Easing Transitions Through the Earth Element

As the lively and excitable energy of summer softens into more of a warm and inviting hush, we are confronted with an inevitable period of transition - the time in between times. 

Transitions are often challenging, disorienting, and lacking in anything concrete that we can wrap our minds or actions around. The last summer between high school and the "real world", aging from one decade to the next,  the time we spend alone after we end a relationship and prior to meeting someone else, when we've moved but haven't unpacked our boxes or settled in, leaving a job and feeling uncertain about a new one.

These experiences all mirror the transition we move through internally as well - as we shift from one identity to the next, gradually or sometimes dramatically evolving and becoming a somewhat unfamiliar version of ourselves. The same disorientation, disconnect, directionless energy accompanies us until we settle into our new skin, patterns, friendships, jobs, homes, etc. 

The influence of the seasons lends their weight to the effects of these shifts, magnifying our sensitivity to them and the resulting changes. Whether you're entirely aware of it or not, you may already be feeling the shifts as we enter into the last weeks of summer. 

As I said before, transitions can be challenging. And this week, I'd like to offer a little guidance that will allow you to bring this summer season to a close, embrace the transition, and move into the next chapter of this year with ease. 

The single most effective tool to help with transitions is ensuring that we feel grounded and centered. Based on this principle, you may be able to guess that times of transition belong to the Earth Element - which represents home and the mother archetype.  There are many things we can do to strengthen this Element but the easiest are the following:

1. Spend more time at home - after all the explorative energy of summer it will be helpful to gradually wind down, organize your home, and enjoy the familiarity of one place. 
2. Eat more home cooked meals. Our digestive system is governed by the Earth Element so it is beneficial to prepare your own food and eat meals that are more simple and nourishing. 
3. Capitalize on the remaining warm days of summer by being barefoot outside - imagine all the energy of the earth being soaked in through the bottom of your feet and filling your body with grounding, steadying energy. 
4. Repeat this mantra to yourself: “I transition and evolve with ease, I am at home within myself."
5. Reflect on the following: How have you evolved and changed throughout different transitions of your life? Are you the same person you used to be or have you grown? Do you feel more connected to the person you are now? If no, how. could you begin to identify with this new version of yourself? What practices, people, places, and/or things help you feel grounded and nourished?