“The forces of Autumn create dryness in Heaven and metal on Earth; they create the lung organ and the skin upon the body…and the nose, and the white color, and the pungent flavor…the emotion of grief, and the ability to make a weeping sound.”
– The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine
Fall is the season when the days become shorter and the leaves begin to change, presenting us with their beautiful colors before they fall off the trees to prepare for the coming winter. It is the time of year that we go from the relaxed and carefree attitudes of summer to the more serious and introspective energies associated with fall, making it a time of personal growth and understanding. It is a time of year of letting go of what is no longer needed or necessary, and a time of distillation and getting to the heart of the matter.
Element – Metal
Yin Organ – Lungs
Yang Organ – Large Intestine
Emotion – Grief / Sadness
Stage of Development – Harvest
Flavor – Pungent
Sound – Weeping
Metal: The Element of Fall
The element of Metal is one of learning and discerning; organization, setting limits and protecting boundaries; and separating what’s necessary from the wasteful. Consider how Metal is made, starting with mining from the Earth and then alchemy with Fire, a process which separates the pure from the impure. And once it becomes an object, refined and contained, Metal is sharp and cutting.
Metal’s function can be seen in many ways:
- in the moving away from casual summer days to getting “back to business”
- in the repeated theme of “letting go” of what no longer serves
- in the season’s harvest and time meant for canning, drying, and storing of resources vital to winter survival
- in this time for finishing up any projects started in summer and spring and reaping the rewards of hard work
Fall in the Body
In Chinese Medicine, fall is associated with the Lungs and Large Intestines.
Much like Metal, the energy of the Lungs and Large Intestines is one of “letting go,” so fall is a good time to be mindful to let go of anything you may be holding on to in order to make room for new experiences that will help you learn and grow.
On a physical level, The Lungs have many necessary functions.
- The Lungs refine and regulate qi. On inhalation the Lungs purify, on exhalation the Lungs eliminate impurities.
- The Lungs defend the body from invasion by colds and flus. Known as wei qi, the Lungs distribute a particular protective qi to the surface of the body, helping to prevent germs from invasion.
- The Lungs open the nose. Governing the sense of smell and clarity of the nasal passage, The Lungs allow us to determine what is fresh from rotten and on a more instinctive level, to “follow our nose.”
- …and more.
On the other hand, the Large Intestines are responsible for letting go of waste. It is the last stage in digestion, and takes everything the body doesn’t need, and releases it, only keeping what is vital and important for us to function. Emotionally, this is why fall is a good time to look at things we might be hanging on to, and not only work through them so that we can let them go for good, but distill the lesson to be learned, i.e. the takeaway.
Grief, the Emotion of Fall
Emotionally, Metal and the Lungs are classically associated with grief and the process of mourning our losses. Because it hurts so badly, many people try to avoid grief; they don’t want to experience its pain. Others associate grief with weakness. It is therefore common to avoid grief, denying its very existence. Unfortunately, the continued habit of pushing grief away does not really abolish it, it only leads to draining our energy and dampens all of our emotions. For when we anesthetize ourselves against pain, we also lose the ability to fully experience other things such as creativity, love, and joy.
While there are many ways to honor grief, sometimes we need a little bit of help. We highly recommend acupuncture to help you move through this difficult emotion. Or use a session to tap into the energy of “letting go,” much like fall’s leaves, and release feelings or experiences that you may be holding on to.
Sources:
Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP at Chinese Medicine Living
Wood Becomes Water by Gail Reichstein
Photo by Kelly at Pexels
