EARTH ABUNDANCE

Earth is the planet we live on, the ground we walk upon, the soil from which our food grows, the foundation of our homes and the structure on which we build our lives. Earth images are solid, heavy, immobile, secure, permanent, natural and abundant. Gravity is a quality of earth, as is density. Earth comes in many forms including rocks, gems, minerals, nutrients, crystallization's, caves, mud, dirt, mountains and plains. Earth is solid and immobile yet it can also be eroded by wind and water, melted by fire or shaken up by earthquakes. So earth is not as constant or as permanent as one would at first suppose. Like all else it is forever changing and we must change with it.

Earth represents security, foundation, structure, home and hearth, stability and issues of survival and safety. It symbolizes the root and foundation of our survival in this body and in this world. In its positive expression the earth element offers the ability to live life from a solid base of inner security. It offers the ability to be organized and stable while allowing life to unfold, dealing with events as they arise rather than living with the anxiety of the endless possibilities of what could be. It is a deep sense of knowing that you will always be provided for with enough to share.

Yet earth energy can shift like an earthquake, and at that time one can no longer be sure of where the ground is beneath one's feet. For many people this reality brings up uncomfortable emotions of fear and anxiety. Intense feelings of insecurity are fueled by the adrenals and it becomes a scramble to survive. Fear that there will not be enough, fear that everything- life, family, money, home, position and friends- will be somehow be lost or taken away.

Some people are driven to build a fortress of possessions, insurance policies, savings, friends and family to be there in time of need. However, as life can never be certain these safety nets do not prevent further anxiety and they often feel uncomfortable, even threatened by people and events that do not fit in to the predictable and 'safe' environment that they have created. To maintain this level of 'control' over life one must build strong defenses; often so strong that even the goodness of life can not find its way inside.

Others react by disassociating from life. Rather than dealing with the possibility of failure and loss they prefer not to have anything that can be taken away. As they are afraid to truly connect with life they lack foundation and grounding. Spaciness, forgetfulness, a grasshopper mind or an inability to get ones life together and come from a place of commitment and direction are all symptoms of too little of the earth element.

Anxiety and fear creates deep seated tension in the body and the link between the mental, emotional and physical bodies is manifested as disease. Earth is associated with the sacrum and adrenals, and when out of balance manifests in symptoms where the body hardens and stiffens, such as gall stones, kidney stones, constipation, hardening of the arteries, spine and bone problems, sciatica and muscle tension. Also nervous disorders associated with exhausted hypo or hyper-active adrenals. The body, afraid to let go and trust that it will be provided for, collects and stores, cementing the inner ecology and inhibiting the flow of blood and lymph so that the body must struggle to maintain harmony, receive nourishment and cleanse.

It is as if the body, emotions and mind are holding on, tensing against the instability of life and it takes unwinding these knots of fear and anxiety to allow life to be lived in the moment with grace and fluidity again. As anxiety dissolves and the mind and body return to the present we find that there is ample energy and time to cope with life events. Tension in the body is released, offering the opportunity for healing, and time, one of life's true mysteries, expands to create space for contemplation and the simple joys of living.

Earth healing is received from the desert, mountains, sand, mud, minerals, nutrients, grounding and the release of tension, stress and static electricity through contact with the earth. It is through our connection with the earth and all that it provides that true earth healing can take place. Conscious intake of nutritious food, herbs and adequate rest combined with regular exercise create a solid foundation for health and the mental, emotional and spiritual life. Mud packs, mineral baths, massage, osteopathic or chiropractic care, Reflexology, Rolfing, digging around in the garden, walking barefoot on dewy grass and rolling around on sun baked sand are all supportive therapies for balancing the earth element. If you run out of ideas think of things that you did as a child when fear of survival was not yet a part of your world. Playing outside until dark, walking in the rain, listening to the birds sing, painting a picture, even "playing hooky" so you can have a day at the beach. Lighten up, relax and enjoy the moment.