The Elements, Part 3

            Now, before you rush into the element that you want most, a word of caution: there is an order that should be followed when learning the elements. It has been followed for years and with good reason. Attempting to work with the elements out of order can result in an imbalance of the energies that are within you. For example, if you are working with fire, and do not have the experience with water to control it, you may develop rage, uncontrolled anger and become prone to fits of violence. Water without the buoyant quality of air may result in depression, emotional outburst or uncontrolled obsession. Air without the grounding qualities of earth may result in the inability to focus, becoming absent minded or flighty. Earth, when out of balance, can cause laziness, stagnantation and lack of motivation. However, the other elements all contain a quality of motion that earth does not, so there is a system of checks and balances in studying the elements. The negative qualities of earth are easiest to overcome. What is important is that you do not stop in the middle. Keep going all the way through.

            When meditating on and studying each element, you will be confronted with both the positive and the negative attributes of the element. You are expected to find the balance, so that you are focused on the positive aspects but are not too care free. Remember that (using fire as an example) there are times to be determined and creative, but there is also a time to be aggressive. Balance is the key to working with the elements. What is more, you may be confronted with feelings about yourself and others, your self-worth may be brought into question, the beliefs and ideals that you hold may be challenged. You are expected to work through these, evaluate them and yourself, discard what you do not need or what limits you, and remove blocks to your continued spiritual growth. These challenges, and others, are what you can expect to face.

            The rewards are as great as the challenges.

            Begin with the element of Earth. Get a blank piece of paper and draw the symbol of the element. It should take up most of the sheet of paper and be bold enough to be easily seen. Draw the symbol in the appropriate color. For Earth, choose one of the four that best resonates with you. Don’t try to put all four colors into it at this time. As you are drawing this, think of the meaning of the symbol, the qualities of Earth, and maybe go back and reread the paragraph on Earth from the beginning of this section. This will help empower the symbol in the subconscious.

            Next, focus on the qualities of the element. Close your eyes and remember a time that you felt cold. As cold as you can ever remember feeling. Maybe it was a cold winter night. Whatever that memory is for you, recall it. Now, focus less on the memory and more on the feeling of cold. Feel the lack of heat on your skin, see the steam of your breath, hear the clarity and crispness in the air that comes with the cold. Completely experience cold. Then make that feeling even stronger. Double it. When you have this, say to yourself out loud “This is what cold feels like”. Then, set that feeling aside for a moment.

            Now, repeat the same thing, only using the quality of dryness. Recall a time where you were particularly dry. A day with very low humidity, or maybe the experience of a dry sauna. As before, focus on the dryness and how it makes you feel. Maybe you can feel your skin drying out, or maybe you see an arid region, or hear the cracking of dry piece of wood. Whatever you associate with dryness is right for you. Now double that feeling. Make it even stronger. Then, say aloud “This is what dryness feels like”.

            Once this is drawn it is time to begin the process of touching the elemental energies. Begin by performing the LBRP. This will create an area free from influences that may confuse or distract you. Then begin meditation and enter into alpha state. Once there, open your eyes and focus on the elemental symbol. See it clearly, so that you can reproduce the design and color in your mind. As you do so, think of the qualities of the element. Bring up those feelings of cold and dry. Re-experience the qualities as you did earlier. Keep seeing the symbol of Earth clearly as you feel the qualities. Finally, while holding this image and these feelings, say the name for the element that you will use aloud. When you do so, lock the symbol, feeling and name into your mind. You can feel it and hear it lock into place. See it there, a set spot in your mind that is associated with that element.

            Now repeat the following statement and follow the instructions in the parenthesis: “The element of Earth is now locked within my mind to the name _____. (When you say the name, mentally touch the part of your mind that is connected to the element. When you do feel the qualities and see the symbol in your mind.) Whenever I desire to access the elemental qualities of Earth, I can mentally or aloud say the name _____ (Touch it mentally again.) and I will be connected and in tune with the element of Earth.” Finally, vibrate the name you have chosen for the element.

            Once you have done this, take a few minutes and perform the fourfold breath. Just relax and let your mind return to a more normal state. Perform the LBRP again to clear the temple and record all of your feelings and experiences in your journal.

            This is the first of the exercises to touch the elements. You should do this daily for the first week, and then once a week while you are doing this basic work with the element. After doing this daily for a week, you should be able to clearly connect to the element of Earth.

            Next, you need to experience Earth. There is a simple way to do this. Earth is actually one of the easiest to experience. For this you will want to be wearing as little cloths as possible. No, don’t go running around naked! Silly. A swimsuit is ideal. Obviously this is weather permitting. Find yourself a clear patch of ground. A beach or somewhere sandy would be great. Sit down on it. Notice how it feels. It may not feel cold at first, especially if it is very sunny. But sit there and it will start to cool off under you. Feel the dirt or sand. It is possible that it could be damp. Remember, every physical thing is a combination of the elemental forces. Nothing will be pure Earth.

            Let yourself connect to Earth. Seek out the qualities of dryness and cold within it. Notice how it feels. Try to make as much contact with the ground as you can. If you can cover yourself with it, even better. Just make sure no one comes over with a bucket of water. Feel that Earth energy. Allow it to move through you. Really connect to it. Maintain contact for as long as you can. Repeat this several times until you can draw upon that feeling of Earth at any time.

            Finally, you need to begin to work with Earth. Perform the LBRP, and then connect to Earth and bring that Earth energy into you. Imagine an empty box in front of you made out of a clear material. Make it as real as possible. Actually see it in your mind. Then, fill it with Earth energy. When it is full, close the lid. Practice making this as real as possible so that you can see it in your mind, feel it when you touch it, and identify the qualities of it. When you have finished examining it, remove the lid, empty the contents and allow it to return to where they came from. Then perform the LBRP to clear the area.

            Once you have gone through this process of connecting to the energies of Earth and you feel a good, solid connection to it, move on to the next element of Air. Do not move on if you do not feel comfortable with it. Repeat the process again until you do. When you do move on, go through the same process with the new element, changing the name where appropriate. When it gets to feeling air, you could maybe use a mesh hammock to hang in. Repeat once you feel comfortable with Air, move on to Water and then Fire. Remember, you can’t breathe underwater, and fire burns. So use caution when working with these.

            When you have completed this process you should be comfortable with each of the elements. Remember to continue to work and practice with them