Days fly by. Life goes fast. You had so much on your to-do list and only got one or two things done. You had those great intentions to exercise, or breathe, yet here you are with another day over and still feeling like all you did was put out other people’s fires, solve their problems and carter to their needs. Once again, the chance to take a moment for yourself was lost and…is that headache coming on?

Sound familiar?

Does it feel like some days, no matter what you do, there is no room for self care or personal development – even though you know you need both for your own sanity!

Well, I have some good news for you – Subtle Energy hygiene – working with the elements to balance your Spiritual, Emotional, Mental, and Physical body is something you can do within your day – it doesn’t have to be a separate thing. What do I mean?

If you are sitting at a red light, you can incorporate Subtle Energy hygiene. Waiting in line at the grocery store? Going to the bathroom? Stopping to get a drink of water (yes, hopefully many), or taking a breath before entering or leaving a situation? If you do any or all of these activities in your day – you can redirect your mental space to focus on self-care.

By understanding the connections between these elements and our spiritual (fire), emotional (water), mental (air), and physical bodies (earth), we can embark on a profound journey of healing and growth. Let’s explore how integrating the elements into our self-care can lead to transformative benefits in energy healing and personal development.

Elemental Energy and Self-Care:

The elements represent the fundamental building blocks of the universe, each carrying unique qualities and energies. By recognizing and working with these elements, we can harmonize and balance our own energies, which leads to us feeling calm and easier going instead of tense and stressed. Here's how each element can be utilized in our spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical well-being:

• Fire: Fire symbolizes transformation and passion. Incorporating the element of fire in self-care can ignite creativity, enthusiasm, and determination. Engaging in practices like candle gazing, or spending time in the warmth of sunlight, can help release stagnant energy and invigorate the spirit. Fire also represents your energy level, so honoring how much energy you have each day can help with perfectionist tendencies that can creep in. Fire is the energy that reminds you dance, have fun, let it all burn off and keep seriousness for when seriousness is truly called for.

• Water: Water embodies the power of emotions and flow. Utilizing the element of water in self-care involves activities like taking soothing baths, spending time near bodies of water, or practicing mindful water rituals to cleanse and heal emotional blockages. Blessing your water and drinking multiple cups a day are wonderful to connect with the concept of letting each moment be cleansed and renewed. Water, as the element of our emotions also reminds us to keep track of any stories that might be forming themselves into triggers. When we release and allow, we have more access to accepting what is happening versus comparing it to the expectations and the stories in our minds. This soothes the desire to judge (because all too often, judgment isn’t usually positive).

• Air: Air represents intellect, communication, and expansion. Introducing the element of air into self-care can involve deep breathing exercises, spending time in nature, or practicing mindful meditation to clear the mind and foster mental clarity. Air is more than breathing techniques, although they are extremely powerful despite their clichéd use in many healing spaces. The element of Air reminds us that the mind is meant to be a tool, and perhaps it never shuts down entirely, but that doesn’t mean we should listen to everything it says and take it as our TRUTH. Air demands that we learn to discern what is coming through as alignment and what is coming from a wound. This is new easy feat since we often identify as our minds, and we can get confused. Running energy, coming back to present moment, however many times you need to are the strategies needed to recognize YOU as opposed to the never-ending story making, problem solving organ resting on your shoulders and the connective tissue running throughout your body.

• Earth: Earth signifies stability, grounding, and abundance. Connecting with the element of earth can be achieved through practices like gardening, walking barefoot on the earth, or grounding exercises to enhance physical and emotional stability. Earth also represents the conditioning and patterns that you operate with. Who got you to believe that women should be this way or children should do this or that. I guarantee, you didn’t come to this planet with an agenda. Someone instilled those thoughts in you and now that programming runs under the surface and has been running for so long unnoticed – you think it’s you. Do your habits and behaviours make you feel empowered, safe, prosperous? Do you engage in ritual, and look to connect to something more, something bigger and reach beyond the myopic, singular issue before you? Earth invites you to dance with rhythm, with structure, with the foundations of the moment, the situation, your life, the universe – and remember Earth is multi-layered and multi-dimensional, just like you.

• Ether: Ether is the subtlest of the elements, representing spiritual connection and the higher self. Integrating the element of ether in self-care can involve activities like yoga, meditation, or spending time in introspection to align with our spiritual purpose and inner wisdom. Ether invokes the reminder that you are a spiritual being having a physical experience, and that none of it matters, except for what you are learning, how you are growing and how you can use that wisdom to connect and serve all. Sound metaphysical  - it is. Think of Ether like the wizened old, millionaire who suddenly realizes none of it can come with, so they get to focusing on what matters most to them. Then they release any cares or attachments other than what good they can do with the time they have left. Turn the mundane into the magical every chance they get and play! This is the invitation of Ether at any age and any stage.

Energy Healing through Elemental Awareness:

Bringing more awareness to the elements as a framework for personal development can greatly benefit energy healing. By acknowledging and working with the elemental energies in our bodies we can:

• Clear Energy Blockages: Imbalances in the elements can lead to energy blockages, manifesting as physical or emotional ailments. Do a body scan. Is your jaw tight? Are your shoulders scrunched up? Where do you tend to carry your stress? Do you eat your emotions? Struggle to move your body? Drink more water than coffee? Spend too much time looking down at your phone and scrunching your ribs, and compressing all the organs? This leads to blocking energy. Through elemental awareness, you can identify and address these blockages, facilitating energy flow and healing. Pro-Tip – multiple times a day, simply reach your arms above your head or as far as they will go and make fists. Your lymph system which supports your immune system is stimulated by pumping blood. Making fists and relaxing, pumps blood. Added bonus, run golden honey-like energy into your body and feel the Unconditional Love of the Universe pour through all of the cells of your body!

• Enhance Intuition: Elemental practices encourage a deeper connection with our intuition and inner guidance. This heightened awareness can aid in self-discovery and decision-making during the healing journey. Let’s be honest, Intuition is a fancy way of saying, knowing yourself and trusting yourself. The only real way to build intuition is give yourself more authority than you give other people. It took me a long time to realize this, but here I am. You can read all the books, take classes, go see others for what they think are your blocks – and don’t get me wrong, this is my bread and butter so of course, I think this is helpful. BUT, if you are relying solely on the authority of others to heal you, then you are doing yourself a disservice. You are your most powerful ally and a healer. The more you listen deep within and act on what is being asked of you – the more you will learn to discern and trust.

• Promote Mind-Body Alignment: As we align our elemental energies with our physical, emotional, and mental bodies, we foster a sense of harmony and unity, promoting overall well-being and energy healing. Period.

For a quick activity you can do at any time, check out this video:

Embracing the Elements as a framework for self-care and energy healing offers a profound and holistic approach to personal development. By recognizing the significance of each element we can achieve balance, healing, and growth in our spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical bodies. Harnessing elemental energy enables us to tap into the ancient wisdom of the universe and embark on a transformative journey towards self-discovery and profound healing. So, kindle the fire within and connect with your energy, flow like water and release the stories, breathe the air of clarity, ground into your healthiest behaviours and habits, and continuously connect with the boundless and infinite potential of the Universe to unlock the true potential of your being.

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