The four elements earth, air, fire and water make up everything that exists on this planet. There are sacred songs honoring the four elements that have been in existence since the beginning of human kind. A beautiful chant sung in spiritual circles today has simple lyrics that remind us of a very profound truth. The lyrics, “earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, and fire my spirit,” speak to the fact that indeed we are holistically one with the elements.
The element earth structures your body: earth minerals create your bones, and earth salts fortify your blood. The element air provides your breath and is found in every vital organ and cell in the form of oxygen. The element fire has long been considered by eastern medicine to be responsible for your digestion and enzyme production. Also, ancient sages and mystics have equated fire with the light of your spirit that creates the sparkle and twinkle in your eyes during life, but leaves the body upon death. Now to the element water. Ninety-two percent of the plasma in your blood, twenty-five percent of your bones and seventy-five percent of your brain is made up of water. And water is the element that literally covers up to eighty percent of the earth’s surface.
Water researcher and scientist Masaru Emoto has found that water even exhibits a mirroring effect. Its vibration mirrors the vibration of anything with which it comes into contact. Emoto believes that there are hidden messages in water for us to learn and discover, and his amazing research reveals that water crystals will form differently based on human intention. He is quoted as saying: “Water has a very important message for us. Water is telling us to take a much deeper look at ourselves. When we do look at ourselves through the mirror of water, the message becomes amazingly crystal clear. We know that human life is directly connected to the quality of our water, both within and all around us.”
If scientists like Dr. Emoto are now discovering that water mirrors and reflects intelligence and communicates messages to us, then perhaps one day they will discover what the indigenous peoples have always said—that we are in a deep, inseparable relationship with the four elements and all of life. Holistically speaking, the plants, trees and animals are all your relations. The earth, air, fire, and water are all your blood relatives; and it is necessary to honor these relatives just as you would honor your own father, mother, grandfathers and grandmothers. Perhaps Indigenous Elder Grandmother Parisha Taylor explains it best: “We talk to all of nature and it talks back to us! The Earth speaks to us; we lie down and embrace her grasses and soil. Her smell when the rain comes is intoxicating! Rain, Sun, Forest, relations, all are a part of us. Heavens reflect us and all of creation is us. How do we not know joy!”
Written by: Ana Jones