Elemental Education: What We Can Learn From the Balance of Earth, Air, Fire & Water

Image result for elements quote I’ve long considered myself a student of nature. As a child, I always had an innate wonder of the world around me when it came to the little things we now as adults, so often overlook. Things like watching gypsy moths climb trees or counting the number of stars on a clear summer night.

One thing I came to understand quite quickly into my childhood was that while the forces of nature are absolutely beautiful, they are equally as terrifying and destructive. And I would later in life learn that neither aspect of nature is better nor worse than the other, but rather each holds its own place in keeping the vital balance necessary to ensure the very forces of nature themselves continue to work as the organic framework upon which our world manifests itself into being.

Our Universe is based on a language of mathematics, and our dimension (the 3rd in case you weren’t paying attention lol) is based on a mathematical system of base-10 binary code. Yes, we literally live within the matrix, my friend and if you look closely enough into nature, you gain insight into a world which is expressed through mediums of light and sound. Tie this all together and we get the tools of creation weaved together into a universal language called fractal mathematics.

Now, I won’t get too into quantum physics on you here, but the fact that nonlocality proves the idea of separateness to be nothing more than an illusory human construct of the mind was perhaps my equivalent to someone else’s first skydive. Mainstream science shows that light is information; photons literally carry bits of data.

Cymatics also exposes us to the world of sound and frequency and their effects on matter. We know now that sound is a major factor in the creation and also the destruction of matter and is a much more powerful force that we give it credit for. The rush and exhilaration I felt upon the discovery and realization of, or what more aptly felt like a remembering of our ancestral and genetic ties to both light and sound lead me down a path that eventually brought me to esoteric studies of ancient areas of knowledge; particularly that of Spiritual Alchemy.

Traditional Alchemy is learning and mastering the stages of chemical reactions, in cohesion with the 4 forces of nature – Earth, Air, Fire & Water (and often mentioned is the “5th Element” or Spirit or the Aether.) It is based on the transmutation of base metals to create different bonds and chemical reactions to make gold.

To master alchemy, one masters all stages and knows to respect the forces of nature; both the side of creation and destruction as both are needed throughout many various transmutation processes. Ultimately, the goal here was to turn base metals into gold; thus creating the “Philosopher’s Stone” and also the key to eternal wealth and vitality.

When we look at the forces of nature individually, we can easily see both sides of each element. Earth creates islands, the landmasses for Man to live upon. Earth provides the soil for which we can grow sustenance. Earth can also shake and tear and swallow up the cities man has built in mere seconds via earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. Air is the vitality of prana that connects us to Source Creation. Air allows us life. Air can also rip with gushing winds and destroy lives and homes. Fire provides heat for Man when the climate may be cold. Fire gives us flame to cook food and sanitizes with its ash. Fire also burns and melts and can bring entire acres of land down to a crisp. However, even total destruction is laying a new growth bed for fresh forests to emerge within the ash. And finally, Water is within us as we are more than ¾ water! Water provides hydration to our cells and literally holds the energy of its environment. Water can also be quite destructive with flooding, and other horrific natural disasters like tidal waves and typhoons; although those we could consider a team effort of water AND air. Image result for elements quote

Nature asks us to walk the middle line all the time, we just have to remember to stop the noise within or chatty minds sometimes and listen. It is always guiding us to not avoid the extremes but to rather know when we taste one, we can always expect to taste the polar opposite as this is the electromagnetic rule of our dimension. (Check out the Hermetic Law of Polarity for more info!) I like to call it being a Gray Jedi. Not taking sides with the Light or Dark side, but rather giving each their due respect.

So many aspects of nature express this way of zero-point balance if we stop and look closer. And sometimes all it takes is a breeze, or a raindrop to wake something up that reconnects you, even if only for a moment to your inner child. The one that never forgets the beauty of a clear summer night sky, but one who also remembers that in order to appreciate the beauty nature and life affords us, we must be willing to look UP. 🙂

Tamara Rant is a Co-Editor/Writer for CLN as well as a Licensed Reiki Master, heart-centered Graphic Designer and a progressive voice in social media activism & awareness. She is an avid lover of all things Quantum Physics and Spirituality. Connect with Tamara by visiting Prana Paws/Healing Hearts Reiki or go to RantDesignMedia.com

Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.

Follow Tamara on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

This article was originally created and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Tamara Rant and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons statement.

Hacking the Matrix with Spiritual Alchemy

Image result for spiritual alchemy For as long as I can remember I’ve been completely fascinated with the elements, the laws of Nature, sacred geometry, energy, and how it all comes together in a sort of fancy cosmic toolbox that we can all learn to use through ancient alchemical processes.

Now, I’m not talking about literally mixing some lyrium with dragonroot under the 3rd phase of the moon to gain +5 mana, but hey…yesterday’s Merlin is today’s Spiritual Alchemist, right?

No, the chemistry, the reactions, the changes I speak of refer to those specific ‘problem’ areas of your life. As cosmic Creator beings, we are all modern-day wizards and witches with more power to control what goes into and comes out of our very own lives than we are ever told, but I’m sure to have continually imagined throughout the years.

I’m referring to power in the Now or what I love to call ‘hacking the Matrix’. If we start to think of all outside events that attempt to bring us out of alignment (away from a feeling a being centered, calm, focused, relaxed, whole, peaceful, etc.) as simple programs running, then it becomes easier to then also recognize that we always have the choice if we want to run those programs or not.

Next time you are attempting to focus on something you are doing and feel continually distracted, you will immediately see a program attempt to run that wants to make you feel impatient and annoyed and trigger you to do the exact opposite thing of what you are trying to do. But if you simply recognize that fact, rather than react to it, you take away it’s INSTALL or RUN options and instead hit CANCEL. What you’re really doing is consciously clearing away that energy via an intention from your heart.

A good motivator to remind you to take a moment to actually choose whether to INSTALL or to CANCEL is remembering why you are doing what you are trying to focus on, to begin with. Like in meditation we always come back to the breath, instead come back to the task at hand. This can be likened to the alchemical process of Calcination.

Calcination is the process in alchemy when matter decomposes. So, in this case, it fits into letting all things but your goal, cause, etc. fall away from the moment so that just your object of focus remains in the ethers of your current reality. It can then more easily reclaim its place within our center sights.

Once we have taken the proverbial reigns of our own awareness and continue to make these conscious choices as to what programs are installed into our reality or not, we are likely to see vast improvements in our self-confidence, judgments, and willingness to show up in life. This can be likened to the alchemical process of Dissolution.

Dissolution is when we start to feel less identified with the programs and more with our inner world. Suddenly we become aware of how our own behavior might affect other people and we actually start paying attention to how we feel and how those around us feel. The key here is learning how to maintain a balance of compassion while not being a pushover. Maintaining a kind and open heart while creating a space where others can feel safe to release triggers, trauma, shadows, etc. is no easy task, but one that inevitably brings you more in tune with abilities to concentrate. This occurs the more we choose rather than react in life.

The less reactive we are, the more forgiving we allow ourselves to be. Where quick judgments are made, no room is left for grace, patience, and humility which must be present in order to ever heal resentment. We must be willing to let go in order to receive. This can be likened to the alchemical process of Separation.

Separation is where we isolate all components from the stage of Dissolution, or basically, we take that which we want to focus on in life and leave the rest. We take what works; let it go. And that is pretty much the foundation of forgiveness, no? It’s never about overlooking something done, but looking over something that’s done and seeing it in a new way.

Whatever you are attempting to focus on in life, I am sure you are fighting your inner excuses (basically your ego and all its ways it can come up with you keep you exactly the same, feeling the same, thinking the same, day after day after day…) as well as your outer excuses (whatever else we commit our time to).

Now the key here with our outer excuses is to review which ones are true priorities that expectedly call for your attention, time and focus (family, friends, commitments, hobbies, etc.) and just more reflections of your ego such as the time we spend complaining, comparing, judging, whining, putting ourselves down, putting others down, etc.

We all have pain and we all have more say in how fast our wounds heal. Some of us just like to keep picking at it. And while old wounds cut deep, they are also some of the best way-showers life has to offer us. We just have to be willing to see. And in the end, the absolute best way to stay focused in my opinion is to simply remember why you looked in the first place. 😉

Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.

Follow Tamara on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

3 Ways to Know When Holding On is Actually Holding You Back

Some people are excellent at monitoring their own energy. I am not one of those people…You see, I am one of those empath weirdos you’re always hearing about in the spiritual community. And I say “weirdo” with the utmost love in my over-feeling heart and compassion in my over-thinking brain.

You’d think that someone like me would’ve learned innately to keep my own energy in check, but if you’re an empath too or know someone who is, then you also know that it can sometimes take years, if not an entire lifetime to learn how to even differentiate your own energy from those around you.

While I’ve come to embrace this trait as a gift and am just in recent years figuring out how to use to best serve me and my goals in life, it has also served, at my own hand, to keep me feeling unseen, unheard, unappreciated and perhaps the most painful, unloved.

I, along with every other empath I’ve ever spoken to, had to learn at a very young age that how we feel isn’t important enough to be a priority to anyone. In fact, we developed quite quickly the damaging belief that it’s not only our job to keep our feelings inside but to also make sure that we are catering to the emotions of (or lack thereof) everyone else and that we are meeting their needs. I often liken it to what I call “energy chameleon training”.

Through these beliefs, we begin to bring to life the idea that it is our “duty” to live simultaneously closed off emotionally, and yet hyper-tuned into how we can help others with their own problems at the moment. I recall always having severe anxiety whenever my mother would drop me off at daycare and this was due to my what had grown from these beliefs…a deep-rooted fear of abandonment. And rightly so, to this day my inner child doesn’t trust adults and I don’t blame her.

Can you relate yet? LOL While not a particularly comical topic, one thing I have learned along the way is that being able to laugh at yourself, make light of what crap comes your way does make it easier to not get caught up in energy and emotions, and to keep an open mind about obstacles. I’ve now made it a habit to turn each one into an opportunity. Perhaps this is why I’ve recently become obsessed with Alchemy, particularly Spiritual Alchemy.

(I wrote a previous article on Spiritual Alchemy if you’re unfamiliar with the term. Check it out here: How to Live as a Spiritual Alchemist )

Which brings me to the incredibly useful Alchemical tool of Transmutation. A spiritual approach to turning base elements into gold, or rather your unhealed wounds and shadow traumas into catalysts for your greatest potential.

So what does this all have to do with knowing when to let go? Well, glad you asked. 🙂

If you find yourself spending a significant amount thinking about, worrying about or giving energy to something or someone that is not making you feel good, then LET IT GO. I’m not talking about the egoist-grunts of not wanting to do the work required to meet healthy goals, no, not at all. I’m referring to spending years of your life in an UNhealthy relationship with someone who convinces you that you are something you’re not, or whom cannot see your light, heart, or true intentions. Putting energy into things that drain us is a never-ending battle. And while it can be instinctual to want to love someone else into their own best self, we cannot and will not accomplish anything like this with someone who doesn’t see what you see.
If you see failures as mistakes, then you may not like what I am about to say next. Failing is a fucking GOOD thing! All a “failure” truly is in the grand scheme of things is learning ONE way not to do something. And every mistake is just as vital to your success as the moments you felt everything was going great. The point is, see the entire journey and honor all parts of it. Each part is equally responsible for getting you to where you are today. This can also be said when it comes to loving those parts of us we may consider unlovable, or accepting things from our past we may not be proud of.
Anything that floods your essence with shame or guilt is not for you. Trust me. It’s not for ANYONE. Regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done (people can instill shame or guilt over either if you think about it), it’s always going to be up to them whether they will choose remorse, forgiveness, growth, and love over letting the opportunity to get closer to their greatest potential slip away. We’ve all heard it before, people will not change unless they want to and ultimately it’s not our responsibility to heal others or push them to change one way or another. What we do have the right to do is walk away. To let go.

“The easiest way to be happy is to no longer hold onto what is making you sad…”

Whether you’re empathic or not, if you consider yourself to be kind, compassionate and find yourself putting the needs of others’ ahead of your own, then I’m sure my words have either struck a chord or triggered something awake inside. That thing is your soul. And it’s calling each and every one of us that actually care to listen. As they say, go within or go without. We are all mirrors and how you feel about yourself on the inside determines what you see reflected back to you from others.

Make the big leap into letting go of what you’ve convinced yourself is pushing your forward, and you just may gain a new perspective of what’s been holding you back.

Much love and have an insightful weekend my friends! <3

Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.

Follow Tamara on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

4 Alchemical Tools for Spiritual Transmutation

Image result for spiritual alchemy The ancient art of Transmutation has stretched and webbed itself to mean different things throughout various theologies and esoteric studies. In pure Alchemy, it is the act of turning lead into gold, whereas within the darker halls of the esoteric soul sciences, it is the act of bringing your shadows to light to become the greatest, most illuminated version of yourself. As gold is the goal within the chemical and physical processes; wisdom and joy are the goals when it comes to “spiritual” Alchemy.

In modern society, we are taught as very young children to feel “good” or “bad” about certain emotions and ultimately parts of ourselves we’ve already associated with these emotions. The raising of children lead to believe that anger is unacceptable or embarrassing, or that having individual wants and needs is selfish and shameful, sows the seeds for future adults who believe that money is God and aptly surrender their lives to participate in what is deemed appropriate by the masses.

I remember being SOOO damn confused as a child having adults around me tell me things like they had “wished” they had gone after their dreams, or if they could go back and do some things over they would. Seemingly putting out an underlying message or even a warning perhaps of what’s to come later in life.

These same adults preaching how important it is to learn and study, which is absolutely true; however it is WHAT we are taught to focus on that I have a problem with as a 40-year-old woman…and it’s one I’ve had since I was a 4-year-old girl…

Whether we have figured it out yet or not, we are raised in a world of confusion, conundrums, and hypocrisy. The parent living vicariously through their children; putting more effort into seeing how their pushes and pulls on their children towards or away from certain things, is somehow worth more than putting in the same effort to manifest these types of “successes” for themselves.

It never made sense to me as a child to see an adult be so talented as something, and then not do it for years because someone made a rude comment or told them they weren’t good enough at some point. Like the lack of pure, unadulterated (no pun intended) joy was worth giving up, just to keep our sad stories alive and well of why we “can’t do it” or “don’t have enough time to do it”. This isn’t and wasn’t the most confusing part for me growing up. It was rather the fact that while those around me were literally in jobs they hate, working to impress people they don’t even really like, voluntarily giving up the pursuit of their own dreams, yet somehow find the time to push us as children to “never give up” on our own.

How can a child learn to express their greatest potentials with the adults around them living lives where they are doing anything but?

“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” – Paulo Coelho

While I don’t have children personally, I’ve come to understand throughout my own learning processes, that adults do not actually exist and we are ALL just children; some of us who’ve been here a bit longer than others. What I mean by this is that we don’t ever actually “grow up” but rather we grow “out of” or “into” different versions of ourselves. But ultimately, we never lose who we are as children and if we are wise, we learn to appreciate that rather than thinking it is something to be ashamed of, for it is our childlike wonder, enwrapped in our imaginations that are ultimately weaving our lives…stitch by stitch…thought by thought…

We can keep a firm grip on our inner child, while also allowing it to keep us grounded to our roots. This is something I think many people give up throughout their lives and once we have convinced ourselves that inner child has long since gone, it becomes so much easier to convince ourselves it’s too late to become our greatest selves, which cannot happen without the acceptance and embracing of all facets of your existence, and this includes facing our darkest shadows, to allow the brightest light from with to emerge.

Thus this brings us to the 4 Alchemical Tools for Spiritual Transmutation and they are as follows…

Nigredo (Confession) – Connecting with your deepest and darkest desires, facing your shadows, proactively looking at parts of yourself without judgment.
Albedo (Illumination) – Focusing on building a connection between the conscious and unconscious mind, interacting with and reading the world around you through symbols, dreams, and archetypes.
Citrinitas (Education) – Transference and Countertransference work that focuses on our interactions with others and the world at large to get a better view of our place within it.
Rubedo (Transformation) – Focusing on individuation and authentic personification; i.e. living your most true and highest potential self.

Now, I’ve purposely omitted including more information on these stages because my intention is not to point which way to go, but rather to plant a seed and just get you started in the right direction; whatever that is for you personally. I know for me, researching new topics with the sole intention of gaining new and wider perspectives, is the key that opens the door to the Universe. And once the Universe is invited and welcome into your life, it will gently but firmly point the way for you…

We all just need to look up and within as only then we will know we are never truly without. Happy transmuting! 🙂

Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.

Follow Tamara on Facebook, Twitter and Google+