03/24/2026
Spring Equinox (March 20)
Spring is the time of year, after months of reflecting and restoring, when you begin to move a little bit more of your energy into activity, slowly increasing over the course of a few months. Birth and growth are the key themes of this season.
With winter just before spring, we move from the most yin season toward increasing yang energy. This is why spring is considered to be a "yang season arising out of yin."
The Wood element
Spring is the season when the element of Wood holds the most prominent energy. People who have a lot of Wood energy in their constitution are often very driven, pushy or loud. (Martin Luther King Jr., and other social change makers have certainly had a lot of this. Because Wood energy is so driven, this often leads to a very accomplished person who has done a lot from a very young age.
Emotion
Anger is the emotion of Wood. Most of us are taught that anger indicates we are "out of control" and is not welcome emotion to express. As children, many of us are encouraged to "go settle down" when we are angry before returning to the family. Yet anger is such a motivating and natural force of energy.
When anger gets out of control, it can become rage (destruction). Anger in its own right is creative and constructive, and it can be fierce when we are fighting for something we believe in.
Anger allows us to see clearly what we know could be different. What are you angry about in general right now in your life?
As you think about this, feel the energy rise up in your body. That energy is the gift of the Wood element. When skillfully used, this energy can lead to creative resolution in any arena.
Source: Everyday Chinese Medicine by Mindi K. Counts, MA, LAc
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