be a reminder to honor your mind, body, and spirit. Make time for self-reflection, take a rest when you need it, nourish yourself with warming soups and stews, try mindfulness activities like breathing exercises and meditation, and give thanks to the people and things in which we are grateful. I leave you with this image: A crisp, deep winter’s night with the moon and stars shining down brightly through the branches of redwood trees and onto the snow-covered earth. The stillness of the night is felt as the world all around, and precious things are remembered.
Happy Holidays from our family at Double Happiness Health to yours!