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, perhaps it is more learning to adjust to the qi of the day/week/month 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, acting without hurry, 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 can find their 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. By stilling the mind, and learning tranquility, the harsh truths of self-reflection that arise when we go inward can be softened. Autumn ‘punishment’ could also be associated with violent storms that can come with this season. This was also the time when executions were carried out 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 sound discernment can help to keep the lungs clear. This allows for clarity about what is unnecessary optimising the large intestines ability to eliminate the waste.

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 can be important functions of the water organs kidney and bladder in winter. Metal nourishes the water of winter so if we go against the natural qi of this time and tax metal in autumn we might find ourselves on the backfoot, trying to catch up, in the seasons that follow in terms of our well-being.

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.

Autumn (where the winds can ‘blow with a cutting sound’ according to Wang Bing)

Bracing and gathering,
to let the winds of change blow through each cell,
to cut away the past,
in preparation to sit in the still nothingness of winter,
so creation of the new can flow with abundance in spring,
inspiring action for fulfillment in summer.