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in·spire /inˈspī(ə)r/: arouse, animate, imbue with spirit, give rise to, possessing extraordinary quality as if arising from an external creative impulse, to breathe in
According to Classical Chinese symbolism, autumn is associated with the energetic qualities of the metal element.
Metal 金 (Jīn) corresponds to anything in nature with an internalized structure, such as crystals and gemstones, or the rocks beneath a river that set the foundation for how the water flows. Mountainous regions are in resonance with the quality of the metal element. The character for metal 金 can also be translated as gold, money or something that is highly respected.
The primary organ networks associated with metal element are the Lung and Large Intestine, which both exhibit a gesture of downward descension in the body. The Lung carries the primary essence of metal; it sets forth the rhythm and regulation of qi flow throughout the entire body. Respiration epitomizes this rhythmic flow of qi, and the Lung is the vessel of the breath.
The breath is perpetually being shared by every living thing. In this very moment, what we each have in common is that some variation of nitrogen, oxygen and argon is rhythmically passing through our lungs and being recycled outward as carbon. Pure air collectively nurtures us all and polluted air makes all of us sick; likewise we commonly pass respiratory illnesses through the breath which cause us to share a similar set of symptoms during the same frame of time. In a sense, the breath is what collectively connects us; it is even the vessel through which we communicate.
Similar to the sensation we have when we sit upon a mountain and look out into the world as if taking a deep spiritual breath, the Lung is responsible for a pure sense of clarity and expansion; an inner-knowing of our spirit that we are connected to something bigger than ourselves. To be direct, our connection to oneness lives through the Lung.
The Lung is constantly moving the most subtle substance, the breath, through our physical body. As such, a healthy Lung equates to being able to make contact with a sense of expansive inspiration in ourselves that is not simply mentally validated, but viscerally embodied.
An unhealthy Lung equates to being out of touch with this inspiration, and in its place comes a fixation upon the material world which leads to increased judgement, pessimism and criticism (which can move through the water element as arrogance and disdain). So when you are feeling extra critical of yourself or the world around you, your lungs are seeking some love. Breathwork is a great medicine for the Lung, and any medicine that moves through the Lung rhythmically moves through our whole being. We see this exemplified as breathwork regulates the entire nervous system. It is important to distinguish breathwork from meditation: meditation is a wonderful medicine which vessels through the Kidney and the water element moreso than the domain of the Lung.
As the trees shed their leaves during this time of year, it is likewise in alignment to shed anything we do not wish to bring forth into the new cycle of life come springtime. Naturally, excess is stripping away all around us and things are left exposed in their raw, naked forms: nature provides us with an obvious depiction of what is and what is not. There is likely a reason why many claim fall as their favorite season: it is refreshing to rest inside the deep pause wherein simultaneously a season of life is ending and a new one is emerging just around the corner. This is in similar fashion to how the breath continuously moves into and out from our body through the Lung, over and over again. In the autumn, our spirit is met with the enduring promise of the recycling of life.
With shedding away what is no longer needed comes the reality of letting go. It is no surprise that grief is the emotion associated with the Lung. Grief is not only tied to losing someone or something; we might grieve being out of touch with our sense of self, we might grieve a feeling of not being enough, grieve our ideals that never came to fruition in reality, or simply grieve for the state of the world.
There is a certain depression associated with the Lung, wherein one carries a deep sadness inside of their chest which translates to stagnant Lung qi. This upper stagnation of qi prevents it from descending properly, which affects the circulation of qi in the entire body and perpetuates a feeling of stuckness. This type of depression is common in the western world.
A mentor of mine once said, “things come up as they are on the way out.” Sometimes our sadness simply wants to be acknowledged and expressed in order to be moved and transformed; we don’t necessarily need to rationalize why our grief or sadness is there, we only need to let it be felt. Processing these emotions can lead to more space and expansiveness in our being, and this never has to be a lone endeavor. Finding support through our sadness allows us to feel safe and held in our process.
In conclusion, it is a time of year for giving your grief some space to express itself, for sorting through what you do and do not wish to bring into the next life cycle of the spring, and for returning to your spiritual connection and source of inspiration, whatever that means to you. Whatever we do to nourish our Lung and metal element now will help us to be accepting of the quiet stillness, innately mysterious and unknown quality of winter. In the same sense, any breathwork we do now will pave the way for deeper meditation come wintertime.
