Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Working through the Elements: Air

Something struck me the other night, as I was heading to the back door to let my cat, Eddie Treebird, outside for what I think was the third time that night. All the windows and doors were closed and there is no real draft in my house. As I approached the backdoor, a sliding door with curtains hanging in front of it, the curtains were moving as if there was a draft or breeze coming from somewhere. The first thing I thought was ‘ghost’ but this was too clichéd even for me, so I stopped and waited to see what happened. By this time I was in front of the curtains and the draft that I had caused by walking across the room moved them even more and I was unable to determine the origin of the draft.



It occurred to me then that perhaps the initial cause of the movement was me. As I moved through the air in the room, it pushed forward ahead of me and caused the draft both ahead of and behind me, as a boat gliding across the lake. It got me thinking about the element of Air, that it is all around us even when it is not moving, it is still there. Sounds ridiculous and a bit ‘yea, der!’ but these things sometimes have to be learned and understood through personal experience… I think I took it for granted that when I breathed in my lungs would fill up with air and I would be able to then breathe out, it never occurred to me to think where Air came from or where it went. It never occurred to me to think about what happens when a person walks through Air that exists in the room or atmosphere (cause that is where it is), if there is an impact or not. I know people refer to the ‘butterfly effect’ and I think I understood it, but never really got it until that moment.

Air is all around us, (thank you Captain Obvious!) even as we sit it rests against our skin, our clothes, our hair. As we step we part it with our feet, we move it with our breath, we break it when we reach for something. The interesting thing is that it just seems to flow with what is happening in the environment. It does not force the issue, it merely accepts what is happening to it and acquiesces, allowing the changes to its structure and position to happen, and then remoulding itself based on the new information.

I have a new found respect Air, its fluidity, its adaptability, its availability. I also think that I have begun a relationship with this element that I will cultivate and look deeper into as I am sure, when looking at the changes the universe is guiding me to make, that I can learn something about the traits it possesses that will help me move forward, both spiritually and physically. I think I also like the idea of reacting to things when they happen rather than beforehand, living with the impositions or restrictions of others and not letting it ruin my own integrity, being able to adapt to situations while not changing who I am and how I work, being able to live in the moment and be changeable in a positive sense.


This is what Air is for me at this stage. It may change (and most likely will), but I am willing to work with Air in order to gain the strength I need in this most unpredictable time I now find myself in. It will be an interesting journey……


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