Lessons in letting go

See how easily the trees let go of their leaves? Now is the time to let go of all that no longer serves you - take your cue from nature

Every season we turn to nature to guide us on how to live in a more authentic way, in alignment with the cyclical nature of our environment, deeply mirrored within ourselves. Autumn, being the time of the Metal Element, and a time of letting go is for me the season and element that really makes me need to show up for myself. Because letting go can be difficult at times, it can be vulnerable, it can be sad and so it’s a time to be more gentle with myself, show myself some self-care and to slow down.

If all your energy is directed to maintaining the status quo and to holding onto things that no longer serve you, then your energy cannot be aligned to living your purpose and following your destiny. If you let go very reluctantly, you can be left stripped bare, feeling naked and vulnerable. But if you let go with consciousness and intention, you get to plant seeds in the empty spaces that you have created with the trust and knowing that they will sprout and grow and blossom in the Spring, which better aligns you to new opportunities and manifestations.

And herein lies the beauty of the Metal Element because when you let go of the old and stale, you create space for the new and the pure, and for inspiration. The Metal Element returns us to our essence, and so as we eliminate, it reveals what is most precious and of value in our lives.  

With the Metal Element also linked to the emotion of grief (closely linked to the idea of letting go), holding onto pent up and unresolved grief can have serious consequences further down the line. While the grieving process can be hard, it is a necessary and cathartic ritual for closure in order to find inner peace, acceptance and clarity. Grief is not confined to death, but is relevant to all change that takes place in our lives. Even exciting new changes have an element of endings and grief as we close the door on old chapters.

This autumn we have just had Storm Amy sweeping across our shores, like a destructive warrior princess cutting down and clearing her path across the UK. To me this felt like a well-timed force of nature taking the essence of the Metal Element to a whole new level. So if you were a tree still stubbornly holding on to your leaves and not releasing what no longer served you, Storm Amy was having none of it, she was forcing your hand, sweeping those leaves up and away in her frenzied whirls and gusts.

How did this energy feel to you? Were you able to let go with ease and grace, or did you feel a bit like your leaves were ripped off? Or maybe you’re still holding on with dear life? Whatever experience you have had, now that Storm Amy has dissipated back into the ocean, it is a good time to reflect on how it felt and how you responded. Maybe you still have resistance to letting go or maybe Storm Amy had to literally wrench those leaves out of your hands.

For me it was about letting go of all my fears and insecurities that have been holding me back, making me play small and not stepping into a role that source has been nudging me to step into for a year now. I’m not saying those niggles are completely gone but I was already feeling ready but something about this amped up Metal energy these past days with Storm Amy has really just shifted me up a gear into action and so I’m finally stepping into it ready or not - no longer over thinking it, no longer procrastinating and not over planning it – it feels like those old leaves of not believing in myself were swept swiftly along, and with it my old safety net, and now I am just trusting and stepping into this new role anyway.

And herein lies the beauty of the Metal Element because when you let go of the old and stale, you create space for the new and the pure, and for inspiration. The Metal Element returns us to our essence, and so as we eliminate, it reveals what is most precious and of value in our lives.  

It makes sense then that the two channels and organs that are linked to this Element are the Large Intestine and the Lung  - not always considered the sexiest of Elements as who wants to be associated with the colon and poop? But when I talk to my patients about this Element, I try to let them see the beauty of it because here we are working with the very beginning and the very end of the cycle that keeps us alive – the elimination of the waste and the breathing in of pure life. In ancient Chinese texts they referred to the Lungs as “the receiver of Qi from the heavens”.

Just as metals hold value (gold and silver etc), the Metal Element within us gives our sense of self-worth. Each of us is a highly valuable miracle of creation and has a unique and priceless contribution to make. Yet when our Metal energy is imbalanced, we cannot sense our value, so we seek it outside of ourselves and compensate by seeking what we think will add to our worth

The Lung and Large Intestine work together as a team, one taking in the pure, the other eliminating waste. If out of balance and not working optimally, when we fail to let go, or fail to breath in the pure and to see the inspiration that is available to us, and these organs then fail to do their jobs properly, imagine the result - certainly we might experience physical ailments such as bronchitis, shortness of breath, cough, allergies, nasal congestion, emphysema, colds, sore throat, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, Diverticulitis etc. But this doesn’t only affect us physically - what happens to our mind and spirit if waste keeps building up and we are unable to take in purity? How do you think you might feel?  Instead of tranquillity, inspiration and new perspectives, you may feel like you’re drowning in grief, low mood, guilt, stubbornness (inability to “let go”), isolation, negativity and wielding that large metal axe to cut out others or cut yourself off from the world.

Just as metals hold value (gold and silver etc), the Metal Element within us gives our sense of self-worth. Each of us is a highly valuable miracle of creation and has a unique and priceless contribution to make. Yet when our Metal energy is imbalanced, we cannot sense our value, so we seek it outside of ourselves and compensate by seeking what we think will add to our worth: status, money, power, conquest. Once we have acquired these things, however, we remain unfulfilled because until we can obtain these by acknowledging our own worth within, externally obtained “value” is empty.

So this is a good time to slow down, turn inwards and reflect on issues of letting go, self worth and where you place your value. Go outside into nature to get some of that lovely autumn air into your lungs, observe how the trees and nature so easily let go and conserve their energy as they prepare for winter. Now is also a great time for meditation, for breathwork, for journaling and for self-care and nourishment. Also get some seasonal acupuncture to help your body transition from the Yang to Yin time of year, if you struggle to let go, are suffering from grief or if you resonated with any of the imbalances outlined in this article.