Fire, Air, Water, Earth

The world is comprised of four elements: fire, air, water, and earth.

This simplistic breakdown of our world is shared across many cultures and is the foundation for the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. With these four elements, the universe’s energy is kept in balance. When imbalanced, harmony is lost. While this is the basic concept, the elements’ existence and significance is interpreted differently across the globe. In the Western world, the elements are a component of astrology: a system that garners insight on the world from astronomical activities. In popular culture, astrology is seen as foolish and hokey–a pseudoscience that contributes nothing to the greater good. While I find this view untrue, I will echo that it is pseudoscience, based on the definition that our language has constructed to categorize it as such. But I believe astrology can have a great impact on people’s lives. If anything, its impact on the greater good is not realized, as it shares aspects akin to popular beliefs in other parts of the world. Especially in regards to the elements.

In the zodiac, each sign corresponds to one of the classical elements. This is known as triplicity, since there are three signs per element. Depending on your element, you will have natural tendencies in different areas of your life–some positive, some negative. Like all aspects of the zodiac, the triplicities are left open to interpretation and their meanings can be tailored to the individual. But it’s an interesting concept. Looking into it can offer some insight and means to self-reflection. Breaking down your life by four simple elements can help clear mental clutter and confusion. This simple classification system can reduce and compact a large deal of information. Significant progress on these ideas was developed in early Europe.

In ancient Greek beliefs, the four elements were a means to categorizing the world. Plato coined the term “element” to describe a piece of something larger. It was a term that could spur further divisions and help progress organization as a discipline. Aristotle later grouped the four elements under two natures, of which there are four properties: hot/cold and wet/dry. Each of the elements could be (roughly) categorized under these dimensions.

This perspective on the world can yield some interesting thoughts. Could this describe places and climates? People and their personalities? Lifestyles and strategies? Further elements can be devised from this classification system and applied to multiple fields and scenarios. But the further the divisions stray from the source–fire, air, water, and earth–the more complex life can become. Without a harmony between these basic energy sources, complexity could not exist. This elemental foundation is, to my knowledge, better realized in Eastern culture.

In Buddhism and Hinduism, these four elements are manifested in the seven chakras. Chakras are energy points in the body, and four of the seven channels correspond to the four elements. According to this philosophy, you must clear your seven chakras in order to find spiritual peace. In order to build complex things–inventions, cities, or philosophies–the basic elements must form a stable foundation.

For the arts, this understanding seems rudimentary. In order to create something beautiful, acknowledgement of the medium is fundamental. For music, we acknowledge the way sound is carried through the air. For sculpture, we reconcile the relationship between products of the earth and our visions. For painting, we mix colored waters to illustrate something within our minds. For dance and performance, we must demonstrate bravado and inner fire in our expressions. Whether the material or the concept; fire, air, water, and earth comprise our art and our lives.