You Are Earth in Human Form
The Influences of Autumn/Metal in our Lives
Jordan Pond in Acadia
It is really starting to feel like Fall, with the cool nights and shorter days. Autumn’s gusty winds conjure longing for apple cider and a warm sweater. We cannot deny that summer is over. The Autumn/Metal phase is the harvest season. All of Nature is getting ready for winter and we are as well, though in modern times, we may not recognize it as such. At this time of year, our ancestors would have been furiously choosing the best food and fuel to store for themselves and their livestock to get through the cold winter months. Decisions were made about what to keep and what to let go of based on what would sustain life through the winter. These activities are clearly aligned with the Autumn/Metal phase energy which is all about discernment, refinement, and release.
In modern times, most of us are not working the land and physically doing the work of harvesting to survive the winter. Because we rely on the grocery store, central heating and electric lights, we don’t have to think about it. The grocery store shelves remain stocked with pretty much the same stuff all year, and heat and light are available at the flick of a switch. What we have lost in the exchange for modern convenience is our relationship with the living Earth which the seasons so beautifully invite us into.
You are Earth in human form. I heard that statement not long ago from Pat McCabe*, a Native American activist, and have been thinking about it since. It is a succinct way of saying that we are not separate from Nature. That the seasonal forces that influence the plants and animals that live outside our living spaces are also influencing us. The fact that we no longer know that to be part of our reality is part of the spiritual and environmental cost of well stocked grocery stores, central heat, and electric lights. If we knew ourselves to be part of Nature, then it would be impossible for us to make decisions that injure Her for the sake of profit or convenience because we would be injuring ourselves.
The crisis of culture and Nature that we find ourselves in can only be healed when we re-enter this fundamental relationship.
Thankfully, the Earth extends us endless invitations to be in relationship. One of the most obvious gateways is through the dance of the seasons: birth, growth, decline, death, and rebirth. As the Earth travels around the sun, the light energy streaming into us changes day by day. It is this change that gives rise to the seasons.
We have just passed the Autumnal Equinox, the halfway point between the Solstices. In Autumn, the energy from the sun is declining day by day, leaves turn color and drop to the ground, and birds fly south. How are you responding to the changing light? What is happening in your spirit/emotions/body?
Monhegan on the Equinox
There comes a point in August where we feel tired and start craving cooler temperatures and more structure and routine than summer offers. That is because Summer energy is over by the end of July and by early August we start responding to Autumn’s energy of the harvest and preparing for winter. We are pulled to be more discerning about how we are spending our time and energy because every cell of our body starts to hum with the knowing time is short, and we need to have resources in place for Winter. This requires us to be more structured in how we spend our days because there is a lot to be done in a short time. Because our structures of work/school are no longer directly involved with the resource of literally harvesting, we feel the urgency and are confused and a little stressed by it.
Understanding how to recognize the influences of the seasons in our spirits, emotions, and bodies not only helps us individually but it also puts us into a conscious relationship with the Earth that is so badly needed at this time.
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Here are some of the ways you can accept the invitation of Autumn in your life:
Invitations of the Equinox
· During the time of the Autumnal Equinox, what in your life needs rebalancing as you head into the dark half of the year? Commitments, relationships, work, self-care…?
Invitations of Autumn
· Have you noticed any feelings of loss, melancholy or grief?
· Have you noticed past losses popping into your mind?
· What have you noticed shifting in:
· Your food interests
· Anything with lungs/sinuses/mucus membranes
· Anything with the large intestine (i.e., bowels)
· Anything you know you need to clean up or let go of but are struggling with?
· Have you noticed feeling inspired or reinspired about anything?
· Have you taken a moment to reflect on and have gratitude for the harvests in your life?
· What have you noticed about dryness?
· Do you have the structures in place that support your life in a healthy, balanced way?
· What have you noticed about your energy as Nature’s energy is drawing inward?
· What are the ways in which you feel valued or feel you have added value to someone else or to the world?
Monhegan
As the leaves turn color and birds fly south, we humans respond in these ways. It may seem like a random list to us now, but it would be very familiar to our ancestors. Fortunately, the Taoist teachings on this escaped the devastating effect of the spread of Christianity on the indigenous people of Europe and our traditional ways. If you do a little reading on the Taoist 5 Elements, you will find this information listed under the Metal Element and Autumn.
This is important because it can help us know how to respond to the Earth’s ongoing invitation to be in relationship with Her. The invitation is to bring human consciousness and gratitude back into the Web of Life. These are uniquely human gifts.
I have written a lot about using the chart below to help us connect with the seasons. Check out the blogs for that. If you are unfamilar with it, I made a little video called “How to Work with the Chart”:
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*Pat McCabe (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining) is a Diné (Navajo) mother, grandmother, activist, artist, writer, ceremonial leader, and international speaker. She is a voice for global peace, and her paintings are created as tools for individual, earth, and global healing. She draws upon the Indigenous sciences of Thriving Life to reframe questions about sustainability and balance, and she is devoted to supporting the next generations, Women’s Nation and Men’s Nation, in being functional members of the “Hoop of Life” and upholding the honor of being human.