Autumn is here!

Autumn is the season of harvest, a time when we start to go inward and gather together on all levels, a time to store up food, fuel and warm clothing, a time to think, perhaps study and plan for the soon coming stillness of the winter. In nature, everything moves its energy inwards and downwards. Leaves and fruits fall. Green grasses turn into lighter and drier colours. Those enchanting yellow, orange and red colours are everywhere!

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 colour, and the pungent flavour...the emotion of grief, and the ability to make a weeping sound. 
 - Inner Classic


The autumn is the time to be more focused on preparation of food to obtain the energy required for the cooler months ahead. Soups, grains and loads of earthy vegetables come in play, hotpots, roasts... Play with the vegetables and fruits in season: apples, damsons, pears, plums, chestnuts, elderberries,blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, artichoke, aubergine, beetroot, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, celery, courgette, fennel, garlic, kale, leeks, onions, potatoes, turnips, watercress, celeriac, kohlrabi, pumpkin, jerusalem artichoke, parsnips, chicory, beetroot, cauliflower. 

In Chinese medicine Autumn is the season of  the metal element and the organ represented are the lungs and the large intestine. Here are a few words associated with the Autumn/Metal. Take a look at them and observe yourself and the others around you! Can you recognize any symptoms? This may indicate balance and/or imbalance

Reflective             Spiritual and mental nourishment             Heavenly father providing the chi                     the ability to let go - to grief  life or someone
Colours                Pure                                       Cold                                    Blocked
Valuable               Perfectionism                         Precise                                 Congestion
Sharp                   Strength                                 Structure                              Materialism
Hard                    Shiny                                      Connection/Network within our body
connectedness in a spiritual level - if imbalanced, feeling of disconnection    
                
colour: white-pure/ high expectations
lungs: the way we take in pure chi energy and are connected to the Universe and each other.
large intestine: the way we get rid of what we don't need.
illnesses: asthma, skin issues like eczema. IBS, constipation, a flamy cough/ mucous, weeping eyes...  

Let's explore Autumn and the Metal element. Here are some ways you can start exploring:

* Keep observing what is happening in nature. How does the first day you felt Autumn make you feel or made you feel?

* Notice how connected you feel, are you in touch with how your body feels in relation to seasonal changes, the planets and the food you eat? Are you aware of what you need to give quality and meaning to your life emotionally and  spiritually? The metal element gives us the clarity and strength we need to see these so we can begin to get the best for ourselves. Maybe use your favourite meditation or piece of music to spend some time connecting with the wonderful essence that is within you.

* Explore the emotion of grief, remember or imagine a loss, this could be the loss of a person, a relationship, a dream, leaving a job, moving houses... anything that involves reflecting, moving on and saying goodbye. When you feel you grasped the emotion reflect on where you feel on your body, how your energy feels and what helps you moving out of the emotion.

* Enhance your minerals - notice how many vegetables you eat and if possible increase your intake of vegetables. Ahhh!!! This is a great time of the year to introduce sea vegetables into your soups, hot pots - they are full of minerals! 

Health & Love,

Carolyne