The Microcosmos and the Macrocosmos

In our modern society with well-heated and insulated houses, we easily forget that we are connected to the nature around us. Not only our own self-made environment, but nature also has an influence on us. Day and night, the seasons, the weather. Or as we often explain in the theoretical lessons of the Shiatsu training: The macrocosm influences the microcosm.

In this article, I try to explain through some examples how closely we are connected to our natural environment. Each of us knows situations in which the influence of our natural environment is felt. When it is windy and raining outside, when the full moon rises, when the first spring day is felt, when snowflakes drift down in the winter. These are recognizable examples for most of us. How you experience this is different for everyone.

A beautiful example of this I experienced when the weather changed. After the long summer, it felt cold and stuffy again for a long time. Even when I was at work at home, it felt cold. To warm things up, I set the thermostat at 20.5 degrees at home; it made little difference. I kept feeling cold. Then the weather changed again. It got warmer again. Inside, I still had the thermostat set at 20.5 degrees. But now I was warm! Something I had noticed more often myself. When it gets warmer outside, I get warmer too. And when it gets cold outside, I get colder. The macrocosmos that influences the microcosmos (my microcosmos).

December was busy

Not always do we live in resonance with our natural environment. Our artificial environment makes it difficult for us to listen to what we need. A good example of this is the month of December. It is winter. A time of the year when nature rests. The days are short and the nights long. It is also darker during the day. There is little to no plant growth and when you walk through the forest you hear little life except for the wind. Nature has turned inward. Animals seek their shelter or hiding place and rest.

We humans also feel that need. Our energy is different from the heart of summer. In the summer on a radiant sunny day everyone is exuberant. In the middle of winter we are calmer with a greater tendency to reflect. Nature and we as humans need this peace and quiet. It is a preparation for the next season, spring. The spring in which the energy rises again and everything blossoms.

However, in our society the month of December is a period of peak activity. Because the calendar year is coming to an end, all the work from this year must be completed. New plans must be made for the next year. The deadlines at work mean that a little extra time has to be added. There are also the necessary working days to be taken into account, so that the work has to be done in even fewer days. Add to that the fact that we also want to pay attention to Sinterklaas, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the rush is complete.

Many people walk on their toes to meet the demands they impose on themselves, both at home and at work. The fact that we no longer listen to our natural needs is taking its toll. We need the peace and quiet of winter to be active in the spring. If our bodies are no longer able to adapt to everything we ask of ourselves in winter, we often notice the consequences in spring. We have less energy, are tired, or become ill. We have asked too much of ourselves in the period leading up to spring.

The five phases

In our Shiatsu study In the first year, we have organized a number of seminars where we spend time in a beautiful environment in Hurwenen. On the edge of a nature reserve on the banks of the Waal river. A place where, when you take a walk along the dike, you not only see nature all around you, but also feel it.

five phases The second seminar usually takes place in early February during the winter. During this seminar, we will explain the Five Phases theory in more detail. The theory can be explained well using the seasons.

Winter is the water phase. A time of rest and silence. The energy is calm and turned inward. Spring is the wood phase. A period in which everything begins to grow again from the calm. An energy that is strongly focused upward and everything begins to come to life. Sometimes early February already feels like spring outside. At those times it is getting warmer, you can hear the birds singing and everything seems to have a kind of vibration within it. We also feel that vibration from within. You feel the urge to take action, to undertake things.

To make the theoretical lessons a bit more practical, we ask the students during the seminar to express which energy they feel best at that moment. Which energy you feel best depends on many factors: your innate constitution, your condition, what you are doing at that moment, and the weather and the seasons.

The reactions of the students can clearly be seen whether spring is already beginning gently or if it is still winter. If it is still winter outside, the reactions are quieter and more inward-focused. When you can feel spring, it is clearly evident in a more exuberant energy and atmosphere in the group. Everyone then expresses what they feel with more energy and sound.

Each shiatsu treatment is unique

The above are just a few examples. We are constantly interacting with nature and the environment in which we find ourselves. It is good to be able to realize this. For a Shiatsu therapist, this is an important aspect. A Shiatsu treatment always requires a new understanding of how the client interacts with their environment. This keeps our profession from ever becoming boring. Each treatment is unique because every person is unique at every moment.