Autumn's Invitation: Living in Harmony with the TCM Metal Element

Letting Go, Breathing Deeply, and Making Space for What Matters

There is something about autumn that invites us to slow down.

The leaves begin to change, the days become shorter, the morning air becomes crisp, the garden gives us its final harvest and nature begins the beautiful process of letting go.

Trees don't cling to leaves simply because they have been beautiful, they release them because the season has changed.

This is the wisdom of the Metal Element in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Autumn is associated with Metal, and Metal invites us into a season of release, reflection, discernment, breath, and preparation.

It asks us a powerful question:

What am I ready to let go of so I can make room for what truly matters?

The Wisdom of the Metal Element

In the TCM Five Element system, each season has a particular energetic quality.

Metal, autumn follows the abundance of late summer’s Earth Element.

After the harvest, nature begins to conserve. The outward movement of summer turns inward. The trees release their leaves. Plants retreat toward their roots. Animals prepare for winter. The natural world becomes quieter. And we are invited to do the same.

Metal is the season of refinement.

It asks us to look at what we have accumulated, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually and determine what is worth carrying forward.

Metal and the Art of Letting Go

The Metal Element is associated with the Lung and Large Intestine.

There is beautiful symbolism in this pairing. The Lung receives. The Large Intestine releases. We inhale. We exhale. We receive. We let go.

Every breath reminds us that life is a continual exchange between taking in and releasing. But how often do we hold onto things long after their season has ended? Old expectations. Old identities. Old relationships. Old stories. Old disappointments. Old beliefs about who we are supposed to be. Sometimes we don't even realize we're carrying them. Until we become exhausted.

Autumn offers us permission to ask:

What am I carrying that I no longer need?

The Metal Element and Midlife

As many of you know, I work with women on their menopause journey. We begin with Metal Element. This seasonal wisdom can be especially meaningful during menopause and midlife. Midlife often brings its own harvest of experience. We have lived enough life to know what matters.

We have experienced relationships, heartbreak, joy, disappointment, success, failure, motherhood or caregiving, career changes, loss, reinvention, and growth.

And sometimes we discover that some of the things we once thought were essential simply aren't anymore.

Perhaps you no longer need to please everyone.

Perhaps you no longer want to spend your energy proving yourself.

Perhaps a relationship has changed.

Perhaps your definition of success has changed.

Perhaps your body is changing and asking you to relate to it differently.

Perhaps you're grieving the person you used to be.

This is where Metal offers an important distinction:

Letting go doesn't mean that something didn't matter.

It means recognizing that its season may have changed.

The Emotion of Metal: Grief

Grief is traditionally associated with the Metal Element. And grief is much bigger than losing someone we love.

We can grieve:

• A relationship

• A career

• A home

• A dream

• Our younger appearance

• Fertility

• Our children growing up

• A version of our family

• Physical abilities

• An identity we once relied upon

• The life we thought we would have

Sometimes we even grieve a version of ourselves. But grief can contain wisdom. When we allow ourselves to feel rather than immediately push the feeling away, we may discover what was truly important.

Grief can clarify our values. It can deepen compassion. It can help us recognize what we want to protect, what we want to release, and what deserves our attention now.

Metal transforms loss into discernment. Not overnight. Not by pretending everything is fine. But gradually, through reflection and acceptance.

The Lung: Receive Through the Breath

The Lung is associated with Metal and with the process of taking in Qi through breath. Breath gives us an immediate seasonal practice. When life feels overwhelming, return to the breath. Take a slow inhale. Pause gently. Then allow the exhale to lengthen.

Imagine: Inhale → receive, Exhale → release

You don't have to solve everything. You don't have to figure out your entire next chapter. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply breathe and create enough space to hear yourself again.

AcuAroma for the Metal Season

One of the beautiful ways to work with seasonal energy is through the combination of essential oils and acupressure points.

In AcuAroma Therapy, we can use an aromatic experience together with an acupoint as a mindful ritual that connects the physical body, emotions, intention, and seasonal wisdom.

Two points that offer an interesting way to explore the Metal Element are:

LU1 — Central Palace and LI20 — Welcome Fragrance

Let's explore them.

LU1 — Central Palace

Lung 1 (LU1) is located in the upper chest, just below the outer portion of the collarbone, in a soft depression.

In traditional Chinese medicine, LU1 is associated with the Lung channel and is commonly used in practices addressing the chest and Lung system.

For seasonal self-care, LU1 can become a beautiful point for exploring the relationship between breath, emotional holding, and release.

AcuAroma ritual

Apply Cypress essential oil, properly diluted to acupoint Lung 1

Take a comfortable breath. As you inhale, imagine creating space across the chest. As you exhale, allow the shoulders to soften.

Repeat several times.

Then ask:

What am I holding that is ready to be released?

Sit quietly with whatever answer comes. You don't have to force it.

LI20 — Welcome Fragrance

Large Intestine 20 (LI20) is located in the nasolabial groove beside the nose.

What a beautiful point to explore with aromatherapy.

Our sense of smell gives us an immediate doorway into memory, emotion, and the experience of the present moment.

LI20 is located at the entrance of the nose and belongs to the Large Intestine channel—the paired meridian of the Lung within the Metal Element.

The symbolism is beautiful: Lung receives the breath. Large Intestine releases what is no longer needed. LI20 welcomes fragrance, as its translated name states. This creates an invitation to become more conscious about what we allow into our lives.

What Are You Welcoming?

Autumn isn't only about letting go. It is also about becoming more discerning about what we welcome in.

Ask yourself:

What relationships am I welcoming?

What thoughts am I welcoming?

What experiences am I welcoming?

What kind of energy do I want to cultivate?

What do I want this next season of my life to feel like?

Autumn Is a Season of Discernment

Metal doesn't tell us that everything must be released. Quite the opposite. Metal teaches discernment. Some things are meant to be released. Others are meant to be treasured. This is the difference between: letting go and giving up. Letting go can be an act of wisdom. It can mean: “I recognize that this no longer belongs in my life.” And discernment can also mean: “This matters deeply to me, and I choose to protect it.”

Your Autumn Harvest

Before the season moves deeper into winter, pause and consider what you've harvested from the year. Not just accomplishments. Wisdom. What have you learned? What have you survived? What have you discovered about yourself? What has become clearer? What no longer matters? What matters more than it used to?

Complete these sentences:

This year taught me…

I am proud that I...

I am ready to release...

I want to carry forward...

I am welcoming...

The Metal Element's Gift

Perhaps the greatest gift of Metal is clarity. When we stop trying to hold everything, we discover what is truly valuable. When we allow ourselves to grieve, we may discover what we deeply loved. When we release an outdated identity, we make room for a more authentic one. When we stop saying yes to everything, we discover what deserves our yes. And when we breathe deeply enough to become quiet, we can finally hear the wisdom that has been within us all along.

A Final Autumn Reflection

Go outside if you can. Find a tree. Look at the leaves. Notice the ones still holding on. Notice the ones that have fallen. Neither is wrong. They are simply in different stages of the season.

Ask yourself:

What season am I in?

What am I being invited to release?

What wisdom am I being invited to keep?

What am I ready to welcome?

Take a deep breath.

And remember:

You don't have to carry everything you've been.

You only need to carry what belongs with you into what comes next.

Autumn Affirmation

I honor what has been.
I release what is complete.
I breathe deeply into the present moment.
I welcome what nourishes me.
I trust the wisdom I have gathered.
I carry forward what truly matters.