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Climate & Yin/Yang cont. (pt. 2) I the northern parts of the United States where there are 4 seasons that are clearly defined (based on suns's position and the two equinoxes) we are able to see distinctive changes in plant activity duing the changing seasons: Spring: (warm) plants sprout and begin to grow rapidly; Summer (hot) most plants are becoming large and more filled with water/chromosomes expand in size/phytochemicals develop, etc): Autumn: (cool) plants are bear seeds and are ready to harvest, and prepared fro decay cycle; Winter: (cold) most plant life dorman, life energy is concentrated in seeds and lowers regions (beneath ground). It is natural for people living in their native environment to eat the local plants that grow there, in that climatic zone. This is a most important point to stress in macrobiotics; even if plants and NOT domesticated (most call these plants herbs, but this is a misnomer: why?) A harmonious balance is achieved between land and body when local plants are eaten. Adaptation to the that specific environment becomes strong. If you eat food imported from another climatic zone you are adjusting to that zone, not the one you are in! So imbalance will then come if you do this too long: Do oranges grow in Alaska? Will an Eskimo be able to endure the cold if he/she ate tropical foods that are cooling all the time? I don't think so. Their main diet is fish, seal meat, caribou, and local plants, Correct? Simple idea to grasp, no? The hotter the climate (yang) the more yin the diet must be to make harmony. Among the Native Americans drying and preserving food for winter was a universal practice. Food is more scarce in the winter. Modern transportation and artificial conditions have made it difficult for people to use their natural adaptive functions. Even sitting on the toilet is not natural; lower body needs to be closer to the ground. Thus intestinal function is weakend from sitting only partially. Same with looking at computer screen alklthe time: body is passive and mind gewts active, just the reverse it naturally should be! We must activate our bodies under the sun and relax our minds. Then when night comes we relax our body and dream... Our dependency upon these unnatural practices will eventually destroy us, maybe the planet as well. Further examples
of plant variations can be observed according to ALTITUDINAL ZONATION:
The higher we climb a mountain the thinner the air becomes (extreme
yin) and plant life needs to stay warm and survive so it becomes stunded
in growth or scarce, timberline begins to recede, leaving only wild
grasses and hearty herbs, etc. (the higher up you go). This is a clear
example of how yin environment creates yang life form: the colder the
climate the more inward plants will move to keep warm. Same with people,
no? The atmospher from sea level to about 3.5 miles up is very heavy
and produces most of the weather changes. Every 1,000 feet you go, the
barometer decreases one inch, and the temperature gets 5.5 degrees cooler: Microclimactic & Individul Differences: 1. Water Environments a. Salt Water: Water is a predominately yin substance but salt on the other hand is very yang. Plants that grow in salt water threfore make for balanced eating. Most salt water seaweeds are therefore edible and there are only a few that are known to be toxic -- these usually are in tropical waters. There are some seaweeds, however that, are composed of rough, glass-like texture and can do damage to the internal organs if eaten. Caution shoould be used if you come across these. Some are also very stringy and cord-like and can also tangle inside the gut. These should be avoided as well. Sometimes cooking renders them edible but they really need to be soft and chopped so that they become digestible. Seaweeds should be collected from the ocean floor and NOT found washed up on the shore. These washed up varieties are usually old with nutrients lost. There are some seaweeds however that float and attach themselves to other seaweeds, like Sea Potato, which is one of the most yin seaweeds on the the East Coast of the US. It is very delicious cooked or raw. We will talk more about seaweeds and other primitive plants in future lessons. b. Fresh Running Water: The rapid movement of flowing water creates the yang force. This has been known for many centuries and once many power plants used hydropower to make electricity. The early Pilgrims from England knew how to generate power from the use of water mills (from their force). Usually running water is very cold, but not always. Running water is so powerful it can, over time, carve through rock, like at Sabbaday Falls in New Hampshire. Hence a plant that is able to withstand the force of cold running water must also be hearty and yang, otherwise they woould uproot and float away. Watercress is such a plant, but it can also grow in muddy, still water; very adaptable. The deeper the water the more PRESSURE it exerts upon the plants. This pressure of water makes palnts more yang -- like lotus root, even though it is growing in water. Shallow water makes less pressure and you notice more plants growing there because it is easy and no strong force to interfere. Hence shallow water plants are more yin. c. Stagnant Fresh Water (ponds, bogs, marshes, etc.) Because of the lack of force in the water, the water is more yin and therefore attracts more yang sunlight to its body. This makes the water warm and growing conditions are easy for plant and animal life there. In stgnant water there is a lot of decay going on and acids from decaying leaves begin to make water more toxic, especailly when summer is comming to a close. Plants growing here ar very yin, like hellebore, skunk cabbage, etc and have toxic components. Usually these toxins are more concentrated in the leaf and aerial parts. Wuite often the roots are OK to eat but you need to be sure first. 2. Land Environments: a. Forest: Warmer in winter as the trees and canopy block off the cold air and generate heat from within the cluster. In the summer it is cool in the forest because of the shade from leaves of tall trees. Relative humidity is higher and water storage greater due to absorption from organic matter. Usually plant growth is consistant all year (evergreen) and plants lack direct solar rays. Most plants have both a strong yang component (short forms) and a yin component (aromatic smell and taste), especailly at higher elevations in hardwood forests. b. Open land: Becoming very yin in the summer turning to very yang in the winter. Water storage is lower, relative humidity lower, and wind pressure (speed) is greater. Great diversity with thus occur at different seasons. Spring/summer will offer yin palnts which will be benficial to balance the body because of the sun's yang force upon it. In fall/winter most plants will go dormant, but those growing will be more yang with longer, deeply set roots (where energy is concentrated). c. Hills & Valleys: These two land types are completely opposite from each other in character and function. When it is cold in the valley, it is warm on the hill (during the daylight). The wind speed is faster on a hill while in the valley the wind is blocked to a high degree. Therefore air is more stagnant in the valley (less circulation). In the evening the valley is warmer and the hill is cooler. In the morning the hill has less fog than the valley becaue warmth of valley is attracting moisture from atmosphere. Thus plant activity is similar in the valley and hill environment but occurs at opposite times. WHen one is weak the other is strong. d. Urban and rural: Again there is an obvious contrast in life activity. The city smog, the generated heat from people and autos, the stagnant air and ound noises create intesne energy vibrations within the city environment. For anything to live with such extremes, great strength is needed. If you are weak and live in the city you become easy prey for abuse, theft, rape, etc. It seems more yin people are attracted to the yang environment of the city and conversely, yang people are more attracted to serenity and open SPACE of the country. Most plant life found within the city are toxic from environmental pollution. Country plants are much higher in quality. The wind blowing through the open fields and meadows make the plants growing there vital with life energy (chi). 3. Individaul Considerations: Everyone in the word is different and is affected according to his/her constitutional make up. A strong, active individual (yang) may suffer little or no pain if a toxic or highly yin plant is consumed. It may also take many years before city life takes its toll on these yang people. On the other hand, an individual with a weak constitution who cannot endure physical labor for a long time may be come violently sick or maybe die, if he/she were to eat the same toxic plant. All of these idea will be more fully discussed in up-coming lessons. Let us no return to where we left off prior to this duscusion on plants and the environment. Please let me know if you have additional queations pertaining to this lesson. In peace, Roy |
