Our bodies are one with nature in and of themselves. We are constantly creating from fluid, flesh, air, warmth, and space from conception and development in the womb. We bend toward decay and eventual death as we grow older, the process that reverses the original coalescence of atoms. Between joy and pain, communion and separation from existence, and our primordial nature, there can be joy and suffering. There's also a reconnection, which is often catalyzed by the catalytic power of song, touch, movement, poetry, and numerous other ways we utilize our bodies, voices, and senses to merge our interconnected aspects.
These are the five elements, which are considered the substance of all life, that when worked with can create and ignite powerful forces for healing and evolution. In this blog article, I'll offer a clear overview of the elements' basic attributes, offer some ways to balance them as well as show how our lives are intimately allied to theirs, from conception to death and beyond. The elements, like us, have both desirable and undesirable properties, and comprehending how to interact with them is essential for growing self-awareness and meaningful spiritual practice.
Remember that you are EARTH. Ground. Heal. Give. Create.
When we are out of balance with earth energy. We get trapped and weighty, overly serious, and dense if the earth element is too strong. Our routines can become overly mechanical, we can lose touch with our feelings or creativity, and our bodies might become rigid and compressed, limiting the other elements.
What does it look like when the earth element is balanced in us? We feel confident, rooted in our everyday experience, open to life, and able to enjoy the benefits of a balanced body and mind we operate in harmony with the other elements. Our daily meditation and spiritual practice strengthen, our life path becomes clearer and more meaningful, and we are able to relate to all beings with compassion and wisdom, as well as deep regard and sensitivity for life's interdependence.
The Earth element has the ability to cleanse. The earth grounds us and connects us to one another. It's all about self-care and self-nourishment. Consider growing a garden or bringing a plant into your home or healing space to enhance your sense of Earth energy. Lay on and or walk barefooted on the earth, listen to the healing meditation music with instruments that embody the earth vibrations such as drum, gong, and didgeridoo.
Earth energy spiritually promotes abundance, fertility, stability, cleanliness, inner strength, sustenance, creativity, solidity, dependability, security, permanence, introspection, intuition, and wisdom. Use this affirmation and music meditation video to increase your connection to the earth! Earth Affirmation: "In my body, there is peace and harmony."
Remember that you are air. Breath. Observer. Choose. Focus.
We may strengthen the air element, build strong relationships, and learn to express ourselves freely and readily, even in times of extreme stress, if we breathe fully and profoundly. Because breathing is a natural process and all life cannot exist without it, it is beneficial to practice breathing on a daily basis in order to oxygenate and regenerate our system.
Too much wind, on the other hand, can generate agitation, instability, distraction, and dispersion, making it difficult to concentrate or perform routine activities.
The Air Element connects us to thought processes, thinking, intelligence and learning. It is associated with the breath of life and attributed to cleansing power. You can increase the connection to this element by placing feathers, incense smoke, and fragrant flowers and herbs near you. And if possible, listen in nature or with a window open, preferably where the air is clean. Breathe deeply!
Balance the air element, increase communication, intelligence, perception, knowledge, learning, thinking, freedom, imagination, creativity, harmony, and travel.
Use this affirmation and music meditation video to increase your connection to AIR!
Air Affirmation: "Imagination and creativity are my birthrights.”
Remember you are fire. Burn. Awaken. Change. Harness.
When our inner fire becomes dimmed we tend to lose our way & feel unfocused or blocked from the creative source. Challenging emotional circumstances can produce undesirable manifestations on all levels, physical, emotional, and mental. A general loss of passion for things, or a depressed monotone way, sets it.
We can sense this element as inner heat rising through the center channel, bringing a sensation of warmth and wellbeing, or the energy of bliss that accompanies sexual union, as we move from low to high with upward-moving prana. The powers of expression, compassion, intimacy, spontaneity, and exhilaration are all guided by fire energy. As a result, it is the energy that represents love, a completely felt sensation. You can increase the fire element within the body by adding some spice to your life literally and figuratively hot spices like cayenne, chili, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon.
Excessive fire can cause restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, and instability, as well as becoming exceedingly destructive, as in the case of anger; a single spark can set a forest on fire. The volatility of fire, especially if driven by powerful winds, can cause agitation, conflicts, and considerable turbulence in one's life without the anchoring impact of soil and the cooling effect of water.
Cultivate the fire element to increase feelings of compassion, joy, passion, enthusiasm, respect, patience, love, forgiveness.
Use this affirmation and music meditation video to increase your connection to FIRE
Fire Affirmation: "I embody my truth"
Remember you are water. surrender. cry. flow. release
Water has the intelligence within it to remind us to be in the flow. Water flows with ease and takes on the exact shape of whatever it is contained in. With strength, courage, and willpower, a balanced water element can glide effortlessly through any time, place, or circumstance. There's a sense of ease and flow, as well as a sense of being in sync with one's mission or destiny. Water has a lot of depth, darkness, and mystery to it. Fear is the emotion connected with the element of water. Fear is necessary for survival in small doses because it allows us to navigate circumstances with care and caution. Excess fear, phobias, and a lack of courage can occur when the water element is out of balance.
We tend to get caught in inflexible thinking, bury emotions, and procrastinate when the water element is missing. Water rushes freely and cheerfully through life, eroding the hardness of rock as it cascades down the valley, filling and then emptying the space it finds, leaving no clutching, adhering, or holding. Because it is formless, it assumes the shape of whatever it is held in, whether it is a wave, a river, a lake, or rain; there is no stopping this element; it is continually moving. Too much water might cause us to lose our grip on everyday life, making us overly sensitive or emotional. An excessive amount of water can wash away the dirt beneath it, giving confusion and a stuck feeling.
Go to a natural area near a lake, river, stream, or ocean to connect with the Water Element. Take a sip of bottled spring water and see how the water enters your body.
Move your hand through a stream or bath in it, a lake, or at the beach. Feel the refreshing freshness and the soothing, cleaning touch. Remember that water makes up 70% of the human body and that water covers 70% of the earth's surface. Water is all around you, both inside and outside of you.
Reconnect to the subconscious mind, divine feminine energy, fluidity, versatility, transformation, emotions, clarity, adaptability, receptivity, openness, fertility, healing, psychic abilities, magic, and alchemy.
Use this affirmation and music meditation video to increase your connection to WATER!
Water Affirmation: "I trust the flow of my life."
remember you are spirit. connect. listen. know. be present
As the boundless open sky, the spirit, the fifth element also goes by ether, the center or space and it symbolizes the true nature of the mind: empty and luminous. Through meditation, we can cultivate this energy of expansion and openness. We allow our thoughts to go in and out of this space, allowing them to self-liberate. Sadness and joy, fear and hope come and go without attachment. We can enjoy life as it is and adapt to change when it comes.
When we embody the spirit element and see the impermanence of existence, our intellect unites with spirit and we become it, we, therefore, have a vivid experience of reality.
We become flexible and unhurried, able to manage jobs, home life, and spiritual practice, take care of our health, and go on retreats when the space factor is well balanced in us. Our life can feel congested if there isn't enough space; we may feel as if we're continuously trying to catch up with ourselves but never having enough time. If there is too much space, on the other hand, we can become unanchored and drifty, feel alienated from life, and be unable to harness the active drive of accomplishment.
Embody and balance characteristics of the spirit element: transparency, formlessness,
Use this affirmation and music meditation video to increase your connection to SPIRIT!
SPIRIT-EATHER-CENTER Affirmation: "I am open to this joyful, eternal moment."
The elements will assist deeper awareness, evolution, and balance in all aspects of our lives if we are aware of them and willing to engage with them on a regular basis.
May we become as nurturing as the ground, as clear as the ocean, as inspiring as the flame, as free as the sky, and as open as the great Cosmic Mother from whom we came.
— Dennis Kucinich