“Savor the wine, let go of the cup.”
Metal is the wildness within us that can only be tamed by the One.
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.
Metal seeks to find our place among the nature of things.
There is this hum of life. The buzz of careful choreography. 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.
For many this is the genesis of religion. Regardless of the outer structure of our faith, each has the potential to lead us back to the Unity, the common ground we all share — where there is no separation between you and me. All rivers leading back to the same ocean. Our Metal Element is our oarsmen keeping us on the path, giving us a sense of purpose and meaning.
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.
“Give me the essence.”
The two main organ systems of the Metal Element are the Lung and Large Intestine. Together they offer us the opportunity to acknowledge and grasp what is beautiful and precious by teasing out the essence from it’s wrapping, so that we can drink that essence, that part we have a right to keep and discard the container, the form it came in. Important skills to have when faced with grief and loss.
The deepest teaching of Metal can be summed up in one phrase;
“Savor the wine, let go of the cup.”
Signs and symptoms that our Metal Element may need support:
- Any issues regarding our ability to breath, grieve or let go.
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Shallow breathing
- Weak breathing
- Feel easily winded
- Chronic respiratory track infections
- Aches, pains or tightness in upper chest, neck or shoulders.
- Constipation
- Irritable bowl syndrome
- Difficulty letting go
- Dry skin
- Skin rashes
- Situations where we throw the baby out with the bath water.
- Depression that is really about the inability to take in beauty and find a sense of meaning and purpose.
- Feeling cold and cut off from life.
- Issues of self worth.
- Religious zealot or “there is no God!”
- Perfectionism
- Fanaticism
- Lack of discipline or structure.
- Intolerance
- Feeling thin skinned and overly delicate.
- Feeling over exposed and vulnerable.
- Hunger for the unattainable
- Profound long standing grief