The Green Dragon Awakens

Today is the Spring (Vernal) Equinox, the moment when day and night are equal in length, and when the sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward. Where I live, it occurs in the early morning, around 3:45 am, MST.

It marks a turning point, a moment of balance, where light and dark meet, just before the energy of the year begins to rise again. We move from winter’s stillness, inward and reflective (Yin), into the movement of spring, outward and expressive (Yang).

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is the season of the Wood element, the energy of growth, vision, and becoming. In Taoist cosmology, this movement is guided by the Green Dragon of the Eastern Skies.

The East is where the sun rises. It is the direction of new beginnings.

The Green Dragon and the Nature of Emergence

For centuries, Taoist observers looked to nature and the stars to understand their place within the greater whole. Through this deep listening, they began to recognize patterns of change moving through both the natural world and the human body.

From this emerged the Five Celestial Guardians: The Green Dragon, the White Tiger, the Black Tortoise, the Vermilion Bird and the Yellow Serpent. Each reflects a season, a direction and a unique way that life moves, grows and transforms.

These Guardians are not just symbols, but ways of understanding how life unfolds, how it shifts, and how it renews itself over time.

In spring, this transformation is carried by the Green Dragon.

Embodying renewal, vitality, and new beginnings, it reflects the nature of Wood, an energy that rises, expands, and reaches toward what is possible.

Its power is not forceful, nor is it aggressive. It is quietly persistent, like a sprout pushing through cold, heavy earth. Flexible and responsive, it teaches us that true growth does not strive, it emerges.

Wood, the Liver, and the Body’s Capacity to Move

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Wood element is closely associated with the Liver and Gallbladder. The Liver governs the smooth flow of Qi, ensuring that movement within the body remains fluid and coordinated. It also nourishes tendons, ligaments and connective tissues that allow us to bend, stretch, and respond to life with flexibility.

This is the physical expression of the Green Dragon.

When this system is functioning well, there is a sense of ease in movement, both physically and emotionally. We can adapt, change direction, and move forward without strain.

When it becomes constrained, we might feel it as tension in the neck and shoulders, tightness in the body, frustration, irritability or a sense of being stuck. These can all be symptoms of a lack of flow.

The Hun and the Return of Direction

The Hun is the spirit of the Liver, an aspect of consciousness in Traditional Chinese medicine connected to vision, dreams and direction.

It allows us to imagine, plan, and sense the path ahead, giving movement a sense of meaning.

In spring, as the Green Dragon rises, so too does the Hun.

When Liver Qi flows smoothly, this aspect of spirit is steady and supported. We feel clear, decisive, and able to move forward with a sense of purpose.

When movement is constrained, direction becomes unclear. We may feel frustrated, restless, or unsure of where we are going. The vision is not gone, it is simply harder to access.

Creating the Conditions for Movement

The work of this season is not to push harder, it is to restore flow, soften what has been held and create the conditions for movement to return.

Sometimes this begins with something simple like a walk out in nature, a gentle stretch or a moment of quiet to listen for what is emerging.

Acupuncture can help regulate the flow of Qi, release what has been held, and support the body in returning to a more natural rhythm. In doing so, it can also help restore clarity and direction, not by forcing change, but by creating space for it to unfold.

If you are noticing signs of tension, restlessness, or feeling stuck, consider this an invitation to support your body through any transition it needs to make.

The Green Dragon does not push, it emerges. And so can you.

With gratitude to my teachers, and to the lineage of wisdom that continues to shape how I understand and practice this medicine.