I always forget how hard this time of year can be on the body. We are transitioning out of the slow-moving, hibernating energy of Winter and into the powerful, growth-directed, action-oriented energy of Spring, and we are waking up the 3rd Depth of the body: Liver and Gall Bladder Function Energies. For me, sleep patterns become disrupted, and I feel a constant need to eat heavy or carb-rich foods to keep me going through the period of transformation.

My Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help practice has shifted out of a 2nd Depth focus (which supports the 4th Depth – Winter) and into a 3rd Depth focus, which helps me to work on Blood Essence and having enough power to stir the latent 4th Depth energies into a period of growth and abundance.

The 3rd Depth encompasses the season of Spring, the color green, the sour taste, the attitudes of anger and frustration, the gall bladder and liver energies, and the Blood Essence, which carries information throughout the body. 3rd Depth is about expansion and life force, rooting us into the Earth and allowing us to manifest and embody energies from the invisible realms. For a wonderful, in-depth explanation of the 3rd Depth, see Jill Holden’s article series on the Jin Shin Jyutsu IS New Jersey website.

3rd Depth also rules the eyes (literally) and perception in all senses of the word. It helps us to see clearly and broadly everything that is happening in our world. For me, I’m perceiving how exhausted I have become over the past few weeks of fighting with 3rd Depth energy coming into my body! Realizing that unless I let some things go, I will burn out completely and not have enough power and force to deal with upcoming challenges and adventures.

So I’m “weeding out” certain activities from my life that no longer support my fullness of growth and expansion, and I’m focusing on exactly which seeds I want to plant this Spring. It’s very important to focus our powers of intention on what we are planting right now so that the harvest later this year will be what we want it to be.

Rest, recovery, rejuvenation, and lots of JSJ self-help are important right now! If you need help getting started with self-help, please contact me, and I’d be glad to point you in the right direction.

Happy Spring, and may you plant everything you need to blossom into your own, unique, beautiful harvest later in the coming months!