Strengthen the Mother

In Chinese Medicine, one principle of health says that 'In order to soothe the child, you must strengthen the mother.' This is a treatment principle that guides the circulation of qi and reinforces balance amongst the elements of the body. It keeps the ecosystem of the body well. It also applies holistically to the meta layers of our relationships, our families, and our culture. One of the most fundamental places you can apply this principle is in the first seven years of a child's life, when the mother and child meridians are still largely merged. It can keep the whole family well. It can also keep our relationship to our self well, when we strengthen the mother within, bringing forth self-love, nurturing, and healthy boundaries.

Unfortunately, many women are still under the influence of wounded feminine beliefs (not a choice, but a pattern coming down the maternal lineage) around martyrdom, self-sacrifice, over-working to depletion and codependency. This 'spell of service' is a very deep wound to the feminine, and the whole family ecosystem begins to suffer immensely when mama falls below survival mode, and her giving becomes laced with suffering.

I've worked in women's health for almost two decades and I've seen the awareness around this go from zero to maybe about 30-40%. I feel lucky to be able to witness feminine power rising, and gaining more attention. Gen X women are the ones slowly and quietly noticing that we were trained to build a life that centered everyone, but us. This tipping point is where we're standing now.

Topics that I hear raised often in my Women's Circles, and from busy moms in the treatment rooms are:

What do we truly desire?

What do we model for our children?

What are we no longer willing to tolerate?

And (my personal fave),

How do we channel the incredible force of this midlife feminine rage?

Self-Authorship: the uncomfortable space of moving from relying on external formulas to creating meaning and purpose internally.

A lot of us are in this space of self-authorship and luckily, we're very close to hitting critical mass in realizing that the answer to so many of our questions is, Strengthen the Mother. Mother's Day is a good time to take a pause, men and women, and really look at where old programs of self-abandonment could be affecting your vitality and those around you. We all have a relationship to Mother. In Chinese Medicine this inherited & assimilated energy runs through our meridians, showing us where we need to evolve.

It's ok to be soft and stern.

It's ok to not give it all away.

Inner vitality and potency are beautiful metrics of health and success.

Happy Mothers --> Happy Planet

Please reach out for more info on our:

• Supportive Women's Circles in Petaluma and Marin.

• Acupuncture for clearing inherited feminine wounding, and upgrading feminine energy in the body.