Preface
My life is all about health, well-being, and personal growth.
I am willing to try simple remedies and ancient ceremonies to see how my body reacts to them over time.
I know that much ancient knowledge, carelessly dismissed by modern science, has found its way back after science realized it was too quick to dismiss it.
Recently, fascinating discoveries made by scientists and ordinary people alike have brought ancient wisdom back into my life: the power of the four elements.
If you think about it, there has never been any real debate about the importance of the four elements in our lives. Modern science cannot ignore the power and importance of the four elements in creation and the existence of the world around us.
Our modern way of life has simply come to stand in the way of our knowing this simple truth, as it often does.
Our modern way of life seems to always be trying to teach us new ways to stay healthy, yet it has caused us to forget the four elements and their role in our lives and well-being.
Water
It’s impossible to ignore how important water is for us. Scientists estimate that 70% to 90% of our bodies are water, depending on our age.
We have grown accustomed to viewing water as still, but in nature, it is rarely silent or still.
Many breathtaking canyons around the world are living proof of the power of water.
Over millions of years, the movement of water carved those magnificent shapes into stones, providing evidence of a force to be reckoned with.
Interesting experiments conducted by Viktor Schauberger and Dr. Emoto Masaru (search for them on YouTube—you’ll find some fascinating videos) show us that, even if we don’t fully understand how water behaves, it’s more important to embrace its power than to dismiss it.
A simple experiment can demonstrate how much water can change your life if you’re willing to try. Every morning when you go to the bathroom, turn on the faucet and let cold water flow. Scoop water between your palms, project love and gratitude toward the water, ask for health, and wash your face with it a few times. Repeat this process for a week and observe the changes in your life.
Fire
Since humans discovered fire, it has contributed to our lives in countless ways. It taught us how to cook food, kept us safe from predators, brought us together, and invoked the important human ritual of storytelling.
There’s something calming and spiritual about a bonfire; we all know this from experience.
When was the last time you sat by a fire?
Earth
The Earth grows our food and keeps our history archived through archaeology. The Earth contains precious minerals and metals from which we create many wondrous things.
The vitamins and minerals that the Earth supplies to our bodies through our food are one of the building blocks of a healthy body.
For a long time, people talked about earthing/grounding as an important process for keeping us balanced and healthy, but science had its doubts.
Today, we can explain why this process is important, and scientists no longer dismiss it as “voodoo medicine” as they did before.
Learn more about what science has to say about it and its benefits here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830719305476.
Wind
We are still learning about the many important roles of wind in our environment. Humans have always had a fondness for the wind. It has always been associated with things being carried away, fresh beginnings, lost memories, and many floating emotions.
People talk about the wind as if it tells stories. They harness its power for energy. It brings about change and takes it away. It is responsible for the “wind of change” in our lives. The list goes on.
There’s a reason we have phrases like “listen to the wind” in our language. The wind carries sounds and smells from far away. The wind keeps everything around us moving because wherever there is stillness, bad things happen. For example, if water stands still for a long time, we call it “bad water,” and it is harmful to us. If an old man loses his ability to move around, he will not live much longer. Life only happens in motion, and the wind brings motion to everything around us.
Respect the elements
I don’t know a single scientist who would refute the power of the four elements and their role in our lives.
We don’t need science, like Shinrin-Yoku, to tell us that we need the four elements and more nature in our lives.
It’s unclear why modern life would want to make us forget the four elements, except to make us weak and sick.
Stay healthy, stay informed,
Aviram