• Check-In  •

• Giving Thanks  •

Written by our newest practitioner, Courtney Kelly

The practice of giving thanks in late Fall predates Western tradition by millennia. Autumn has long been a season of gratitude and appreciation. In the northern hemisphere it is the season of harvest, a time to tend and gather. It is also a time to slow down and let go.

In Chinese Medicine, the natural world is viewed through the lens of the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each element represents specific qualities, organs, emotions, and seasons. This provides a framework for understanding our own balance and harmony with nature.

The Five Elements are also called The Five Phases because they are cyclical in nature and each is related to the other. For example, trees need water to grow, and natural forest fires return nutrients to the soil that supports new plant growth. Those trees, at the end of their lives, decay and become part of the earth. So on and so forth goes the cycle of nature through these phases.

Each of these elements also corresponds to a specific season. The Metal element, associated with the Autumn season, governs the functions of the Lung and the Large Intestine. As such, the Metal element and the season embody themes of grief and letting go, as well as deep gratitude and recognition of what we have.

When the Metal element is in balance, it provides the ability to be discerning without being overly critical. As the trees around us drop last season’s leaves, we too are being urged to let go of what no longer serves us in order to make space for new growth in the future.

While Summer is a time of abundance and expansion, Autumn is a time for slowing down and preparing for a restful and restorative Winter. The Metal element is associated with, and therefore supported by, warm and spiced foods. This means apples and pears stewed with cinnamon and clove, roasted garlic and root vegetables, rich and spicy soups and stews.

The Metal element, and the Lungs in particular, are associated with grief. The natural yin/yang balance to that grief is gratitude. This time of year, the Metal element beckons you to grieve when appropriate and to let go when it is time, and to fully and deeply appreciate the space left for you to grow thereafter.

• Gratitude  •

I am so grateful for the clinic  team of Tara Bunch, Courtney Kelly, and Leah Cheaney. I could not do this without them. I’m thinking back to how things were last holiday season and I am so grateful to have come through those hard times to be on the other side of them this year. Thank you for your support.  I’m looking forward to good times with you all this holiday season and beyond.

– Aimee and the Peoples Acupuncture of Asheville