09/24/2018
Seasonal Journey
Autumn and the Metal Element
As the Harvest time of the year transits into the Fall, the air becomes cooler and crisper. The ground littered with fruits and vegetables becomes a feast for rodents, insects, and birds. The balance of the rotting leaves and the fullness of swelling squash reminds us that darker days and cooler weather are on the way, bringing the warmth of the woodstove and fall festivals of thanks for our abundance. Nature reminds us, in our busy lives, to stop and remember the warmth of Summer and the gathering of friends around the campfire. Where is the balance of looking up from your I phone and smelling the roasting green chillis that will warm your stomach in the winter to come?
Autumn is the season of balance. In our body the Metal element is personified by the Colon and the Lungs. The balance of ‘taking out the trash’ (or letting go) and ‘taking in pure ch’i from the Heavens’ sets us up to move through this season with inspiration. Out of balance we can be full of it and cluttered, with no room for the new and Pure. Metal is about quality and worth, if we are toxic on any level we can feel ‘unworthy’ or ‘trashed’. Whether physically or emotionally we must fully let go of the old in order to take in the ‘new’. With more and more information and ‘dis’information invading our bodies, minds, and spirits, how do we purge the system of toxicity? Looking to nature as our mirror, we can process and let go of the ‘old’ without further devaluing ourselves for the passed. Pun intended. Greif is a natural process of letting go and feeling the empty place where fullness was. In balance this is clearly natural and sometimes painful, but not as painful as holding onto something for years and hence keeping the ‘pain’ around.
In our body, mind, and spirit the lungs and colon work together to help us see and maintain our ‘worthy’ journey in the fall, after the harvest abundance and the Summer fullness. At this turning point of the year we can look within to find the value that is our unique birthright. Looking outside of ourselves for this is an unfulfilling pursuit that distracts us from what is most important in this time of change. What is most important? Look within while breathing in the crisp Fall air, seeing the trees bursting with color before they let go and shed their years growth. Listen to the wind blowing the leaves away as your mind sighs, and a tear falls for our own triumphs and failures.
