The three months of spring are called ‘sprouting and unfolding’ (Fa Chen).
Heaven and earth together give life, and the ten thousand beings flourish as a result.
We go to bed at night and get up at dawn.
We walk through the courtyard with long strides, hair loose, body relaxed, in order to exercise our will in the direction of life: we let live and we do not kill, we give and we do not take, we reward and we do not punish.
This is how to align with the breaths of spring and nourish life. Going against this would hurt the liver and cause cold-related issues in summer due to not giving enough to the specific growth movement (Chang) of summer.
Su Wen, Chapter II
The symbolism of Spring
Spring covers the months of February, March and April. It is the most important season of the year. The Chinese character that designates it, Chun, evokes the sun rising through the trees. It is, in a way, the initial rise of Yang through the forms it warms and animates.
In the morning, for example, when we wake up, we transition from night to day, we open our eyes and welcome the first light, we move from a horizontal, lying position to a vertical position, sitting or standing. Our five senses, which were asleep or focused on dreams, suddenly open up and direct our mind towards the outside world and the waking state.
All these specific changes in state associated with waking up in the morning mobilise the functions of the spring organ, the liver, in different ways: waking up, opening your eyes, externalisation, verticality, muscle tone.
The renewal of life
Spring represents the morning of the current year. It is also expressed by the burst of life of a plant that rises from the ground, blossoms into five branches and produces fruit. This is the character Sheng, meaning creation, birth and life all at once.
This awakening of life can be expressed with a certain amount of noise. Thunder and lightning heralded the arrival of spring for the Ancients, with the first rains and the rising of the east wind. The storm itself was considered to be the manifestation of the dragon, with lightning coming from its eyes and thunder being its voice.
However, despite these thunderous attributes, the azure dragon or green dragon was also the symbol of new life and the symbol of the emperor. The notion of awakening and thunder is found in the trigram Zhen, ‘the shaking’. This is the period when the Ancients observed the appearance in the sky of the stars "the horns of the dragon " (Arcturus and Spica). Thus, the energy of spring strongly marks with its initial thrust all nascent life or life in the process of expression, and everything that will rise, from the earth or from darkness, in a tension expressing the rise of Yang.
The sky and the earth producing the movement of creation and life, it is the time of expression of the infinite variety of living beings, plants, animals, humans, the ‘ten thousand beings’ but also the ‘ten thousand things’.
Awakening and opening up to the world
We take advantage of the emerging energy by getting up early to breathe in the first vapours of the day and the first rays of sunshine. The days are short and Yin demands its share, so we go to bed early. From the morning onwards, we must encourage the externalisation of vital energies and give free rein to the living flow that accompanies awakening, intensifying it in the most natural way possible, by walking with long strides and as close as possible to where we woke up. Any constraints or mechanical pressure on the body must be released. This is the ideal time to encourage the stretching and flexing of the limbs, body, tendons and joints in order to intensify the externalisation of the breaths of spring.
Exercising one's will in this way, in the direction of life, means connecting fully with all living things through listening, acceptance, and the generous movement spontaneously illustrated by the breath of life, which passes through everyone and belongs to no one in particular.
In this open and comprehensive vision, the natural virtue of kindness that naturally befits spring is revealed. Having a sense of others, knowing that we cannot exist alone, avoiding the suppression of life; offering rather than demanding, recognising what we owe and more, rather than withdrawing or subtracting what we are supposed to be owed. In spring, it is important to respond to the generosity of the impersonal vital movement with open and personal generosity. This will nourish all of life, both our own and that which surrounds us. To thwart this movement would prevent the liver from functioning at full capacity, and we would risk not benefiting in return from its warmth and its defences against the pernicious internal and external energies of the cold during the following season, summer.
Indeed, any hindrance to the movement of life in spring will lead to a deficiency in the wood's ability to nourish the fire and therefore in the liver's ability to offer its full vitality to the heart. This insufficient offering will restrict the movement of growth (Chang) in summer, which is represented by the heart among the five subtle organs.
Spring, the liver and sour flavours
The organ of spring is the liver, the internal resonance point for all the modalities of this season. It is also marked by the imprints of birth and early childhood, which are like the ‘springtime of life’ and are decisive for the movement of liver function and for the awakening of the person. Thus, each spring and each morning bring humans back into alignment with the conditions of their own birth, and all the difficulties associated with this emblematic sequence: spring-morning-birth constitute potential obstacles that must be learned to release or overcome.
In nature, sour flavours dominate, expressed in herbs, shoots and young leaves. They nourish the liver and can also slow down its energy if they are excessive.
General recommendations
We get up early to enjoy the rising energy and breathe in the first rays of sunshine. Yin requires maintenance, so we go to bed early.
We encourage the externalisation of vital energies by walking calmly at a brisk pace and as close as possible to where we woke up. Any constraints or mechanical pressure on the body must be released: we loosen our hair, which acts as our ‘antennas’, our collars, belts, and anything else that compresses and constricts the passage of breath.
We stretch our limbs, tendons and joints, practising Tai Ji Chuan and Qi Gong, particularly Dao Yin, in order to prevent potential problems throughout the year.
We connect fully with all living things through listening, acceptance and generosity. Spring is a time when loving relationships reach their peak of strength and intensity. We thus exercise our will in the direction of life.
Dietary recommendations
Food should be lightened, as overly rich food at the beginning of the season generally causes overload and blood heat, paving the way for future discomfort, particularly diarrhoea and rheumatism in summer and autumn.
We increase the sweetness to strengthen and stabilise the spleen, which is at risk of being attacked by spring, when nature encourages momentum and breakthroughs.
We moderate our consumption of beverages to allow Yang heat to progress with food energies, without slowing it down too quickly by drinking large amounts of water or cool liquids. Drinking cold beverages strengthens Yin. If we drink cool beverages too often, we oppose the rise of spring energies that the liver transmits to the stomach and the entire body.
In the evening, before bedtime, drink a light broth (made from leeks or turnips) with a pinch of salt.
Avoid excessive consumption of pastries, which can damage the spleen and stomach. However, you can eat fresh, mild-tasting grains (barley, wheat) to avoid introducing too much heat from food too quickly.
Recommendations for a healthy lifestyle
We help our energy to unblock itself, to take flight and to circulate freely throughout the body, particularly by releasing its expression through the eyes, sensory orifices that are directly under the authority of the liver and indirectly under that of the heart. This is done by looking at open spaces, gardens, forests, the ocean, lakes, the mountain range on the horizon, anything that opens up the gaze and frees it from overly restrictive or dense visions.
We avoid shutting ourselves away at home and becoming homebodies, which could lead to sadness and melancholy, in contrast to the awakening of nature.
We protect ourselves from the wind, in all its forms.
Wash with warm water from the knees down to reduce swelling in the feet.
Every morning, comb your hair with a wooden or tortoiseshell comb, one hundred to three hundred times, to raise and release the Yang energy of the liver meridian and strengthen the kidneys.
Consequences of climate instability.
The problems that arise at the onset of spring often begin during the winter solstice. The issue is complicated by the fact that we enter spring with excess heat. Indeed, we often combat the cold of winter by overheating our homes, covering ourselves too much, and eating rich, hot foods. Massaged under the heart and diaphragm, this heat burns the organic fluids that the spleen naturally sends up to the lungs, causing headaches, dizziness, insomnia, memory loss, muscle deficits with weakness in the limbs, and lack of strength, particularly in the kidneys and feet. There may also be a pathological excess of saliva, or even phlegm, with a bitter taste in the mouth.
Between the heat of maintenance energy and the spring Yang heat of the liver, which meet, as the Chinese say, ‘like two tigers on a narrow path,’ conflict is inevitable. It is necessary to use foods and plants that disperse wind, heat and mucus, while harmonising the breath: spring onions, parsnips, soybeans, artichokes, barley, turnips, Chinese cabbage, duck, parsley, etc. Massaged under the heart and diaphragm, this heat will burn the organic fluids that the spleen naturally sends up to the lungs, causing headaches, dizziness, insomnia, memory loss, muscle deficits with weakness in the limbs, and lack of strength, particularly in the kidneys and feet. There may also be a pathological overabundance of saliva, or even phlegm, with a bitter taste in the mouth.
We moderate sexuality, which is related to the liver. It is advisable to remain cautious, as the energy that blossoms in spring may be damaged and subsequently hindered by excessive love-making.