Earth, Fire, Air, and Water are known as the Classical Elements, and versions of these elements have been recognized, worshipped, studied, and respected by cultures and civilizations across the globe and throughout history. From Babylon, to Greece; from Tibet and India to Egypt, the elements have been recognized as the core of life since the very beginning of time. They represent not only the building blocks of our world, but also characteristics and tendencies of human nature that reside within each of us. In Hinduism, it is understood that when we die, our body dissolves into the classical elements, and thus we balance the cycle of nature. In Buddhism it is said that each of the four elements represent one of the four sensory qualities necessary to reach enlightenment: solidity, fluidity, temperature, and mobility. In Taoism, it is written that balance, yin and yang, is achieved by the cycle of creation and destruction that comes from the interaction between the classical elements. The four elements reside at the very core of almost every ancient culture, both literally and metaphysically. As I continued to explore the classical elements, I realized that to choose which I connected to the most, I would have to fully understand each of the four elements both on their own, and in conjunction with the other three. I couldn't come to such a decision regarding such powerful forces without first understanding each element and everything it represents.
Earth.
Earth is stable, earth is nurturing, earth is grounding.
Earth is at the center of our very existence.
Earth is the dust from which we are formed,
and the dust into which we will become once we die.
From earth comes all life, all lushness, all wealth, and all beauty.
From earth comes stability,
literal understanding,
nurturing support.
Earth is the roots of our very existence. It grounds us;
anchors us;
reminds us to be humble.
Earth is the mountains,
the valleys,
the bed from which plants grow,
and in which creatures live.
Earth is at our very core.
It is the template from which we are formed.
It is the substance of which we are made.
Water.
Water is flowing, purifying, soothing, loving and healing.
It can assume any shape, fill any holes.
It is free of any true form.
It sculpts, and it nourishes.
It creates and it destroys.
The water that makes up 70% of our body;
the water that is essential to our very existence,
can crush us with its raw power,
it can suffocate us
it can tear down our homes.
Water is an element of power far beyond ourselves.
It is the source of all life,
yet can be the cause of death.
Water is fluid, it is ever changing
from a peaceful stream to a raging river
Water is divine.
Water can quench our thirst,
heal our wounds,
water our gardens, our flowers, our trees.
It is a thing of other worldly beauty and cosmic power.
It is the elixir of life,
yet it cannot be tamed.
Peaceful, soothing, forceful and deadly.
Water sculpts the earth,
nourishes the earth.
It is essential to every moment of life,
yet can take a life in a moment.
Air.
Air is an invisible force,
capable of breathing life into us,
or blowing away everything we have worked for.
Air is soothing, life giving, unpredictable, and playful.
Air represents all that we cannot see:
our minds, our spirits, our hearts.
Air can remain still, or air can come at us in gusts of wind.
It represents the calm before the storm,
and the chaos within it.
Without air, we are nothing,
yet we cannot forget that air can sweep us in the wrong direction.
Air, with time, can shape the grandest mountain,
direct the wildest river,
spread the most blazing fire.
Air is pure.
Air is subtle.
Air is whimsical.
Air is gentle.
Air is manipulative,
it is powerful,
it is unyielding.
Air fills our lungs and allows us to live,
yet air creates the tornados that tear apart our earth.
Air is invisible and unpredictable.
Yet this unpredictable force is what sustains our very lives.
Air carries us.
Fire.
Fire is passionate. Fire is impulsive. Fire is dangerous.
Fire is warmth and fire is disaster.
It can cook our food, heat our homes,
and it can burn our world to the ground.
It can clear paths for new life,
or end life too early.
It is unyielding, it is driven.
It consumes.
Yet fire is life.
Fire is the sun;
the force that fuels the life of virtually every organism on earth,
yet in an instant, it can destroy this life.
Fire creates.
Fire transforms;
wood to ash
candle to wax
forest to a barren field.
Fire destroys
but this destruction leaves room for new creations.
For new beginnings.
Fire cleanses with passionate destruction.
The heat of fire is essential to life,
and to reap its benefits,
we must wager with the chance of death.
After all this exploration, after all this reflection, after all this thought I have still yet to scratch the surface of the significance, power, and meaning behind the elements. I have yet to fully understand the raw might of fire, the sturdiness of earth, the powerful yet peaceful flow of water, and the invisible force of air. I have yet to comprehend the balance between the elements, the continuous cycle of destruction and creation; death and rebirth. I have yet to find which element truly flows within me, though I have my ideas. Yet what I do know is this: everyday, every moment, I am in the presence of these elements. I experience their interactions, their effects on my environment, their raw power. I only exist because of these elements. I exist because I am these elements. Each one, so seemingly simple, makes up a part of life more complex and interwoven with the universe as a whole than I can ever truly understand. These elements are the very core of life, of existence, of enlightenment, and I have only begun to understand them. While so many things in life are as uncertain as the direction of the wind, I can be sure of this: no matter where I go or who I become, the elements will eternally be a part of me, for they have created me. And one day, they too, will destroy me.
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