Jin – Metal – Autumn

The air is crisp, the gatherings of summer are long gone, the leaves are falling and it’s quieter, especially amidst a pandemic. The season of metal can be a time of reflection, appreciation, inspiration, and consideration for what is most important. Many of us are grateful for autumn to finally arrive in North Florida, a long awaited respite from the scorching heat and dampness living in the swamps. For some of us, it is a continuation of the yin energy that has been over us for the past 2 years. We are in the metal season in a yin metal year so it is a special time of great depth and potential.

The lungs and large intestine are associated with the metal element. The color is white, the sound is a weep, and the smell is rotten. The virtue is righteousness. The energy is “fall” or moving downward into the minerals and goodness of the soil, to prepare to go into the deepest part of you, even into the abyss, ultimately to create the “gems and jewels” that this world needs to radiate truth, art, beauty, love and compassion.

Are you on your path? What can you let go of? Are you trusting that everything is the way it is supposed to be? Are you keeping what is of value to you to stay on your path, the Tao or God’s will?

What is inspiring you today? Breathe it in…

Below the horizon, in a very deep part of our seasonal cycle is the spirit of metal, the po, the corporeal soul, who we are on this earth.

“The silent murmurings of stone echo the murmurings of the po as they follow their path through the dark recesses of our somatic unconscious. Part animal, part human, part spirit, part stone, part flesh, part bone…these mysterious animators of the deep psyche represent the aspect of our unconscious that speaks to us through our desires, obsessions, psychosomatic symptoms and the wordless stories of our bodies.”

–Lorie Dechar, “Five Spirits”

The old must die for the newness of life to come alive. Actually, this can happen moment to moment. As my teacher Dr. Fritz Smith taught me to say, “today is today and I’m glad it’s today.” Everyday and every present moment are opportunities to have a fresh start. Sometimes this change can be painful and at best not easy. In the metal season, the energetic can be natural for this transformation to to occur when we go with the flow, let it go, have a good cry, and give room for the new.

Observe and feel your emotions now. Grief is the emotion that can manifest in the season of metal. It is normal to feel more of this emotion, and it can be appropriate when we let go of things, thoughts, or people in our lives. With the pandemic still surrounding our lives, many of us have lost loved ones or know someone who has lost a loved one. Allow this emotion to arise. Appreciation and respect can be an appropriate response toward those who have left us.

We grieve the loss of Lillian Pearl Bridges who passed away September 26, 2021, a great contributor to Chinese medicine who was known for facial readings, annual predictions related to Chinese astrology and a wonderful teacher in living with the seasons of nature. She gifted us with these last words of encouragement, a prediction for 2021, a year of the ox and yin metal.

“The element for the year is Yin Metal, which is harmonious with the Earth Element, as
Earth generates and feeds Metal. This implies a calmer and more stable year with less anger, less contentious behavior and much less potential for violence. Yang behavior will simply not be supported or be sustainable. Yin Metal is about the future and our hopes and dreams, which can start to inspire us again. The most important ideals this year are kindness and compassion. It is not wise to provoke anger or act in aggressive ways, as the elements will not be with you. Instead, caring for others in small ways will be remembered and make a big difference. These may be small things like helping when you can. The Ox Year suggests that you stay in touch with loved ones, gather together in small family or friendship groups, eat together and share resources with those who have less. More inclusivity and tolerance will be promoted and practiced by many and will make the hardships and struggles of the past start to fade. We are all the same under the skin.”

-Lillian Pearl Bridges (Apr 28, 1956 – Sept 26, 2021), The Lotus Institute

“When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be”

-Rumi