The air element

“The little reed, bending to the form of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over”- Aesop.

In 450 BC the Greek philosopher Empedocles put forward the idea that all matter was composed of four elements - Earth, air, fire and water, a theory which was supported by Aristotle. The unique combinations of the elements and the spirit within us form our personalities. When these elements are in balance, we experience mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

The air element is associated with thoughts, ideas, communication. Once we begin to develop our own thoughts, ideas and communicate them, we experience expansion and growth. Thought processes are quick, changeable, and abstract, akin to the air element. In addition, air is considered cleansing, most drastically demonstrated by the path of destruction left by a tornado, which is air moving at an incredible speed with a huge amount of energy behind it. The landscape is “cleansed” of all that was there before, paving the way for new growth. A simple way we can work with the cleansing aspect of the air element would be to go outside and release all that no longer serves you to the wind.

In Astrology, the astrological wheel is divided into 12 houses, each ruled with their own traits. Think of the houses within the astrological wheel as stepping-stones, with each house providing the lessons required before moving onto the next. Air governs three astrological houses, the third seventh and eleventh houses. The third house being the house of communication, it is in the third house where we master the skills of basic communication, where we learn to express our thoughts, feelings and ideas. The seventh house governs relationships and all types of partnerships.  The eleventh house rules teams, friendships, groups, and society. We must master communication and self-expression before we can delve into the deeper complexities of communication that involves others and forming relationships, which when mastered, enables us to gain the confidence and firmness of our own ideologies to present these to the greater society in which we are a part of.

Warmest regards,

                             Penelope Espinoza Hallett, Naturopath

                             BHsc (C.M.) AdvDip. Nat/N.D, Dip. Aroma, Dip. C.H., Cert. R.M., Cert. R.M., Cert. SBM, mNHAA