Monday 30 May 2011

The smell of early summer rain...

Pitter, patter falls the rain,
On the roof and on the window pane.
Softly, softly it comes down,
Makes a stream that runs around.
Flowers lift their heads and say:
"A nice cool drink for us today."

Ah, the smell of fresh grass, wet with rain...gentle spring rain...although...the other day I seem to remember a magnificent storm with such hard rain!


The other day we went to see the pond opposite the Hare and Billet pub on the heath ( Blackheath, London) and saw these seven ducklings. A man stood there by the pond and watched them too, then explained to us that their mother died, a fox got her. The animal rescue people were called and should have come but didn't yet. The man was concerned about the ducklings and even said he was surprised to see them after one night without their mum to keep them safe and warm; they need, he explained, an even temperature of 19 degrees to survive. This happened before the storm and the drop of temperature...I dare going back to the pond...I would be a little upset...I hope the rescue people are keeping them safe...but because they didn't come then they might  have been too late!
Anyway I was happy to see that the pond looks has been cleaned and that water lillies might be out soon...

Saturday 28 May 2011

The five elements

Understanding such a vast subject is hard, especially as it doesn't coincide with the way we have been brought up in the western parts of this world...So let us open our minds and enter the world of Macrobiotics and the theory of the five elements. I have been studying these for the last 20 years and still think it is amazingly true, logical and full of sense, yet still amazes me how hard the subject is and how hard is to explain. The only way is to experience it yourself and to listen to your own body.

here it is explained by Simon, amazing teacher!

Understanding the Five Element Theory
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water
By Simon Brown

HISTORY

It is most likely that the five elements theory started with the ancient Chinese calendar where five types of energies were assigned to different days, months and years. The energies were given the names of five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
These five elements were associated with the equinoxes and solstices to hep farmers plan ahead and organise their agricultural cycles. As you can imagine having a calendar was of incredible benefit to an emerging agricultural civilisation.
So the calendar was arranged by using the names - wood for the spring equinox, fire for the summer solstice, metal for the autumn equinox and water for the winter solstice. The fifth element, earth was at the centre of the calendar.
Human relationships to the cycles of the day, seasons and moon were of interest to traditional Chinese healers and the five element theory became a fundamental part of traditional healing.
Early writing on the five elements can be found in the classic Chinese text Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor commonly dated to between the first and forth centuries BC. Here in a medical context the five elements were arranged into a circle where earth was moved from the centre to being part of the circle between fire and metal.
The principles of the five elements became widespread and are fundamental in practices such as acupuncture, feng shui, shiatsu, chi gong, astrology and healing through foods.

EXPERIENCE EACH FIVE ELEMENT ENERGY

It is helpful to remember that the elements are just names used to describe five different types of energy. They are not the energy itself. The easiest way to experience the energy itself is to go out into nature at the appropriate time of year and day. Here you can be aware of your experience of nature and how it influences you in terms of your emotions, thoughts and feelings.
WOOD
Walk barefoot on the grass to feel the dew rise in March and watch the sunrise.
You may feel the energy rise around you. Note your feelings at the beginning of the day.
You might feel enthused and ready to move forward into the new day.
SOUTH
Relax in the midday sun in June and be aware of the flowers in bloom, colours,
radiant heat, brightness and activity. You may become aware of your own energy
moving to the surface. Perhaps you will experience feeling more expressive, outgoing and social.
EARTH
Walk with the soil underfoot in the afternoon during July or August and be aware
of the sun moving down in the sky. Note the fruits ripening on the vine, nature moving
from growth to sweetness. You may feel cosy, comfortable, secure or even like having a nap.
METAL
Watch the sun set over the water in September and note the sun contracting as she dips
below the horizon. Be aware of the end of the day feelings and see if it brings sensations
of contentment or satisfaction. Is there a sense of joy or pleasure?
WATER
Go out into nature at night in December. Pick a clear night so you can see the stars and
the universe above you. You might be deeply aware of yourself and yet at the same time
conscious of the vastness of the cosmos. You may experience a stillness, peace and tranquillity.
You might find a new perspective on a problem.

THE CYCLE

If we stay with the five elements in terms of agriculture then the elements follow on from each other in the order of wood / spring, fire / summer, earth / late summer, metal / autumn, water / winter and then wood again as the cycle repeats.

This is considered a harmonious reflection of nature. However if one of the five elements is weak then the following five element or phase of an agricultural growing cycle will be disturbed.





HEALTH

In a person a disruption of our five element energies increases the risk of emotional disturbances and eventually a disturbed pattern of flow in our life energy. In theory this might lead to a predisposition to certain ailments.
In Chinese medicine each element is associated with a pair of organs and different kinds of emotions. The emotions in classical texts are what we would consider to be negative emotions and I have added other typical characteristics.
Each element is associated with a direction according to the movement of the sun at the time of day that an element is associated with. For example wood is associated with the sunrise and the flow of energy is upward. Here is a table putting this information together for each element.
In addition each five element is considered to have a taste that most closely
represents its energy flow.
Wood - sunrise - spring - upward - liver and gallbladder
- anger, impatience, activity, positive attitude, enthusiasm. Sour.
Fire - midday - summer - outward - heart and small intestine - hysteria, excitement, expressive, outgoing,
social. Bitter.
Earth - afternoon - late summer - downward - spleen,
pancreas and stomach - jealousy, quality of life, practicality, stability, homely. Sweet.
Metal - evening - autumn - inward - lungs and colon -
depression, playfulness, contentment, contained, inner strength. Pungent.
Water - night - winter - flowing in any direction - kidney and
bladder - fear, objective, artistic, original, flexibility. Salty.

MACROBIOTICS

In the macrobiotic application of the five elements we can look to see if a deficiency or excess of one of the elements could be contributing to a physical health or emotional issue and then look to resolve this by making adjustments to our diet.
To do this we need to think of foods in terms of which of the five element energy they might increase inside our body. This is open to interpretation but here are my suggestions for a few examples.
WOOD - Leafy green vegetables, raw, steamed or boiled for
thirty seconds or so. Sauerkraut, vinegars and lemon.
FIRE - Fried onions, garlic, ginger, spring onions / scallions.
Mild spices, coffee, alcohol, oils, nuts, seeds and herbs such as parsley.
EARTH - Sweet root and ground vegetables cooked into a soup,
stew or casserole. Stewed fruits, apple juice, syrups.
METAL - Baked, pressure cooked or long cooked grains such
as brown rice, wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt. Long pickles including takuan diakon pickles.
WATER - Miso soups, bean soups, stews or casseroles.
Miso, shoyu, mild use of sea salt.
So for example to increase the presence of rising wood five element energy we might eat more steamed green vegetables, to experience more fire energy we could eat more fried foods and include onions, garlic and ginger in the dish. To feel more earth energy we can experiment with more pumpkin and carrot soups and stewed apples for desert.

To increase the presence of metal energy we might try more pressure cooked brown rice, barley and wheat. When we want to experience more water energy we can eat miso soups and bean and vegetable stews.
Similarly we could reduce our exposure to a certain five element energy by eating less of the five element foods associated with that element. So if we felt too withdrawn less metal energy foods and more fire energy foods could help.

Thursday 26 May 2011

Oxleas Woods outdoor session

Oxleas Woods forest Steiner session with Susannah;10-12
 today 27th May- special session as children of all ages are invited!
 Morgana will be there too!
Please, bring a blanket and some food and a drink to share with others ( and cups!)
 9.45 am meet at the bench near car park near cafe

 OXLEAS WOODS
buses number 89 and 486

Wednesday 18 May 2011

May Fair Sunday 22 May

May Fair and craft market at Greenwich Steiner School
this Sunday, 22 May at Woodlands!
May pole dance, music,puppet show, face painting, sensory garden, delicious home made food, games, crafts stalls and much more...

Friday 6 May 2011

Spring is here!

The robins do sing, it is really spring!
Ah! I love the warmer sunnier weather...the green soft grass...the bluebells...And because I do...I am not staying at home! I go out and about every day I can; I have this restless energy the spring brings with her, it is truly addictive! The more I go out, the more I want to stay out! This means morning waking up early and getting ready, planning what to bring...water, food, snacks, picnic, etc...Sometimes I don't bother but just go and get what I need later and improvise! Of course when I am looking after the children I have to plan the structure of the day...but I am much more relaxed and if we go to the flower garden, for example, in the park, and I have planned to go somewhere else after in case of rain, the museum or else, and if I see and feel right to stay longer and chill out I do...It is nice not to have to dash from A to B for a change and just relax on the green glass and receive the warmth of the sun....The children seem contented. I am contented in the sun! I know I am not the only one!
So, below is the proof of our lovely days out and about last week!
At weekends or during school holidays is nice to go by bike...We went from Lee to Greenwich , here we are by the museum and Trinity College, may I introduce to you our bikes!
Very handy for carrying a bit of shopping when i go to the bakery and the farmer's market...or my swimming bag to the sport centre.
Morgana ...re-fuelling!



we went to Mudchute
Farm Park for the
Special day 1st May
there was CRAZY GOLF!














After we went to CANARY WHARF and this is what we saw:







By the fountains behind Canary Wharf tube station


It's amazing to see such imposing buildings and nature below!


Canary Wharf is London's little New York!

The trees and the grass does not look as important! but it is very much part of the landscape here in Canary Wharf...Water and Green areas are blemding together...

Morgana spent  a long time playing 'fishing' she found coins and pens!






I have been looking after children all day everyday the last week! Sometimes 3 or 4 children together!
I like to play with food and to make eating fun ...This is the way I cut and presented strawberries and bananas the other day!


And they were all gone in two minutes!

Have a nice weekend!

Susannah