By Heidi Aschenbrenner, LMBT, CCT, BCTMB, Member AOBTA
November is here, and autumn is in full swing! I can recall the first few cool days after a gorgeous and warm September, and hearing the many comments about people not being ready for winter, as if we simply skip over one whole season and go from summer to winter. I do realize that in Wisconsin, autumn can seem very short. But it is still here in its own right, has its own beauty and character, and its own purpose in our annual cycle. So let’s take a few moments to both love and embrace autumn.
Life is a cycle. Each day, each month, each year - we pass through phases as we work our way through the larger cycles of our lifetime. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), autumn is associated with the lung and large intestine meridians, with metal and the emotion of grief. The “Five Element” theories of TCM would be better reflected as “Five Phases.” The phases are: Wood (Spring), Fire (Summer), Earth (Late Summer - a transitional phase), Metal (Autumn), and Water (Winter). We can see this cycle in our annual seasons, in our life spans from birth to death, and even in each day’s cycle from waking until sleep.
The Metal phase is a phase of purging and letting go, and of quieting ourselves in preparation for the winter calm. It is that time in early evening when we shut off the outside world and focus on our inner circle and prepare ourselves for rest. It is about purging the unhelpful parts from us and retaining the good and healthy. The lungs and large intestine both do this for us on a physical level with our air, our food, and our qi. This purging is what prompts the emotion of grief to be associated with this phase. Whether our letting go is from a choice we’ve made, for a transition into a new and exciting phase of life, or for a loss that has left us feeling less than whole, we still must grieve as we let go of what is not continuing on with us during this phase. To not allow ourselves the time and freedom to grieve all of our felt losses creates imbalance within these lung and large intestine meridians, and it creates on overload of grief that is stuck within us. That grief will eventually need to come out.
The Metal phase is also a drying phase, drying out the dampness from the Earth phase of the humid August days, another purging of sorts. Imbalance in the Metal phase will usually manifest as either too much or too little fluid in the lungs and/or large intestine, resulting in colds, flus, bronchial issues, dry coughs, dry skin, or constipation. Fatigue is another indicator of imbalance, as is too much or not enough sweating. Not being able to grieve or having inconsolable grief indicate deficiency and excess patterns. Even being overly judgmental towards others can indicate an excess of Metal.
The best thing we can do during autumn is to take time to reflect upon the changes occurring both with the season and in our lives, allowing ourselves to feel whatever sadness we may feel (no matter how small or silly it may seem), as we let go of the fun and warmth of our previous season and whatever else is being purged during this phase. Feel it, then let it go. The letting go is key to keeping balance during the Metal phase. Various acupressure/acupuncture points are helpful in restoring balance to the meridians, but our patterns of behavior and lifestyle are what create the imbalance in the first place. Establishing and then practicing healthy emotional patterns as we embrace each phase of our changing seasons and changing lives is a great place to start. So go ahead and let it all go! Then wrap yourself up in a blanket with a warm cup of cider and enjoy this beautiful phase of the year.
Heidi Aschenbrenner, LMBT, CCT, BCTMB, and Member AOBTA, is the owner of Renu Massage, Energy & Bodywork specializing in Asian bodywork therapies and the Eastern healing arts. Heidi and her team of bodywork therapists, a Reiki master, and a Certified Personal Trainer, all strive to achieve balance in each session through the use of energy work incorporated into their bodywork therapies and have all been trained in Eastern healing techniques and cupping therapy.
Renu also offers an infrared sauna from Sunlighten Saunas for deeper healing and detoxification after your session. For more information or to contact Heidi, please visit renumadison.com.
