It’s Autumn – season of the Metal Element. Mornings have a crisp note in the air, and evenings are drawing in, as we head for winter. The seasonal equinox (23 September) marked the change of energy around us from yang to yin: quieter, softer, darker.
Autumn is beautiful: delicate spiders’ webs highlighted in the low sunshine of the early morning, gorgeous colours of leaves against a bright blue sky, the soft swish and crunch of leaves underfoot. It’s also a time of decay and letting go: trees loose their leaves, which then break down to form rich compost to nourish future life.
The Metal Element
In Five Element Acupuncture, the Metal Element represents connection and loss. We feel the connection when we breathe in the air on a crisp autumn morning. We see loss as around us flowers die back & trees loose their leaves. There is a palpable sense of sadness at the end of summer. However, the sadness hides other treasures. Autumn is a time for our senses: smelling the decaying fruit and leaves, hearing the crunch of leaves on the ground. If you want to appreciate decay in action, take a look in a compost heap. Everything breaks down more quickly in the autumn, turning this year’s rubbish from the garden into next year’s nourishment for the soil.
Linked to the lungs and colon, the metal element gives us structure and precision, our ability to appreciate quality. It also helps us let go of what is no longer needed. If you’ve ever felt the need to have a throw out at this time of year, it’s your metal element working well. It’s also working well when we take time to appreciate the stunning colours of autumn highlighted against a blue sky.
It’s not uncommon for people to struggle with the seasonal drop in energy from yang to yin that accompanies autumn. The good news? Acupuncture helps restore the natural balance of energy within us, so that we can embrace the darker evenings and enjoy all the beauty that Autumn has to offer. If you’d like to know more, please get in touch.
My top walk in East Sussex in the Autumn? Sheffield Park, for its stunning colours. A real gem in the sunlight.