A Guided Journey to Meet the Elementals: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water

This is a simple and fun journey that brings you into contact with the Elementals: spirits of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. For this meditation, you will need to have a pinch of salt, a small cup of water, a lit candle and your own sweet breath. You can do this with others and take turns reading the instructions, or record the whole thing for yourself.

Breathe deeply and let the breath you take in fill you and feed you. Relax and let your vision shift, let your body relax. Feel the creature-ness of you, the brilliant mind, and the powerful god of you, Three-in-One, an entity of grace and beauty.

Place the salt on your tongue: body of Earth be blessed. Follow this bit of salt into you, feel your cells begin to stir in remembrance of their origin.

Now drink the Water: body of Water be blessed. Follow this Water into you, feel your cells soften in recognition of this nurturance.

Feel the warmth of the candle: body of Fire be blessed. Follow this warmth into you, feel your cells enliven with this stimulus.

Now breathe deeply this Air: body of Air be blessed. Follow this breath into you, feel your cells awaken to this inspiration.

Sit with this for a moment, feeling your kinship with the elements of life. Now allow your Sanctuary to arise around you.

From there, envision yourself leaving this room.

Move up into the hills, up into the great forest. Find yourself surrounded by immense trunks, with branches far, far from your reach. It is cool here and moist under the trees. There are sounds around you, sliding and slithering, rustling, but you are safe and protected by the great ancient beings that encircle you. Take a moment in this sacred space and prepare to see who you see.

Feel your consciousness slowing. The time of Earth is so very slow. Send your awareness into the soil, just a bit, feel the movement of this theoretically solid ground. There are sparks of light here and there, and you can feel tiny animals moving around.

Now call to those elemental spirits of Earth. They are great and powerful beings, slow moving, but full of grace and deep love for their charges.

Let yourself come into their presence, if you and they will. Listen for their slow voices. Is there a message here for you? A gift of an image or a symbol?

Take a moment now to be fully in this space for this time.

Now thank these wonderful beings and withdraw from their presence.

Next, begin to hear a trickling sound, a soft flowing sound. Water is moving nearby. Move out from the trees and follow the sound of the water as it gets louder and louder until you see the shine in the moonlight where flows the river.

Find yourself a nice place on the bank, or even step into the water and let the quick movement of the river bring you back up to speed.

Feel the flow of the water around your form. Watch as it comes toward you, moves against you, goes past. Call to the elemental spirits of Water. They can be capricious and have a short memory, but their power is great and they welcome those of good heart.

Let yourself come into their presence now, if you and they will. Listen for their silvery voices. have they a message for you? An image, perhaps or a symbol?

Take time to be fully present in this space.

Now thank these delightful beings and withdraw from their presence.

Suddenly, you hear the sound of an explosion! You see that a tree has been struck by lightning and is burning at its heart. Come close to the tree and see how the flames lick all throughout the dry, hollow trunk. Feel the warmth creeping into your body. Send just a bit of your awareness into the Fire and feel the movement there, the intensity!

Call to the elemental spirits of Fire. They are powerful, quick moving and hungry, but willing to work with you if they are treated with respect.

Let yourself come into their presence, if you and they will. Listen for their quick voices. Is there a message here for you? A gift of an image or a symbol?

Take a moment to be fully in this space for this time.

Now thank these forceful beings and withdraw from their presence.

Let the warmth of the Fire push and push you up; feel yourself rising on the night air. Let your spirit body be blown softly, like the seed of a dandelion, away from this place of heat and smoke.

You may carry the scent of sweet flowers, blowing softly over their petals, lifting the deliciousness that draws bugs and bees and other creatures to them. As Air, you can travel almost anywhere you wish. You may carry a whisper or a shout, a cry of encouragement or a song of victory.

In this place of freedom and movement, call to the elemental spirits of Air. They can be frivolous, but their power is great and no one is better at carrying messages.

Let yourself come into their presence now, if you and they will. Listen for their whispery voices. have they a message for you? An image, perhaps or a symbol?

Take time to be fully present in this space for now.

Now thank these sweet beings and withdraw from their presence.

It is time to depart this sacred space and return to your Sanctuary. If there is anything you’ve received on your journey, find a place for it here.

And prepare to come back to the shared reality. Take a seat and come back to the breath.

Let the breath you take in fill you and feed you. Let the breath that you take in invigorate the cells of you and between the cells of you. Follow your breath into your body…and out. And in…and out. And once more, follow your breath into your body and back out into the space of light and noise, the shared reality. And when you are ready, open your eyes and be here now.

Recognize that your beautiful body here is made of Earth and Water, Fire and Air.

See how you reflect the slow steadiness of Earth and the sinuous grace of Water. See how you reflect the hunger of Fire and the lightness of Air.

Know that you are a beloved child of the universe and your relationship with the elements is a gift to you and to them.

This meditation is from The Secret Country of Yourself: Discover the Powerful Magic of Your Endless Inner World (Llewellyn 2017).