Elements

Next time you have a sandwich or a piece of toast, stop and think for a minute. Where did that bread come from? It started off as seeds in the Earth. The minerals in the Earth fed it. Water from rain clouds made it moist and helped it to germinate. It transformed carbon from the Air and grew tall. Fire from the Sun turned it golden yellow. It is filled with the Life Force of Spirit.

Then stones of Earth ground it into flour. The flour was mixed with some Water and some fat. Yeast made bubbles of Air in the dough. Then it was baked in a Fiery hot oven. And Spirit permeates it all: the flour, the water, the baker kneading.

All we are and all the energy we have ultimately comes from the Elements. They are the essential forces that are the foundations of our lives. They have much to teach us about Spirit, and all things on the Web of Life.

The Elements

Spirit is really the Everything. It is the purest expression of Life that permeates everything. All things are Spirit, and the other Elements are Spirit themselves, getting denser as you go down the list. It is the unmoving point at the centre of the Wheel as well as the ecstatic movement at its rim. It is the place where we touch the Divine.

Air is light and young. It dances and flies. It is Spring and dawn and waxing. It is new beginnings. It is the power of the mind and the practice of meditation.

Fire is lively and hot. It is the fullness of life. It creates and explores. It is Summer and midday and pregnant with passion. It is the power of intuition and the practice of creativity.

Water is flowing and mature. It surges like the sea and lies quietly, like the mirror surface of a lake. It is Autumn and dusk and waning. It is completion. It is the power of emotion and the practice of divination and healing.

Earth is heavy and still. It is death and dying. It is the quiet between activities. It is Winter and midnight and darkness. It is fertile and full of potential. It is the power of bodily sensation and the practice of community.

 

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