Metal: The Alchemist
The virtue of Metal is letting go and forgiveness
As a Metal archetype, you tend to be disciplined, organized, analytical, and detail-oriented. As such, you tend to maintain a neat and orderly personal life.
Though you have a heart of gold, you take time to open up to others and may at first come off as aloof or emotionally stoic.
Your Metal traits are invaluable as they help you get things done with a focus, efficiency and clarity that other elemental archetypes might dream about.
You like order and expect a lot from yourself and others, which can lead to disappointment if you or others can’t keep up with your high standards.
While you’re keen to accepting the authority of those more competent, you’re also strongly committed to your morals. In your work and life, you rely on logic and systematic approaches to problem solving. These skills can support you to become an excellent lawyer, teacher, accountant, detective, or judge.
You value deeper meaning and respect, but also strive for clarity, achievement and self-worth.
You can transform things with your attention, making you a quiet observer and powerful manifester with great resilience and inner strength.
Tools to Balance Your Metal Energy
When out of balance, your Metal energy can make you stubborn and rigid, overly critical and judgmental. By supporting the virtue of your Lungs to ‘let go’, the opportunity for liberation can be supported to help you more easily go with the ebbs and flows of life.
Meditation, journaling and various types of therapy, including hypnotherapy, can all help you cultivate your ability to let go.
Organizing, de-cluttering, creating a regimen, and taking time alone (especially in nature) can go long way in helping you find a deeper connection to your true sense of self.
Creating space for yourself also protects you from external opinions and influences that have a tendency to throw you off balance when you don’t take time to recharge.
Exercises including Yoga, Qi Gong and Tai Ji are particularly beneficial to help open your lungs and feel a greater sense of clarity in your life.
Common Metal Archetype Imbalances
When out of balance, you tend to chase perfection, and your perfectionism can cause you to feel stuck at times.
Emotionally, you have a tendency toward self-criticism, sadness and depression.
When not in your power, you may become condescending, cynical, uptight, and highly opinionated. If your Metal becomes too excessive, you may become sarcastic and judgmental.
Since the Metal element relates to the Lungs and Large Intestine organs, you tend to develop health problems related to the lungs and colon such as allergies, asthma, and respiratory conditions, as well as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation, and hemorrhoids. Since Lung energy is also expressed out through the skin, you may also suffer from problems including dry skin, eczema, hives, and psoriasis when your Metal energy is imbalanced.
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Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
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Overview of the Five Elements
The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine are known as the Wu Xing, or five transformations or movements of energy. The Five Element theory first appeared in several books on philosophy in the 10th century B.C. The first medical writings on the Five Elements were found in one of the most important Chinese classical texts, the Huang Di Nei Jing, or Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, around 200 B.C. Further discussion appeared in Nan Jing, or Classic of Difficulties.
The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These Elements reflect all levels of human function, including but not limited to, the anatomic and physiologic functioning of the organ systems. These elements help explain the nature of biochemical processes and functions of the organism as a whole, including behavior, psychological state, relationships and career choices.
The power of the Five Elements lies in their ability to show us more clearly the world we live in, the nature that surrounds us, and ourselves.
Read More about the Metal Element
