Elements, Plants, and Our Connection to the Larger Web of Life In Healing
As we walk further along the plant path, we become more enveloped in a world of both mystery and truth, an understanding that there is more than our waking eyes can see. Honoring this wisdom in all beings, the birds, the insect kingdom, the elements, and the plants will open the doors for those who choose to listen. Working with plants from a perspective of witnessing the elements in which they are dominant widens the way we work with medicine, our clients, as well as how we treat disease and imbalance inside of ourselves. Understanding that we are deeply connected to the earth largely impacts one’s healing journey. When we surrender to the flow of life, the change of seasons, the cycles of the moon, and the transformation within our bodies, we come back into harmony with the force of all life, and in this place, health arises.
It is not only the plants who are able to communicate with us through non-verbal communication but also the waters, the fire, the air, the earth, the ether, and in fact, all of creation. The elements are all conduits for the Great Spirit, Source Energy, Creator, God, whatever letters we choose to place on such existence. The elements make up the foundation of all things; all form comes from the elements. They are the invisible structure behind a physical form. When we drop into heart perception, quieting the mind and opening the senses through the avenue of heart consciousness, we bridge ourselves with nature. All beings on this earth communicate through vibration. We too are 99% vibrational beings—a mere 1% of us is verbal. All the information we receive in a day passes first through the heart, where it is then processed by the brain. Our heart has the largest electromagnetic field in the body and is the first organ to function during fetal development (functioning after 20 days of conception, whereas the brain functions around 70 days of conception). When we bring knowledge down from our brains into our hearts, it becomes a living experience and can then be transformed into wisdom. First, we have our hearts, then we have our heads; our bodies know they are one with the universe.
Relax, listen, & absorb; Allow, remember & become
Part of the joy in this life stems from our inner knowing of an intimate relationship to something larger than ourselves, something which has endured millions of years and is worth continued life for millions of years. The ability to feel and care about the earth we live on flows naturally through us if the self is widened and deepened so that protection of nature is felt as protection of our very own selves.
As I’ve deepened my connection with the elements over the years, so too have I deepened my connection with plants and all of life. Through witnessing life as a relationship of elemental patterns, studying life itself through the invisible forces that operate through the physical world, we are synthesizing science, spirit, and medicine. Every day, we bear witness to spirit infused into matter, in the stones, the trees, the birds, the bees, our friends, and the person that sold us our morning beverage; this is all spirit taking form.
The plants carry specific elements within them. Some are fiery and hot in nature—a signature of this is a plant with yellow flowers growing on a south-facing slope in dry soil—while others are very earthly in nature, with deep roots and a stoic stalk. When we ingest a plant, we embody their unique elemental constitution, which in turn shifts our inner alchemy. This is the difference when working with plants from an elemental, holistic perspective rather than turning herbal medicine into allopathic herbal medicine.
For example, if someone has a stomach ache, a common response is to offer them ginger. However, if that stomach ache stems from excess fire/heat in the colon, the ginger will add to the discomfort and inflame/stoke the fire that is already burning. In a case like this, one would be needing a cooling, moistening herb like mallow root to balance out a hot, dry climate within the organism.
Another reflection of the elements is in the changing of the seasons. Each season carries within it an elemental quality which produces an increase of it within our inner environment. This is where shifting our diets, practices, schedules, and herbal allies, according to the time of the year, help us maintain equilibrium with our outer environment. In addition, much of what comes up in our gardens and in the wild forests near our homes is in alignment with what is best to ingest at that time of year. For example, as the summer heat subsides, and the days get colder, potatoes, root vegetables such as carrots and beets, as well as burdock, dandelion roots, and yellow dock roots are all generally wonderful medicines to ingest in the fall. This is also why people generally get sick in-between seasons; their bodies are adapting to a shift.
The following are seasonal correspondences with the elements:
Spring – Air
Summer – Fire
Autumn – Water
Winter – Earth
In my practice as an herbalist, I find that globally, we are changing how we view health. The superficial approaches taken to remedy a symptom and put a band-aid on the problem are subsiding, and people are beginning to go toward treating the root cause of their dis-ease. In order to do so, deeper and more substantial communication must take place with our environment and within ourselves. When illness arises, it is an invitation to look at ourselves and receive the teachings and tools that come with such imbalance. If we experience dis-ease, there is a message trying to come to us in which we have a choice to listen. The message will indeed persist until we hear it.
Life is in continual flux, and outside of us, nature does her dance. She is our teacher and expresses patterns that are reflections, able to bring clarity and healing to our inner worlds. Many people have heard the term, “the only constant is change.” If change is all we accept, we are taking our power back. Many times when treating patients, the apparent disease is actually a process in which the body is attempting to make itself better; the symptoms are not actually the root cause of the imbalance but clues to lead the herbalist and patient more deeply into the multitude of factors that create an imbalance in the body.
As you continue your walk down the green path, I encourage you to walk slow, at the pace of the Earth’s heartbeat, listen to the songs of the water, take time to listen to the microcosm that lives within you, and remember, the incredible depths that the plant world has to offer.
Below are simple correspondences to elements and energies that will help the budding herbalist and health enthusiast make decisions that promote balance during such changing times.
The Elements and Their Alchemies
Air //mutable – upward-moving – yang (masculine)
Brings new life and perspective to our being, aids in accepting change
The air is active and dynamic, embodying the quality of movement. It is ever-changing and vital. The air gives us true freedom in our lives. We have the ability to choose the thoughts, feelings, and intentions we breathe in and out. We have the ability to breathe in stillness and to relax our nervous system simply through intention and the blessings of breathing in air.
In Western alchemical herbalism, air is considered to be less dense than fire and works as a translator between water and fire.
Fire// fixed – upward-moving – yang (masculine)
Transformation, the alchemy that creates new life from death
Fire is the central force of creation as we know it on earth—the sun is the center of our solar system and is symbolized as well as actualized in our hearts, the center of our bodies. The fire element teaches that our life’s purpose and power lives within our hearts. The fire encourages us to shine this gift out into the world in order to bring more light to our collective reality.
Fire is hot!
Fire asks us to be aware of our minds, to truly watch our thoughts, and become more conscious. Fire brings light to the darkness, to the places seeking acknowledgment and love.
The fire is both a creator and a destroyer carrying the power of transformation.
Water// mutable, receptive – downward-moving – yin (feminine)
Our first medicine, fluid
Water moves our emotions and holds our planet in abundance.
Water stores memory. It is mobile and can exist in various states (ice/solid, liquid, gas) so can, therefore, technically be both fixed and mutable. Water can be violent and inundating, or it can be serene and submissive. The human body is estimated to be 78% water.
Earth //fixed – downward-moving – yin (feminine)
The Earth is our connection to the world in which we live and therefore, our entire universe. It is our foundation. The earth provides structure for all other elements to manifest into form. Being grounded is an existential experience in which we recognize who we are in relation to the earth, that is, balanced and stable among the forces of the world… the forces being physical, psychological, and spiritual. “Being connected” and feeling ourselves to be an integral part of the world within and around us has to do with the earth element. It is associated with the root chakra in our body, our right to be here, and our right to feel safe and secure in our bodies and our homes. It is about having a source from which we operate, an order and harmony emanating from within, an embodiment of the earth within us.
The earth speaks…
…slow down, listen, be patient
Remember the power of importance of your heartbeat with the rhythm of the earth’s heart-beat.
The earth can help us to find the quiet space within ourselves that is eternal, that is love, and that is whole, aligning with the seasons, and coming into the present moment.
