Winter elements
According to traditional astrology, winter corresponds to the phlegmatic or water temperament. It is cold and wet. Let’s take a look at how the different temperaments fare in the winter months, and how to make the most of this calm time.
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Phlegmatic
The water person, or phlegmatic, is at home in winter. But the cold and wet can be too much of a good thing. The typically slow and calm winter months can make the water person’s tendency to inaction worse than usual. They can stagnate. Illness from too much moisture - like wet coughs, limb edema, poor wound healing - can occur more often in the winter.
A phlegmatic can counteract this tendency by upping the warm and dry in the following ways:
sit in a dry sauna
exercise
cozy up by the fire
consume drinks or food with spices like cinnamon, ginger, garlic, cloves, turmeric, rosemary
use warming essential oils in your diffuser or candles. In addition to the above (cinnamon, ginger, etc.), rosemary, lavender, balsam, pine, myrrh, and frankincense are all warming and drying.
Choleric
The balancing cool and wet winter can be very beneficial for the hot and dry choleric, especially if out of balance. Taking walks in the cool, brisk air will help refresh and balance the choleric. If you find your normal choleric energy flagging, though, go ahead and warm up with the ideas listed above for the phlegmatic. Try not to overdo it with the warm and dry, though, because you can end up getting too much of your choleric back and then become agitated or angry.
Sanguine
The coolness of winter puts a damper on the normally bubbly and warm sanguine or air person. If they don’t keep their internal fire going, the wet can get to them and depression can set in, especially in places where it’s cloudy a lot.
Warming up, as indicated in the phlegmatic section, will help the sanguine keep their mood up. Taking a break by going to a sunny and / or dry place can help, too, if possible. A change of scenery can do wonders for the sanguine, who likes to keep things moving and stimulating.
Melancholic
Being cold and dry, earth people can have a really hard time in winter. They often get a cold, often times despite their best efforts in keeping healthy otherwise. With their temperament, they can get too cold, which amplifies feelings of negativity.
Here are some tips to stave off the cold:
take a long, warm shower or steam bath
drink lots of water, preferably lukewarm or hot, with lemon
drink some bone broth or regular broth
exercise
make sure to get outside when the sun is shining
stay bundled up when going outside
try to eat warming foods like ginger, cinnamon, garlic, etc.
if you can, travel to a tropical place
good essential oils for this time of year are rosemary, lavender, balsam, pine, myrrh, and frankincense, which are all warming and drying
Curious about your temperament? Get your report!
