Spirituality through the elements
Life is not about constantly trying to figure out what is wrong with you. Life is acknowledging what is Divine within you.
— Rachel Hunter
EARTH ∙ WATER ∙ FIRE ∙ AIR ∙ SPACE
Our inner landscape is made up of these elements. We exist because of these energies, all found within this body. To fully live our lives in joyful perception, we need to balance and harness these elements found within us all.
Our matter, who we are
Earth
पृथ्वी — prithvi
What nourishes us
Water
जल—jala
What drives us, our will
Fire
अग्नि — agni
Our life force
Air
वायु — vayu
Our spiritual connection
Space
आकाश — akasha
My great love of the elements, with their different rituals and teachings, started in my childhood.
I was always outside, connecting to nature. After my yoga training in India, and a Sadhana involving the elements, I decided I wanted to incorporate them into a course. Using my own personal experience, and these incredible practices I learned while in India, I know that the more you honor these elements within, the more you can stabilize your own ecosystem. Then the nature of your own, true being is revealed and you can access your natural, intuitive intelligence which in turn allows you to act with responsibility externally. Giving more reverence to the entire well-being of our self supports our environment and our planet.
Earth
पृथ्वी — prithvi
Our feet touch the ground, and breathe into that space. Feel them spreading out tracing into the stability of the ground the floor. Take a moment. Great nourisher sustains us in this human expression. The food we grow, and how we physically experience our existence here, are made possible through the earth.
Water
जल—jala
Every living thing needs this element to nourish it. It is the flow of life, as well as being a source of creativity. Water has a deep emotional component to it. Located in an area of the body called the Sacral Chakra, ironically this place is where children are grown, the womb. Creation again. Water ebbs and flows. A stone thrown in can create far-reaching ripples, cause disruption, and change the environment. Our emotional response is often felt first in the gut; balancing and cleansing this element creates a healthier environment. Try a warm water, or lemon drink, nourishing the belly. Creating and activating the flow, awakening the first brain. Take that time again, engaging, honoring, and embracing that area.
Fire
अग्नि — agni
This heat is the heart of transformation, The firey sun provides the necessary light; without that energy of the sun there would be no growth. Fire nurtures our system, energizes us, and unlocks incredible insight revealing our inner light, our own inner knowledge. The seat of fire is in the Solar Plexus and is used in many traditions for purification and transformation. It cooks our food to nourish and heat us to let go of impurities.
Air
वायु — vayu
In the ancient Chandogya Upanishad, there is a beautiful story of how even the senses fought over who held the most valued asset. After some time they all realized that they would not exist if it were not for breath. This fundamental value, the air that we breathe every minute, has an incredible presence. The power of the breath became my utmost fascination, although in saying that, I have a private romance with all of them. Take a moment, be in your sacred space, inhale, exhale. Take this moment to recognize that the Air, the prana is moving through you. Be in your heart. Through sight, through touch. These are all ways to receive prana. Truth Wisdom.
Space
आकाश — akasha
Akasha, this elegant element is one that we are becoming more and more conscious of as a collective. As we realize how exhausted and frayed we are in this life, lacking in energy, space creates a place for us to drop into Self, to gain clear thoughts.
I invite you to sit with these qualities, these foundations of life, to settle the system.
There is much we may want to do to save the planet, but the way to help is to understand our own system first. Then the outward intelligence becomes clearer. I have found great unity here, with the elements.
Join me in exploring life through the elements.