Cleansing and cathartic, fire releases physical form. Just as bodies decay, fire cleans all decomposable materials away. Dust is simply dust, and fire fans the release of memories and the rebirth of joy.
Cremation uses fire, which leads to memorial and honor of the deceased person. Fire is the final physical phase of deconstruction if cremation is the route taken. After this, no DNA remains, and as such, fire wipes all energy from the aching bones of the beloved one.
Life is fleeting, like a flame fueled by a minute ember. Cherish life and meditate on its length as you watch a fire die out.
Water
Nature’s cleanup; water washes away dirt, blood, and debris from battlefields. The memory of war may have scarred the area, but it has been tucked away into the bowels of the Earth after rain comes to bury it.
Like tears on the cheeks of mourners, water flows gently to the Earth. The touch of water is soothing and soft, and shows our companions where we stand as grievers.
Mist and fog are veils separating the quiet from the mundane. Victorian women wore veils to have privacy while mourning, and this allowed them to remain speechless without guilt. In this way, water shields us from the ones that wish to remain hidden and still.
Air
The last breath we take is an offering to the world. A somber goodbye, and a kiss air takes with dignity and respect. Air holds the secrets our spirits leave behind, unspoken words that flit away with the soul within us.
Without air, there would be no life, at least not for us humans. Death is Life. Life is Death. They are not counterparts, but two skills of Mother Nature. Air knows this, as it is forced into your lungs by your own instinct at birth, and whispered out upon dying.
The words of condolence and shared grief are more powerful than energy taken upon life being created and shared. They stand in solidarity, they were and express their sadness together. Hope for peace and the love they gather between one another is a sign of Air and its gifts.
Earth
Human bodies remain in the Earth, still and resting. The Earth invigorates raw power and strength into their bones, preparing them to live among the realm of fellow spirits, or perhaps to be birthed again somewhere else. Bones fade into Earth but never truly leave. They are swaddled in layers of nurturing soil.
Some find caves and darkness unsettling. But within the Earth, death is known and natural. There is not quite the same fear of death down below that appears here. Learn from true darkness and the shadows the Earth finds company in.
The Earth was alive before anything ever settled upon it’s surface. It was once someplace else, and was categorized as another celestial body by today’s standards. It has died and emerged with flowing grass, rivers that possess currents and fish, and deserts with animals and plants unafraid of the heat.
Spirit
We are spirits, merely placed in vessels that breathe and walk among other spirits. We die, but our spirits do not. They may transform or metamorphosize into another body, but we go through death over and over again while our spirit remains a steady companion of the cycle of nature.
Spirit is not as abstract as other things. Spirit is an element just like Air or Earth. Like death, it is debated and misunderstood. But in the end, avoiding it will not cause it to disappear. Like death, the spirit must be accepted and meditated upon for us to continue on with the phrase “memento mori, memento vivere” ( Remember that you have to die, Remember that you have to live) strung across our minds.
Spirit is our element, but also the element that produces our spirit friends and foes. Remember this when communicating with the Dead and other entities beyond our understanding.
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