THE FIVE ELEMENTS, PART IV

EARTH

Earth is fed by Fire and Water; some indigenous people believe that Earth is the result of Fire and Water interacting in a certain way.  Earth represents ‘life’ and its cycles, sustainability, healing and love/caring.  Earth gives — and when cared for, gives abundantly.  Earth cares for all who walk upon her — the saints as well as the sinners, the ordinary and the extraordinary.  On the wheel of life, Earth is located in the Center.  This center-position is the hub of the wheel and paradoxically, Earth is connected to the other elements and is also the meeting place for all five of them.

The person who is of Earth is a lover of all.  This person cares for all, supports all and seeks to find healing for all.  Earth-people are by their nature nurturers.  They believe in abundance and abhor scarcity — these are the folks who will, literally, give you the shirt off of their back or go more than the extra mile for you.  Helping others feel ‘good’ enables the Earth-person to feel good.  The Earth-person cares for others’ Physical, Intellectually, Emotional and Spiritual well-being.

An ‘Earth-less’ person is not grounded and is lost.  He or she feels empty, isolated and lives in a wasteland.  In our culture we struggle with what to do with the ‘home-less’ person.  Since our culture is a Fire-Culture we are more likely to consume the home-less rather than care for them.  Our Fire-Culture is supported by cement, concrete and steel and hence we have lost our connection to the Earth and the Water; we are more likely to consume both rather than care for them.  Earth-people seek to remind our Fire-Culture that Water and Earth are necessary for our survival.

Community-building requires all Five Elements and cultures that are predominantly Fire-Cultures are deeply challenged when it comes to building and sustaining Communities.  Earth-people provide us the necessary grounding — a home, if you will — which will hold and sustain community.  Without community people will take and consume more than they will nurture and sustain and Fire-Cultures consume more than any other culture.

Fire, Water and Earth must learn to balance one another and they must also learn to make room for and embrace the final two elements that make up the wheel of life.