Last weekend I spent two glorious days hiking in the mountains and learning about wild medicinal herbs from a master herbalist. I thought I had a decent grasp of the local medicinal botanicals in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado. I was mistaken. To spend time with people who have committed much of their lives to botanical studies in this region was humbling, and I found myself swept into a renewed passion for herbalism and for cultivating a deeper relationship with the natural world. When our hearts and minds are open to what draws our interest, we discover an endless world of learning. I was reminded of the beauty and sense of wonder that comes when we do not know, when we exercise the humility necessary to admit how little we actually do “know.” Admitting how little we know is deeply liberating.
Witnessing the joy in children playing- without a goal, an objective, a need “to know,” reminds us what is available when we spend less time in our heads “figuring life out” and simply come into the presence and wisdom of the heart. In the words of Alan Watts, “our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by society… Society is our extended mind and body. Yet the very society from which the individual is inseparable is using its whole irresistible force to persuade the individual that he is indeed separate! Society as we now know it is therefore playing a game with self-contradictory rules.” Not only is society conditioning us to see life a certain way, but even our own egoic structures work against our ability to see life as it is. We’re always living in anticipation or in memory. We’re rarely experiencing fully what is happening here and now, yet this is the only reality we can ever know. How can we know who we are when we’re rarely here?
This past weekend I just sat with plants, observing their relationship to the ecosystem, remaining open and curious. I returned to a basic teaching of the natural world. By being present in nature with a tree, a deer, a bird, a flower in the forest, I am invited into the state of presence embodied by beingness. Secondarily, I might learn the medicinal benefits or culinary use of a plant or how it was used in the past, but the primary gift is just the awakening to the moment- where I’m participating in the evolutionary process of all life on earth. Increasingly, I find this the primary teaching of tea and practice, just to be present with the experience of drinking tea. This is the essential teaching. All else is information, which can deepen one’s appreciation for the tea. However, if we focus on information or method or form over being, we run the risk of missing what’s essential, which is what really matters.
Earth: Returning to the Center and the Kosmocentric Motive
The sage does not hoard.
Having worked for his fellow beings,
The more he possesses.
Having donated himself to his fellow beings,
The more abundant he becomes.– Tao Te Ching
In between each season, we experience a transitional period of roughly two weeks during which the yin and yang energies transform into the qualities of the following season. When working with the five elements for self-cultivation, we take this time to reflect on lessons from the previous season and to return to our own center. The Earth element energy is strongest, however, during the long, sweet, ripe days at the end of summer. In the lunar calendar, this period falls between the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, typically from mid-August to the Autumn Equinox (around September 22nd). This season is associated with grounding, stability, nourishment, and the digestion of experience. This transition between the fiery energy of summer and the cooler, more introspective energy of autumn is a time to practice gratitude for the abundance of nature through mindful eating, transitioning to darker, grounding teas and moving inward.
The virtue of Earth is integrity. I’ve personally found this is a good time to reflect on values, motivations and the balance between giving and receiving. We can use this time to assess whether or not we’re living in alignment with our values. We can recommit to our efforts for greater integrity in life, not just for ourselves, but for the benefit of the whole.
One foundational question you might ask yourself is, “What is the one thing in my life that if I changed would benefit me and everyone else I’m in relationship with?” Check-in with the commitments that you made in the spring during the wood season of goals, aspirations, dreams, beginnings and seed-planting. Are you prioritizing comfort over integrity, and if so, can you set new intentions? Are your motivations coming from a recognized obligation to a greater good, and are you actively caring for others while also attending to your own needs? Where can you nourish others more (or less if you are compromising your own integrity), and where can you nourish yourself more consciously? Finally, do you need to commit to stronger routines or even one habit that can align you more closely with your intentions and integrity? What have you learned during all the activity and movement of the fire season of summer. Take the time to integrate and digest your current lessons, over some grounding tea, so that you can carry a renewed, stable energy into the quieter time of the year. Earth, the fifth element in the order of cosmic generation, marks one’s evolution from a fundamentally self-centered motive to one that is altruistic, from endlessly consuming experiences to generating virtue in the world.
Metal: Gathering the Essential and Letting Go of the
Moving from late summer to fall, nature begins a steady slow inhalation. The trees, bushes, and grasses gently paint forests with orange, red, yellow, russet, brown, and magenta. Seeds harden, sap drops, heavy ripe fruit falls, flowers droop and wither, turning into fertilizer for the spring. The rains descend, often through clear spacious cathedral light. Stronger winds scatter seeds as well as thoughts, symbolized by air, as we reflect on what we must let go of. Wind has a drying nature, and the earth becomes cool and contracted, drawing inward for accumulation and storage. The large intestines and lungs are associated with the Autumn, and metaphorically speak to letting go of all that is non-essential, making room for fresh inspiration. In fact, the word "inspiration" originates from the Latin word "inspirare," meaning "to breathe into" or "to blow into," reflecting the function of the lung as well as the metaphorical idea of divine or supernatural influence. Autumn carries a quality of spaciousness, room to breathe as we become aware of a chill in the air, and time for introspection on meaning and depth.
Just as we harvest grains, separating the wheat from the chaff, we take stock of what’s essential. Animals hunt ceaselessly, storing fat for heat and sustenance, preparing to burrow into the earth. Just as flowing waters ebb and chill, so too must we slow our activities, close the doors and windows of our homes and bodies. The metal element is condensed, cutting, and dry so we must nourish, moisten and protect the vulnerable lungs and large intestines. For this purpose, we specially formulated a powerful Metal Element tincture, which we’re excited to share with this tea club.
Another important aspect of the metal element is captured in the metaphor of “precious metals,” or rarefied essence. Consider what is actually important to you, what you truly value. In dysfunction, metal is attached to material forms and fixed identity, rather than the true nature of all material forms, which is impermanent and impersonal. Rigidity of fixed self-image leads to pride, unhealthy righteousness and the egoic pursuits of wealth (“precious metals”), fame, recognition and reputation. These considerations are fleeting pursuits that betray the reality that every human being is a process, not a fixed entity. These pursuits leave us feeling empty for lack of true connection to what is essential. This conditioned habit creates an internal pathology wherein we accumulate and hoard things that lack essential worth, lose contact with the inherent worth of this precious life as well as the inherent worth of others. We thus undermine our functional integrity- psychologically, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
To learn more about the psychoemotional aspects of the metal element as well as beneficial foods, herbs, practices, we suggest exploring our blog in full. You might also consider joining the “Hold Nothing” November retreat in Florida, which I’m cofacilitating with mentor, long-time yogini, cha jin, author, artist, and friend Elena Brower. We’ll be exploring practices associated with the metal element, including meditation, yoga, tea ceremony, dharma talks and seasonal food.
Closing Thoughts on Elemental Work
Working consciously with the elements each season yields a profound opportunity to evolve. We live in a society that largely values materialism, rationalism, technological progress, status, and egoic identity. Modern standards assess the value of the self by worldly success. In the west especially, we exalt rugged individualism and autonomy, which results in a growing sense of isolation. The central pathology of modernity is existential loneliness and a lift bereft of meaning. By engaging the elements, we expand our worldview, especially when practiced with others, which allows us to connect with our higher creative potential. We learn to envision a more wholesome future for ourselves and others. Our lives become enriched with deeper meaning, authentic connection and the opportunity to work in service for the benefit of others. In many ways, working deeply with the elements helps us see the impersonal nature of our “problems,” learning to relate to them as opportunities for growth and interpersonal development. In seeing the archetypes of the elements in others, we develop greater compassion for universal challenges.
We live in an increasingly complex reality and the endless barrage of information can lead to confusion, fatigue and overwhelm. By connecting with the timeless principles of nature, we find steady, high-ground from which to survey what is true for us. This superpower counteracts the pace of information-sharing characteristic of the digital age. Taking time each day to come back to the self, to cultivate mindfulness through tea and meditation, and to learn from this gentle plant medicine all serve as extraordinary gifts during these chaotic times. Considering elemental prompts and developing a closer relationship with nature opens us to larger cycles and patterns of life. These practices serve as profound ways to maintain an evolutionary, integrous direction in modern life.
In considering what teas to drink in the Autumn, we generally drink teas that are rich, nourishing, grounding, roasted and mildly sweet. Less activity during colder months demands less enlivening and moving teas. We emphasize teas to support and tonify the organs, fluids and blood. Late summer and early autumn are times to clear excess summer heat from the body, and to support the digestive system. For this purpose, we drink teas that combine bitter heat-clearing qualities, pungent or “spicy” teas to promote circulation, and mildly sweet teas that support digestion. Mid to late autumn is a time to protect the body from cold, wind and dryness. We then tend towards teas that are mildly sweet to support digestion of heavier foods, slightly sour to prevent the loss of body fluids and counteract the dry environment, or aged teas to generate warmth, especially later in autumn. To simplify, early autumn is a good time for bittersweet green teas and light red teas, and more toasty, smoky or spicy mid-aged sheng Puerh. Mid autumn is an ideal time for roasted oolongs, slightly sour Hunan Black Tea, sweet Huang Pian Sheng Puerh, mellow red teas, and the beginning of deeper, warming shou Puerh in preparation for winter.
Please refer to the rest of our blog and our Instagram page where you can find extensive writing on the Metal and Earth elements. We cover diet, herbs, personality type, metal qualities, lung and large intestine health, among other topics related to self-cultivation in the Fall. You might also be interested in our monthly Puerh club, which shares one seasonally-appropriate, curated Puerh each month. Finally, we’ve designed a Ritual Kit, which has a beautiful Zisha clay side-handle pot and two bowls, specially designed for personal practice.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful practice and way of life with us.
Oh, and just for reading all the way to the end, please enjoy 15% off your next order with the code: METALELEMENT. Happy sipping and we hope to share a cup in person soon.