Although last weeks temperatures carried the echoes of late summer, the colours of the leaves and earlier nights soon dispel the illusion that we could be in late summer. The equinox has passed and autumn has arrived. Mornings and evenings are noticeably colder and the scent of smoke from bonfires means that it is time to clear out the garden and dry the herbs from the herb bed before stocking up with logs to prepare for the cold season ahead. Autumn is the time when everything in the garden is cut down and cleared away, beds mulched and then left for nature to take over in the peace of Winter.
In Acupuncture, autumn is the season of the metal element. Metal gives us the ability to appreciate the fine things in life: the exquisite nature of a crisp autumn morning, breathing in the purity of the cold air, the glorious colours of autumn leaves. It also provides us with the ability to throw that which we no longer need – the dregs and rubbish that clutter up our homes and lives. By throwing out what we no longer need, we make space for the new: ideas, inspiration, quality. When our metal element is balanced, we do this automatically – but when it is out of balance, we can get bogged down with the detritus of life, or unable to take in the goodness around us.