When the Spiral Loosens
There’s an interesting thing about cycles: they don’t announce themselves when they’re finished. They simply stop asking for attention.
The Year of the Snake, carrying the weight of a nine-year arc, has been like that. Quiet. Observant. Patient. Less concerned with forward motion than with discernment. In Taoist language, it’s a season of return—where what no longer fits falls away on its own.
The Snake doesn’t hurry this process.
It doesn’t dramatize it either.
It waits until the skin is already loose.
Nine has that quality. It isn’t an ending that needs effort. It’s an ending that happens because nothing else is required.
On Spirals and Staying Too Long
Spirals are fascinating. They give the impression of progress while keeping us close to familiar ground. Healing spirals especially—always revealing something just beneath the surface, always offering one more layer to explore.
And they’re useful.
Until they aren’t.
Taoist thought doesn’t reject the spiral, but it also doesn’t worship it. A spiral is meant to return us to center, not keep us orbiting ourselves indefinitely.
At some point, inquiry finishes its job.
Not because everything is resolved—but because alignment has been reached.
And when that happens, staying in the spiral starts to feel unnecessary. Almost… inefficient.
The Shift from Nine to One
The transition from nine to one is subtle at first, then unmistakable. Reflection gives way to direction. Completion quietly hands the baton to initiation.
The Fire Horse brings a different tone altogether. Less concerned with understanding, more interested in motion. It doesn’t argue with timing. It moves when the gate is open.
From a Taoist perspective, this isn’t urgency.
It’s responsiveness.
A one-year doesn’t ask for more contemplation. It asks what happens now that contemplation has run its course.
A Different Kind of Accounting
Instead of resolutions, the moment seems to invite something simpler—almost casual:
What’s worth carrying forward?
What’s clearly finished?
What wants to begin without explanation?
KEEP
What’s stable. What’s integrated. What no longer requires attention to function.
STOP
What has already taught its lesson. What repeats without adding clarity. What delays movement under the guise of depth.
START
Whatever generates momentum. Whatever feels oddly obvious. Whatever doesn’t need to be justified to move forward.
No pressure. No declarations. Just noticing what’s already in motion.
Letting Direction Be Enough
The Tao doesn’t demand certainty before action. It assumes timing reveals itself through ease.
The spiral doesn’t disappear—it simply loosens its grip. And in that loosening, something else becomes available: direction without commentary.
Not because the work wasn’t meaningful.
But because it worked.
The season for shedding passes.
The season for movement arrives.
And nothing needs to be fixed before stepping into it.
7 Incredible Things Intermittent Fasting Does for your BRAIN
Blog post excerpt text. Sed ac urna lacus. Donec fermentum venenatis ipsum, eu efficitur mi placerat quis. Donec et convallis metus, et luctus odio. Fusce porta quam purus, vel consectetur est luctus vel.
Intermittent fasting has become one of the most popular strategies for losing weight, and it’s touted as having many physical health benefits. But what does it do to your brain? Let’s take a deep dive into the research to find out what “time-restricted eating” really does to your brain.
7 Incredible Things Intermittent Fasting Does for Your Brain
1. Triggers autophagy
Intermittent fasting turns on an important process called autophagy, in which your brain “takes out the trash” that builds up during the day. This self-cleaning process helps detoxify the brain, clear out old and damaged cells, and sweep away debris. This nightly housekeeping promotes the regeneration of newer, healthier cells. A wealth of research has shown that problems with autophagy have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
2. Improves memory
Restricting the hours when you eat has been shown to significantly improve memory, according to a study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In this study, after 4 weeks of intermittent fasting, performance on a spatial planning and working memory task and on a working memory capacity test increased significantly. Additional research on animals has found that intermittent fasting improves learning and memory.
3. Brightens mood
Research in the Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging found that after 3 months of intermittent fasting, study participants reported improved moods and decreased tension, anger, and confusion. Another study from 2018 that was investigating weight-loss strategies found that intermittent fasting was associated with significant improvements in emotional well-being and depression.
4. Reduces inflammation
Chronic inflammation has been linked to many brain disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and more. According to a study in Nutrition Research, intermittent fasting decreases inflammation, which can have potent benefits for your brain health and mental well-being.
5. Fights high blood sugar
Research in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that intermittent fasting produces greater improvements in insulin sensitivity, which helps you prevent high blood-sugar levels and type 2 diabetes. The journal Neurology has published findings showing that high blood sugar is associated with a smaller hippocampus, the seahorse-shaped structure in your temporal lobes associated with mood, learning, and memory. Other studies show that anxiety and depression are 2-3 times higher in patients with type 2 diabetes than the general population.
6. Lowers blood pressure at night
Intermittent fasting helps reduce blood pressure while you snooze, which is beneficial for heart health, and anything that’s good for your heart is also good for your brain. Having hypertension or pre-hypertension lowers blood flow to the brain. Low blood flow on brain SPECT imaging scans has been seen with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and more. In addition, low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Burns excess fat
Intermittent fasting helps to burn more fat, which is good for brain health. Excess fat on your body is not your friend. A growing body of research, including studies in Archives of General Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, has found that obesity is detrimental to brain health and is associated with a greater risk of depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia (fear of going out), and addictions.
With so much research pointing to important brain health benefits, you may want to incorporate intermittent fasting into your lifestyle. What’s the best way to do it? One of the most common methods is to do a nightly fast for 12-16 hours. The easiest way to do it is to begin fasting several hours before bedtime. For example, if you eat dinner at 6 p.m., don’t eat again until 6–10 a.m. the next day.
written by AMEN CLINIC
What’s New This Tax Season
Blog post excerpt text. In sollicitudin tellus nec purus faucibus, a viverra neque elementum. Sollicitudin ligula ac, facilisis dui. Ut blandit lectus neque, sit amet fringilla nisi mollis eget.
Sample blog post text. Ut dui quam, dignissim sed nisl sed, viverra tempor ipsum. Nunc sollicitudin ipsum at purus tincidunt eleifend. Duis ut neque ullamcorper elit sagittis facilisis vel quis libero. Nunc sit amet dictum magna, sit amet malesuada libero. Morbi odio urna, rhoncus vitae bibendum ac, vulputate ut ipsum. Quisque malesuada vulputate urna ut finibus. Etiam et turpis mattis, efficitur mi ut, ultrices diam. Donec consectetur, odio eget porta varius, orci mauris viverra ante, eget egestas turpis sapien vel orci.
Vivamus vitae tincidunt felis. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. In efficitur malesuada nibh ut sagittis. Vestibulum pulvinar at risus at pretium. Mauris gravida nibh consectetur augue feugiat mollis. In sollicitudin tellus nec purus faucibus, a viverra neque elementum. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec eu ornare augue, ut efficitur velit. Vestibulum et magna mattis.
Nunc cursus erat ut nisi facilisis, vel fringilla neque pellentesque. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nullam tempor dolor sed nulla auctor, nec placerat felis sodales.
Etiam et turpis mattis, efficitur mi ut, ultrices diam. Donec consectetur, odio eget porta varius, orci mauris viverra ante, eget egestas turpis sapien vel orci. Donec eu ornare augue, ut efficitur velit. Vestibulum et magna mattis, sollicitudin ligula ac, facilisis dui. Ut blandit lectus neque, sit amet fringilla nisi mollis eget. Sed a eros nec leo euismod eleifend sit amet ut nisl.
Vivamus vitae tincidunt felis. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. In efficitur malesuada nibh ut sagittis. Vestibulum pulvinar at risus at pretium. Mauris gravida nibh consectetur augue feugiat mollis. In sollicitudin tellus nec purus faucibus, a viverra neque elementum. Sollicitudin ligula ac, facilisis dui. Ut blandit lectus neque, sit amet fringilla nisi mollis eget. Sed a eros nec leo euismod eleifend sit amet ut nisl.