Recently I flew across half of Australia – from the green, coastal fringe where most of us live to the vast, arid, sparsely populated centre. John Muir, the famous Scottish-American naturalist and astute observer of nature, was with me on the journey – his experiences captured in the book ‘A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf’.
Paying a visit to elemental ecology
Nearly 50 years ago, Professor Bill Jackson published the paper ‘Fire, air, water, earth – An elemental ecology of Tasmania’. With a title like that, one could say he was ahead of his time.
David Suzuki, rediscovering our place in nature
Very few western scientists take the elements – earth, fire, water, air and space/spirit – seriously. David Suzuki is an exception.
Tibetan prayer flags, filling all of space
The prayers, sacred mantras and symbols on Tibetan prayer flags have been carried by the wind for millennia. First Bon, then Buddhism. Always elemental.
A day in our lives with the elements
The elements are part of our lives in a multitude of ways, some more obvious than others. Today, the first ‘official’ day of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, seemed a perfect occasion to explore a day in my life with the elements. These experiences are shared and connect us, wherever we are in the world.
The complex cosmology of the Aztecs
The Aztec Sun Stone is one of the most famous and studied monuments of the Aztec civilization. The four elements – earth water, wind and fire – play a fundamental role in the complex cosmology represented on this impressive stone carving.
Moche, masters of clay
There is something very elemental about making pottery from clay. Clay is earth and water, the kiln combines fire and air, the artist provides the spirit. The Moche, or Mochica culture were masters of clay. They flourished in present-day northern Peru between around 100 to 800 AD. The diversity and beauty of their ceramics is a sight to behold.
Welcome to the world(s) of Elementals
It seems like Paracelsus, the influential Swiss-German alchemist, was onto something. He was the first to use the term ‘elemental’ to describe mythological beings associated with the elements of earth, water, air and fire. His works were written in the 16th century, around 500 years ago. As you read on, and as shown by the Google images of ‘Elementals’, the idea has caught on!
Ten reflections on my first twenty posts
‘Fire Up Water Down: An exploration of the elements’ was launched on the first day of autumn in the southern hemisphere, five months ago to this day. Now well into winter, we have been experiencing very elemental weather with wild winds, torrential rain, thunder, lightning and pounding seas. Something to be appreciated with awe and wonder.
The elements at your fingertips
I will never see my hands and fingers in the same light again. Many cultures and religions consider that everything in the universe, including humans, are made up of the elements of fire, air, earth, water and (often) space/ether/spirit. Even so, I had not made the connection between the elements and our fingers, and in particular with mudras – those elegant and powerful gestures commonly associated with Buddhism, Yoga (e.g. Raja and Hatha) and Indian dance and drama.
Fire up Water down 