Age Stages Through The Elements
I was reflecting on my energy level to learn new things this year. I usually like learning new material, but not so much this year.
At first, I felt concerned: What's happening to me? Have I lost my motivation?
And then I remembered that I'm in a metal year. Metal years are about letting go and clearing the old so something new can emerge.
What does this mean, you might wonder?
As you may have read from my previous emails and what I share in the Meridian Flow classes, energy shifts each season, which is also reflected in our life stages.
The spring wood season's energy is sprouting: rising energy!
Life stage from conception to 8 years old as little spouts rapidly grow!
The early summer fire season's energy is blooming: peak growth
Life stage from 8-33 years old, blossoming into our individuality.
The late summer earth season's energy is abundant, grounded, and balanced.
Life stage from 33-58 years old is the stable years of adulthood, building a career and family, working hard, and accumulating assets.
The autumn season's metal energy is letting go, leaves falling, and plants returning to earth.
Life stage from 58-83 years old is letting go of the old, retiring, kids moving out of the house, pairing down, and not needing so much. It is the time to reflect and give back, shining our metal into gold by being in service.
The winter season's water energy is about transformation and hibernation.
Life stage from 83-108, the sage years. Sharing wisdom to the upcoming little sprouts and conserving our energy in these later years.
Each life stage (except the initial wood stage) is 25 years.
Within the 25 years are the 5 elemental phases.
The first 5 years of each life stage begin with the upward energy of the sprouting wood phase.
Then, the next 5 years are the yang energy of flowering in the fire phase of becoming.
The third 5 year phase is the earth phase of grounded, balanced stability,
The following 5 years are the metal phase of letting go.
And the last 5 years is the water phase of transformation.
Then, within those five-year phases, each year represents the energy of each element.
I know it's a lot to wrap your mind around but stay with me. It is essential to understand that each year is a different energetic phase within the stages of life to better understand where our energy is and how it shifts each year.
Check out this life stage table. The top 5 elements represent the 25-year cycles, and on the left are the 5-year phases. Within those phases, each year has a different elemental energetic flow.
For instance, I'm 56 in the earth's 25-year cycle (grounded, balanced years of earth stability) within the last 5-year water cycle (transformation).
I'm at the end of the earth phase. And within these last five water years, I'm in the metal year (letting go) of the water phase (transformation) within the earth stage (balanced stability)!
Wow, what a mouthful!
So, no wonder I'm not motivated to take in anything new. I'm in a letting go stage of life, a transformational time.
In 2 years, when I'm 58, I'll be in the wood year, of the wood phase, within the 25-year metal cycle. Upward and hopefully inspired energy within the letting go of what was.
Check your age on the chart and see where you're at energetically. I'm happy to help you understand it. We will review this in the upcoming mini-retreat weekend in the Meridian Flow workshop on Saturday, 7/20.
By understanding the energetic flows that correspond to nature, then it makes sense that some years we feel inspired (wood) or ready to take action (fire), or to dig our heels in and get to work (earth), or let go and reflect (metal), or shift into something different (water).
These stages continue even in our older metal/water phases of life. My teacher reminds me that the first 10 years of each life stage, including metal and water, are upward-moving energies of wood and fire phases. So, there's hope of staying inspired and fresh even as we age!
And to not beat ourselves up if we're in a metal year or phase, as we are energetically letting go and clearing house, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Nature teaches us that we're always in process, never static, which keeps it interesting!
Come join our Masters Path or, if you're a yoga teacher, the 300-hour teacher training to incorporate this profound wisdom into your life and practice as it shifts with each season of the year and our life stages!
Namaste,
Maggie