The third sign of the year is Pisces. The body part associated with Pisces are the feet and the immune and lymphatic system.
The energetic signatures of Pisces are innovation and energetic circuitry. People who have their sun sign in Pisces often tend to have feet issues and may be prone to colds and flus when they don’t take care of their constitution and well-being. During this season, attention to health routines and self-improvement, added with a potential for increased energy and confidence in daily life, is recommended.
Over the years, here’s what I observed about feet issues:
- Moving forward into the world; how a person feels they at and where they are heading
- Grounding and rooting oneself
- Reflexology – whole spine, every organ mapped on the bottom of our feet
- Pigeon-toed – Uncertainty of direction in life and fear of putting self out into the world
- Feet outward – Expressing an openness to all and any directions that life may lead
- Sore feet – Unsure and lack of belief in self to move forward; fear of what lies ahead in life due to financial, old age, ill health elements
- Cold feet – Pulling back and retracting energy – emotionally withdrawing
Lack of clarity of the direction they are heading in relationships. - Swollen feet – Emotional hang ups and holding on to fear or frustration about their direction in life
- Weight of emotional baggage being carried when attempting to move forward in life
Here is an anecdotal story that is in my first book, Infinite Body Wisdom.
Justine Steps Forward
Justine’s boss had recommended that she see me because he felt I could help her. He hoped that if the initial visit resonated, she would continue with care. From her history, I discovered that she was suffering from chronic back pain, high blood pressure, and pain in her right foot for the past year; her left foot had been painful two years ago. I asked Justine what happened two years ago and she said that nothing significant had happened. She remembered, though, that she even had to wear a boot for that foot. I asked her again if she was sure nothing outstanding had happened two years ago, and she affirmed that it had not.
I then asked, “So what’s going on right now, and what happened this year when your right foot began to bother you?”
Justine replied, “Work is just stressful. My boss is fine, but I have lots of busy work and many obligations.” I inquired further, “Anything else?”
Justine thought more and said, “Oh, I do have to sit for prolonged periods, which causes my back to ache, and my neck and shoulders to tighten up. I feel tension building, which usually becomes really intense by the end of the day.”
I asked, “Do you like your work, or is it the workplace that creates stress for you?”
Justine replied, “I enjoy my workplace, but there’s always a ton of things to do and I’m constantly faced with deadlines.”
“So how long have you been working there?”
“About two years.”
I took this opportunity to ask, “Did you have the left foot pain before or after you started this job?” Justine arched an eyebrow, perplexed, but answered, “The pain in that foot began before I came to the company I’m working for now.”
Justine’s Discovery
I followed with, “Was something going on at your previous place of employment? How long were you there and what made you leave?”
Justine’s eyes grew wider. “I was there for eight years, but three years ago we had a new manager come in and he was a real micro-manager. I put up with it for a couple of years, but then got fed up and looked for a new position.”
Justine paused and looked intently into my eyes. “Are you kidding me? Do you think all this stress caused my pains? Now that I think back, my left foot started giving me trouble at around the same time I started thinking about leaving my previous company. I lucked out and found the company that I’m with now and even got a pay raise. However, I did have to learn a whole new system and it had a very steep learning curve. I eventually got the hang of it, but it’s been rough.” [Side note here: The moment Justine left her old workplace, although that is what she wanted, she was judging her decision. Her new job responsibilities were vastly different, and having to learn a whole new system made her question her competence. She felt insecure and inadequate, which on a mental/emotional level caused pain in her right foot.]
What Feet Pains Represent
I have discovered that the feet represent stability, as when we “have our feet on stable ground,” “stand on our own two feet,” “get off on the right foot,” and “get back on our feet.” Conversely, some may be “swept off their feet,” “dance with two left feet,” or “get off on the wrong foot.” Through the years I have observed that practice members who suffered from left foot pain were usually dealing with issues of having to make a difficult decision that would change their lives by literally “taking a step forward.” In a similar fashion, right foot pain occurred among practice members when they were judging an action they had taken or were dismayed at not taking action when they felt they should have.
No Support
Continuing on with Justine’s story, weight was another bothersome issue. “Just look at me!” Justine lamented, “I want to lose weight, but I always feel hungry. My husband contributes to the problem because he’s also overweight and ever since he got injured at work, all he does is stay home and watch television or surf the web. Whenever I try to cook healthier food, he tells me it doesn’t taste good and goes out to bring home junk food. I have no support at home and my family doesn’t live here either. I want to start a family, but my husband’s resisting. In the past, I have taken medications to control my irritability, but recently got off the meds to prepare for pregnancy. I am feeling extremely uncomfortable and am tired of being irritated all the time!” After venting, Justine sighed and grew quiet.
As we continued to talk, I discovered other interesting facts. Besides the challenges with her husband, Justine was also experiencing difficulties with her family. She shared that she and her family had moved from Oregon to Hawai’i 15 years ago because her parents thought it better for her brother, who was getting into a lot of trouble. Most traumatic for her was that her parents informed her just a week before they were moving, forcing her to uproot her entire life. Once in Hawai’i, instead of her brother improving, he worsened. After living here for eight years, her family decided to leave. Justine stayed, finally on her own after her family moved back to the mainland. But even from afar, they continued to cause her grief as brother and mother campaigned to get her to go against her dad, who suffered mental and emotional instability.
After her history, I performed a spinal examination during which Justine got to see her uneven shoulders and pelvis. She also got a chance to feel the high degree of tension she was holding in her spine and musculature. It was not until I made my first gentle contact on her spine that she felt her breathing open up and deepen. At the same time, she could feel the tension in her feet releasing. It was after taking a few deep breaths that she actually started laughing! Bewildered but happy, she couldn’t understand what was going on. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but I feel my breath a lot deeper. What’s the difference between what you’re doing and what other chiropractors do?”
Justine Connects With Her Body
I replied, “I’m not here to fix you, but am attempting to spark greater awareness of how daily stresses affect your body and increase tension in your muscles and spine. By learning to connect with your breath, your body is increasing its ability to release stored-up tension, in the way that you just experienced. By being more present with your body, you will eventually become more conscious of the choices you make and how it impacts you and your life.”
When Justine came back for her report I asked if she’d noticed anything different since she left. She said she hadn’t. I asked whether her sleep had improved or was more restful. She related that her dog got sick over the weekend and she hardly slept. I then asked how her back felt, and although the pain was still there, she was sitting more upright than when she first came in. But she was moving around oddly and so I asked, “Are you uncomfortable? Is that why you’re moving so much?” Justine responded, “It’s definitely uncomfortable to sit up real straight, but I can’t slouch either because that hurts too. What’s going on?”
I affirmed, “The reason it’s harder for you to slouch now is due to your body having released a lot of tension the last time you were here, and by slouching you actually call up more tension in your spine. However, because you have been slouching for such a long time, your body still wants to go back to its familiar position, even though that creates more pressure. The more your body adopts these new strategies to release tension, the more you will sit upright without having to try.” I added, “By the way, how’s the irritability factor?”
“Oh, I totally forgot about that!” she cheerfully remembered. “But oddly enough, it’s actually way less even with me having so little sleep. How did that happen in such a short amount of time?”
I explained, “When you first got adjusted, your body released pent-up tension. And since you now have less tension in your body, the direct benefit is less irritability. It’s like releasing the pressure from a pressure cooker before you take off the lid. That’s what your body did a few days ago!” Justine and I both smiled, happy that she was able to feel the difference.
Although there were many factors contributing to and expressing Justine’s condition, the signs of her feet pain were the most telling. The pain started when she made choices that shifted the “foundation” on which she stood. No longer able to “stand her ground” at a job that had become unbearable, thanks to her new manager, her painful left foot was motivating to move forward and make a change. The moment Justine got into a different challenging situation at her new company, judging that move as a mistake – even though the pay and work environment had improved – her right foot flared painfully. We all know that stress and challenges will always present themselves. It’s how you deal with the challenges that make all the difference. Trust the beneficent intentions of your infinite body wisdom and save yourself a lot of grief, struggle, and pain.
How Can This Apply to You?
If you have foot pain, examine what was happening when you first experienced that seemingly out-of-the-blue pain, or when you stubbed your toe or sprained your ankle. Do you remember which side you hurt, or you felt the pain in? Had you experienced a change at your home or workplace and put up with circumstances even though they grated on your nerves? What was your body’s response to this disruption? Look at what your infinite body wisdom created. Paying attention to your body’s response to stressors or changes in life will develop a stronger body-mind connection.