The Elements
Elementals
THE COSMIC BODY HAS HIS FEET IN CLAY, BLEEDING HEART, FIRE IN THE BELLY, HEAD IN THE CLOUDS -- Pir Zia Inayat Khan
The Universal Sufi Purification Breaths and Meditations for each element: http://www.towardtheone.com/lessons/breath/PurificationBreaths_v1.pdf
http://www.sufiorder.org/Prayer_and-Elements.html
http://www.sufimovementincanada.ca/resources/Breath-docs/Element-Breaths-Guide.pdf
Rudolf Steiner's teaching on the 4 Elements & 4 Temperaments
http://tacomawaldorf.org/news/four-elements-four-human-temperaments/
4 Elements Chant
for two groups of singers
composed by DEW by altering a traditional chorus into an integral format and adding original verses
Chorus 1:
Verse 1:
Chorus 2:
Verse 2:
Chorus 3:
Verse 3:
Chorus 4:
Ending:
Five Elements
by Ken McLeod
Stubborn and stiff, I avoid hollow uncertainty.
Underneath the ground quakes and I lose my footing.
As long as I grasp, life seems to be stable,
But it just means I’m stuck and have no way to move.
When my mind is the gold dakini of earth,
I see these reactions to be the phantoms they are.
Everything is experience, as rich as a jewel.
There is no ground and I can rest right here.
Attempts to disperse and deflect what arises
Leave me feeling assaulted and at risk of being swept away.
Wriggling this way and that, I try to sidestep it
But I run out of room and freeze where I stand.
When my mind is the silver dakini of water,
I see these reactions to be the phantoms they are.
In the mirror of mind what appears is just there.
Free from fear I see clearly how all things are.
A consuming intensity masks a heart-wrenching loneliness.
Lost in a desert, there is no one around.
The slightest sensation ignites a devouring inferno,
Burning completely to ash all that is here.
When my mind is the ruby dakini of fire,
I see these reactions to be the phantoms they are.
The reddest of roses is a heart that just knows.
Taking every detail in, I’m not separate or alone.
In frenetic activity I hide because I cannot stand where I am.
Fleeing from ruin, I fall and keep falling.
I find one thing to do and then another and another,
Soon torn to bits in doing that does nothing.
When my mind is the emerald dakini of air,
I see these reactions to be the phantoms they are.
Like a sword, effective action cuts through all problems.
What needs to be done and the doing are one.
In a black hole I am overwhelmed and bewildered.
Terrified at not being, I go blank and know nothing.
Not knowing what to do, I go completely to pieces:
Mere dust, now, scattered, through all space and time.
When my mind is the sapphire dakini of void,
I see these reactions to be the phantoms they are.
A white shining circle reveals that nothing is missing.
In the totality of knowing, presence is always just there.
DEW's Elemental Reflections
"Each element has a spiritual correspondence: receiving stability and rootedness from the earth, nourished by the water of love, illumined by the rays of the sun, given clarity and quickened by the air of inspiration and permeated with the ether of Divine Presence, we are able to serve the awakening of consciousness around us, to bring forth an Emerald Earth, a life that is true expression of beauty. The secret of tapping into the power of the elements is in honoring and respecting them as manifestations of the Divine." -- Felicia Norton and Charles Smith in "An Emerald Earth"
Smell the Earth, Element of the North: Earth my Body
Will to sense the all-productive sacred earth
Earth's qualities: Sensing and the powers of healing, stability, firmness, rootedness, patience, endurance, strength, and sanity
My favorite holy day as a child growing up in the Catholic Church was Ash Wednesday. On this day foreheads are marked with the form of a cross made with ash made from burned palm leaves, while the priest states "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return," which comes from Genesis 3:19. For me this returning to the earth is occasion for great joy, and one need not wait until the end of one's life, nor for the annual celebration of Ash Wednesday, to come home to our sacred origin. We are always grounded in the sacred earth, but sometimes need reminders which rituals and contemplations can provide.
There are many reminders which I have adopted from other spiritual traditions as I have grown and learned more about mysticism. In the Vedic chakra system the root chakra represents the earth element and its color is red and its seed syllable is LAM. Feeling one's spine rooted into the rich red soil while intoning LAM can be a useful grounding practice. The Sufi color for earth is yellow, which is the color earth turns when dried. The Sufi shape for the earth element is the square. The Islamic Holy Name Al-Mumit, meaning the taker of life, is correlated with the earth element.
Understanding the God or the Goddess, depending on the tradition, as the personification of the material universe is also a way to feel more secure in a world filled with so many uncertainties. Personally naming and calling upon this deity of matter, which for me is the Great Mother, is a tried and true form of protection magick. I have dedicated my seedgrove to Anahita, the Immaculate Lady of Nature, friend and protector of every living being.
In analytical psychology, as developed by C.G. Jung, the earth element represent's the sensation function of the psyche. For me this is an inferior function, and as such one I am called upon in my later years to nurture. In Tarot this sensing function and earth element is represented by the suit of Pentacles in the minor arcana.
Use of stones and scents is another way to feel more connected to the earth. Blackish rocks and gems such as Obsidian, Black Onyx, Lodestone, Smoky quartz, Black tourmaline, and Hematite and reddish ones such as Red Carnelian, Bloodstone, Garnet, Ruby, and Red Jasper can be handled to increase awareness of the earth element. And earthy incenses such as sandalwood, rosewood, cedar, pine, sweetgrass and sage can be burned. Smudging is a simple and effective practice for purposes of grounding, clearing and protecting.
Of course, perhaps the best way to reconnect to the earth is to go out into nature herself and let the solitude and the wildness be thy medicine.
The Ziraat Earth Walk and Earth Breath : http://veracorda.com/Ziraat.html
Taste the Water, Element of the West: Water my Blood
Be silent to feel the all purifying eternal waters
Water's qualities: Feeling and the powers of love, emotion, generosity, purification, adaptability, and creativity
In analytical psychology the feeling function of the psyche is correlated to the water element, and water is seen alchemically as representing the unconscious. It is in the watery depths that the archetypes of the collective unconscious move and it is these archetypes which move us, living through us. In the Tarot it is the Moon card, the 18th major arcanum, which is the symbol for the eternal waters and the card which is traditionally the most feared of all. The Hero must journey into these dark waters and bring its contents to light. Indeed the entire alchemical process has been summarized by the phrase "solve et coaglua", "dissolve and coagulate". So in The Great Work we see the imperative to first activate the water element and then the earth element.
There is much that water can teach us. The martial arts master Bruce Lee is quoted as saying: "You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend."
The solid ice, liquid water and gaseous steam states of water have been known for ages. These various states of one substance make for wonderful mystical contemplation. Even more mysterious is the recent discovery of a new state of water which occurs when water molecules undergo experience exteme confinement: tunneling water. To quote from http://phys.org/news/2016-04-state-molecule.html#jCp
Neutron scattering and computational modeling have revealed unique and unexpected behavior of water molecules under extreme confinement that is unmatched by any known gas, liquid or solid states... "At low temperatures, this tunneling water exhibits quantum motion through the separating potential walls, which is forbidden in the classical world," said lead author Alexander Kolesnikov of ORNL's Chemical and Engineering Materials Division. "This means that the oxygen and hydrogen atoms of the water molecule are 'delocalized' and therefore simultaneously present in all six symmetrically equivalent positions in the channel at the same time. It's one of those phenomena that only occur in quantum mechanics and has no parallel in our everyday experience."
In addition to teaching us many things, water can also heal us. As the famous experiments by Masaru Emoto have revealed, water can be imprinted with and carry various emotional qualities, both positive and negative. As the bodies of every living being are largely composed of water, his research has far reaching implications for both individual and planetary healing. Dr. Emoto's website is http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/index.html. It is interesting that water, which represents the feeling function if the psyche, can actually sense and record the emotional tone of its surroundings! Sending conscious loving intention into the water we drink is one way to promote health and well-being. In the yogic traditions the sacral chakra correlates to the element of water. Its color is Orange and its seed syllable is VAM. In Sufi tradition green is the color of water, like the green sea, and a downward pointing triangle is the shape, as water always seeks the lowest point, thus teaching us the power of humility. Al-Muhyi, meaning the giver of life, is the Holy Name in Islam which is correlated to the water element.
I will conclude this reflection upon water by mentioning one of the many ancient oceanic deity names of Our Lady: Stella Maris or Star of the Sea. This is one of the titles of The Blessed Virgin Mary. The sea can even be found in the name Mary itself. Mariam, in Hebrew, can have the meaning of "drop of the sea" if understood as "mar-yam". When the seas of life become stormy, invoke Our Lady. In the twelfth century, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux wrote: "If the winds of temptation arise; If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary; If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary."
Water Meditation by Masaru Emoto
▶ 10:41. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCVoO5ULqWsTouch the Air, Element of the East: Air my Breath
Know the all-pervading divine air
Air's qualities: Thinking and the powers of inspiration, lightness, joy, bliss, and freedom
Hildegard of Bingen wrote, "The soul is a breath of living spirit, that with excellent sensitivity, permeates the entire body to give it life. Just so, the breath of the air makes the earth fruitful. Thus the air is the soul of the earth, moistening it, greening it." The chakra associated with the element of air in Vedic tradition is the Heart chakra, whose color is green and whose seed syllable is YUM. In Sufism the air element is considered blue, like the blue sky, and the shape correlated with air is the zig-zag. The Holy Name Al-Hayy, which means the living, is correlated to the fire element in Islam.
The breath is one of the best objects for meditation. When our breath is calm and slow, our mind is more calm and relaxed. When our breathing is fast and erratic, our mind will likely be filled with unsettling thoughts. Simply by mindfully following the natural rhythm of the in and out breath, one can gain wisdom/insight and enter into states of meditative absorption/samadhi. It is very common in religious traditions to associate the divine spirit of life with breath. Often the same word is used for breath and spirit.
Where there is breath, there is life. When breathing ceases, there is normally death, although some yogis seem to be able to suspend breathing for extended periods. I would here like to consider the term spiration. This is the definition by Merriam-Webster dictionary:
spirationnoun
plural -s
-
1a obsolete : the action of breathing as a creative or life-giving function of the Deityb (1) : the act by or manner in which the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father or from the Father and the Son (2) : the relation subsisting by virtue of this procession
-
obsolete : the action of breathing as a physical function of man and animals
And this is the Online etymology dictionary entry for inspiration:
inspiration (n.) c. 1300, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration" (13c.), from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin inspirare "blow into, breathe upon," figuratively "inspire, excite, inflame," from in-"in" (see in- (2)) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.)).And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. [Gen. ii.7]The sense evolution seems to be from "breathe into" to "infuse animation or influence," thus "affect, rouse, guide or control," especially by divine influence. Inspire (v.) in Middle English also was used to mean "breath or put life or spirit into the human body; impart reason to a human soul." Literal sense "act of inhaling" attested in English from 1560s. Meaning "one who inspires others" is attested by 1867.
Joseph Rael's Medicine Wheel Vowels
Five Buddha Families
Sufi Correspondences
Jami writes about breath and the elements
In Houston Smith's amazingly insightful book The World Religions, he describes Sufism as having developed "three overlapping but distinguishable routes. We can call these the mysticisms of love, of ecstasy, and of intuition." (From the chapter on Islam.) In contemplating these routes, I've come up with four, which I connect to the breath. I'm sure you could think of others if you wanted. Wouldn't we want to include everything in our overview?
In deep breathing I am aware of four directions. On the inbreath energy--I think of it as a kind of "life force"--is pulled in and then up. On the outbreath energy flows down and then out. These directions are especially noticeable if the flow is extended for a moment both in and out.
On the first phase, energy is pulled in and our attention shifts from the outside world to the inner life. This is called "turning within." On the path toward Oneness we are going from body to heart to soul, as in our prayer, "O Thou the Sustainer of our body, heart and soul...." A more thorough list would be body, mind, heart, soul and spirit. Or one could shift from being active in the world to being receptive, from talking, say, to listening. Breathing in can be jalal process of redirecting one's attention, or a jamal process of being receptive...
After tuning within, the next phase of the inbreath is upwards, away from "the denseness of the earth" and towards an inner world of "love, harmony and beauty." This step can emphasize ecstasy and glorification, or love and beauty, again a jalal and jamal side.
Every wave of the sea, as it rises, seems to be stretching its hands upwards,
as if to say, "Take me up higher and higher." -Bowl of Saki, Dec. 27.
Insight comes from an outlook that is deeper, or higher.
Before the outbreath is a pause, usually brief but it could be extended. To me this represents a state of oneness, a moment beyond time, and not exactly as a path towards oneness.
The beginning of the outbreath has a downward direction, allowing sacred energy, love and other qualities to flow through us. One thinks of one's self as a channel as we also try to hold our identity on the Source. This attitude is active and receptive at the same time, jalal and jamal, though the qualities that come thorough might be very much one or the other.
"I am the eyes through which God sees;" and
"I am the glance of God." -Source unknown.
"The great teachers of humanity become streams of love." -Bowl of Saki, April 15.
The last phase of the breath is outward, an expression of energy and qualities out to the world. This is felt especially if the outbreath is consciously extended a bit. A jalal approach would be to develop kindness by performing acts of kindness, or by remembering the rules of Adab. A jamal approach might be to develop kindness by being sensitive to the feelings of others, "the tuning of the heart," as Murshid calls it.
The four directions of the breath are very related to the directions of the four elements. Water is definitely downward, fire upward. Earth is described as "spreading" which is similar to outward. Murshid describes the direction of air as zig-zag and that doesn't fit in so well.
All paths, all religions cover all four aspects of the breath, but we may be impressed by a particular direction. Pir Vilayat had plenty to say about turning within, and about manifesting Divine qualities, but his emphasis on ecstasy (rising) was striking. Pir Zia has stressed turning within to soul and spirit, and on adab. He plays down the vertical dimension, perhaps feeling the other needs more emphasis in these times, perhaps finding many of us too spacey. Buddhism as taught in the US, as insight meditation and vipassana, is very horizontal, resists anything heavenly.
Murshid's teachings include all four of these directions, with very equal consideration of all of them. He often talks of a horizontal direction, which would be in and out, and a perpendicular (that is, vertical) direction, which would be up and down.
...When one advances from the moral to the spiritual plane, then one
sees two paths of attainment, both of which are equally necessary
for perfection. One is the expansion of the spirit from a single being to the
whole universe, which signifies the horizontal line. And the other is the
journey of man to God, from the limited state of being to the unlimited,
which represents the perpendicular line. And in this cross is hidden the
secret of perfection. - Vol. IX, The Meaning of the Symbol of the Cross.
Outside the window where I meditate are two large trees, ash I think, that I often include in my practices, as objects of mediytation or as objects for the glance. Sometimes the emphasis is horizontal, and I feel united with these trees in our sharing of oxygen and carbon dioxide, of water and carbon, as both made of stardust.
Other times the emphasis is vertical, and I feel united in the source as manifestations, as eminations,of the same Life Force, of the same Source and Qualities.
