The Universe of the Five Elements - An Introduction

The symbol associated with the muladhara chakra is a red lotus made up of four petals that holds a golden triangle inside a red square. Inside this golden yellow triangle is a bindu which is known as “bhu” linga or first/basic identity which is where comes our sense of self and our body as long as thoughts of self preservation and survival.
The physical body is set in three dimensions (length, height and width) and also has mass which are the four parts that make up the square which symbolizes the earth element. The mind is not composed of the five elements but is rather subject to them as well as the five senses and their experiences. Smell is the sense associated with the earth element because smelling is an experience created by the brain based on the presence of a physical object.

The mantra associated with the earth element is “Lam”. This is the central mantra of our primary identity. The overall physiological structure of a person with a dominant earth element is broad and strong with a rectangular body shape.

People that are predominantly associated with the earth element are very stable, disciplined, methodical, practical and pragmatic. They are emotionally balanced and are quick to come back from their imbalances. They are family-oriented and are always looking to be somehow part of a group or community.
However, they are risk-averse unless they see immediate pay-offs or guaranteed success. Represented by the Muladhara chakra, it has a strong correlation with the kundalini coiled at the bottom of our spine which must be awakened since it holds in reserve all the power of nature.

The color associated with the water element is like the color of a lake on a misty day and the symbol is of a half moon. The sense of taste is the one associated with the water element which comes from eating and digesting the food (earth element) that we intake. Water element dominant people tend to be tall and their physical power comes from a flexible body because of their long, extended muscles.

People with a dominant water element tend to take on the physical attributes of water leading them to have very flexible and adaptable personalities depending on their environment. These people are very humble, compassionate and creative and have the highest capacity for faith. They are very skilled and talented however, they may demonstrate a lack of drive which leads them to flow more with the current rather than initiate something. The symbolism of the half moon can be understood as the self/ego which is constantly changing from moment to moment and that it’s only when you bring your awareness to this that you can actually direct the movement of transformation. The misty lake symbolizes your blurred awareness of the ego mind and clearing the mist allows you to be fully aware of the mind and the transforming personality.

This chakra deals with our ego identification with gender and how we psychologically feel about our sexuality. We have three basic identities/lingas which are situated in three different chakras, either muladhara(body and mind self), anahata(soul) and ajna(knowing yourself as the emptiness from which came the Universe). The soul(anahata) demands to experience different physical bodies(muladhara) and these bodies have their own basic identity at this time (svadhisthana). This “present life” identity should be completely dropped so that the lake of this chakra is clear and that we can gain complete awareness of our depth and move towards self-willed transformation.

The fire element has a direct influence on the elements below and above it and acts as the driving force behind the psychosomatic body. The sense associated with this element is sight which is the primary and central sense of the human mind. However, our eyes function using only a very small number of waves available on the entire electromagnetic wave spectrum leading us to perceive reality in a survival-based manner that is not completely the truth. If we detach from the idea of survival, we find that the visual sense is no longer limited and we can start seeing reality differently, using the internal eye.

People with a dominant fire element are highly athletically fit people. They have a very high basal metabolic rate which means that they digest their food very fast making them often hungry. If they do not eat enough, especially not enough fat, they will start to consume their subcutaneous fat cells which is very bad for their health. They also need to make sure that they stay very well hydrated, more than all the other elements. They have the best arched feet out of all the elements making it the best feet for running. They have very clear, sharp eyes that look confrontational and have a tendency to have unhealthy hair leading to early grayness or baldness of the hair.

The fire element is the basis of the intellect, the thinking mind and the part that projects the ego. People with a dominant fire element are very intense people, with intense passions and emotions. They are the most ambitious and prideful people out of all the elements which often makes them have a high self-esteem but can sometimes lead them to being arrogant. They have a strong ability to take responsibility which allows them to take on leadership roles. The chakra associated with the fire element is the Manipura chakra which is a chakra associated with a powerful prana called “samana”. Kundalini practices heats up this prana which in turn leads to waking the kundalini.

The wind element is associated with the Anahata chakra which is known as the birthing place of the soul. This chakra is green in color and it is symbolized as two triangles(pentagram) where at the center there is a floating light representing the soul that doesn’t have any physical form. The sense associated with this element is the feeling sense or touch which is connected to the central nervous system, which in turn, is connected to the brain.

People with a dominant wind element tend to go in extremes, either being too tall or too short. They are people that move very quickly, can’t seem to be able to sit still, have a very dynamic body and their weight can shift from one extreme to the other very quickly depending on the amount of exercise they practice or lack there of. Wind people tend towards having narrow/elongated body parts, weak upper arms and shoulders but have the most powerful lungs.

Wind people are very spontaneous and unreliable due to the fact that their identity is so close to the seat of their emotions. They change their minds very rapidly, always following their hearts. They understand things very quickly and are naturally skilled in a variety of subjects which can make it hard for them to choose one area to specialize in. They also tend to be quite rebellious because freedom is one of their core values and they base all of their actions on their feeling sense, not following anyone’s advice.

The mind is free of the five elements however, when it is not still or in a balanced state, it takes on psychological characteristics of the dominant element in the body as well as aspects of secondary elements. The importance of keeping the mind still and slowing down is to be capable of controlling the incessant inflow of thoughts and emotions and becoming aware of every single one of them. We embody different elements at different times of day depending on several astronomer factors. Synchronizing our daily tasks and activities with the energetical qualities of the certain element at play makes it possible for us to flow more optimally with life.

The shape of the space element is a blue drop in a black background which symbolizes the hormonal system which is ruled by this element. The space element has a mixed physiology which often makes it hard to decipher. It resembles the physiology of the fire element; however, space people are very calm and find it hard/ are not interested in doing physical activity.

Distinctive characteristics associated with people with a dominant space element are a tendency to suffer from allergies, usually have uneven teeth, have prominent ears and large eyes that tend to look at a distant point when talking.

Space people are very detached, unconcerned and may seem even cold since they tend to spend most of their time in their mind which leads them to naturally having a very high intellectual focus and concentration. What they value most is constant mental evolution and attaining higher levels of psychological experience/ consciousness. They tend to be great discoverers/inventors/visionaries but their lack of earth or fire element traits can make them lack discipline and ambition which leads them to never materializing their vision which stays as a pure potential.