Empathy, sympathy and self-sacrification
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Earth element is the foundation of nourishment, empathy, and stability. It corresponds to:
The season of late summer
Emotions of worry, overthinking, and concern for others
The organs - spleen and stomach
The human qualities of sympathy, empathy, validation, and often self-sacrifice
This energy also resonates beautifully with the seasonal festival of Lammas (Lughnasadh) and the Ayurvedic Vata dosha, offering a multidimensional framework for understanding emotional imbalances and paths to healing.
Lammas - the festival of the first harvest
Celebrated around August 1st, Lammas marks the first harvest and the turning point from the height of summer toward autumn. It is a time of gratitude, reflection, and preparation, a moment to gather in what you’ve sown, assess your resources, and nourish your inner and outer life.
Spiritually and emotionally, Lammas invites you to:
Reflect on how much you've given this year
Honour your labours of love (emotional and physical)
Avoid burnout by redistributing your energy
Ground and prepare for the waning light
The Earth element thrives in this space of integration and boundary-setting, reminding us that self-sacrifice must be tempered by self-care.
Vata dosha - movement, air, and imbalance
In Ayurveda, the Vata dosha governs movement, air, and space, making it dynamic, creative, and sensitive. When imbalanced, Vata can lead to:
Overthinking, anxiety, worry
Emotional overwhelm
Feeling ungrounded, drained, or scattered
This mirrors an excess in the Earth element in TCM, where constant giving and worrying about others lead to energetic depletion, especially in the stomach/spleen system.
To counteract Vata's instability and align with the nurturing energy of Earth:
Slow down and ground
Prioritise warm, nourishing food
Create routine and stability
Reconnect with your body through touch, rest, and ritual
Empathy, sympathy, and validation
Empathy
Empathy is the gift of emotionally attuning to others. Earth types excel in this, but can over-identify or become emotionally enmeshed, especially during Vata-imbalanced periods or high-output times, such as harvest (Lammas).
Bach flower remedy recommendation:
Centaury – For those who sacrifice their own needs for others
Walnut – To protect against outside influence and emotional absorption
Sympathy
Sympathy acknowledges others' suffering but may remain superficial. Earth-dominant people may feel responsible for alleviating others' pain, driven by overcare and Vata-fueled urgency to make everything right.
Bach flower remedy recommendation:
Red Chestnut – For excessive worry about loved ones
Elm – When the sense of duty becomes overwhelming
Validation
Validation affirms someone’s emotional reality. It’s foundational in relationships, but also essential to reflect and validate inwardly. Earth imbalances can lead to seeking external validation or neglecting one’s own feelings in favour of others.
Bach flower remedy recommendation:
Pine – For chronic guilt and unworthiness
Larch – For confidence and self-validation
The shadow of self-sacrifice
Though noble, self-sacrifice becomes harmful when driven by guilt, fear of rejection, or a loss of personal identity. Earth imbalance and Vata disturbance together often cause:
Difficulty saying no
Chronic caregiving without replenishment
Emotional exhaustion, digestive issues, and insomnia
This is especially critical around Lammas, when the natural inclination is to give and provide, but the deeper teaching is to harvest wisely and store reserves for the seasons ahead.
Bach flower remedy recommendation for self-sacrifice patterns:
Centaury – The helper who forgets themselves
Oak – The tireless worker who never rests
Olive – For deep exhaustion after prolonged giving
17 ways to cultivate self-empathy, validation, and balance
To harmonise Earth energy, soothe Vata tendencies, and align with the Lammas spirit:
Ground yourself, walk barefoot, use touch, or spend time in nature
Eat warm, soft, nourishing food, soups, root vegetables, and whole grains
Establish a rhythm, Vata and Earth both thrive with predictability
Honour your own needs before serving others
Practice saying no with love and clarity
Self-validate. “My feelings are real. My needs matter.”
Use breathwork to calm scattered thoughts
Create sacred alone time to recharge
Journal during Lammas, what are you harvesting emotionally?
Rest unapologetically, especially when you've given much
Connect with your body through slow, loving movement
Drink warm herbal teas (e.g., chamomile, ginger, cinnamon or liquorice)
Limit stimulation, reduce noise, screens, and multitasking
Speak affirmations aloud to shift limiting beliefs
Celebrate small wins, daily, weekly, monthly
Surround yourself with emotionally safe people
Light a candle at Lammas and give thanks to your inner nurturer
Lammas teaches us to harvest wisely, and the Earth element reminds us that true giving begins within. When Vata is calmed, Earth is nourished, and self-sacrifice is balanced with self-honour, we are free to offer our gifts without losing ourselves.
Let this season be a time of grounded compassion, where empathy flows both ways, and where validation, nourishment, and care begin with you.