If you look around at nature during Springtime, you’ll see plants and animals reinventing themselves as the season emerges. The budding of a flower or hatching of an egg are perfect reflections of Spring’s creative energy. In the twenty-first century, it can be easy for humans to lose touch with the gifts of the seasons, but Qi Gong can help us remember how to connect to our natural rhythms.
In a previous blog posts we discussed how Spring is a perfect time for letting go of stress and cultivating creativity in the world around you. Today, we’re going to delve inward to see how we can harness the energy of Spring for personal transformation and growth.
A Season For Vision and Self-Awareness
In Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, each season is connected to a different element. Spring is related to the wood element.
The wood element teaches us how to be strong and resilient. Many practitioners know that the wood element is connected with the liver, but the eyes are also an important part of the wood element. As such, Spring and the wood element are essential in our process of vision.
When we think of vision we probably think about our ability to see in the world around us. Indeed, our eyes are a wonderful gift for perception and understanding. However, our vision is more than just what our eyes can see.
Just as our vision extends outward into the world, it also goes deep within ourselves. It allows us to see into our deepest truths of our emotions, thoughts, and spirituality. When we can tap into our inner vision, we become better able to understand who we are.
Self-awareness is an essential skill in all aspects of life. Just as it would be difficult to walk through a forest without being able to perceive the trees around you, it’s nearly impossible to gracefully traverse life’s challenges without being able to understand the thoughts and feelings that you experience.
During Spring, nature becomes illuminated with sunlight, and you too can allow the energy of the season to shine through your mind, heart, and body. When you do, you’ll notice that your own inspiration and creativity is waiting to blossom, just as the flowers and plants around you.
Imagination and Creativity
Our vision is a great gift for seeing what exists in the here and now. When you look outside, you’re seeing what is happening in that very moment. When it comes to having vision within yourself, it’s also important to be able to be present with what is true for at that time.
However, as humans, we also have the amazing ability to envision the past and future. This doesn’t mean we should constantly be thinking about tomorrow or yesterday, but it does present us with the opportunity of imagination. Just as our vision lets us see what exists within and around us, it also allows us to harness our creative vision.
Creativity is the manifestation of our inner view of ourselves and the world. When our vision is clear, our creative potential can flow freely and bring beauty into the lives of others and ourselves. Art, music, and poetry are a few obvious examples of using our unique vision to create something new. However, creativity is alive in every aspect of our daily life, from how we choose to communicate with our loved ones to how we choose to go about our day.
Creative vision doesn’t just influence how we interact and share with the world around us. It can also provide us with powerful tools for personal development and cultivation. Just as we can imagine a painting we want to create, we can also envision a future self that reflects the qualities and gifts that we’d like to welcome into our life.
Perhaps we want to be more emotionally grounded in how we interact with the world. Or, maybe we’re seeking more understanding in our work or relationships. Whatever we’re hoping to create, it’s essential to have a clear vision of where we’re at and what we’d like to aspire towards.
Vision also helps to overcome personal challenges that we may be facing. Whether we like it or not, it’s normal for many of our creative thoughts to be draining or disempowering. As an example, just think of a fear that you’ve turned into a vision. We’ve all created stories about negative situations that could conceivably occur in the future.
In fact, the human mind has a bias towards experiencing negative visions and ideas. In other words, we have a tendency to pay more attention to the possible negative outcomes than to the possible positive outcomes that we can choose to create. This is because evolution has trained us to be hypersensitive to anything that might threaten our survival. For example, it’s more important to notice a saber tooth tiger sneaking up on you than it is to see a beautiful butterfly resting on a flower. Noticing the tiger might save your life while noticing the butterfly may only bring you a smile.
Although it’s important to be aware of the possible negative outcomes of a situation, we shouldn’t let them control our thoughts and imagination. Rather, we can choose to acknowledge our fear-based ideas, take any necessary action, and then let them go. Then, we can replace our negative vision with one that supports and nourishes us. Not only will this practice allow us to feel happier and more alive, but it will help us to manifest our positive creativity and inspiration.
You can think of this process as tending to your own internal garden. Just as Spring is a great time for planting flowers and removing weeds, it’s also the ideal time for cultivating our positive visions and letting go of that which no longer serves us. So, learn from the wood element, sharpen your vision, and embrace the transformative gifts that the season is offering.
Qi Gong for Spring
At Holden QiGong, we’ve put together a timeless course to celebrate the lessons of Spring. The practices that Lee teaches are a great way to help you rediscover who you are and what you’d like to create. These skills are helpful in both your own inner journey, as well as the decisions you face in everyday life.
After purchasing the course, you’ll have it forever in your Holden QiGong media library. Springtime is ripe with opportunity for growth and creativity, so click the banner below to learn more and get started today.