Fall is the season of letting go

Yesterday was the first day of fall.

This seasonal switch is a biggie because we’re transitioning from the active (spring and summer) to passive (fall and winter) seasons.

The shift from external summer energy to internal fall energy can feel abrupt—for some it’s a bummer, for others it’s a relief.

Regardless of your seasonal preferences, nature charges forward. In the months ahead, her message is clear: Clarify. Refine. Let go.

Fall is the ideal time of year to get clear on what you want, take decisive action in that direction, and let go of anything that doesn’t support you in the endeavor.

This wisdom about fall comes from Chinese medicine. In that system, each season is associated with a natural element, which offers a blueprint for living in flow instead of swimming upstream.

The element of fall is Metal.

Metal energy is rock solid—dependable, strong, and enduring.

A person embodying Metal qualities has a quiet strength about them, even in the face of challenges. There’s a self-assuredness and discernment to Metal energy, which fuels inner confidence and clarity of thought.

When your Metal is coming through, you don’t feel the need to look outside yourself for compliments, direction, or validation. You’re self-possessed without being self-obsessed.

Be like Metal this fall.

If there are areas of your life where you’re having a hard time saying no, letting go, or eliminating choices, I invite you to run some experiments.

Would you be willing to…

…decline that invitation?
…leave that place?
…stop believing that thought?
…accept that answer?
…toss that item?
…have that conversation?
…delete that number?
…take that on?
…make that decision?
…break that tradition?

It may feel counterintuitive since fall is the time of year when many of us get back to routines and load up our calendars. But since Metal energy is more readily available in fall, you may notice that taking decisive action is easier than you expected.

For the next three months, nature is on your side when it comes to identifying what’s important to you and unapologetically moving toward it. To not be discerning—to allow obligations and expectations to rule your life—is to work against the flow of our natural ecosystem.

Like a tree losing its leaves, you can drop any responsibilities, patterns, or beliefs that don’t serve you. Nature’s orders: It’s time to let go.

Providence, RI
September 2025