Autumn, return to oneself, retreat, the little Yin, the Metal generates minerals that nourish the Earth, mixing its richness and providing trace elements and precious stones. Metal, by extension, denotes constancy in creating itself, resistance and continuity over time but must be treated by analytical capacity, subjected to treatments, manipulated by the human being, giving a functional form to its existence. The Zang connected to the Metal is the Lung and the Fu, Large Intestine. His condition determines how connected he can feel to the outside world: breathing in vital oxygen, breathing out harmful carbon dioxide.
As with the Large Intestine where the digestive process ends with the evacuation of non-nutrient ingested substances. A surplus of this element can lead to a separation between the Self and the environment in social relationships. As far-fetched as it may seem, an excess of Metal can be compared to the number 5 in the Enneagram, a conservative subtype. An instability of the Metal element is detectable by a dull, sad voice with little expressive liveliness: sadness is the emotion linked to Metal.
