Millions of us in this country have been raised with no conscious awareness of our need for and connection to the most basic elements of life - Earth. Air. Fire. Water.  And Spirit.

If you live in a major metropolis or even a far flung suburb, there can be such a great disconnect from what it is that truly sustains us. But without these elements, we literally would not be alive. Yet we take these things so for granted.

I never had a garden. Until very recently. My experience with houseplants included having to be reminded that they do respond positively to watering. I don’t recall having had visceral experiences of earth as a child - other than having been reprimanded to NOT get dirty. But without earth, there would be nowhere to grow our food, build our homes or even to walk. 

And air. Inhalation. Every minute of every hour of every day. But unless, for some reason, our air is restricted, it’s certainly not a top of mind thought. Air. Prana. Life Force. We stop breathing and it’s generally the end of things here.

Fire. Right now, it’s heating my toes. It is light and focus and energy. It is used to cook our meals. In the form of sunlight, it makes plants and animals and people grow. It is emblematic of passion. Without fire, in all of its forms, nothing would light us up or feed us on any level. 

Water. About 60% of our own body. It falls from the skies and flows through our cities. If we’re fortunate, it usually comes out of a tap. We thirst for it. Our plants and animals thirst for it. The earth herself thirsts for it. Water is movement. Water is flow. It is said that water holds memory. We often don’t appreciate this element unless our supply becomes contaminated or our city tells us that there isn’t enough to wash our cars or fill our swimming pool.

And then the element of Spirit. Without which none of this would exist. We would not exist. And how often do we remember to express our thanks? Our simple acknowledgement of these astounding gifts.

I have just moved to a very small town from the San Francisco Bay Area. This transition has created a connection with the elements in a whole new way.

Our home is heated by fire. We go to a natural mountain spring every few days to get the most clear, clean crystalline water. We’ve even jumped on the sourdough starter train to bake our own bread. And while we have a furnace and running water in the house, we’ve made the choice to experience a much more direct connection to the elements, the essential sources of what sustains us. It has led to an appreciation of all that I seldom gave much thought or energy to. It’s been about slowing down and allowing in a way that I never would’ve given myself the space for otherwise.

It’s been about the delight of bathing in an outdoor bathtub and having a frog come and visit as I take in the stars overhead. It’s been about the breathtaking majesty of suddenly seeing an immense snow-covered volcanic peak peek through the trees that makes me gasp every time it appears. It’s been about the scent of the trees in the crisp autumn air bringing a smile to my lips as I fill my nostrils with their scent.

All of this has served as a reminder to appreciate the presence of these elements in my life far more deeply than ever before. To be reminded of how we are sustained on a daily basis. To express immense gratitude. And to remember the essential nature of these natural elements. To pause and honor them.

Before its too late.