Elements

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Elements can mean many things.
For me, when I think about the elements, I think about air, fire, water and earth ~ the four elements from which everything is built. From a metaphysical perspective that is.
As such, ‘air’ is not as much the air we breathe, as it is the space in which we exist and operate ~ the arena in which our lives take place. Fire then, has more to do with the movement within that arena rather than the actual flames of a candle or a burning log. Water, along these lines has to do with our emotions ~ with the way we feel about things ~ as well as how all parts, all elements, of our lives are brought together. Earth then is not the soil we walk on, or even the planet; but more the physical, factual manner in which our lives are happening.
This being said... Of course we do breathe the air, drink the water, warm ourselves by the fire, and walk the earth.

When these two perspectives on the elements are put together, they can result in an interesting ~ if not overwhelming ~ dynamic...

Let’s look at what we may experience when there are strong, stormy winds around us. Physically the storm may bring some ‘fresh air’ into our environment. Metaphysically, this strong movement of air may rearrange the space we live our lives in ~ and as such it may bring new ways of thinking, new ideas into our lives. A ‘brainstorm’ may be the result of the stormy weather.
Similarly physical fire, the candle flame or the fire in the fireplace, may well help us create the plans of action to move ahead. Rainy weather not only can feed and cleanse our environment, but can also alter our mood ~ our emotional state. And when we go out into nature we may experience the earth at its most nurturing ~ relaxing us, and helping us to center once again in the very core of our own, individual selves.

When we allow the physical and metaphysical perspectives on the elements to work together in our lives, we may find that when we can feel stuck in a situation a big rainstorm not only takes the blockage away, it also clears our minds so that we can think about the situation in a different manner ~ suddenly becoming aware of how to handle the situation differently ~ or even move on from it altogether!

We even can purposely use this dynamic to get ourselves into that space that we want to be in. Like when we light a candle before we meditate. Or when we take a shower to rinse away the stress of that day...
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