Find Reassurance in the Depths of Winter

21st December 2022 is the winter solstice with the shortest day and longest night, bringing minimum light and maximum darkness.

Winter requires us to slow down and be patient while we replenish our energy reserves. It is a time of uncertainty and we seek reassurance as we wait for the light to return. We must summon more willpower to get through these cold months than in the carefree warmth of summer.

In years gone by, winter was a time to rest and reflect after a busy year of sowing, growing and harvesting crops. There were fears that the stored food may not last the long dark season and the return of spring, when crops could be planted again, seemed a long way off. Conserving energy meant food supplies lasted longer so the chances of surviving the winter were better.

Water is the element associated with winter and has many forms. It can be a gentle trickling stream or a powerful crashing sea. It can be a raindrop in a puddle or an iceberg in an ocean. It can be a delicate dewdrop on a blade of grass or a snowstorm weighing down tree branches.

Water can be difficult to contain and has a strong determination to find a way to flow freely around obstacles placed in its path. It has willpower and strength to not give up but sometimes it can become stuck and unable to find a way through.

Does this sound like you? Does your fear and worry of what's to come sometimes hold you back? Do you feel like some days you can tackle any problem life throws at you and other days you get so bogged down trying to resolve problems that you go nowhere fast? If so, perhaps your Water element is out of balance.

“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins…

not through strength, but through perseverance.”

H. Jackson Brown Jr

Five Element Acupuncture brings the body, mind and spirit into balance to improve your health and wellbeing. Book a treatment with Kathy Hitchens at Balancing Acupuncture in Truro.