To The Roots Healing

The Metal Element & Fall: A Beginner's Guide

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, every season is tied to an element, and fall belongs to Metal.

Metal is the element of letting go. Think about what happens outside this time of year — trees release their leaves, plants pull inward, everything starts to shed what it doesn't need to carry through winter. Your body is wired to do the same thing. As it is wired to do for each season with corresponding organs.

Metal runs two organs: the Lungs and the Large Intestine.

At first that pairing seems odd. But look at what both organs actually do:

· The Lungs take in what you need (air) and release what you don't (carbon dioxide).
· The Large Intestine takes in what's left to absorb and releases the rest as waste.

Both are about the same job: take what serves you, let go of what doesn't. Which isn’t always easy to do.

Where grief comes in:

Grief is the emotion tied to Metal — and specifically to the Lungs. When grief doesn't get fully processed, it's said to get "stuck" there. You might notice it as shallow breathing, a tight chest, or that heavy feeling that won't lift.

Here's the part people don't expect: the Large Intestine is the Lungs' partner organ. So when you're holding onto grief emotionally, your body often holds on physically too. Constipation, in this view, isn't random — it's the same "can't let go" pattern showing up in your gut.

Not because sadness literally clogs your colon, but because the same energy runs through both.

When Metal is balanced:

· You can feel grief fully and then move forward
· Your breathing is deep and easy
· Your digestion and elimination are regular
· You have healthy boundaries — you know what to let in and what to release

When Metal is out of balance:

· Sadness lingers longer than it should
· Breathing feels shallow or tight
· Skin gets dry
· You get backed up — literally

Why fall is the time to work on it:

Fall is when Metal is most active and most open to support. It's the natural season for release. It’s working with what your body already wants to do this time of year.

Supporting the Lungs looks like: breathwork, movement, fresh air.
Supporting the Large Intestine looks like: hydration, fiber, and actually letting yourself go.

And doing a fall cleanse 🍂

The short version:
Fall = Metal = Lungs + Large Intestine = letting go. Grief lives in the lungs. Old waste lives in the gut. Same lesson, two places. Letting go of grief doesn’t mean you lose complete sight of what grief set in motion. It means you are able to let go of the imbalance it is causing. This season is when your body is most set to release both.

Happy healing 🐦‍⬛

A very insightful piece of literature! Worth the read. Not a be all end all on everyone’s face and not concrete on what you see in everyone’s face, though! Did you know the left side of your face lets people know things about how you are in private?! I feel the left is your authentic you!

Do you ever feel an emotion? And don’t know why? Keeping a life event calendar is very important! Big amazing events like a wedding, or sad events such as a loss in the family or very bad news. For women they will recycle back every 7 years and for men every 8 years. Keeps track, you’d be surprised at what emotions are making their rounds. Our cells are revisiting, we can react the same way as the first round or try to grow!