The Metal Person

Personality and characteristics of a Metal Archetype person

Personality

A person governed by the element of Metal element represents the archetype of the alchemist, resourceful and industrious in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. Guided by a fundamental understanding of the inherent value of every individual part of any whole, they are best expressed as applied methodology with the potential to transform ordinary elements into magical expressions of the human spirit. They are often unassuming, behind-the-scenes people, working with steady determination toward their cause or goal. Strongly driven by personal success in their work but without need for public accolades, these people are the ones who meticulously bring projects through to exact completion. They are skilled at maintaining direction and strategy through the messy middle part of things, which serves as the gestational period for their creations. It’s the energy of Metal that carries us through to the end of any journey.

Ruling the realm of the thinking mind, these people are operational, tactical, and strategic planners; researchers, and community or event organizers with an intense sense of purpose and responsibility. They can at times be sharp or piercing with their words, often with their wit, and always with their intellect. Though they can be cold or rigid at first touch, with the right conditions of warmth and patience they are capable of becoming malleable. As remarkably practical people, they tend to think of their emotions as another mechanical function of the body, and are prone to intellectualize rather than feel their experiences making intimacy in relationships not come particularly easily to people of Metal. However, once they are attuned with someone they make truly unconditionally loyal and supportive companions. Though highly selective with small social circles, the connections they maintain are well earned, tightly bonded, and intended to last a lifetime. 

Paradoxically, these people are both introverts who prefer to stay at home and wanderers with a curiosity about the world. They hold fewer emotional attachments to people or places than other elemental archetypes, and though they are homebodies by nature, their detached perspective allows them to easily feel at home in far away or unfamiliar places so long as it meets their modest standards of safety and comfort. They are firmly grounded by the earth but without roots, and so it is not uncommon for them to get up and leave a home or career in pursuit of their next chapter with very little spoken of it. Their skill for planning, organizing, and anticipating outcomes makes them effective leaders, despite the fact that their personalities are not particularly well suited for the role. Though they are meticulous, detail oriented, hardworking, and methodical, they would prefer to only have to worry about their own selves. Highly self aware, most Metal people recognize that when overwhelmed, they become sharp with their energy or words and risk becoming controlling or demanding to those who work under them, and they are prone to burning out or melting down. 

None of this to say, however, that Metal people cannot be moved in profound ways by their emotions. These people have souls that are stirred by the opportunity to make meaningful impact in the lives of others and make fierce advocates for causes related to global or societal issues such as human rights, the environment, or healthcare. They are guided by a core belief that all beings are of equal value and equally deserving of a better world, and they are not deterred by seemingly impossible tasks or afraid to work in stark contrast to accepted paradigms. 

Balanced Expressions

When in balance, Metal people are capable to incredible things. They are conviction led individuals who are willing to show up and do the work that needs to be done to solve real problems for real people. They finish what they start and are surgical in their attention to detail, with an awareness that sometimes the small things are the most important ones. They are generous with their resources, devoted to what matters to them, and believe that miracles can be achieved through consistently applied principles, collaborative efforts, and dedication to seeing things through. Fixedly ethical and logical people, they are direct, concise communicators who have the power to change the hearts and minds of others on an immensely impactful scale. They are the cogs in the gears of the world, always pushing forward towards an innovative, idealistic new world in which the essence of all beings are held with integrity, respect, and dignity. 

Imbalanced Expressions

In less balanced expressions, Metal people will struggle to identify their own needs or ask for help, making them prone to burnout and meltdown. They are highly skeptical in nature, which has the potential to warp into outright distrust of the goodness in the world as a result of trauma, betrayal, loss, or the resulting grief of these types of injury. Grief lingers heavily in Metal people, who form attachments with the same intentionality with which they meet the rest of their world. The pain sustained by loss or failure can consume them, and they might bury themselves away in their inner world and isolate from their support system. Though this response presents as antisocial behavior, in truth it is driven by fear of abandonment, shame of their shortcomings, or a need for control in their emotional world. As people who are most comfortable referring back to quantifiable data in forming opinions or making decisions, is critical that they are careful not to calculate their value based on the success of their work or relationships. If they come to define or identify themselves by their past successes, they will limit their own capacity for creating through self-fulfilling prophecy tainted by low self-image. Prone to judgmental or unforgiving attitudes and a tendency to cut of their foot to spite their leg, 

Advice

Metal people represent the type of craftsmanship that stands the test of time. If they are able to stay aware of their sharp edges and manage them with care, they are destined to rearrange the available elements to provide the organization, stability, and support needed to withstand the considerable forces of todays world. Metal people will build the bridges that connect us as a global community and knobs for the doors between realities.