Earth is common sense; hard facts. Earth is the mysterious mother of all physical being. Earth is the dust we come from and go to, from which everything physical is spun, the source of all productivity, lushness, wealth and beauty. Earth also implies the inevitable limitations of physical existence, the birth into a physical body. Earth is made up of the other three elements and has a specific quality in that Earth gives the other elements form.

 

Water is the element which most readily evokes impermanence, change, flux, and instability.  It is sensitive to the slightest movement. Highest good is like Water because it is easy going and settles in the lowest spots, follows the path of least resistance, flows effortlessly into every available space and makes itself at home. Water and moisture have mostly feminine associations. In its positive capacity Water is the building activity of all organisms and in its negative aspect it is disintegrating and dissolving.

 

Fire is also light, a fact often forgotten in the age of electric light. Light is also a metaphor for consciousness. Fire means creativity and most readily corresponds to our notion of energy, as pulsing physical force or as divine creative principle. Fire has been described as the basic stuff the world is made of, meaning "the purest and brightest sort that is as of the ethereal and divine thunderbolt." In its positive capacity Fire is nurturing, warming and life giving. In its negative aspect Fire is destructive, drying and debilitating.

 

Air offers a sense of freedom. From detachment can arise abstract thought in the pure realm of idea. Air is infinite and divine, the principle from which all things came into being and was regarded as "the breath of the world." Air is the life-giving and life enhancing force that enters the body with the breath. The Air element controls the electric and magnetic fluid of the Fire and Water elements. This makes Air the true essence or consciousness.

 

Air is twofold in nature; tangible atmosphere and an intangible, volatile substratum which may be termed spiritual air. Fire is visible and invisible, discernible and indiscernible; a spiritual, ethereal flame manifesting through a material, substantial flame. Water consists of a dense fluid and a potential essence of a fluidic nature. Earth has likewise two essential parts; the lower being fixed and immobile; the higher, mobile and virtual. The water element of the ancient philosophers has been metamorphosed into the hydrogen of modern science; the air has become oxygen; the fire, nitrogen; the earth, carbon.

 

Just as visible Nature is populated by an infinite number of living creatures, so, according to Paracelsus; the invisible, spiritual counterpart of visible is inhabited by a host of peculiar beings, to whom he has given the name elementals, and which have later been termed the Nature spirits. Paracelsus divided these people of the elements into four distinct groups, which he called gnomes, undines, sylphs, and salamanders. He taught that they were really living entities, many resembling human beings in shape, and inhabiting worlds of their own, unknown to man because his undeveloped senses were incapable of functioning beyond the limitations of the base elements.

 

Nature spirits were held in the highest esteem and occasionally, as the result of atmospheric conditions or the peculiar sensitiveness of the devotee, they became visible.

 

Paracelsus further adds that whereas man is composed of several natures (spirit, soul, mind, and body) combined in one unit, the elemental has but one principle, the ether out of which it is composed and in which it lives. By ether is meant the spiritual essence of one of the four elements.

 

Certain of the ancients, differing with Paracelsus, shared the opinion that the elemental kingdoms were capable of waging war upon one another, and they recognized in the battles of the elements disagreements among these kingdoms of Nature spirits. When lightning struck a rock and splintered it, they believed that the salamanders were attacking the gnomes. As they could not attack one another on the plane of their own peculiar etheric essences, owing to the fact that there was no vibratory correspondence between the four ethers of which these kingdoms are composed, they had to attack through a common denominator, namely, the material substance of the physical universe over which they had a certain amount of power.

 

The four fixed signs of the zodiac were assigned to the four kingdoms of elementals. The gnomes were said to be of the nature of Taurus; the undines, of the nature of Scorpio; the salamanders exemplified the constitution of Leo; while the sylphs manipulated the emanations of Aquarius.

 

The Christian Church gathered all the elemental entities together under the title of demon. This is a misnomer with far-reaching consequences, for to the average mind the word demon means an evil thing, and the Nature spirits are essentially no more malevolent than are the minerals, plants, and animals.

 

A plant, like any being, is made up of more than one body.  It has a physical body that is rooted in the earth, can be a parasite that grows on other organisms, floats on water, or creeps across the surface of stones.  This body generally stays in one place throughout its life, barring outside interference.  Its spirit is tied to its body by the same mechanics that attach our own spiritual counterparts to our bodies; the spiritual body of a plant is generally local to the physical body, though like us it has the option of moving some part of their spiritual force around. This mobile spirit body can take any number of forms depending on the plant’s desire as to what part of their nature we are best able to perceive.  This form may be a copy of the physical body, a human shape of some description, another kind of creature, or something abstract like fields of colour.

 

Stones were highly venerated by the ancients primarily because of their usefulness. Jagged bits of stone were probably the first weapons; rocky cliffs and crags constituted the first fortifications, and from these vantage points loose boulders would be hurled down upon marauders. In caverns or rude huts fashioned from slabs of rock the first humans protected themselves from the elements.

 

Stones were set up as markers and monuments to achievements; and they were also placed upon the graves of the dead. During migrations, it was apparently customary for the ancients to carry about with them stones taken from their original homelands. The discovery that fire could be produced by striking together two pieces of stone augmented man's reverence for stones, but ultimately the hitherto unsuspected world of wonders opened by the newly discovered element of fire caused the worship of fire to supplant stone worship. The dark, cold Father stone gave birth out of itself to the bright, glowing Son-fire; and the newly born flame, by displacing its parent, became the most impressive and mysterious of all religious symbols, widespread and enduring through the ages. Altars were erected as a symbol of the lower world, and fires were kept burning upon them to represent that spiritual essence illuminating the body it surmounted. When considering the earth as an element and not as a body, the Greeks, Brahmins, and Egyptians always referred to its four corners, although they were fully aware that the planet itself was a sphere.

 

Because their doctrines were the sure foundation of all knowledge and the first step in the attainment of conscious immortality, the Mysteries were often represented as cubical or pyramidal stones. These stones themselves became the emblem of that condition of self-achieved godhood. The stone made an appropriate emblem of God, the immovable and unchangeable Source of Existence, and also of the divine sciences, the eternal revelation of Himself to mankind.

 

History records the existence of stones which, when struck, threw all who heard the sound into a state of ecstasy. There were also echoing images which whispered for hours after the room itself had become silent, and musical stones produced the sweetest harmonies. In recognition of the sanctity which the Greeks  ascribed to stones, they placed their hands upon certain consecrated pillars when taking an oath.

 

The four Ages of the Greek mystics, the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age, are metaphoric expressions referring to the four major periods in the life of all things. In the divisions of the day they signify dawn, midday, sunset, and midnight; in the duration of gods, men, and universes, they denote the periods of birth, growth, maturity, and decay.

 

As we evolve we learn to forget and then have to relearn all that has been forgotten. Each age stamps upon itself a seal that future generations need to break open. Each interpretation should bring with it debate and an opening of our conscious awareness of all things. We are the future.

 

Travelling through the wonder of the West Coast each year is good food for the soul. The first dazzling and awe inspiring display of flowers pay homage to the sun, which they dutifully follow through the skies throughout the day. As the wind blows through the myriad of flowers, a Mexican wave of delight seems to pour forth from the assembly, honouring the forces that bring forth life. The first stirrings of spring weave themselves around your soul, bringing sustenance and joy at the beauty of it all.

 

Colours bring various emotions into our lives and plants provide an artists palette of unending variation to stimulate new ideas and ultimately, self growth.  Create a small world wheel for yourself; something small or as large as you will. Create a living world of colour to place within the area you socialise in. Take a round planter – the depth is dependent on the area you have available to accommodate your world wheel – place small crystals or rose quartz at the bottom and cover with a good mix of soil. Divide the area into four equal parts. You now have North, East, West and South positioned. Separate the areas with a thin line of finely crushed stone of your choice. North is Earth and represents communication; so plant greens and blues in this area. East is Air and represents the creative and balance; here heartsease or pansies can be planted. West is water and represents the emotions and the unconscious; shades of white are best planted in this corner. South is Fire and represents vital energy and consciousness; Calendula or a cactus would do for this portion of the world wheel. You can put one plant in each section or as many as the area you have will allow. Ensure that the wheel is correctly positioned to the four “corners” of the globe. Place a stone of your choice in the middle. The beauty of this simple living vase is that there are always seedlings available to replenish any annuals you may have planted and if you live in an apartment you could always buy seedlings in a group and swap as you go along. Each day walk around your world wheel and attune yourself to the harmony that is all around you, even in the madness of the crowd, this little exercise will hold you through the day. If you choose your birth stone ensure that the stone is removed from the world wheel in the month of your birthday and left in the full moon to recharge.

 

Nature has her own agenda. We are all a vital part of that agenda; we are the caretakers of the garden that is our home. Let us all share responsibility for ensuring that the future of our home is in good hands. Let our imaginations know no boundaries.