Generously written by Firewood Associate, Natalie Ponce, L.Ac, Dipl. O.M., Acutonics Sound Practitioner & Spiritual Healer

The associated organs are the Kidneys and the Urinary Bladder. The Kidneys represent the great mystery, darkness, our innermost reality, our essence, jing and vitality. The slowness of the season asks us to conserve, to be still and not over-extend. The Urinary Bladder is the coldest channel of the body, acting as the interface between the external and internal worlds, as well as being an access point to the highest realms of the big Shen, or mind. The emotion here is fear, and in its alchemized and most exalted expression, wisdom. 

When we move against the flow of nature, whether it’s out of survival or fear of silence, solitude and the unknown, the following symptoms may surface, reflecting a Water imbalance:

✦fatigue and burn out
✦numbness
✦feeling paralyzed in life
✦lack of passion
✦lowered immunity
✦aches and pains, feeling “cold to the bone”
✦difficult urination
✦difficulty hearing
✦water retention and edema
✦achy bones
✦diminished sense of meaning in life
✦a sense of separation, isolation (me against the world)
✦and of course, depression

These symptoms are manifestations of the subconscious mind, asking us to return home to ourselves, to nourish our bodies and souls, to rest, and go deeper inward to retrieve the messages hidden within this season of our lives. When there is a Water imbalance, there is almost always an emotional imbalance, creating accumulations, phlegm, dampness, in other words – unprocessed pain body experiences.

Depression can be a frightening thing to experience and often grows strong during winter. This is because in one way or another we are coming head to head with the realization that there is no control in the higher sense of Life. In the face of this truth, we are asked to place our trust in something deeper, and more true, than any external place of the material world. Often in Chinese medicine, depression is associated with the Liver because the Liver holds all of our repressed emotions and is deeply connected with the blood, its creation, cleansing and circulation throughout the body. The Blood holds memory, those of this lifetime, past lifetimes, those of our ancestors and the collective. When there is any suppression of what we feel, this energy stagnates the qi of the Liver and its consciousness, creating heat, stress, anxiety and the feeling that something about the way life is being lived just isn’t fitting the truth of who we are.

When the Liver is free, tremendous space is created for the emotions to be experienced openly and with clarity. This allows them to spiral into completion, no longer trapped inside the house of memory, but rather alchemized into wisdom, offering the highest teachings of our wounds. Here, the Heart is able to fully open, and in this state, there is total flow with life. But it is the cold and desolation of winter that is the root of spring. It is this energy that creates and inspires the visions and wildest dreams of the Liver. From this darkness, this womb, life is born.  It is this place, wrapped up in our suffering, that reveals to us what is most important in life, the language of the soul.

Winter is the time for us to slow down and connect with our humanity, with what it means to take this pain, this suffering, and allow it to make us wiser, spiritually stronger, and able to birth a more compassionate world. This never happens from looking away, but through facing ourselves as we are in this moment, mess and all. In a world of noise, constant stimulation and never-ending lists of things that need to get done, one of the most radical things you can do is prioritize silence, the path inward. The most precious thing you can be is your true self, whoever that is at any given moment. To find the soul, you must be willing to set down each mask and be curious about the one who stands behind it.

Will is often associated with the water element, and with the power of the Kidneys – this is the will to live, the will to die, to change, to take the leap of faith, to jump without knowing what is on the other side, trusting in what is unseen but most true, what can be felt in the purity of your heart. A heart that allows, that does not judge or dismiss, that does not repress or lie, that has infinite space for all possibilities in life. Where there is anger, the emotion of the Liver, there is a limitation placed on the self that can be healed, transformed. Beneath this anger there is grief, showing us the places in life where we are not able to breathe, to be free. And where there is fear, there is wisdom waiting to be born. 

How to support your kidneys, urinary bladder and adrenals during this time:

Foods to support water element in the body during winter: nuts – walnuts, almonds, water chestnuts, seeds, legumes – black beans, kidney beans, adzuki beans, shellfish, seaweed, dark colored berries, root vegetables, whole grains, bone broth, soups and stews and warming spices like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, garlic and ginger. It’s also best to have mostly warm and cooked foods, and less cold and raw foods.

Lifestyle recommendations:

✦Going to bed early and waking up with the sunrise
✦Avoid overstimulating activity that keeps the mind running
✦Avoid over-working and over-doing
✦Stay warm, especially making sure to cover the head, feet, womb, neck and chest
✦Gentle physical activity like walking, tai chi and yoga
✦Meditation and breath work
✦Journaling
✦Practice moving through difficult emotions with curiosity and compassion, moving out of the mindset of being solution oriented, and simply creating space instead, observing without expectation or opinion
✦Qi gong
✦Epsom salt soaks and flower baths
✦Make sure to stay hydrated with high quality water, herbal teas and broths. Medicinal teas with adaptogenic herbs are a great option, such as stinging nettle, lemon balm, juniper berry, ashwagandha, astragalus, oat straw and rhodiola

Water energy that is well-maintained and cultivated has the power to move mountains, create miracles and inspire the world. It is well worth devoting time and space to connecting during this most yin time of year… with what is most precious about life, worth embodying and taking the leap for.