A cool summer breeze, the warmth and light of the sun’s rays, as well as the glorious colors of the sunrise are just a few examples of the magical aspects the natural world. The visceral power of these experiences is retained in our memory long afterward because they are Shamanic in nature. No matter what may be going on in our lives, we can feel better physically, mentally and spiritually whenever we take these experiences in.
The Shamanic view in Bön, Tibet’s oldest spiritual tradition, is that our consciousness arises from the Five Elements in our body: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Space. Each of the elements embody qualities that we need in our lives: Fire is our creative action, Air is our intellectual sharpness, Earth is our grounded stability, Water provides us soothing comfort, Space is where awareness arises. Our own life experience is a reflection of how these Five pure Elements interact with our own awareness.
Whatever we connect to externally through our Five Senses, supports our internal experiences. Most importantly, this is how we can track our states of elemental balance. Being in “Elemental balance” enables us to face challenging life events with an open heart, so we're able to address our circumstances with compassion. Disturbances will always show up in terms of the health of our body, mind and spirit- when adverse life events throw our elements off balance. For many of us, when this is the case, it will prompt a journey towards reclaiming a healthy body, mind and spirit.
In Shamanic terms, the greater our Elemental balance is, the better our chances of embodying our highest potential will be. The good news is that it’s far easier for people to cultivate their connection to the five elements of nature than they think. There are many simple Shamanic practices that can be easily adapted to work for our busy lives. My favorite resource for such practices is lama Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He is the author of the book, Healing with Form, Energy and Light. In this book he offers excellent information about practices resulting in a stronger connection to each of the Five Elements.
One easy way to bring greater elemental balance into your life is finding moments in your day to spend time outside in natural environments where the qualities of the elements are powerful. This is a simple, yet effective practice that is guaranteed to bring you more access to the healing qualities offered by the each of five elements in nature.
With light,
Mina