We learn more about ourselves, perhaps, than in any other season. Nature now makes everything bare, turning inward, a falling away of outer-directed energy, composting begins that old negativity. The energy of this season supports our letting go Waste, Old and stale in our lives, leaving us receptive to the pure and new, granting us a vision of who we are in our essence.
Autumn returns us to our essence, moves us to eliminate what we no longer need, Reveals again what is most precious in our lives. In Chinese medicine, autumn is the season of the element Metal (or air). Grief is the emotion; the sound is weeping. Grief cleanses us of what is no longer needed in our lives. Or what has been taken Metal imbalance may be; Excessive and ongoing It may be absent, as in those who cannot express their grief.
The Colon ~ Letting go is the function of eliminating what is unnecessary or toxic from our bodies including our minds and our spirit. The Colon function on the mental and spirit level enables us to let go of all this waste.
The Lungs and Inspiration ~ The Lung, to take in the pure, the new; in classical Chinese medicine, the Lung is described as “the receiver of the pure Chi from the Heavens.” The Lung and Colon work together as a team, one taking in the pure, and the other eliminating waste. An imbalance my show up as: Bronchitis, Asthma, shortness of breath, cough, allergies, nasal congestion, emphysema, colds, sore throat, constipation, diarrhea, spastic colon, and abdominal pain feel depression, stubbornness (inability to “let go”), isolation, negativity.
Skin or the third Lung ~ Skin reflects the condition of the lungs and the ability to breath. Eczema, psoriasis, rashes reflect metal imbalance, sauna often during this time of year.
Metal Power ~ The capacity to cough is associated with the fluid mucus. Mucus is needed to keep the lungs and colon lubricated. Cough helps release toxins holding on in the air passages and releases that which is unwanted.
Value of Metal ~ Just as metals give value to the earth (gold and silver, minerals and trace elements), the Metal element within us gives our sense of self-worth.
Yet when our Metal energy is imbalanced, we cannot sense our value; so we compensate by seeking what we think will add to our worth: status, money, power, and conquest Once we have acquired these things, however, we remain strangely unfulfilled.
Persons with a Metal imbalance seek respect, quality, and recognition from the outside because they feel the lack of worth within. These are people who have difficulty “letting go” because they identify their own worth with “things” - achievements, attachments, collections, possessions, attitudes stored in the cluttered attic of the mind.
Restoring our Metal ~As Nature moves into a period of rest, we too must be cautious not to overexert. To contain ourselves, acting and speaking only when necessary, behaving with economy, exerting our will quietly and calmly.
The Metal Element: Cleaning out Old Negativity
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