Thoughts on the Metal Element. Falling leaves making way for the deeper beauty of Autumns naked honesty. Breathing in and letting go, aware of my present station, significance and insignificance, humble and grateful.
Metal is our animal, instinctual nature, keenly aware of the border between self and other, it is what keeps us real. It forces is to deal with the truth of “what is”. Metal is what holds us fully in our bodies and makes us animated and responsive. Metal is our inner prophet. Our connection to the Unity. Our built in honing device. Metal forms our truth detector, our ability to smell a lie. Metal forms the structure of our value system. Honor and respect. Metal is that part of us that still remembers the perfection that we came from and encourages us to hone and perfect our walking so that we may re-enter the Garden.
Beautiful simplicity. All creatures just being their authentic nature. Birds being birds, trees being trees, clouds being clouds. There is a natural order of things. There are natural laws and hierarchy which give structure and context to this life. All creatures are playing their part not by pretending, rather by being real. When we are true to our authentic nature as it was intended to manifest in us, there is a feeling of correctness. It just feels right. This may take practice.
In nature all the creatures are plugged in. Fed by the same source the trees, birds and butterflies all instinctually know their original nature and their place in this world. They “just do it”, and there is harmony and balance, what I would call the Unity. Everything just humming along nicely. It is the Metal Element that keeps all creatures plugged in so that they never forget their original nature nor stray from their unique authenticity.
When we are in alignment with the Unity and engaging our unique authentic nature we become beautiful. We all know true beauty when we see it. There is something special about it. Something that is awe inspiring when we see or feel it. It seems honest, unashamed, almost unworldly. Grace is beauty in motion.
Right and wrong, good and evil, pure and impure, truth or lie. How do we know the difference? Who am I? What is my purpose? Do the “10,000 things” actually fit together? If so, then what does the completed puzzle look like? The lion eating the baby Gazelle, how does that piece fit? My mother died when I was 6. How could that be a part of any divine plan? These are all the big questions our Metal Element wrestles with.
The primary way that the Metal Element works with these questions is through discipline. Discipline being the continuous cycle of learning, honing and reevaluating and further fine tuning. It requires rigor and a commitment to honesty. It requires that we let go of what no longer serves in order to make room for what is of true importance. Inner cleanliness. Being very clear what we are and are not about. When done well it fosters perfection for the sake of beauty all in response to witnessing the Unity. This is Artistry.
May we all find the Peace, Love & Mercy necessary to sustain us and our families as we enter into the realm of Winter. May we stay anchored in our Hearts and remember that “Life is supposed to be about Love.”