The Element of Metal

Acupuncturist, Emily Delahaye is based in Reading, West Berkshire

Emily is trained in two styles of acupuncture: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the Five Elements. TCM style acupuncture is often used to help with physical complaints such as migraines, gynaecological issues or musculoskeletal pain to name a few. Whereas the Five Elements style of acupuncture treats conditions by addressing emotional imbalances in the body.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, illness or disease is caused by an imbalance in the body's “Qi” or the body’s flow of energy. Acupuncture treatment aims to correct the imbalance and restore the flow of Qi in the body. Chinese Medicine states that one of the main causes of disease is our internal state and that our emotions can affect our emotional, mental or physical health.

Put simply, it has long been recognized that our emotions affect our health!

Chinese Medicine has been in practice for many years and the foundations of the Five Element theory were written well over2000 years ago.

The philosophy says that nature is governed by the balance between Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.

The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water and they are the basis of energy in nature and in people.

Each of the elements has certain associations or resonances, for example, a season.

Within each of us, we have all of the Five Elements but we tend to have one element that dominates our emotional health or our balance of Qi.

You may remember that in June's edition of Alchemical Voice, I wrote about Wood.

In this edition, we will explore the Metal Element which is associated with Autumn. Autumn is a time when energy starts to decline. It is when the leaves start to change colour and drop from the trees.

The Metal Element was named and described long before there were steel mills or mines. We can think of the Metal Element as the minerals and trace elements that are found in the soil and earth. Metal represents something valuable and precious and the Chinese character suggests something small in quantity buried deep within the Earth. So as the leaves fall from the trees in autumn, they break down into minerals and trace elements that will nourish the soil.

The organs that are associated with the Metal Element are the Lungs and the Large Intestine. The Lungs are the “Receiver of Qi from the heavens”, while the Large Intestines are the “drainer of the dregs”, so together they are responsible for bringing in fresh Qi and energy into the body and for clearing out the wastes and old Qi, both on a physical level and an emotional level.

The Lungs house the spirit called the “Po”, which is the physical or corporeal soul. The functions of the Po are to:

- Give capacity for physical activity

- Provide psychic protection

- Allow one to be physically and spiritually animated

Emily Delahaye

emilydelahayeacupuncture@gmail.com

www.emilydelahayeacupuncture.com

0786 140 9921

Read more in November's Alchemical Voice (page 36)