The Gifts of Autumn
The ancient wisdom of the Five Phases of Traditional Chinese Medicine
For many cultures, the changing seasons signal when it’s time to alter both external and internal activities. Our ancestors believed that aligning with what was happening "in nature" helped them to live harmoniously and in right relationship with the world around them. Indeed, they didn't see themselves apart from nature at all. As an integral part of nature, following Mother Earth's cues helped them survive.
The Cosmic Dance of the Seasons
Similar to the Celtic Wheel in Ireland and Scotland, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses Five Phases, also known as Wu Xing or the Cosmic Dance of the Seasons, as a way of explaining both the inner and outer worlds that we inhabit. Although the People's Republic of China is relatively new, TCM has been used for over 5,000 years to understand, diagnose, and heal. TCM is an intricate and highly effective system created by observing nature's cycles and interpreting and applying them to people.
In the Five Phases, the last phase before the cycle begins anew is Fall/Autumn.
Each season, or phase, also corresponds to a specific element: Winter is associated with Water, Spring relates to Wood, Summer corresponds to Fire, Late Summer to Earth, and Autumn to Metal.
Although it is easier to see how the other elements relate to their season (e.g., Spring is when the plants/trees come back to life, Late Summer is when we enjoy the bounty of the earth), Metal is the most obscure. It is often interpreted as precious metals, or the rare beauty that occurs deep in the Earth.
Metal also can be forged, or heated and then hammered into a useful object. Metal slices, shapes, and refines, as metal itself is refined in the forge. Using this symbolism, the season of Autumn is a time to cut back, pare down, let go, and identify or refine what is truly meaningful, beautiful, and inspirational to us.
Themes of Autumn (Metal)
In TCM, the themes associated with Autumn or Metal are inspiration and faith: two qualities that indeed seem in abundance when deciduous trees cast away every life-giving leaf they’ve made, trusting they will be able to enrobe themselves again in the spring. As Roman poet Juvenal said, “Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.” The wisdom of nature in Autumn is to keep only the most important things and let go of the rest before moving into the beginning of the next cycle (Winter).
Each phase is also associated with organs in the body. Autumn/Metal relates to the lungs and large intestine. At first, these two don’t seem related. However, when you look at the functions of the organs, they correspond directly to Autumn’s themes: The lungs inhale (inspire) and exhale (let go), while the large intestine absorbs what the body needs and lets the rest go (or should, if it’s working properly).
In Autumn, we’re reflecting and asking, “What happened in this last cycle (whether it be a lifetime or a life lesson)? What helped illuminate my journey that I’d like to use as insight in the next cycle or pass along?” This phase also corresponds to other natural cycles such as the twilight part of the day, a plant shedding its leaves and pulling its energy into its roots, and the release of responsibilities and passing of wisdom as an elder in the human life cycle.
Many people in modern Western culture have difficulty with the Autumn (and Winter) phase. We like to spend our time in the busy-ness of Spring and Summer and the luxuriance of Late Summer. Letting go, grieving, reflecting on what is truly meaningful for us, and finding the beauty in being here even as we face loss are not as appealing, but necessary. This phase can be quite difficult, but as with many challenges, it has its own rewards.
The Gifts of Autumn (Metal)
When we are fully embodying or honoring the season of Autumn, we are identifying what we value the most. We are gathering the beautiful and the inspiring close to us so that when it is time to let go, we can. In the emptiness that remains, we are able to touch into the divine, glimpse the big cycles and natural laws that govern the universe. We have gathered the very best of the last cycle and come to a place of peace as we get ready to pass this precious seed of knowing on to the next cycle.
The gifts of Autumn or Metal include:
Inspiration.
Beauty.
Faith.
Letting go.
Being connected to a larger whole.
Wisdom to carry you back into the Winter phase.
How do you know if you are living in harmony with the Autumn phase? You are able to:
Identify what you value, what you find beautiful or sacred.
Identify what inspires you, what you would like to pass on to the next generation or use as insight in the next cycle.
Connect to something you think of as sacred or divine.
Let go of losses or grievances that are holding you back.
Recognize this phase is part of the natural process that we all need to do.
Practical tips for living in harmony with the Autumn season
If you find yourself feeling out of balance during this season, you might want to try one or more of these helpful practices:
Practice deep breathing (inhale/exhale, inspire/expire, breathe in/let go).
Practice doing a review at the end of the day and letting things go.
Use bodywork including yoga, massage, acupuncture, and energy work to help release tension.
If you’re grieving or hanging on to something that no longer serves you, acknowledge your pain. Allow for solitude and don’t push yourself. Naming it can allow the grief to release, or at least start to move again if it’s lodged deep down.
Find and appreciate beauty so you can understand your own beauty and value as an intrinsic part of Nature.
Have a regular spiritual practice, whether it’s daily, weekly or seasonal. Connect with whatever it is you believe in that is bigger than you.
Incorporate herbs that support the lungs and the large intestine.
Make time each day to poop! This phase is about letting go, figuratively and literally!
References: Diagrams and practices are from a lecture series with Vermont herbalist Larken Bunce, 2015.
Originally written October 2018; edited November 2024.