Earth Element and Society: A return to the body

We all can share in the joy of celebrating the cycle of earth. We can do it in an instant, by taking a pause, a moment taken to center ourselves. Each day we might take our meals with gratitude. Notice that sharing food is central to our cultural rituals, such as feasts and celebrations that foster connection and community. It can feel so good caring for others and sharing our gifts. We are nourished and fed when there is reciprocity and abundance. At the same time, no one can be expected to thrive when their basic needs are not met. As we work to come into more balance inside of ourselves, we can look outside of ourselves to our society and see how our actions might guide us as a whole to live in more harmony. I always notice how the earth is abundant and self-healing. Nature quickly grows over and recovers abandoned places. Some of the messages that I get from the earth are that we should take care of each other, share generously, and slow down sometimes so that we might process what we take in. What messages does the earth element have for you? Maybe there is a place in nature you might go for a walk or lay on the ground and listen to the earth and your own body.

There is a connection in the earth element with our food and labor systems. Wholesome food is a pillar of health. Many people today struggle to have access to affordable healthy food and the time to prepare it. Our modern agricultural system adds a lot of pollutants to the earth, water and air. We take more than we need, and this over-consumption takes a toll on the earth. Culturally, we do not value what might be called “reproductive labor,” caring for others, children, elders, and the work of the home. This work often becomes invisible and people are asked to do it for free, or it is not counted as labor, and some people do more than their share. This work then becomes a burden, and it is easy to get burned out if one is always caring for others. This important work is a necessary part of the cycle, of coming home, sitting down and taking in so that we may go out again and work in our communities. Taking time to recognize and meet our own needs is another important lesson of earth. Many know the hard lesson of giving too much of oneself and getting depleted, burned out, tired, and falling sick. Having a loving relationship with our bodies is a radical act in a society that has taught us not to value our own physical needs.

The most important aspect of the earth element is how fundamental the earth and our bodies are to everything else we might do or be in our lives. It seems to be something that we have forgotten. In western culture, we have a strong unconscious belief that we are separate from the earth and that we can rise above and control nature. Philosophy and science do not agree on this point. Human’s are not separate from the earth. Attending to our body, our comfort and safety is an important part of health. Eating is one simple daily reminder of this connection. Plants offer us food, shelter, and medicine, the earth itself is our home. We are born here and belong here, fundamentally. I think this belonging is something to contemplate. We have an opportunity to embrace and be in relationship with the earth and natural world, to be a part of it, and not continually try to control it and ourselves. We might cultivate reverence for the earth and for our bodies. In the USA, where I am writing this, we have created a culture with great wealth and technology, but we haven’t fixed our social problems, and we have to acknowledge that we don’t have widespread happiness and health. We have made great achievements in western medicine, but we still have a nation here in the US plagued by chronic and what could be see as preventable diseases. We have violence in our communities and homes in alarming numbers. Something about the way we are approaching living together on this planet is not working. To me, all of this is evidence that our dominant culture worldview has damaged our planet and our society and lead to commodification and violence.

There is great hope for what it could mean to alter our worldview and cultivate connection and relationship with our bodies and the earth. What if we were to recognize ourselves as good, sacred, well-built, designed for health, with a natural ability to heal? We could align ourselves with our bodies, our own personal earth, and instead of trying to control or fix it, we could be an ally and support our function. We might learn to value interdependence, relationship and find wholeness. Maybe we can practice asking ourselves, what do you need to be well? And listening to the answer. Our own internal wisdom may come in the form of our body sensations, feelings, thoughts, ideas. We don’t need to rely soley on experts, we can feel inside of ourselves what is true. We can practice listening to our bodies, and trusting our direct experience. It can happen at the smallest scale of an individual to begin to heal this ideological division between matter and energy. Your comfort is important. May your needs be met.