Your Body as the Land: Earth, Intuition, Identity & Gut Health

Tending the Earth, your Intuition, Identity, Energy, Motivation & Gut Health. They are all connected.

Our bodies are an extension of the Earth, the Land. We are one. So, how does this impact our Health? In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Earth elements are Spleen & Stomach and they correlate to the Late Summer season. Their primary roles are digesting & assimilating food to make vital Qi. (Very Simplified) To nourish our blood, our bodies, our emotions - to ensure we have energy, a healthy immune system, muscle function etc. Digesting so that we may receive the nourishment, medicine. Holding integrity. Of course, our bodies & all of the elements are tied together. So, a lack of Spleen or Stomach function over time will affect other meridians and manifest as other symptoms/imbalances.

The health of our gastrointestinal system (GI or Gut) impacts our entire body, and even our emotional wellbeing. A GI system that is imbalanced may present with things such as: anxiety, worry, depression, skin issues, immune dysregulation, low energy, food sensitivities etc. Of course, this is just one facet of our overall health. Many other factors impact our bodies, spirit & emotions.

I'm focused today on these Earth elements as the Health of our Gut, our Earth, is intimately connected to our wellbeing. Many of us are feeling the Earth's energies and are fighting to protect the Land, Waters & our more than Human (and Human) relatives. The current way of life (ruling colonialism & capitalistic systems) has a direct impact on the abundance & balance we feel in our bodies. Our ability to feel grounded and stable.

I keep seeing this image of each of us tending to the Soil. Tending to the Earth by first nurturing the Soil. Literally, and figuratively.

We can think of our gut flora as part of a healthy soil. In fact, it is! Our gut flora is made up of bacteria and other organisms that live inside our bodies. They help facilitate many functions for us (research: gut brain axis, or gut microbiome functions to read more). The Earth's soil also contains beneficial bacteria such as Mycobacterium vaccae. Mycobacterum vaccae may actually positively affect our mood as well as our immune function. What does this mean? It means, we belong to the Earth. We are meant to live close to the Land & eat fresh foods harvested from the Earth. We are meant to dig roots, and tend to the Plants. In doing so, we are gifted health & harmony through many ways - one of them being through beneficial bacteria & organisms found in the soil. This helps to balance our own beneficial bacteria in our 'soil,' our Gut. Tending to the Earth helps us tend to our own Gut flora, our Earth Element. Nourishing these living Ancestors, bacteria, that we co-create with everyday has positive impacts on our Life and on the Earth.

We must honour & give gratitude to our Sacred Earth daily. Both within, and externally. A question I’m asking myself (my Earth element has been weak since birth - coincidence that I feel the Land’s energies? Probably not) is: Would I treat my body the way I treat the Land? Am I tending to my own self, the same way I tend to the Earth & the Plants I love so dearly? Am I singing to my body the way I sing to the Water Spirits? Am I making space to receive? Am I feeling nourished/what do I need to feel nourished?

This is not to induce shame if the answers are not what we would hope, more so to bring awareness within ourselves. We live in an over-culture (colonial) society that is disconnected from the Earth, and perpetuates that disconnect. There are many folks who are afraid of Nature, afraid of those who are connected as well. Not realizing we all are Nature embodied. I am walking this road with you all. There is also privilege with having access to nourishing foods in a system that wants to keep us disconnected. To grow foods & have space to grow foods. There is privilege in having space and security to work through traumas, to heal generational traumas & illness. It should be a given for us all, and that is why many us keep doing the work we do - to bring forth this access to everyone. And why Land Back is also so vital to our overall health + well-being.

A few questions to inspire tending to our Earth element: Are you eating foods that nourish your body? Are you giving gratitude to yourself daily? Are you tending to the Soil that is your micro-biome (ancient wise ancestors, passed down from our relatives)? Are you drinking enough water & breathing deeply? Are you listening to what you need (not what you crave, sometimes they can be the same, sometimes they are not)? Are you touching the literal Earth daily? Saying good morning, I love you, I'm grateful for you.

A few imbalances of Earth Element, which is part of the Solar Plexus energetic centre (and some of these overlap with other imbalances as well):

• Anxiety

• Worry

• Lack of Motivation

• Needing to be ‘in control’

• Low energy/fatigue

• Digestive issues: IBS, Heartburn, Bloating, SIBO, etc

• Ambivalence

• Muscle related illness/aches

• Lack of Boundaries - smothering, over-nurturing

• Low Mood

• Indecisive

• Inability to listen to Intuition

By strengthening our Earth, Solar Plexus, we not only tend to our physical gut health. We are also strengthening our sense of self, our authentic identity. We strengthen our intuition, and connection to Creation. As we return to the Earth, we remember who we are. We heal & stand in that knowing. That power in our Ancestor’s Love.

Ways to nourish the Earth w/in:

• Eat whole foods that are from the Earth, avoiding overly processed foods when possible

• Eat fermented foods

  • most of our Ancestor's ate fermented foods to my knowledge, they contain probiotics that help keep our gut flora in balance - eating foods grown yourself or by fam/farmers nearby also will likely contain some probiotics from the soil. Working with home grown Root medicines also likely contain some nourishing probiotics

• Eat/Drink prebiotic plants

  • Elecampane root decoction, Dandelion greens, Oats, Leeks, etc to feed the healthy bacteria

• Reduce inflammation

  • This one is so individual, there are many ways to do this & each person may require something different. I love Marshmallow Root & Slippery Elm for gut inflammation and soothing the GI system (Slippery Elm has been over harvested in some areas, be sure to purchase from a reputable source)

  • L-Glutamine supplementation may be beneficial for some folks {Study}. Foods that include L-Glutamine: Chicken, Fish, Beets, Lentils, Cabbage, Amaranth

• Trust your intuition/use your intuition - gut instinct

  • Colonization doesn't want us to trust our intuition, spirit, our Ancestors. This one takes time for some, be gentle with yourselves as you remember.

• Work through anxious thoughts, with a trauma informed counselor if you have access

• Enjoy the warming Sunshine!

• Avoid cold iced drinks, or balance them with warmth, warming spices, etc. and in moderation (during warm months)

• Work w Solar herbs (not for everyone; some folks may have excess heat, some may be cold - it's important to keep this in mind when working with Plant friends & people)

  • Calendula, Chamomile, Hypericum (interacts w many medications), Fennel, Ginger, Marshmallow, etc. Or any Plant allies that help you connect to yourself, your Ancestors

• Movement if that's available to you - I like to Root into the Earth, and lift my arms waaayyyy up to bring that loving Earth energy into my body & allow it to rise within me

• Finding grounding, rootedness, with movement ~ meaning, allowing ourselves to find stability while knowing that life is always moving + shifting, and that stability is cultivated within us + our relationships with Creation

• Speak Truth & from the Heart

  • This ties in a bit to the Heart & Throat/Lung, however, an imbalanced Spleen/Solar Plexus can lead to judgement & gossip. This judgement can even be of oneself. So, just being mindful of speaking the Truth and having compassion for others & ourselves

This is a lot for one post, and truly just scratching the surface here. This isn't meant to act as a diagnosis, or to suggest treatment. My hope is that this evokes inspiration to connect with your own Earth Elements, the Land, and your Intuition. There is so much wrapped up in our sense of self - our ability to be who we are, to feel safe in this World. Currently there is a lot of anxiety & worry about our Earth, about finances, health, sisters who’ve gone missing, family members, etc. We have to transmute this worry, and come back to ourselves & the Land.

I’ll leave us with these questions, ones I'm sitting with today: Am I open to receiving abundance & nourishment? Am I open to allowing *myself* to be nurtured?

In Health + Unity, Fam, I hope you found this supportive, xo

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