From a young age we are taught to value certain things, whether directly or indirectly, and those beliefs, rules, and ideals become imbedded in our minds. They are part of our inner voice, often without our conscious awareness. Autumn coincides with the Metal Element, which represents letting go and the ending of cycles, so this is a great time for releasing the things that are complete or are no longer healthful for us. This can include projects, relationships, expectations, self imposed limits, trying to control things we can't control - the list goes on to include anything else that we are holding onto unnecessarily.
Getting clear on our thought patterns as well as the standards we are holding ourselves and our loved ones to can give us chance to examine if we actually even care about or believe these things. It can free us from lifelong habits that we don't want, and give us the chance to decide what we do want going forward.
The Metal Element also governs our skin, lungs and large intestines, which are the meridians and organs that are all about letting go and releasing the toxins, stress and other junk we've physically accumulated. Using practices such as deep breathing, and taking extra care of our intestinal and skin health to support this cycle will encourage a deeper layer to the healing that naturally occurs at this time of year.
Just as with all of the seasons, when we tune in and move with the rhythms of the earth, we see that Autumn/Metal season brings up emotional tendencies. When we are out of balance this can show up as sadness, grief and depression, vs when we are in balance and we find ourselves feeling uplifted, inspired, courageous and confident.
This is also the season when many belief systems say the veil between the worlds is thinner, and it is easier to connect to our spirituality or our faith, making it a great time of the year to self reflect and deepen our connections to whatever we hold dear.
Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful autumn!