In which we discuss the nature of the Liver/ Gall Bladder, boundaries and Sagittarius.

In which we answer more listener questions!

First off, you can now show your appreciation and support by buying us a “coffee” (tea). Thank you for listening and writing in!

In episode #6 we talk about fibromyalgia to answer a question from a listener who suffers from this painful condition. Fibromyalgia from a Chinese medicine perspective can often be traced back to an injury to the Lung system, the most delicate organ. The physical, energetic, or emotional injury causes a shock and a sort of freezing up of this system, leading to the characteristic generalized pain of fibromyalgia, and then of course affects other organs. We talk about how to allow the grief process to thaw out the shock held by the Lung system, and how this can be supported with good routines and self care.

Related, we answer a question from a reader about recovering her adrenals after childbirth and also with a history of trauma. This focuses more on the Kidney system, but we also discuss the necessity of taking care of one’s heart space. This same reader shares her birth chart and we look at the configurations of a chart with lots of trines and sextiles, meaning that transits often affect multiple personal planets at once.

The heart space is also the focus of a question from a reader who is very health-oriented and wanting to find a partner and have that balance of personal space while keeping her heart open. Audrey shares some beautiful readings on the nature of the heart space and we reflect on what it means to cultivate that.

Our final questions are a bit more straightforward, what foods should be avoided across the board? Hint: refined and processed junk foods. The damage of which can also be mitigated with an overall healthy lifestyle so don’t worry too much.

Until next time,

Audrey and Carly

In this episode we talk about some of our favorite books.

We also branch into topics related to hierarchal and egalitarian societies and hierarchy in nature, the masculine and feminine dynamic seen in the yin-yang symbol, and touch on a few Scorcese movies. Enjoy!

Update to add- here is our booklist:

Audrey:

The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber

The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Making the Gods Work for You by Caroline Casey

Carly:

Chinese medicine/bodywork/health

• The Spark in the Machine by Dr. Daniel Keown

• The Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine

• Japanese Classical Acupuncture: Introduction to Meridian Therapy by Shudo Denmai

• Job’s Body by Deane Juhan

• Gua Sha: A traditional technique for modern practice by Dr. Arya Nielson

• Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia

• Social psychology/socio-political

  • Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

  • The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt

  • Smokescreen by Kevin Sabat

  • The Price We Pay by Dr. Marty Makary

  • Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis

  Religious and Inspirational

  • Canonical Bible

  • Gnostic Bible and other Christian apocrypha

  • Christian mystics- St Theresa of Avila etc

  • Tao Te Jing and Hua Hu Jing

  • Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words

  • Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

  • Idries Shah books on Sufism

  • The Language of Creation

  • Last Temptation of Christ

  Astrology

  • Hellenistic Astrology by Chris Brennan

  • Alan Oken’s Complete Astrology

  • Stephen Arroyo- various

  Poetry

  • Rumi

  • Rainer Maria Rilke

  • Fernando Pessoa (was just introduced to this, so good)

  Uncool/nerdy

  • Harry Potter series

  • Chronicles of Narnia

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In episode #4 we answer a wonderful question from a reader: How does Chinese Medicine/ Astrology help a person find their life path/ purpose?

Audrey takes the lead on this one and goes into a system of knowing one’s purpose through understanding the combination of the Heavenly Stems and the Earthly Branches. In other words, looking at how the shen, or consciousness intersects with the physical body and physical circumstances we are born into.

There is also some discussion of how finding balance in the body and mind through this medicine clears the blockages that cloud our connection to our life’s purpose and meaning.

As far as astrology goes there are several important indicators of life path, some more or less familiar, including the ascendant sign and ruling planet, the midheaven, and Saturn.

The second question we tackle is “I am curious if Chinese medicine recommends a particular food regimen and/or a consistent intake of herbs based on my chart.”

This person’s astrology indicated a strong emphasis on the sign of Libra and the planet Venus. so we delved a bit into the importance of balance, harmony, and paying attention to the rhythms of the day and the seasons.

Thanks for reading and listening!