We all carry each of the Five Elements of TCM (also known as the Five Phases) inside us, and we each have gifts and ways of being in the world that correspond to them. Often, we resonant with one phase far beyond the others. Within each of us there is a particular phase around which the others spin, the source from which our deepest impulses come forth. This could be considered our Type. I love getting at least a loose assessment of someone's type as it helps to reveal their true nature and inform us about our strengths and weaknesses. It helps to know what to pursue more of and what to avoid in the quest for more balance and self-growth. It's also fun. The fundamental archetypes of the phases are:

Fire -- The Wizard
Earth -- The Peacemaker
Metal -- The Alchemist
Water -- The Philosopher
Wood -- The Pioneer

(from Between Heaven and Earth, by Harriet Beinfield, LAc and Efrem Korngold, LAc)

Autumn is Metal season, so I wanted to go more in depth into the Metal archetype for you to learn more about this beautiful phase. The Metal archetype persona is refined, serene, tidy, meticulous, inspired, principled, and reveres beauty and ritual. She can bring together many elements with ease and turn them into something beautiful and extraordinary. The Alchemists are gifted at bringing the magical to the mundane. She is observant, efficient, organized, and holds herself and others to high standards. She seeks the perfection of form and function. Many designers, artists, religious and spiritual leaders, systems engineers, managers, architects and healers are Metal types at their core. Metal tends to love helping people. They love sharing order, knowledge, structure and the “right” way to do something, and they can be highly disciplined and focused as well. Sometimes, when Metal is imbalanced, we can be judgmental, highly opinionated, rigid, self-righteous, overly analytical, or emotionally distant and detached. There could be a challenge with releasing control or emotions with ease. To balance an abundance of Metal there needs to be social involvement, passion, spontaneity and a little bit of letting loose. All of this will help the Metal type relax and connect more deeply with people in their lives.

The Lungs and Large Intestine are organs associated with Metal, and the emotion is grief or melancholy. Breath work, earthing and time spent in nature, good elimination of the bowels, and emotional releasing are all wonderful ways to nourish Metal and keep the energy of these organs healthy. Flexibility - of the mental and physical kind - can also be key in helping Metal types stay grounded and balanced.