Winter in the Chinese Medicine calendar begins on November 7. This makes this week the last stretch of autumn and a time of transition. Metal season ends and Water season begins.
Each season has an element, and the elements follow each other in a set order. Metal is autumn. Water is winter. In the five phases, Metal gives birth to Water, so one does not simply stop and the other start. Water comes out of Metal. What autumn finished is what winter has to work with.
This tells you something about the seasons. Autumn is a season of gathering in and letting go. Things are pulled inward, and what is no longer needed is released. Winter takes that inward movement further. The leaves are gone, the animals go underground, and the energy of the natural world moves down into the roots. Winter is the season of storing, of stillness, and of conserving what you have.
In the body, Water is the Kidneys and Bladder, along with the bones and the ears. The Kidneys store Jing, which is your deepest reserve of vitality. It is the foundation for growth, reproduction, aging, and how well you recover. Winter is the time of year when the body is meant to protect that reserve, not spend it.
Because Metal gives birth to Water, what you bring to fruition in autumn is carried into winter. Take a few minutes this week to write down what autumn completed for you, what is unfinished, what you want to relsease, and what you want to bring with you into the quiet months. Anything you have not finished does not have to be forced to an end. You can name it and decide whether it comes with you.
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