Autumn according to the Nei Jing

Seasons…do we still have them?…questionable, however, the temperature does still drop overall and we do see frosts in those parts that usually get them, although the ‘all seasons in one day’ seems to be more prevalent and perhaps it is more learning to adjust to the qi of the day as needed.

The three months of autumn,

they denote taking in and balance.
The qi of heaven becomes tense.

The qi of earth becomes bright.

The idea for autumn is that we go inward peacefully after summers outward expression of qi. This time is thought to be a good time for meditation being more focused on gathering qi so we have the stores available for winter when there is natural lack of abundance. Gathering from the earth and the air and nourishing the Lungs and Large Intestine is key as these are the organs of the Metal system which find it’s strength in Autumn.

Go to rest early and rise early,
get up together with the chicken.
Let the mind be peaceful and tranquil, so as
to temper the punishment carried out in autumn.
Collect the spirit qi to be balanced.
Do not direct your mind to the outside and
cause the Lung qi to be clear.

Go to bed early and rise with the birds, sleeping longer than in what is advised for the shorter days of Summer. Focus on stilling the mind, and learn to be at peace, to keep in balance for the harsh truths that self-reflection can bring when we go inward. Autumn was also the time when executions were administered in ancient China. Metaphorically, we can look at this as cutting away excess after discerning truth from untruth. To ethically discern with neutrality, integrity and humility speaks to the qualities of Metal when it is harmonious. Breathe, and discern to keep the lungs clear, be clear about what is unnecessary to allow the large intestine to eliminate well.

This is the correspondence with the qi of autumn and it is the Way to nourish gathering.
Opposing it harms the Lung.
In winter this causes outflow of [undigested] food and
there is little to support storage

This is the Way (Dao) to nourish the gathering of qi in autumn. Just as autumn is a time of gathering and harvesting in agricultural terms, so it is with the gathering for our own well-being. Going against these principles can harm the lung function which in winter can cause diarrhoea and a lack of ability to store nutrients which are main functions of the water organs kidney and bladder in winter. Metal nourishes the water of winter so if we don’t have strong enough metal in autumn we might find ourselves on the backfoot, trying to catch up, in the seasons that follow.

Quotes from…
Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: An Annotated Translation of Huang Di’s Inner Classic - basic questions. Vol.1 . Pg 46& by Unschuld, Tessenow & Zheng 2011

Further commentary is Lee-Ana’s understanding from her trainings, knowledge and lived experiences to date.