January 9 – Elements

Dear Friends,

Another way to pay attention to the body is by its elements. Earth, water, fire, and air were the traditional elements.

Of course, if you’ve studied any chemistry or physics, you might want to protest… there are all sorts of molecules, and those are made up of atoms, and those are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and so on!

Of course, the point of this practice isn’t supposed to be scientifically accurate, but to be experiential. We can classify the way we perceive the world in terms of

• Earth – solid – stiff, hard, soft – taking up space
• Water – fluid and provides cohesion
• Fire – temperature (hot or cold) – as well as burning processes, for example digesting food
• Air – movement, pressure

There are different ways we can contemplate the elements.

We can notice the elements at work. Joseph Goldstein mentions that while walking, we might notice the motion of the foot through air, the foot feeling the hardness of the earth, the fluidity of joints moving, the warmth or coolness of our body. And as we pay attention, we can notice how the experience changes.

We can also notice how the elements that seem external aren’t any different than the elements that are internal. There is a constant flux of air moving in and out, fluids coming in and going out, solids coming and going, and changing temperature. For me, this contemplation connects me to a deep sense of interconnection and caring.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote:

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

Anne Cushman has a talk and reflections about the four elements:
https://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/224/talk/23194/

Sometimes reflecting on the elements can seem a little obscure, but I find times I can be in nature, even if it’s just a walk by the river, can enliven a sense of elements coming together. Maybe you’ll consider taking a walk outside today and really notice the elements.

Feel free to share what you notice as a comment below.

With best wishes,
Andrea