Welcome to my latest mindful writing prompt, which is rooted in the earth element this time around. To read the full thing and access other writing craft posts and personal essays, become a paid subscriber. π
βWhen we touch the earth mindfully every step will bring peace and joy to the world.β β Thich Nhat Hanh
The Earth Element is the mother of all life. It follows fire, which is the writing craft posts I shared last month, as what burns is returned to and becomes a part of the soil. Earth is the element of harvest time, abundance, nourishment, fertility, and the mother and child relationship.
In world religions and ancient spiritual traditions from all cultures, Earth has long been revered. As Gail Reichstein says in the brilliant book, Wood Becomes Water:
Because Earth's fertility is so strongly associated with female fecundity, the Earth depicted in many mythologies is a female character. To the Greeks she was Gaia, to the early Danes, Nerthus, to the Hindus Durga or Shakti, to Native Americans simply, Our Mother.
Although Earth's nature, and these Gods associated with her, is one filled with love and nurture, when angered or betrayed Earth bites back with earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts, fires. She can be creator and destroyer β but is inherently neither, instead performing the role of a matrix within which all life happens. So in this sense, Earth is a container.Β
This means that things such as rooms, bottles, rules and regulations, working hours, suitcases and bowls are all generated from the containment energy of the Earth element. In the construction of a house, Earth element is active once the walls and roof are in place and the building becomes habitable. Basically anything that surrounds and supports something is a manifestation of the Earth element β and while this typically relates to the kinds of objects listed above, think about that in terms of character too. Being supportive could be a great thing in a character, but if Earth is in excess that supportiveness could become too enveloping and veer over into being controlling.
The Earth element is also regarded as central to balance and the place where energy becomes downward in movement, a change of seasons. It is the symbol of stability and being properly anchored. We can easily see that the conflict at the heart of fictional stories can be tied to earth as the characters we encounter have reached a point where things are way out of balance and need to be addressed.
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