I think we can all agree that “spirituality” means something different to everyone. For some, it’s about participating in organized religion: going to church on Sunday or attending a Bible Study on a Thursday night. Individuals also differentiate themselves from one another not just by the meaning, but also by our beliefs. I grew up attending a private Lutheran school system. Although you can find The Five Great Elements throughout scripture, it didn’t define who or what the Lutheran religion was about. In terms of The Five Great Elements, the physical body is the least important, although it is made up of all five elements. The entire universe is believed to be made up of Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Space. Air
Air is the gaseous form of matter, which is mobile and dynamic. Within the body, air (oxygen) is the basis for all energy transfer reactions. It is a key Element required for Fire to burn. Air is existence without form (“The 5 Great Elements,” 2010).
This element is present in several of this week’s reviewed artwork collection. In the Adoption of the Human Race and St. Basil’s Cathedral, both pieces show the human body in the physical form. In order for the physical body to sustain life, air is present to fill our lungs and keep us breathing. In The Creation of Adam the entire scene is done in the sky. This piece is believed to depict God breathing life into Adam using the element of air. I would also include Eiffel Tower View, The Colorado River, and Mountain Climber as pieces that all contain and include this element as well. Fire
The Essay on Astral Projection Body Physical Plane
Imagine Astral Projection Astral Projection Imagine if you could go anywhere you wanted to for free. Think what it would be like to travel wherever you want, whenever you want. You are at total peace with yourself and your surroundings. You can meet people and beings you would otherwise never meet. Enter the Astral Plane, a place where one s consciousness can exist directly within the physical ...
Fire is the power to transform solids into liquids, to gases, and then back to its original form again. In other words, it possesses power to transform the state of any substance. Within our bodies, the fire or energy binds the atoms together. It also converts food to fat (stored energy) and muscle. Fire transforms food into energy. It creates the impulses of nervous reactions, our feelings, and even our thought processes. Fire is considered a form without substance (“The 5 Great Elements,” 2010).
The Adoption of the Human Race is the only piece that I truly saw the element of fire being present. The myth states that God met with The Five Elements, who initially wanted the people of the world to be their children (“Adoption of the Human Race,” 2009).
When Fire asked God the question, God replied, “They can be your grandchildren, while growing up you can be their warmth and give them something cooked to live in” (“Adoption of the Human Race,” 2009).
God gave each element guidance and claimed the children of the earth his children. Water
Water is liquid, sticky, cold, soft, compact, heavy, and moist in quality. Water constitutes the liquids of the body and represents the force of cohesion, as well as the abilities to attract and to change that are associated with water. This element provides the bodily fluids such as urine, plasma, lymph, and makes up most of our bodily weight. The bodily fluids move between the cells and through the vessels of the body carrying nutrients, wastes, antibodies and hormones (“The 5 Elements of Ayurveda and Yoga,” 2010).
In the Adoption of the Human Race you see a rainbow behind God, you can’t really tell if it’s raining or not, but I believe it’s assumed. The rain, in combination with the rainbow I believe represents a cleansing or a fresh start. The Colorado River and all its beauty nestled in between two cliffs, come together to form a beautiful waterfall. This waterfall also represents a cleansing, or simply a beautiful place to cool off on a hot sunny day.
Earth
Earth represents the solid state of matter. Earth is heavy, hard, stable, compact, rigid, unctuous, and dense in quality. Bones, teeth, muscles, fat, and the structure of the different organs are derived from the earth element (“The 5 Elements of Ayurveda and Yoga,” 2010).
The Essay on Natural Elements Life Water Fire
The driving force of all life is procreation and re-birth. For mankind, vegetation, the animal kingdom, the survival of the species is the dominant factor and only the fittest survive. For millennia, different races have believed that the fertility of the land depended on the sexual potency of their ruler or favour of their gods. Pagan, Roman, Greek and other gods have been invented who were ...
The California Redwood Forest is made up of millions of heavy, hard, and compact trees throughout. This forest represents strength and a firm foundation. In the Eiffel Tower View, you can see earth’s solid matters for miles. From the tower itself made of heady, hard, and stable steel, to the surrounding roads, buildings, and bridges in the distance. Space
Space represents the attributes of the absolute. Psychologically and spiritually it represents expansiveness. If you have ever studied Chinese Taoism, it is all about the fifth element, space. The way of the Dao is the way of being expansive, all embracing, all awareness, all encompassing, nonreactive, capable of receiving anything and not being disturbed, because there is so much room in oneself (“The Elements in Spiritual Growth,” 2012).
I believe all ten pieces of artwork exhibit this element in some way shape or form. Whether it’s associated with sound, hearing, the sense of smell, or the absolute, God himself. In conclusion, the universe as we understand it to be is made up of all five elements. Your religion may not come out and call them elements or give them names, but the fact remains they are present in our everyday lives. The ten pieces of artwork that included various elements, some more than others, are great examples to help people understand and correlate these elements within everyday life.
References
Adoption of the Human Race. (2009).
Retrieved from http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/se/mtsi/mtsi276.htl The Elements in Spiritual Growth. (2012).
Retrieved from http://gnosticteachings.org/courses/alchemy/3071-the-elements-in-spiritual-growth.html The 5 Elements of Ayurveda and Yoga. (2010).
Retrieved from http://flowingfree.org/the-5-elements/ The Five Great Elements. (2010).
Retrieved from http://www.thelivingcentre.com/cms/earth/the-five-great-elements
The Essay on The Cultural and Human Elements of the Great Bob Marley’s Music
The Cultural and Human Elements of the Great Bob Marley’s Music One of the elements of being human in Bob Marley’s life was his religious beliefs in Rastafarianism and the way it influenced his music. Social justice issues, social classes, dialect, the government and economic systems of Jamaica are some of the cultural elements that were a great part of Bob Marley’s music, along with his faith, ...
