Connecting to the 5 elements

Reconnecting with the five elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit, is a brilliant way to reconnect with yourself. By tapping into an element that you have affinity for, or by exploring one you feel you lack, your personal power can grow and it is possible to discover new parts of yourself. Sometimes finding the way to connect can be difficult so below are some suggestions for ways to rediscover each element and your relationship with it.

The Basics- Breathe

Grounding is the practice of bringing yourself back to the present moment. It's not always easy, often you can find yourself and your thoughts swept along in the day-to-day, caught in between instant messages and loading screens. But here, in the midst of chaos, is where grounding is most important. Especially in a time like this, where things can feel more than a bit hectic but at the same time oddly slow. Grounding reminds us that we are here, now and for a moment that is all that matters.

It often helps to first focus on your breathing. Put one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach and take three deep breaths. Draw in air until it fills your lungs with stillness, hold it for 5 seconds and then release, allowing your stomach to expand. Concentrating fully on your breath is a brilliant way to bring you back to the present. To the gift of right now. After grounding yourself it should be easier to connect to your chosen element (or elements).

Let the following ideas serve as a guide but remember that it is normal to think, worry, get restless, all of it, as long as you are completing the action with intention and trying to remain in receptive the experience.

Water

-Brew fresh tea, breathe in the steam, focus on its movement, feel the flavours dance through your mouth (once it cools), think of how the things you drink will soon become the blood in your veins, give thanks for them.

-Water your plants with nothing but your hands, try not to spill any (if you do, accept it, let it dry), clasp it in cupped hands, notice how easily it flows away, the soft movement of it pouring, how you are able to recreate rain, how the plants perk up after drinking.

-Take a bath, soak your feet, wash your face, take a dip in your nearest lake/pool/ocean, let the water hold you, keep you afloat, wash the day away, know that your body is as changeable as the tide, let it be as flexible.

Fire

-Sit in the sun, feel the warmth of light that has travelled thousands of miles to fall upon your face, think of the plants it nourishes, the houses it powers, the sheer volume of life it supports, and these beams chose to spend their time with you.

-Roast vegetables with cloves of garlic, taste the heat and the vibrancy of the slow cooked bulbs, cook up a curry that would make your taste buds dance, sprinkle on more chilli than usual (spice up your life), feel the warmth run through your body.

-Light candles, watch the flame dance, hold your hand just near enough to feel the soft heat, shield that small flickering light from drafts, notice how it melts wax, releasing such forceful energy from just a simple little flame.

Earth

-Walk barefoot, toes in the grass, earth underfoot, let yourself feel how much growth there has been for these tiny green tendrils to reach up and get this tall, notice the weeds, take in the gentle and steady spread of life.

-Slowly eat fresh fruit, burst blueberries in your mouth one by one, focus on the segments of an orange, listen the crisp crunch of an apple, remember the sweetness of a strawberry, try to picture your favourite fruit, how it tastes and smells, how it nourishes you.

-Dig your hands into the soil, avoid any worms (thank them for their work), run your fingers across the mossy bark of a tree, trace the new shoots of a sapling, watch the changing sky through a canopy of leaves, turn your attention to what you can hold in you palm.

Air

-Stand on the windiest hill you can find, let the breeze wash over you, carrying with it the sounds of somewhere else and taking away with it whatever you choose to give up, feel it tangle your hard and dance over your skin.

-Listen to bird song, to the sounds of the radio, to your favourite music played too loud, know that the vibrations of everything fill the air around you, never alone but somehow silence can still be found.

-Dedicate some time to cloud spotting, watch the sky change and bring with it new combinations, shapes and wisps and the smell of rain, let your lungs fill with the same thing as those giants are made of.

Spirit -Study some seeds, hold in you palm the chance of new life, packed and programmed inside a tiny light vessel, know that it only take nourishment and encouragement to make these tiny things into towering trees.

-Hold your phone in your palm, try to visualise the connections it has to people, those half way around the world, those on the same street, buzzing and fizzing and spreading round the world, linking us all together.

-Surround yourself in light, fairy lights or lamps or sunshine, know how much thought went into wiring every blub, into planning your house, how many people worked together to get you to here, people that won’t ever meet but have made you, made this moment.

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Magda is a poet and witch, read more of her work here.

Stay updated with her musings on folklore, science and the things in between by following her instagram: @Xan6ua