As Above, So Below
By Cristina Smith
Heaven—as you call it—is nowhere. Let’s just put some space between the w and the h in that word and you’ll see that heaven is now…here. -Neale Donald Walsch
Most anyone who has dipped her or his toe into the vast ocean of spiritual evolution has heard the phrase, “as above, so below”. Or as the Qabalists would say, “Kether is in Malkuth as Malkuth is in Kether.” As it is in heaven, so it is on earth.
What this means, in plain English, is that the God Force by every known name is ultimately in everything we know. The dirt, the computer, the glass of water…no matter what exists on earth, it is infused with Divine Nature. What it also means is that each of us is infused with this Divine Nature and we are both the Created and the Creators. What we use to create are the elements available here on earth. Commonly, those elements are earth, air, water, fire and spirit. The element of spirit is the spark of the Divine which animates our creations.
Whether we are aware of it or not, we are creating constantly through some combination of the elements. There are mythic/animal entities associated with earth, air, water and fire called elementals. These are the mystical creatures that dwell within the spirit realm of the elements and are related to nature spirits. I spent a week observing how each of my acts engaged the elements. For example, every morning I make a cup of tea (earth) by combining a pot of water and applying a flame to heat it. The air fans the fire to bring the water to a boil.
Here are a few results of that practice:
Earth: When I really feel caught up in my head, I go outside, take off my shoes and stand on the ground. I deeply inhale the solid energy of the earth and as I exhale visualize treelike roots extending through the bottom of my bare feet (grass works as well as soil). It only takes a couple of minutes to do it and the benefits of the connection provide an energetic outlet for my mind so that I can recharge. Things of the five senses are part of the element and gnomes are the elementals associated with earth. One time I built a gnome house out of tongue depressors and placed it in the garden. It lasted for about a year and kept my awareness tuned to the earth element; there was even one occasion when I found a tiny flower inside it. Earth to the extreme is a landslide or earthquake that can smother or swallow all in its path. A deficiency of earth would be evident in an inability to get things done in the world.
Air: I take great pleasure in sitting on my porch, listening to the rustling of the leaves of the trees; the song of the sylphs, the elementals of air. Inspiration is to ‘breathe in’, the root meaning of the word. Air is essential to existence in a human body and is associated with the intellect. Though I haven’t personally experienced hurricane force winds, I do remember one time sitting at the base of a tree in a lime orchard, watching a strong wind move the tree with such force that the base of the trunk and the earth in which it was planted moved. Too little air is all action and no research.
Water: How many glasses of water do you drink per day to recharge the main component of your body? Think of water as the emotional blood flowing through the veins of your life. It is associated with emotions and undines are the elemental spirit water. I feel quite comfortable in my body in the water due to the buoyancy. I can float on my back or swim beneath the surface without touching the ground. Gone to the extreme, hard rains can bring devastating flood waters. Too little water is seen in a strictly task oriented approach to life without considering feelings.
Fire: I love to start a fire in the fireplace and watch the flames dance. I find it to be significantly better entertainment than television. I also find great release in what I call ‘burning of the past’ where I incinerate papers that no longer serve me as fire is known as a purifier and is the flame that burns in the heart of every person and in the core of every star. The elemental of fire is the salamander. When in extreme manifestation, it is the indiscriminate transformer, wildfire. A deficiency of fire can be seen in a lackluster going through the motions of life rather than engaging its riches.
The fifth element, spirit, is the coalescing element of the other four. It is what compels us to create through combining the other elements. It is the invisible vehicle of heaven above (Kether) which transfers the energy of our intentions to the raw earthly material (Malkuth). For example, Dr. Masuro Emoto has done breakthrough research on the receptivity of water to intention. So instead of just drinking a glass of water because you are thirsty, you can engage the fifth element by programming that water with an intention of health. Without that spiritual spark, everything is as it appears on the surface and the magic and mystery of the invisible world passes by without notice.
It is in our personal combinations of meditation, ritual and awareness that we have the opportunity to place ourselves where above and below meet and merge. For example, in setting a goal or realizing a dream we may visualize the form or shape it takes (earth), and anticipate the sensual enjoyment of it rousing the energy of emotion (water), and apply the energy of action, desire, effort and transformation (fire) sustained by a clear and unwavering intention (air) until it expresses outwardly the originating creative impulse of spirit.
It is by blending all of the elements on earth and fusing them within ourselves that we engage in a spiritual love affair as humans in an earthly incarnation which reflects above as a union with the Divine. To merge above and below is to see from both the human and divine perspectives as one whole being. And it is at this point where that ancient phrase, “As above, so below” is more than a cliché. It is something that we know deeply as our own truth.
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©Cristina Smith 2012. All rights reserved.
