Held by Earth

Chinese medicine insights on Earth: food, home, and the strength of care

Most of us buy our vegetables at the supermarket.
But every passionate gardener knows that special feeling when you have followed the whole process – from sowing, watering, and care – to the day when the pumpkin stands ripe in the mist and becomes a warming soup.

That taste is different. It carries the traces of slowness, care, and presence.

This describes the quality of Earth within us: to take care of ourselves, to nourish and allow ourselves to be nourished. To give ourselves what builds us up and brings us back to center.

This September I have devoted myself to listening to this voice. The monthly book (28 pages) weaves together theory and practice – from classical texts on the role of Earth in the five elements, to simple exercises that strengthen our own center. We explore what care looks like, both when we give it to others and when we dare to give it to ourselves. We look at food as more than nutrition – as a daily act of self-care, where every meal can become a place to land. We reflect on home and belonging, and we meet the herbs of Earth: Zhì Gān Cǎo (licorice root), soft and balancing, and Xiǎo Huí Xiāng (fennel), warming and easing. We end with the presence of harvest – a simple soup that reminds us that the strength of Earth is often found in what is ordinary and quiet.

This is an invitation to let the voice of Earth sound a little louder in your life this September – through words, reflection, ritual, and taste.

---

Access to the monthly book

The book is, as always, available to all paying members.
📥 Please remember: download the PDF and save it on your computer – monthly books are only available here on Substack for one month.

May this month’s book offer you fertile guidance – and a still place to return to during September.

With warmth,
Eva