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As we move deeper into November, the world around us begins its slow descent into winter. The days contract, the evenings lengthen, and nature invites us inward. In this episode, Belinda and Omar welcome back Dr. Paul Wang to explore how the water element in Daoist wisdom can help us navigate a time marked by uncertainty, loss, and profound change.

Winter — and the water element — teach us about how to flow with change by actively transmuting fear with greater hope. This is the season when nature's energy roots down and inward, guiding us to fortify our inner foundation so we can meet life’s floods without being carried away.

Through stories around the struggles of adapting to food scarcity and grieving personal loss together, the conversation circles around a central question:

How do we strengthen our inner riverbanks so that the waters of change can move through us rather than overwhelm us?

Together, they explore:

• The transition from soil to the winter water season as a time of contraction, deep listening, and turning toward our center
• Digestive and emotional nourishment — tending the “inner soil” of the microbiome through porridges, broths, roots, and gentler rhythms
• The winter of the day — why the hours between 9pm–3am mirror winter’s medicine and offer a daily opportunity to practice restoration
• Fear and flow — understanding our emotional terrain and how to create containers that help us feel held rather than flooded
• Community resilience — how food, land, and mutual care can soften the challenges of these times
• Learning to move with change instead of spinning out

The Gratitude Blooming card that arises — Cosmos (Balance) — becomes a reminder of lightness in the midst of heaviness, and to play with the paradox of rooting deeply and allowing movement at the same time.

This episode is a medicine for anyone feeling the intensity of the season or the weight of the world.

It’s an invitation to slow down, nourish yourself, fortify your inner riverbanks, and remember that descent is not collapse — it is preparation for renewal.

Let go. Let flow. And trust the wisdom of water.

Winter Retreat Invitation

If your body is asking for a reset, spaciousness, or deeper listening, join us for a New Year’s Winter Sabbatical Week (Dec 28–Jan 3) on the Big Island.
A week to rest, realign, set intentions, and welcome 2026 from a place of deep inner stillness.

Find out more at: hestiamagic.com/nye

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Join us on substack to get a bonus seasonal practice from Dr. Paul each month at: https://gratitudeblooming.substack.com

Create an intentional practice or give meaningful gifts with the Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candles and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com.

Learn more about our co-hosts and special guest for Season 4:

Co-host Belinda Liu | Hestia Retreat Centers

Co-host Omar Brownson | Trickster's Guide to Immortality on Substack

Special Guest Dr. Paul Wang | The Dao Center

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