Working with the Elements
In another article we explored the realms of the faeries and elves, and I’m please to report that they were very happy that a lot more Echo readers are tuning into them and asking their advice when planting 🙂 We will now look at the broader realms that govern these little beings of Light. There is a hierarchy throughout the angelic dimensions and just as the archangels oversee the angels, so it is that the angels govern the Elemental realms, and the Elementals guide the faerie realms. We connected with the faeries, elves and sprites in the last article and now it is time to look at their over-riding kingdom in the fourth dimension.
There are four major divisions in the Elemental kingdom: the Earth Elementals (Gnomes), the Air Elementals (Sylphs), the Water Elementals (Undines) and the Fire Elementals (Salamanders). All Elementals work at a more primal level than the fairy realms in that they have not needed to develop a personality as the sprites and elves have. The Elementals are purer consciousness, and when they are working with us, we feel them as a more subtle and defined inner energy. We seek them from within, as opposed to playing with the faeries from outside of our Beings. Elementals are found in all of nature as well as in a reflection of ourselves, and rather than being a concept, they actually contribute to all that our five senses can perceive. The four Elemental realms are here to sustain all life on this earth and they all four exist in every aspect of nature. The expression “being in one’s element” speaks to our relationship to them and by tuning into their energy we can better hone our connection with them.
The first division is that of the Earth Elemental, also known as Gnomes. These are not like the little painted pottery creatures we put in our gardens, but are a truer form of energy that maintain the physical configuration of Earth. The King of the Gnomes is Ghob, and the over-riding Archanagel is Auriel. As representational of the Earth energy, Gnomes create the fabric of all nature – they paint the colors on the plants, flowers and trees, as well as give the crystals and all minerals of the Earth their individual energy signatures. (When we heal with crystals, we are working in direct alignment with an Earth Elemental.) Gnomes also work with us in our physical structure through the physical senses. We stay grounded on this Earth plane by agreement with the Gnomes. At birth we are assigned an Elemental from each of the divisions that remains with us throughout our lives. If we choose to work specifically with our personal Elementals, we are then be able to evolve more rapidly into the conscious Beings that our Souls dictate. Yet, if we had too little connection to our Earth Elemental, we could feel spacey and disoriented. We would live too much in a world of imagination and we could lose contact with reality. There are some essential oils that can help when we have lost connection to our Gnome Elemental. Some grounding and balancing oils are *vertiver, galbanum, geranium, bergamot, sandalwood, rosemary, peppermint and basil*. These oils can be bathed in, massaged into our feet when too spaced out, or misted into the air to assist in bringing us back into our bodies. Using these essential oils can aid us in having a more healthy connection to our Gnome. On the other hand, sometimes we are overly connected to the Earth Element, and we can often feel too heavily weighted down by the mundane. When stuck in this rut, we seem to have a narrower vision of the world and what it offers and often we can become cynical, overly practical and distrustful. Some essential oils, which help with lifting spirits and lightening our burdens, are *fennel, melissa, pine, birch, mugwort, sage, lemon, cinnamon, and lemongrass*. If you are interested in seeking to contact your individual Gnome that was assigned to you at birth, you need to approach this connection with a sense of openness and cheer, a generous heart and gentle interest. These attributes attract Gnomes and clear the path for communication.
The next Elemental division is the Water Element, governed by the Undines, ruled by the king Niksa, and associated with Archangel Gabriel. (Remember that Gabriel is often evoked in ritual as holding a chalice in his hand and is framed by a waterfall in the background, hence his association with the Water Elemental.) The Water Elementals are found anywhere there is water and speak to our emotions. Some Undines love inhabiting flowing water, while others prefer more still, deep waters. On a personal and physical level, Undines work to help us with our empathy and our healing ability. Often they connect to us through dreamtime, maintaining our astral bodies and helping us to build and expand our psychic bodies. Commonly, they also assist us in assimilating and understanding our life experiences. Being the water element, Undines help us maintain our body fluids, like blood, lymph, interstitial fluids, etc. The idea is that water purifies toxins and eliminates them out of our bodies, and without proper detoxification, disease can set in. Undines are essential in helping us maintain flow, not only in our physical bodies, but also in our energetic, emotional and astral bodies as well. When we have too little connection to our Undines, we can experience psychological and emotional problems, including lack of compassion, inability to love and indifference towards mankind. A deeper intuitive bonding to our personal Undine will facilitate in balancing emotions, and some essential oils that can also support emotions are *patchouli, ylang ylang, jasmine, neroli, rose and sandalwood*. Likewise if we are overly connected to the Water Element, we can become water-logged emotionally. We might be self-absorbed, fearful and distrustful of other’s emotions, wanting desperately to be liked, yet unable to believe we are worthy of being loved. Again, a deeper balanced connection to our personal Undine can support and center us, and we can assist them by using essential oils in our baths, or in any water milieu that feels right for the situation. Some oils that you might consider using that will alleviate lack of self worth and mistrust are *frankincense, geranium, jasmine, melissa, rose and ylang ylang*. The Undine energy that co-creates with us is best contacted through an attitude of evenness, balance, firmness and control. They come more easily to our consciousness when we are centered and stable emotionally. Call to them and ask them to appear in dreamtime, and feel your connection to these floating Spirits.
The third division is the Air Element, governed by the King of the Sylphs called Paralda, and watched over by Archangel Raphael. The Sylphs are part of the creative force known in various cultures as prana, life-force, chi, qi, etc. They can be felt in the calmest breeze or in the most powerful tempests. The are the baseline energy of life, in that we can go without food or water for days but can only exist but a few moments without a breath. The Sylph that is assigned to us at birth helps us with our mental activities and our reasoning abilities. Without their help, we would find understanding new knowledge and trusting our instincts very hard work. Remember the mind-body connection - How each thought, whether good or bad, produces a chemical that feeds our body, and that negative thoughts create potentially harmful chemicals that break down into disease, and happy thoughts regenerate cellular activity to a healthier way of being? Well, thank the Sylphs for aiding us in this physical/mental connection. Too much connection with the Air Element can lead to an over-active and scattered mind. It can create mental instability and flightiness. Nervousness, paranoia, fanaticism, hyper-sensitivity can all be symptoms with an over-identification to the Air Element. Some essential oils that calm the mind and bring it back to sensibility are *neroli, chamomile, rosewood, clary sage, lemon, lavender, frankincense, and patchouli*. Too little connection with a Sylph can lead to a lack of common sense, a poor perception of life or a feeble imagination. There may be no curiosity and no interest in man and humanity, nor will there be that spark of creativeness that leads to happiness and ultimately a health body-mind connection. Essential that help to lift spirits and focus perception are *peppermint, parsley, geranium, galbanum, rosemary, helichrysum, melissa, tea tree, lemongrass and ylang-ylang*. To create a deeper connection to your personal sylph, it is good to find balance and containment of your thought patterns. Being consistent in life and establishing good boundaries from a sensible and intuitive level will attract your sylph closer to you.
The last division of the Elementals is that of the Fire Element, ruled by the Salamanders. These salamanders are not the little lizardy things that scamper around gardens. They are mighty beings that are in charge of all things associated with fire and heat, including volcanoes and lightening. The king of the Salamanders is Djinn and the over-lord is Michael. Often, when we are gazing into a blazing bonfire, we see images of dancing serpents in the flames. These are the Salamanders that have come to commune with us and join in our festivities. Even when we are meditating on a candle flame, the spirit of the Salamander is supporting us in our contemplative journey. Like the phoenix, the Salamander’s work is to tear down and build up, for only when we clear out the old can something new grow up in its place. With that idea, Salamanders are the element that helps us with healing and detoxification of the body. They also assist us in maintaining our spiritual body, cleansing out unwanted energies by burning through the psychic debris that we collect in our subtle bodies. If we want to assist the Salamanders in cleansing, we can burn essential oils around our aura. Some supportive oils might be *rosemary, peppermint, lemon, pine, clary sage frankincense, myrrh, galbanum, elemi, jasmine, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, mugwort, helichrysum and sage*.
As with all the other elements, we have a Salamander that is assigned to us at birth and travels with us through out our growth. A strong and balanced metabolism is tantamount to good health and Salamanders assist our health by controlling the internal thermostats of our metabolism. A lack of Salamander energy shows up as a sluggish metabolism, which can lead to lethargy, weight gain, fatigue, possible depression, decreased heart rate, memory and concentration problems, muscle pain or weakness, loss of interest in sex, numb, tingling hands, dry skin, swollen eyelids, dryness, loss, or premature graying of hair, extreme sensitivity to cold. Essential oils that strengthen the Salamander energy and therefore raise our internal thermostats are *black pepper, cinnamon, peppermint, ginger, hyssop, melissa, mugwort, nutmeg and rosemary.* Good Salamander energy means vitality, a positive and assertive will, a sense of upliftment and an affirming belief in self. Too much Fire energy, though, can lead to pompousness, vanity and over-zealousness. Balancing essential oils can help stabilize the fire energy and these are *geranium, bergamot, galbanum, mandarin, frankincense, lavender, cypress, elemi, chamomile and jasmine*. Our personal Salamander will aid us in awakening to a higher sense of self, if we approach it with a feeling of stability, calm, and patience. When we drop into our deeper inner self, we can align more easily to the Salamander energy and begin to find a truer Self.
The Elementals are essential to our lives and should be treated with respect and understanding. The more we can align to our personal Elementals, the sooner we will be able to evolve into the omniscient Beings we know we can be!