The Five Great Elements
Shantree Kacera, R.H., D.N., Ph.D.
Ayurveda and the Essenes believed that everything in this universe comprises combinations of the Five Great Elements or building blocks. This includes the human being, which also acquires a soul or spirit. These Five Elements are known as Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Ether. It should be understood that we derive from and are expressions of an unmanifest and undifferentiated Creative Principle, which is One. These Five Elements are to be understood in a material and a subtle sense.
EARTH
Earth represents the solid state of matter. It manifests stability, permanence and rigidity. In our body, the parts such as bones, teeth, cells and tissue are manifestations of the Earth. Earth is considered a stable substance.
By Earth, we are to understand not only the terrain of our planet or the iron in our red blood cells and spleen but also the quality of steadfastness of mind, strength of one’s moral fibre, one’s slow and quiet undeterred advancement towards a goal, and the resistance to the manifestations of others.
WATER
Water characterizes change and represents the liquid state. Water is necessary for the survival of all living things. A large part of the human body is made up of water. Our blood, lymph, and other fluids move between our cells and through our vessels, bringing energy, carrying away waste, regulating temperature, bringing disease fighters, and carrying hormonal information from one area to another.
By Water, we mean to imply the cohesive aspects of reality that flow into and hold things together, perfectly and simply witnessed in the ubiquitous H20 molecule. Ancient Physicians also intended the other elements to communicate the essential universal principle inherent in a particular Element.
FIRE
Fire has the power to transform solids into liquids, gas, and back again. In other words, it possesses the power to transform the state of any substance. Within our bodies, fire or energy binds the atoms together. It also converts food to fat (stored energy) and muscle. Fire transforms food into energy. It creates the impulses of nervous reactions, feelings, and even thought processes. Fire is considered a form without substance.
By Fire, we mean the universal force in nature that produces heat and radiates light. It is our passion to pursue despite obstacles and delays. Fire burns away the cloak of ignorance and allows the Truth to shine with brilliance. It removes doubt from the mother-substance of the human heart and replaces it with joy.
AIR
Air is a gaseous form of matter that is mobile and dynamic. Within the body, air (oxygen) is the basis for all energy transfer reactions. It is a key Element required for Fire to burn. Air is existence without form.
By Air, we mean the transparent, rarefied kinetic force that sets the universe in motion. It moves blood through the vessels, waste from the body, and thoughts through the mind. It moves birds to warmer climates in winter and planets around their suns.
ETHER
Ether is the space in which everything happens. It is the field that simultaneously is the source of all matter and the space in which it exists. Ether is only the distances that separate matter. The chief characteristic of Ether is sound. Here, sound represents the entire spectrum of vibration.
By Ether, we mean the subtlest of all Elements, which are everywhere and touch everything; in the mind, it is the vessel that receives all impressions; in the heart, space accepts love; space is receptivity and non-resistance to what is true.
Every substance in our world is made up of these five substances. All substances can be classified according to their predominant element. For example, a mountain is predominantly made up of Earth Element. A mountain also contains Air, Fire, Water and Ether, but the amount of these Elements is very small compared to the Earth. Ayurveda defines a human as the assemblage of the five great Elements plus the “immaterial self.”
Thus, these Five Subtle Elements form the basis for all things found in the material creation, from a grain of sand to the complex physiology of every human being. Balancing these Elements in just the right way for each unique individual is the key to maintaining health and treating disease, should it arise, whether it is physical, mental, or spiritual.