You are GOLD! Always believe in your Soul!
As winter creeps across Earth in the Northern Hemisphere, the transition from the yang, outward expansion of Summer to the yin, inward contraction of Winter is well begun. A quick look at the Metal Element, the element associated with this time of year may help join some dots in what we've been experiencing since Autumn began.
The archetype of Metal, when embodied in balance in us humans, is symbolised by GOLD. Just like gold we CAN feel a sense of being inherently worthy and valuable. Good enough exactly the way we are. This sense of self-worth seems to form deep within, as the gold and other precious metals we adorn and decorate ourselves with on the outside, are formed deep within Earth.
In relation to Metal it is said that “that which is most valuable is least substantial”. Re-framing this from a psychological point of view, self-worth is an excellent example of something intangible with immense value to us as we seek to embody and project our uniqueness into the world.
Inspiration, our "get up and go" is another of these least substantial psychological gems. In nature this intangible aspect of Metal is represented by OXYGEN and in our body’s as the lung meridian. No co-incidences there then! Since the lungs are the organ directly in charge of the inspiration of air, our primary and most subtle source of life force energy.
However, when metal is in contact with oxygen and water it rusts. Hence the expression “rust never sleeps” - that which is bright and shiny can naturally become tarnished and peeling simply as a result of existing in Earth’s element-filled atmosphere.
For us, wants and needs that once felt important may for no obvious reason start feeling less so, somehow past their sell by date. The attitudes and behaviours arising from these drivers may in turn start to feel staid or stuck and appear to yield diminishing returns in terms of creative outcome and satisfaction.
"A good merchant knows when to sell" they say. Ideally high and certainly not to hang on too long before the rust affects the value of his wares. This “merchant-like” intuition is one of the benefits of inner work such as therapy or meditation. Noticing patterns of thinking and behaviours gives us the choice to make a change, to sell and move on.
Fortunately it’s rarely the gold within that’s disappeared! More likely the pot containing it has moved along with the rainbow. The rainbow may have grown, changed shape or popped up somewhere else as rainbows have a frustrating habit of doing the closer we get to them!
In my work I’ve found that exploring our experience of the mystery and beauty of Metal can shed light on issues linked to lack of self-worth, dips in motivation or despondency.