Summer energy: is the time of Fire when we are affected by the heat and energy of the weather to bring all our circulation to the surface, thin the blood and lengthen our muscles. It is a time of the pericardium of the heart (the protective sac enclosing the heart) and the small intestines.  The small intestines represents our ability to take in, select, utilize and excrete, it is our connection to the outside world.  But in many those who are Fire by nature, these influences can create inflammation, redness (such as rosacea), excessive heat and perspiration, blotchiness and irritated sensitive skin.  Women approaching the Change will also experience an increase in peri-menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, anger, irritation and perhaps an increase in menstrual flow.   Since fire creates smoke, an increase in cigarette smoking during this time may be an attempt to increase internal Fire energy.  Replace the cigarettes with warming baths, massage for increased circulation and Colored Light Therapy sessions. Doing this will make it easier to give up smoking altogether!

Organ: Heart, Pericardium, Small Intestines, Triple Warmer
Flavor: Bitter
Food: Olive oil
Emotion: Ritual, Habit, Joy
Sound: Laughter

Summers Element, being some what complicated – because it has two sets of  yin/yang meridians associated with it, creates a dance with each other and with other meridians in the body that makes for an intricate and complex relationship of balance, far too detailed for this article. In the summer, the energy – according to the Chinese, relates to the Heart (Yin) and the Small Intestine (Yang). There is also the Secondary relationship to the Pericardium (Yin) and the Triple Warmer (Yang). The color of the fire element is red, the seasons emotions are joy and sadness, the sound is laughter and its taste is bitter. Summer is the time of blossoming, growth and heat.

The Heart dominates the blood and the blood vessels and manifests on the face. It also houses the mind. The function of the heart is to circulate blood to the body. The Small Intestines transform food matter, separating the pure from the unsure. The Pericardium takes care of protecting the Heart, and the Triple Warmer balances various forms of energy (Qi), including the harmony of hormonal function. Together these four meridians are in charge of the processing, storage, and distribution of vital energy and therefore the maintenance of life.

When imbalanced, the fire element can exhibit many physical symptoms. The Yin Meridian symptoms are obvious as they are related to the heart – cardiac disease, circulation, arrhythmia, hear palpitations, poor circulation, fatigue, and confusion. – There are good essential oils that deal with heart related issues. Heart stimulating essential oil Rosemary. For palpitations or fluttering of the heart essential oils – Lavendar, peppermint, and ylang-ylang.

Likewise, the yang meridian, the small intestine, has symptoms that can also be addresses with essential oils. Irritable bowel syndrome can be soothed with Lavender, melaluca, chamomile, eucalyptus or peppermint. Constipation can be eased with black pepper, fennel, ginger, rosemary, and thyme. Diarrhea can be alleviated with clove, ginger, geranium, lavender, rosemary or peppermint, as can indigestion.

The taste of the fire element is bitter. How a food tastes or its action on the tongue can help the body align to the specific elemental season more easily. Bitter stimulates appetite and secretion of digestive juices throughout the intestinal system and enhances digestion and the flow of bile. Essential oils that can do a similar support to the digestive tract would be basil, cardamom, fennel, marjoram, melissa and rosemary. I find it interesting that all of the essential oils that are good for digestion are herbs that can be found regularly in our garden. We have all we need in the summer to make our Fire Element Happy!

Elemental Fire Line for excess fire to sooth the skin, Quantum Energetic Serums to balance the excess, along with raising our nutrition quotient.