Acupuncture and Autumn. The Torbay Acupuncture Centre, Torbay, Devon.

Living With Autumn

Acupuncture and Autumn

In Chinese Medicine autumn is associated with the element of metal.  At this time of year, many of us find ourselves feeling uncharacteristically melancholy, longing for, we know not what…

In fact, this is less surprising when we realise what is happening in the world all around us. Autumn really is the end of the cycle, a time of letting go. The fruit of nature’s labours has fallen to the floor, and now the power house of production – the leaves – has begun to follow.

At this time, we too are bidding a fond farewell to things – long summer nights and all their promise, sunshine, warmth and fun… Preparing instead for dark, gloomy nights and frigid temperatures.

However, even in the midst of this we have to remind ourselves of the beauty of it all,  autumn has a special light – reflected through its vibrant, glowing colours. Autumn has a special smell, born out of the beginning of decomposition and regeneration and the explosion of mushrooms and fungi.

All these things show us the beauty of autumn. Along with the loss, there is also the promise that this will all come back again. In the meantime, we get the chance to grow through another season, developing our skills our experience and our wisdom. For now, though, we can rest and feel pleased and proud of how far we have come.

Perhaps then the best way to deal with the feeling of grief that Autumn brings is to breathe it in deeply – accept that all things are cyclical and everything changes:

“With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it’s still a beautiful world…”

Rachel Geary

Rachel Geary BA(Hons), Lic. Ac. MBAcC is a fully qualified acupuncturist, having graduated from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine in 2002. She has previously practised in Inverness and Barnstaple. "I first became interested in acupuncture whilst I was at university studying History and Philosophy. I was particularly drawn to eastern philosophy, which I found particularly elegant and beautiful. I then went on to complete a three and a half year course of study in acupuncture and discovered it to exemplify these very same qualities. I feel very privileged to have been able to learn so much about the Chinese understanding of health and to be able to use this knowledge to help others." Rachel Geary is a Registered Acupuncturist, she is registered at The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC), and The Association of Community and Multibed Acupuncture Clinic (ACMAC).