The Wardrobe of our Lives

Every autumn, I do a ritual that has nothing to do with candles or crystals....

....I open my wardrobe!

Stop squeezing into a version of yourself that no longer fits!

Have you ever considered that the heaviness you feel from a cluttered wardrobe isn’t just about the sheer number of clothes, but also the stories and energies they hold?

• The jeans you keep “just in case” you shrink back into them.

• The dress that belonged to another season of your life — it fit your image then, but it no longer fits who or where you are now.

• The shoes that pinch or don’t go with anything else, but you tell yourself they were too expensive to let go of.

Just as we carry old clothes, we carry old energies and patterns.  And at this time of year — as the light fades and nature itself begins to shed what it no longer needs — our bodies, minds, and hearts are invited to do the same.

This is what the Metal element in Chinese medicine speaks to — the energy of autumn.  

Just as the trees shed their leaves in trust of the cycle, we are invited to release, refine, and clear space, practicing the clarity and discernment that Metal embodies.

I know it’s not always easy — holding on to what was can feel safer than stepping into the unknown.  Yet as the Metal element sweeps through, it invites us to see with clear eyes what no longer fits, what no longer feels true, and what no longer honours the version of who you are today.

Clinging to ‘just in case’ keeps us tethered to outdated selves — the younger, smaller, overly agreeable version — rather than allowing ourselves to fully inhabit who we are now.

And so, at this time of the year, I practice looking at 'letting go' not as a loss but as refinement — a bold act of creating space for who I am becoming.

Like pruning a rose bush or clearing out a wardrobe, Metal teaches us that simplicity is strength, discernment is sacred, and honouring your present self is more life-giving than clinging to ghosts of the past.

But before the outward changes appear, the inner shifts must happen first. 

Yes, we could ruthlessly whittle down our wardrobe, but without reflecting on the stories we carry — the ‘just in case’ selves, fears, and old patterns — the outer version remains surface-deep.

True transformation lives in the inner work; it’s here that clarity, courage, and alignment take root, before manifesting into the world around us.

Clothes can either hide or amplify who we are and how we show up.

As I look in my wardrobe this year, I can see that my clothes don’t match the energy, intentions, and self I’m stepping into.  So for me, it’s time for a wardrobe clear and reset!  

This time, I feel I am metaphorically stepping into the boldest clothes I have ever worn.  Not in a loud, attention-grabbing way, but in a way that honours my energy and reflects the inner work I am doing. 

These will be the clothes that support me, speak to who I am becoming, and allow me to show up as myself.

Here’s a simple invitation for you: take a moment to notice what feels heavy, outdated, or “just in case” in your own life. 

What are you holding onto that keeps you tethered to an older version of yourself?  Then, imagine what it would feel like to release it — to make space for what reflects your energy, your choices, and the self you’re ready to show up as.

Reflective Prompts

1.    If your wardrobe reflects your inner life, what is it saying?

1.    Which ‘just in case’ version of you is holding you back?

1.    What could you step into if you let go of the old you?

May you use the energy of metal to release what no longer fits, and step fully into who you are now.

Melissa x