THE FOUR ELEMENTS, BEINGS  

& DIRECTIONS

The Four Directions (actually six) of Isaiah and the Native Americans are a useful and intuitive way to connect with these Elements and Beings. 
Below is a simplistic rendition of the Four Directions of the Native Americans (with four main archetypes added as per Angelis Arrien below.) The Native Americans differ widely in tradition and description within themselves but most also have a phase of life, a season and move clockwise from the South of the child - summer, 
to the West of the adolescent - fall, 
the North of the adult - winter 
and the East, the visionary or elder - spring. 
Animals differ but the Bear usually is in the West, the white buffalo in the North and a raptor with vision in the East. (In some Eastern traditions the birds of vision which are more passive, such as an egret, heron or sacred ibis are birds, are usually chosen.) 
Each one of us may have a different idea of how to work with our own "circle." The West which is often black represents the bear who is getting ready to hibernate. Fall is a time for introspection. In the case of the adolescent struggling with hormonal fluxes and insecurity and others as well it can also represent the dark night of the soul. The North which is white, representing winter, should be governed by the adult, wise, spirit warrior who has already made provisions for the winter for the tribe. The East of spring is the visionary, shaman, elder, crone, artist etc. and is the place of inspiration and new beginnings. The elder of the east will eventually reincarnate back into the child of the south. These four basic archetypes have many extrapolations these days but held well in their original form in indigenous societies. 
Today the healer, teacher, warrior and visionary could each represent numerous possibilities. For instance there are many ways to teach or heal. That direction can also be the archetype you need to be or need help from if you are stuck in that direction and wanting to move forward to another. Any direction in the case of an adult may be where one needs to look into one's past for inner guidance to solves issues or blocks in one's life path. Even the elder/visionary at some stage may want to adopt the energy of the archetype in one of the other directions to better progress and prosper, e.g. have more warrior power for a certain challenge. Or the adult - warrior might need to embrace (as the cliche goes,) his  inner child to rid himself of child like attitudes. The adolescent in the West may need the right teacher to guide her to the warrior energy of the North or the vision of who she wants to be as an elder in the East one day.
If one is in the Southern hemisphere the directions should be adapted to the different animals and the reversal of the seasons. The honey badger is an animal of mastery and has incredible warrior like energy. There are innumerable raptors in Africa to choose from for the vision of the East. The leopard like the bear is a powerful animal that keeps a low profile and seems introspective like the bear.  He or she often hunts in the "black" of night. There are many possibilities that depend on the energy of the animal that you would like to represent or have represent and help you more directly as your power animal.

In both Kabbalah and Native American tradition each direction includes an element, a vibration, a color and an animal. 
Kabbalah also has an Archangel, a "Being," a "River" and a "Wind" or Spirit force from the Creator (Ruach which is similar to Prana) as well as other polarities.
Here is a brief figure to help you configure yours.

remembering that ...

The Ancestors

It is up to each individual to formulate and adapt a model that makes the most sense to her or him. The directions belong to everyone as do their properties that you personally must select.

In order to relate to the elements we have to leave our cognitive abilities behind and try as best we can to adopt a more primal, indigenous, hunter-gatherer or shamanic seer consciousness which requires that we go inward. 

As John Muir once said;

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.

With meditative techniques and right intention we can all begin to "see" differently and adopt a more right brained function. 

For those of a shamanic inclination...

The Ancestors

With imagination and intuition we may begin to see some of what our hunter-gatherer ancestors could discern that was beyond the five senses. In order to survive they had to live beyond the five senses. In order to prosper spiritually we should endeavor to do the same.

With an indigenous mind set we can begin to appreciate more than the one percent world to which we do not even realize we are confined. 

Click on the link to download then play and meditate on the elements, directions and their polarities and personalize them. This takes a long time to actualize - weeks, months or more.

-_MP3s/03_Earth_Sea_Sky.mp3

THE ELEMENTS & THE FOUR BEINGS #3

The Ancestors here are referring to the four elements that caused creation, ... 
"the roots of all things above and below"

and the Law of Correspondence; as above so below, as is the microcosm so is the macrocosm, as is the atom so is the D.N.A., as is the cell so is the human body. All Four Beings including us are made of the same elements. We are all carbon based, made of stardust - dust to dust - ashes to ashes. 
Due to this it is easier to understand why ...

The Zohar tells us that all Four Beings are animated by the "Four Winds and Four Rivers"  the breath, prana, life force of the Divine but each has a distinct and different vibration.

The Zohar 

The four sacred rivers that arose out of Eden were possibly the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile and Ganges. These rivers appear to have "consciousness" in that they animated all of the Four Beings of nature with the life force of the Creator. Hence the Ancestors say; 

"we are all one, though not the same." 

We are all made of the same stuff and vitalized by the spirit of the Divine.

Einstein wanted to understand the mind of the Creator but humbly acknowledge that; 

"Our knowledge is the knowledge of children. We will know a little more than we know now but the real nature of things we will never know, never!"

The Zohar confirms;

“The reality we can apprehend with the senses is only one percent of the universe. … nature has hidden most of the matter in the universe and hidden it in a form that cannot be readily detected.”

Hence if we want to tap into and try and understand this intuitive mystery we have to leave ego and our cognitive brain behind. This requires the different intention and receptivity of going inward to learn nature's secrets. We need to be in awe of the cosmos and the fact that the deeper we go, the less we know. Knowing more and more about less and less does not make it any less mysterious. What science does, however, is help us appreciate the conundrum. Each time science opens a new door it usually just opens another pandoras box of possibilities.

Einstein also said that; 

"There are two ways to live your life. One is that everything is a miracle, the other that nothing is a miracle."

Its more fun living with the magic of the ordinary that may be extraordinary if we take pause. This can be a form of meditation as well as gratitude for what is around us.

The Four Directions of of the Native North Americans are also in a circle.

The Four (or six) Directions were also seen by Isaiah in a vision. He described the Four Winds, Four Rivers, Four Archangels, Four Beings and Four Elements each of whom have their own particular direction, color, archangel, animal and vibration. 

In order to communicate with other Beings  the Ancestors tell us we have to slow to their particular vibration.They all have different roles to play on our planet and each deserves to be there for its own sake, not only for what they can provide for us. Its a privilege to be able to "talk" to them.

Mostly all Beings except the Still are made up predominantly of water. There are "rivers" flowing in our, and the blood vessels of Wild Beings just as there is sap flowing in the veins of leaves as well as roots, trunks, branches and the twigs of plants.  This flows in our blood with iron bound to hemoglobin enables us to absorb oxygen through our lungs. Oxygen allows our cells energy, vital for our life force. Carbon dioxide is then discharged by the lungs. 

Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide which they turn into oxygen with the help of chlorophyl and make sugar to energize themselves and food to feed us. The chlorophyl molecule is very similar to hemoglobin except that the key element is magnesium and not iron. Plants provide what we need for body, mind and spirit - the foods we consume but also tools, medicine and sacred plants. Eco-psychologists are well aware of the restorative affects of nature which is essential for our minds' well being. Sacred plants help us connect with spirit.

and so ...

"We are all interconnected some of all in each, all one though not the same."

We need to slow to the vibration of the other beings in order to better understand them. Even the Still Beings are animated by the breath or "Wind" of the Divine  (or ruach, chi, moya.) They just have the slowest vibration. The other beings, like us, are mostly composed of water which will require a different vibration. Plants and trees also differ but more subtly.

Hence communication between all beings given this information should be easier to understand and possible. 

Click on the link to highlight then play

_-_MP3s/01_The_Four_Beings.mp3

THIS IS THE SECOND BLOG ON THE ELEMENTS  

& THE FOUR BEINGS OF NATURE

Architects and all students of eco-psychology understand that nature gives restorative effects. Blues and greens are relaxing colors and are used in surgical environments to help stress. Sunlight is essential for mental health and the lack of it can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) Buildings are often designed to facilitate a restorative effect to prevent the "Sick Building Syndrome." Inmates of jails and hospital patients do better if they have a view of nature out of their windows and prisoners who work in gardens are more healthful. Research has shown that a nature walk is more restorative than an urban one and a backpack trip better than a short hike. Folks who have easy access to natural surroundings are happier if they have "accessible green" available to them. In Bhutan they have a minister of happiness who I'm sure also attends to the accessibility of all humans to the natural beauty of Bhutan's wilderness areas as part of his/her office.

Richard Louv has defined a condition which is real and increasing called the "Nature Deficit Disorder" in his book Last Child in the Woods. The younger generation is being separated from their birth rite by the allure of social media - I phones, I Pads and other enticing technology. Although not a recognized medical disorder it is becoming more and more prevalent. When we isolate ourselves from nature we get sick.

The Gaia hypothesis supposes that nature in all its glory deserves to exist for its own sake and not purely for what it can provide humanity. 
Also!

John Hendee a famous wilderness psychologist once stated that the key to successful tinkering was to keep all the parts. We are losing vital "parts" of the still, growing and wild beings day by day. We may soon be extinct even though nature will probably survive, though never be the same. 

Divine intelligence runs through all our humanly conceived secular parts of it and its ignorant to think we can get rid of one thing without it having a ripple affect. 
The Ancestors would agree that when it comes to the four beings of nature the others are just as important as we are; "we are all one though not the same." We coexist together. 
As Thich Nhat Hanh the Buddhist monk teaches; 
"we inter are."
and the Druids...

All beings are made of the same stuff and are "alive" but just imbued with a different vibration.

The Amazon rain forest is far more important than the possibility that it may carry in its growing beings the cure for cancer and that this alone is the reason to preserve it.

The Ancestors

Global warming or Climate change is overwhelmingly real. We have abused Gaia, ignored her consciousness and have been forgetful of her awesome powers which are now working against us. We may soon be rejected from our own planet by her "immune" defense mechanism because of our behavior. These effects are far more complex than we can imagine and may not be reversible - "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" - is manifesting more and more, day by day.

The Native Americans have warned against the "Red Skies" that are coming. The Mayan doomsday prediction for December 2012 did not manifest exactly then and people said it was another example of the many before predicting that the sky was going to fall when it wasn't. Maybe, however, it was the beginning of the manifestation of this "fall." 

There are also the affects of global warring not only against the different factions of humanity but also wild life such as rhinos and elephants which are in danger of becoming extinct. Lions in South Africa are developing T.B. and also dying.

“If all the beasts were gone,
men would die
from a great loneliness of spirit..."

"Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground they spit upon themselves. This we know. The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."

Chief Seattle

The maxim think globally but act locally is wise. Also we need above all to attend to our spiritual lives and get our spiritual house in order. This will have a global "Maharishi" like affect. Moreover, we each have a unique gift to help heal the planet. For some it is for the Still Beings, for others the Growing, or the Wild or the Talking. Find one or more of the four that suits your talents to help in some small way.

 The message in this first song from the Ancestors - We CANT do NOTHING, is a double negative so they insist we must do something

and RIGHT NOW!

Click to highlight then play

_-_MP3s/03_Can't_Do_Nothing.mp3

_-_MP3s/01_Let_the_Days_Go_By.mp3

THIS NEW SERIES OF BLOGS WILL BE ON THE ELEMENTS


The Ancestors

If we want to connect intimately with the elements we have to look to our primal roots and the hunter-gatherers - my experience has been with the San Bushmen of the Kalahari. This is how we began and indigenous wisdom can direct us back to what we used to know. However, we may have to leave our cognitive brains and the hypnosis of science behind us. In order to hunt and gather and survive in austere environments our ancestors had to go beyond the five senses and tap into their intuitive powers. They would glean information from dreams, trance states, divining techniques, and in the Americas, also mind altering plants which could expand  consciousness. This enabled them to connect with the elements in ways we cannot imagine.
The Ancestors differentiate between the 
Four Beings of Nature. 
Still (rocks, stones, mountains, planets)
Growing (plants and trees)
Wild 
and Talking or Human
Plant growth requires water and healthy soil and were essential to the San for body, mind and spirit.
Body; tools, shelter, food, medicine. 
Mind; the harmony that comes from Gaia in her pristine state,  balancing the challenging polarities of wilderness and connecting with the magic of Nature's "soft fascinations;"
scenes, sunsets/sunrises, moon sets/moon rises, aromas/scents, the mantra of the bush, the sounds of the wind and running water and the daily, monthly and yearly cycles.
The San Bushmen were "meditated" by the power of wild places and entrained to Her rhythms. This was their "scripture" and it lended an extraordinary mind set to people who had no written language. Everything was passed on orally, and in song and dance.
Whenever I visited them over the years I was always struck by their equanimity, lack of judgment of others, unconditional positive regard for each other, unconditional love for children as well as being able to live purely in the moment. Their environment demanded they attend to their needs and what the elements could provide. They also had uncanny psychic skills which clearly went beyond intellect alone.
Nature also provided relatively safe mind-altering entheogens (sacred plants used in ritual) for Native Americans - south and north - which helped them heal and informed them about non local, space time phenomena.
The wild beings provided meat which took second place to a plant based diet but was most desirable, especially fat which gave more energy gram for gram. Bee honey was a special treat.
The hunter gather cannot make fire, use a digging stick, craft a bow and arrow, or build a shelter without the Growing beings ability to provide the tools. These Sprouting beings also provided medicines and sacred plants.
This nature-bound primal being was able to communicate with all Four Beings and their elements in a unique way in line with the Ancestors teachings.

The Ancestors

The San Bushmen are amazing mimics of the animals around them. I have seen them imitate an ostrich or giraffe and after a while it seemed that by dancing ostrich or giraffe they almost became the animal which is also key to the magic of shape shifting. Although he had tuberculosis and was ill when I visited there was a lion shaman whom I was told could shape shift into a lion. The San are now forgetting many of these skills as they lose their habitat, as are other indigenous peoples. Shape shifting was never foreign to the Druids, Native Americans and other Aboriginal peoples. To do this one had to identify with that Being's vibration.

I am sure the San would agree with the Ancestors in so far as...

The Ancestors

 and the Zohar...

Each of the Four Beings of Nature are animated by the 

"Four Winds;"

(breath, spirit, prana, chi, Moya or life force) 

of the Creator, Each, however, has a different vibration. The hunter-gatherers needed to identify with these vibrations to survive using only the elements and these Beings.

The Zohar says; 

"A river arose out of Eden forming Four Rivers and Four Winds..."

The Four sacred rivers coming out of Eden were thought to be the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile and Ganges. Each was animated by 

Four Winds or the Breath of the Divine, 

each to its own particular Being with its own vibration and own nature. This Wind Spirit was in the waters or the consciousness or life force of these rivers - difficult to understand but so is the Creation story.

Click on the link to highlight then play ... more of the mystery described in the Zohar and the Ancestors.

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