08/31/2026
It's here... can you feel it? It's not quite fall yet but... last week the weather shifted.
- one client said she noticed the leaves are starting to change
- others are making their annual tomato sauces
- the nights are definitely cooler
- the sunlight is changing, and the sun is visibly setting earlier
- I've noticed the flies trying to come inside
- Mischa (our little black cat, for those who haven't met her), is starting to curl up inside for her naps again instead of snoozing in her favorite flower bed
Chinese Medicine considers this shift between summer and fall as a season of its own: LATE SUMMER. And it's here! Late Summer means the upward energy of yang changes to the downward energy of yin with the seasons at the summer solstice, but late summer is when we actually start to NOTICE it, you know? You FEEL the gears change.
Late Summer in TCM is the time of:
- the Earth element: the associated organs being the Spleen and Stomach, so it's all about NOURISHMENT, digestion, and metabolism
- this where be begin moving away from an abundance of fresh cold/raw summer foods and aim more towards warmer, cooked, grounding meals
- so regular meals, going to sleep a little earlier, gentle movement, and a little less rushing goes with the flow of the yang of summer heading into the yin of autumn
- emotionally, Earth is associated with over-thinking and worry—these are the emotions that hit the gut and make our digestion go funky
I can't believe I'm saying this already... time is going so fast... but..
A heartfelt CHEERS! To the golden days and cool nights of this last bit of summer!