The Elements of Man part 13 - Secondary Cycle

The Secondary Cycle

One of the things that fascinated me the most when I first studied the Elements was what G called the Secondary cycle. Days joined together as Spring headed towards Summer. Days of rain and sun and wind. It was a time in Melbourne when all the seasons came together in one day. For those who have lived in Melbourne, some would say that it happens all the time, but that would be a little unkind. 

As I looked around at the people in the audience around me I could see how the Elements were stirring things up and, for those who were not aware of the seasons, it was an uncomfortable time.

   

One friend of mine, who was studying for her masters in fine art, was very emotional and agitated. She was not producing enough work and was frustrated at what she saw as her own procrastination. If she had only understood the seasons. It was the beginning of the flow, as the winter snow was melting and with it would come the Water, the emotions and the frustration which is part of the Element in the beginning, because initially it has no power of its own until it gains momentum through the other Elements. It is the one season that is affected by all the other Elements. In this time it was important to realise this and to know that water will always go towards the lowest level. 

As it nears Summer the Air will stir up the emotions. It is a turbulent time. As with all the Elements and the seasons, we need to understand that we mirror them with our very being. In my own body he could feel the emotions stirring, the frustration at not being able to finish many projects, but knowing that I was only mirroring the season, I could relax in the knowledge that in the Summer would come the harvest of the actions I had put into place in the Winter.

I only had to know the seasons and that I was always in the right place at the right time.

   

How freeing it was to understand life was a cycle. The seasons followed each other as consistently as night followed day.

   

Life is a cycle. The whole universe is a cycle, and us as human beings are just a cycle interwoven within the fabric of the other cycles.

   

There are cycles within the day, the month and the year and in groups of years. There many that believe there are larger cycles which continually repeat themselves.

   

The secondary cycle is a twelve year cycle in which we are influenced strongly each year by one of the elements or a combination of the Elements. In the twelve year cycle we spend the first three years in Fire, the next three years in Water, then three years in Air and finally three years in Earth. In year one we are in Fire and Earth, year two centre Fire and in year three Fire and Water. Then in Year four we move into water and Fire, year five centre Water and in year six Water and Air. Year seven begins in Air and Water, year eight in centre Air and year nine in Air and Earth. In year nine we move into Earth and Air, year eleven centre Earth and complete the cycle in year twelve under the influence of Earth and Fire.

       

Your own Element does not change or disappear; rather it is both negatively and positively influenced by the secondary cycle. Many women feel clucky especially between the ages of 27 to 30 and 39 to 42. This is natural when you look at the secondary cycle, because in these years we are all strongly influenced by Water, the Element of emotion, of family, of nurturing, of caring for the young. Women can want and have children at nearly any age but the influence is very strong around this time and also between 15 to 18 when the secondary cycle is also in Water.

   

Another friend of mine a Fire personality, was frustrated with what was happening in her life. In the Winter, she had had all these fantastic ideas about recreating her future, but as the future became a reality, she became more and more frustrated at the speed with which things were happening. She wanted to change jobs, to travel, anything that would take her away from where she was. If only she could relax and stay where she was and allow the cycle of the seasons to occur, then in time she would experience a beautiful harvest. It is sometimes easy to see what other people need for their lives to work, but it is important to reflect on what is happening in your life. As you look towards the cycles within nature and the seasons you will see a rhythm that has an impact on your lives. By working with the seasons and these cycles your life will begin to move into a flow, a concept I will discuss later in our blogs together. 

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

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The Elements of Man part 12 - Words

Words

One of the easiest ways to determine what Element a person is to listen to the words they use. It also makes it easier if you want to create rapport with someone to speak in their own words. As a counsellor or therapist, teacher or presenter it makes it easier for the listener if you speak in their words. 

    

Fire uses words which are expanding, inclusive, general, and full of passion and vision. That is why Fire is at its happiest when burning brightly. Fire, being about expansion, grows in confidence speaking in front of large groups. At first the spark sputters into life, growing in size as it grows in confidence, warming whoever it comes into contact with. The difficulty for the Fire Element is to control the size of the Fire, to keep the ego under check or it will consume all before it.

  

When you hear a Fire speaker, you can pick their Element by the words they use, words such as: exhilarating, electrifying, inspirational, magnetic, fantastic, magical, initiative, innovative, brilliant, articulate, and symbolic; words which create pictures for the Fire is truly visual.

    

Water deals with feelings, their words lack the harsh edge of the other Elements, words that flow like a river, words joined by emotion, words laced with feelings, words which can almost seem child like in their beliefs. Words such as Romantic, modest, innocent, deeply moving, childlike, poignant, serene, consoling, faithful, family, gentle and graceful; words that tap into the emotions and the feelings.

   

Air like Water, cannot be denied; for it is the Element of Air that gives us the structure in our lives. Too much Air and we lose our freedom; too little and we have anarchy. As with all things we need a balance of the Elements to exist, and yet to go forward or backward we need an imbalance; for in balance everything stays the same.

   

Air is about the thinking process, it is about the left brain and logic. Its words tend towards judgment and towards reductionism. Our whole scientific age is built on the words and concepts of the Air Element - Judgment, logical and rationalism. Their words are; qualified, logic, thought, professional, aloof, rarefied, guarantee, systems, and experience. Their mind mode is auditory. They are auditory.

   

Earth deals more with the senses and their words reflect this. Words such as: ecstatic, stimulating, dramatic, direct; the words themselves touch you, make you experience them; pleasurable, concrete, sensational, great and magnificent.

    

Watch as the seasons progress themselves, be a part of them and you will not only understand the words and the language they use but also the essence beyond the form. Come with me as we take another journey with the Elements themselves and open up to the experience of them, in all their manifestations.

   

In the ice and snow we have the potential, as yet unrealised, the vision of the future. Within each flake of snow, or seed, or sperm, is the potential for growth; individual growth is the key to this element. It takes the Water and the warming of Spring to begin to bring out this potential. As the snow melts, the sun and the water come together to release the potential of the unforeseen sources. In the early spring this can be easily missed as the seed germinates or the foetus grows, but with time the increase in water comes and all is seen, because growth cannot be hidden. As it goes towards the Summer, there is much turbulence as the winds of the season of Air begin to stir things up. Air affects all Elements, all individuals. It brings them as a group towards the harvest.

   

Then things start to change colour, first brown where there was once green; the trees begin to lose their leaves. The words, the language is shorter, for it is nearing the end of its cycle and why waste time with words? It is a time of celebration, of enjoying the harvest. It is a very physical, sensual time. Nature gives its last gasp of beauty before she dies only for the cycle to begin again in the Fire of Winter.

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

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The Elements of man part 11 - Differences

A Comparison of the Four Elements

All comparisons suffer from a certain amount of stereotyping because they only deal with basic elements rather than subtle mixtures. Everyone is a mixture of all four elements but in different amounts. No one is made purely of air, fire, water or earth. Therefore one must take such information and artistically bring it to life by associating it with living realties. 

You will have to blend the portraits to understand the blends of influences in different individuals. It is true that some people show mostly air, water, fire or earth qualities so that pure elements of earth, water, fire and air are easily observed. Others have a strong primary element as well as a secondary element. Here one must blend the two pictures together. When one cannot make up their minds whether a person is one of two elements it means they are both may be strongly both.You then just have to figure out which element is primary and which element is secondary. 

Few individuals show strongly in three or four elements unless they are out of a balance or very ill. 

Differential Analysis

Human beings are initially divided into two types, the dry and moist temperaments. The two dry temperaments are the Earth and Air. The two moist temperaments are Water and Fire. Add to this whether they extrovert (Earth and Fire) or introvert (Air and Water) and you have some easy steps to get an initial feel for someone's Element.

The first differential is whether they basically dry (earth and air)) or moist (water and fire). The second differential is whether they are predominately a warm personality (earth or fire) or cold personality (water and air). The twin questions hold a key to understanding elements.

Perceptions of Reality

The two dry Elements rule the intellect and rational spirit while the two moist temperaments rule the emotion disposition and feeling tones. Those that tend toward the mind are inclined to be dry temperaments. Those that tend toward the heart are inclined to be moist temperaments. The Earth Element is prone to judgments based on what they instinctively think is practical. The Air Element is prone to rationalizations or judgements based on what they intellectually think is appropriate. Water is prone to assumptions based on what they feel is proper.  Fire is prone to ideas based on what they spontaneously believe is correct. The third differential is whether the person is basically rational and practical, emotional and empathic, spontaneous and passionate or intellectual and mental.

Earth always measures reality in relationship to what makes sense personally while Water measure reality in relationship to how they feel about others. Fire measures reality in relationship to how others perceive them while Air measures reality in relationship to their own concepts. For example, during a confrontation Earth responds in terms of black and white and demands that others should fall in line with their concept of clear cut distinctions. The Water type sees both sides of the argument and can not separate their own feelings and impulses from the experience of others. Fire cannot separate their spontaneous projections of correctness from the needs of others. Air thinks that they know more than others and doesn’t understand why everyone does not see it their way. Fire has a tendency to think that things are wrong while Fire believes things will go right. Water  tends to feel that things will things will work out in the long run while Air thinks that most likely things will eventually fail.

Hotter temperaments tend more toward extroversion while cold temperaments tend more toward introversion. The energy of the hot temperaments moves outward when confronted and would rather fight than switch. They try to resist first and then accommodate. The energy of the cold temperaments moves inward during confrontation and withdraws to avoid disagreement. They first try to first accommodate and then they resist. The hot temperaments tend toward a fight while the colder temperaments tend toward flight. The dry temperaments think things over while the moist temperaments feel their way through situations. The dry and hot type (Earth) says no first and then cooperates if convinced. The hot and moist type (Fire) acts agreeable but says no and only gives in if necessary. The dry and cold type (Air) appears to compromise but then raises objections. The cold and moist type (Water) acts indecisive as a form of protection and then says yes or no depending on the circumstances. It is important for Elements to learn when one approach is more suitable than another and adjust their reactions accordingly.

Each Element has their own strengths and weaknesses. The key is to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. The Study of the Elements is not about putting people in boxes but about allowing them an awareness of who they are and giving them the opportunity to set themselves free.

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

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The Elements of Man part 10 - Extrovert Introvert

Extrovert - Introvert

Firstly thanks to many of you for following my blog on the Elements of Man. I have enjoyed sharing the teachings I received from my old sage. What has blown me away has been the amount of people from non English speaking countries who have logged on to my translatable blog. To date I have had people from 22 different countries viewing the blog. Unfortunately my book 'The 33rd Sage' is only in English but at least I can share the teachings that are found in the book through the blog.

Thanks again and if you have friends overseas who may be interested my blog is http://33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/ 

Today, we will not talk about the Elements, as such, but in terms of positive and negative - acid/alkaline - Extrovert/Introvert. This will help you to identify the personality types. 

   

Basically, the extrovert, the Earth or Fire Element, is also the positive or acid personality or body type. The extrovert is always looking to expend and propagate self in every way. They achieve their ends by a multiplicity of relationships. This is not just in a sexual way, but also in business and personal friendships. They are always seeking new situations and people for stimulation. There is definitely an outer life. They are more inclined to the object than to the subject. They increase in energy when exposed to groups. They are, in many situations, the initiators. Generally, they experience solitude as loneliness; they find stillness boring.

   

Their opposite, the Introvert, the Water or Air Element, is also the negative or alkaline type and has a much deeper inner life. They are drawn more to the subject than the object. In large groups, they lose energy and would prefer to work on their own or in small intimate groups. They find solitude as a resource. They are concentrative and self-directing. They need periods of quiet and solitude, while generally avoiding new situations and people. The truth for them is specific and irrevocable, whereas in the extrovert the truth can sometimes be situation- or time-specific. They achieve their ends by monopoly of relationships. They have a volatile inner life.

   

Just for a moment stop and think about some of your closest friends, try and feel their energy. Does their energy come from them and charge you up? When they start telling a story of one of their adventures, do they stir your passions? Do you gain energy by just being around them or listening to their stories? If you do then you can be fairly sure that they are extroverts. But if they take energy from you, or if they always look at the negative, or they come up with problems instead of solutions or they look at what can go wrong then you can be reasonably sure they come from the category that we call introverted. This does not make them any better or worse than the extrovert; it just means they are different. The extrovert is coming out at you while the introvert is withdrawing. Both personalities have their strengths and weakness and everyone at some time plays the extrovert or the introvert, but they are generally one way or the other.

Your next little fun exercise is to go a busy place, such as a mall, airport or even a train station, find a seat and just take 20 or 30 minutes to observe people. Given the few pages of information I have shared in these blogs I am not expecting you to be able pick out people's Elements, but more to observe the differences. What is their body shape? Do they look extrovert or introvert? What words do they use and then if you like have a guess at whether they are Fire, Water, Air or Earth? It doesn't matter if you get it wrong, we are only at the crawling stage, none of us are ready to get up and walk.

I remember when I first studied the Elements, I thought I wasa combination of Air and Water. I could not have been further from the truth as I am in fact Fire Earth the exact opposite of what I thought I was. So if you become discouraged, just sit back and have a laugh at me. This is just like dipping your toe in the water, I want you to start seeing the differences. That is all. Have a bit of fun with it.

I hope you have been able to keep the discipline of silence around the Elements. If not give yourself a kick up the bum and learn to quiet your energy; especially you chatty Fire Elements.

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The Elements part 9 - Time

Time

The old sage wandered through the forest of Kan, stopping every now and then to touch a tree or linger for a moment as he watched the beauty of nature. To anybody watching he would have appeared to be in a daze, but he was truly connected with all things. The more he connected with nature and the seasons the more they opened up their secrets to him. In his younger years he was always in a hurry to get somewhere, to learn more, to do more, but as he got older he realized that he was a part of all things.

He came to the Lake of Li, sat on a log and and stared out into its waters. He was waiting for his students to arrive. Years ago if the students were not waiting when he arrived for the lesson they would be banished for ever, but now as he got older, his teaching had changed. He knew that the students would arrive based on their Elements and how they saw time. For time was different for everyone. This was long before Einstein and his theory of relativity. 

The old sage fumbled with the plum red sash on his robe. For a moment he was the young student again, sitting at the feet of his master who was dressed in a plum red robe. It was his master, one of a group of 33 sages, who had taught him about nature and the cycles within man. He had studied with the other 32 sages but nothing they taught him could compare the teachings about nature. In the last 55 years he had lived in the forest and studied and lived with nature. Over the years students had been drawn to him and he would teach them all that he knew. Some would even love nature so much that they would take these teachings to other countries and share them. 

He watched as his first two students arrived. It was the Fire and the Air students. Nothing strange in that they we nearly always the first to arrive but for very different reasons; reasons he would share with all of them when the others arrived. The first two students were getting upset when they third student arrived. It was water and she was always late. The three students were arguing when the Earth student arrived. He sat down quietly and waited for the sage to begin. None of the other students had even seen Earth arrive and they continued to argue.

The sage smiled to himself, turning his attention inward he began, "Time itself does not exist it is something that man has constructed to allow him to know when to eat or meet someone. How each of us view time is a good indicator of our personality. For the introvert, time is one continuous line, whereas for the extrovert time is discontinuous. The introvert (Air/Water) has strong memories of the past and becomes distressed if the past is invalidated. For them, the past is important because it is what the present and the future is created from. Before stepping into a new situation, they check to see if it meets the requirements of success on previous occasions. Anything new is taken in and compared to the wealth of data that the introvert has already collected; if it is a totally new situation, then the introvert may not choose to go forward whereas, the extrovert under the same situation will probably go forward just for the chance for a new experience."

    The old man’s eyes came back to normal and he turned towards Huo (Fire). "What do you remember of your childhood?"

Huo raised his head slightly and looked up towards the right, "nothing before the age of ten and after that, only certain experiences. I guess I do not focus energy on the past. Once it’s gone it’s gone. That's weird. I am trying to remember my childhood and I can remember some of the things I did and achieved, but no actually memory of them, and yet I can picture in my mind what the future is going to be and some of the pictures are so real I am sure that they will happen."... Then a picture flashed through Huo’s mind, of writing and teaching about the Elements and he was sure it was so. The future memory was so strong, it was as though on some level it had already happened and the key for Huo was to bring the vision into the now. How often had he given up on what he was doing, in the chance to take a new direction or try something different? His passion always burned brightly when something new offered itself. His past was littered with unfinished projects and unfinished courses. Even past relationships lay unfinished, either financially or emotionally. It was much easier to move onto something new than finish what was already dead, as far as he was concerned. 

    It did not matter where he looked, forward or back, in the present, or in the people and the Nature around him, in everything was the Elements. When he began the training with the old man, he thought he was getting into a mystery school full of theoretical teachings, but what he got was a mystery school full of experience. The Mystery school of the Elements was there for anybody with the eyes to see. From that moment the world had become a living thing. No longer were rocks and trees separate from him. All of Nature had become his teacher and he their humble student. It was true that the more you learn the more that you realise that you know nothing. Huo had opened up a box of infinite potential. No wonder the ancient tribal people had no writing; it was certainly not due to ignorance. In their world, you had to have a deep understanding of Nature and this could only come through experience. A written story of a flood or a bush fire did not prepare one for the experience. How Taoist was the old man’s teaching? A word for something was never the thing itself. Through the old man's teaching Huo was experiencing his own Fire. The word Fire was not the experience. How easy it would have been to get lost in the words without the experience. Huo thought about how we had become a society where we only had second hand experiences. Much of what we see and do come through a filter called the media. How much of the adventure of life has been stripped from our souls? With the invention of computers, the information super-highway we are becoming more and more removed from the (adventure) experience of living. The story is never the experience, sometimes the stories light our passion for the experience but we need to have our own adventures.

Time, what a subject, he thought; a subject that man has talked about since the cliched beginning of time. He could never understand why many of those around him never shared his optimism about the future. It did not matter how bad things were, he always believed that the future would be better. Of course he was speaking from his Element. 

The old sage now had all their attention, so he continued, “The Fire person, like the Element burns in the direction towards the future. They draw the future into the present, as a living reality. Out of a balance, they are always living in the future and their lives are full of potential and little else. In balance, they affirm and live in the present with a confident belief of what the future holds. Time for them is unstructured. Things go on endlessly for Fire; even death to them is not an end. They are fascinated by the concept of the noble death of warriorhood. The kamikaze pilots of the Second World War or the samurai, both proponents of the noble death came from a Fire country. To die for a greater glory in the future is such a Fire thing to do.’ 

Looking back on his own life, Huo had sacrificed himself on so many occasions under the belief that the future would bring him greater riches.

“Fire hates to be pinned down and be regulated. Fire’s are like a horse that needs to be given their head. Too tight a rein and you will break their spirit or be consumed by their anger; their fire out of a balance. Allow them their space and time and they will warm all those around them.’

    A sense of peace enveloped Huo as he began to understand his own element. How many times had he punished himself for his shortcomings? Now he knew where he had come from, and where he was at. His element was not an excuse for his failures but a point of change. He was always at the point of choice.

    The old man smiled as knew that Huo would be the student who would carry on the teachings. He turned his attention to Shui (Water), "Water has a deep sense of the fragility of life, because it touches it at all levels. The Water Element seeks to preserve self and loved ones by the conservation of energy. Water has a deep memory of the past and any decisions are based heavily on past experiences. Water sees life as a continuous flow of experience from past, through present and onto the future. But wherever the future goes, it takes the past with it.

"There is no separation for the Water Element. Even when loved ones are not around the deep emotions are still felt. In many ways they are so child-like, needing to experience the emotions that they experienced in childhood. Faithful to emotional commitments, they are generally monogamous and have a want and gift for nurturing the young and innocent.

    "Whereas Water can be the power behind the throne, Air has more a sense they have a purpose in the passage of time. Their sense of time is heavily reliant on history and they constantly use history to reference what they are saying. Like the Water Element, the Air Element sees the past to the future in a linear progression, but they have more a sense for timing, believing that things will get better with time, for they have prepared for it. They believe in a structured environment and generally see life as a progression of logical steps."

    The old sage had only spoke briefly of the Earth's perception of time, but in those words there was a great deal of knowledge. "For the Earth was present-oriented, existing in this moment only without reference to the past. What is done is done. They are sense indulgent, and delay time by being total absorbed in the moment and losing themselves in the peak experience. They are at the end, the death, so they are inherently aware of the transitory nature of the physical body.If it feels good, do it; could be their catch cry."

       The old sage turned his back on his students and stared again into the deep waters of the Lake of Li, in the Forest of Kan. The students knew the teaching about time was finished and it was now their role to take time for themselves to allow the teaching to unfold.

The Elements part 8 - Relationships

Relationships

The seasons are but a reflection of man himself. If you watch them and listen for each Elements story, then you will understand everyone you come into contact with.

The Element of Fire is the time of Winter; it is the time of greatest potential; the promise of things to come; the new growth, the new idea, the germination of the seed. Within this Element there is a stark landscape. The trees are bare; there is little life to be seen; there are few if any birds and most animals are not to be seen. But underneath the cold exterior is the inner warmth of germination. It is a time of great sensitivity to the moving sun, for in the sun is the fire and the light which is the key to appreciating this Element. The Winter is a time of imagining and anticipation.

In relationships it warms the other Elements; it is calmed or doused by Water; fanned or starved by Air; allowed a solid footing or suffocated by Earth; and consumed by itself. Two Fire Elements together without a generous helping of the other Elements is like watching a bush fire in action. The colour of Fire is red and the shape is the triangle. Just imagine for a moment the effect when a triangle pushes its way into your space and you can get some idea what happens when first coming into contact with the Element of Fire. Beyond the sharp point is a gentleness and passion that is hard to ignore. The Fire type is magnetic, amative and celebratory when happy but can be burning, scorching and torrid when upset. They have high expectations of others and easily suffer from love of approbation. They like to do all the talking and have trouble seeing faults in themselves as they tend to live in denial. 

The Element of Water is the season of Spring. It is the time when the snow melts and the water begins to flow. For spring is the custodian of new growth. It is the nurturer of young animals and children. It is the archetypal mother. The ice gives up itself to the softness. The triangle of Fire becomes the circle of Spring. There are no sharp edges to endanger any young one. The Spring is the time of water; initially flowing, babbling, cleansing, always allowing growth, and then growing still, reflecting. Like the mother hen, it allows the chicks to grow but ever-present in times of need. Like the moon, it is a reflection, allowing the tides and the movement of water. Spring is the protector; it allows vulnerable life forms to emerge into a world of colour and beauty nurtured by motherhood. It is a time when the Water/emotions allow the young to learn in a caring protected environment. It is the time of outer beauty. The symbol of the Spring, Water, seeks the lowest level and nourishes all.

In relationships Water is disturbed by Air; it makes earth soft, then impassable; its passions are warmed by Fire, but too much and the kettle boils and Water floods or drowns itself. The Water type is loving, faithful, gentle and sympathetic. They are often insecure and overly dependant on their partners for their happiness. They are very sensitive to every little feeling tone and so empathic that nothing can really be hidden from them. When upset they cry, weep and subject to rapid mood swings.

The Element of Air is the time of the Summer. When we look at the Summer we see the time of the summer holidays, the time when we are rewarded for the previous six months. For the Fire is the germination; the Water is the moving and growing and the Air is the time of the harvest. You reap in the Summer what you have sown for the rest of the year. It is a time for counting, for storing, for distribution of the harvest of the wealth that has been gained. It is the time for creating order and for storing to create abundance in the future. It is the time of strength and maturity; when the young leave their nest. Its symbol is the oval for it is the extension of the circle; it is the culmination and the distortion of what the time of Water has to offer. It is not as sharp as the time of Fire or as gentle as the time of Water. It is the time of order and logical thinking. It is not the time of creation but one of extension, of best use of what we have. Its colour is yellow, which is the colour that stimulates the intellect. The earth is parched by Air and the summer storm is dramatic and merciless.

The Air in relationship affects all the Elements. From stillness, a gentle blow to a powerful northerly, it touches all the other Elements. It dries and disturbs the Earth; disturbs, feeds or starves Fire; it disturbs Water. Air is unaffected by all but itself. Withhold Air from us for only a few minutes and we are all dead. On some level the Air elements know this and it leads those with a strong ego to see themselves as quite superior. The Air type is poetic, literary, intelligent and charming but is prone to over intellectualizing. They do not understand the feelings of others and tend to rationalize everything. When unhappy they are sullen, depressed and gloomy and prone to imaging all sorts of troubles. They try to think their way out of trouble when a little feeling is all that is needed.

The Earth Element's time is the Autumn. It is the time after the harvest, when all the work has been done and energy begins to diminish. It is the time of brilliant colours emerging, as if they are Nature’s last denial of the end about to come. It is visual, exciting and dramatic. It is the time when the old falls away to allow space for the new. The autumn leaves fall to the earth to allow fertiliser for the new growth that is to come. The bear eats ravenously and stores fat for the Winter. It is a time of relaxation and review as the end draws near. The colour of Earth is green and the symbol is the square.

    The Earth in relationships; it suffocates Fire; causes Water to lose clarity; is disturbed by Air and joins together with itself.. They can be charming, trustworthy, dependable and caring. They are also prone to being controlling, critical and demanding. They tend to think in terms of conventional roles for males and females and have strong expectations of the other party. They are not particularly tolerant or forgiving although they can be faithful in that they do not let go lightly. When upset they become immediately angry and can be quite morose. 

  

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

Twitter @GeofSpalding

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The Elements part 7 - Incarnation

Incarnation

Man is like the seasons. There are many correlations between the cycle of man and the cycle of the seasons. The more you become aware of the seasons the more they will give up their secret; their memories....... The elements themselves are Fire, Water, Air and Earth. We always see them in that order because they correspond to the seasons: Fire with Winter, Water with Spring, Air with Summer and Earth with the Autumn. It is appropriate to begin with Fire, the Winter, because that is at the beginning. Anything in the fire part of the cycle is at the beginning. Look out the window to the Winter, to the snow on the ground. At first everything looks like it is dead, but it is only hibernating. It is preparing for the growth to come. For Winter like Fire, is the imagining of the new. To understand Fire is to know the energy of anticipation. Within the seed is the tree to be born. Within the idea is the vision complete. The Fire individual incarnates between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. The closer they incarnate to the Winter Solstice the more they take on the aspects of the previous element Earth. The Closer they incarnate to the Spring Equinox then the more that they show aspects of the element of Water......

A Fire Element in the southern hemisphere incarnates between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (June 21 - September 21): A Water Element incarnates between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice (September 21 - December 21): An Air Element incarnates between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox (December 21 - March 21): An Earth Element incarnates between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice (March 21 - June 21).

Incarnation is when the spirit enters and takes up residence in your body. This can happen from conception till eight weeks after birth, effectively giving you an eleven-month window to incarnate. You cannot tell a person's element from their birth date or the astrological sign, although the position of celestial bodies at birth will be a further influence. For those of a more scientific bent rather than incarnation, maybe see it as an activating of a genetic sequence that gives us personality and our predispositions to health and disease.

Like the seasons of Nature, the Elements change gradually from day to day as the year progresses. A Fire Element who incarnates in late June will be very different from a person who incarnates towards the end of Fire in the middle of September. If you incarnate on the cusp between one element and the next, then you become Fire Water, Air Earth, Water Air, Earth Fire and so on. There are twelve types. Each Element can be broken up into three dependent upon when the individual incarnates. In the case of Fire it would be Fire-Earth, Fire or Fire-Water. With Water it would be Water-Fire, Water and Water-Air. With Air it would be Air-Water, Air and Air-Earth. And finally with Earth it would be Earth-Air, Earth and Earth-Fire.

The elements themselves are not necessarily divided up into equal amounts of men and women. The percentages are always constantly changing in alignment with the Element of the countries and the world itself. But roughly at this present time Fire Elements can be broken down into 85 percent Men and 15 percent Women. Water elements can be broken down into 80 percent Women and 20 percent Men. Air roughly 90 percent Men and 10 percent Women and Earth is roughly 50-50. You can see the elements as they are represented in the countries. For example the earth element or the syphilitic is highly represented in the earth countries like Australia and Africa, while the air is represented by countries like England and France, with France having a strong mix of air and water.

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