by Ian Kennedy
In traditional thought of how the body functions and how we can view the self in a more bioregulatory way we can refer to the ancient understanding of the five elements. Water, Earth, Fire, Air and Space. We, like the earth are 72 percent water, 20 percent earth, 9 percent fire, 6 percent air and the rest, 3 per cent is space.
When we speak of the body and maintaining health in a bioregulatory way, water is the first and most important of all elements. Science today finally understands that water has an amazing capability to gather and hold information. This is new to science, yet has been known for eons by the ancients. This information is not held in a chemical way, but in a molecular way. Water picks up information from its surroundings and gathers information from what it is exposed to, from its source and along its pathway, to wherever it may be migrating from and finally arriving to. When water is being pumped from a source through pipes, that lets say has, thirty-five bends in it, the water is changed molecularly. It is also being forcibly pushed through the piping which also creates a certain memory within it. Now it arrives at your home. What if you are living on the twelfth floor of an apartment building? It also must be forced up through more pipes to reach your tap. If you go to the tap and just drink this water - much of it - let us say 60 percent will act like a poison in the system, not chemically but molecularly. One hundred and fifty years ago or more when water was gathered from springs or wells it was taken into the home and was not immediately consumed. It was placed in a clean vessel often with a flower atop it and would sit that way overnight. If water is given some time to settle down it will return to its purer state and will not hold the information that it gathered previously. Now it will be suitable for consumption. Handling our water in this way and consciously infusing our water with positive thoughts, and holding a certain reverence for it, will greatly enhance its effects on our body. Water should also be drank only when one is thirsty. Sipping water all day dramatically lowers the sodium levels in our body and this combined with a flushing out of needed minerals from the system causes many health issues such as foggy brain and fatigue. Taking great care of our water will help take care of our body and our overall health in a profound way. Next comes earth. It is our food that represents the earth element within our body. It Is our food that comes from the earth and this twelve percent is still a significant part of our well-being and our health. Foods that have a high content of water are best to be consumed. Plants and fruits have the highest percentage of water within them. The less they are cook the better. It is also important in how the food is handled, prepared and by whom this task is done. Since these foods have a high content of water they also have the ability to retain information. Meat, bread, cheese and more processed foods have a lower percentage of water and generally have less nutritional value. Taking care of the preparation and presentation of our food, as well as giving thanks for it and having reverence for the life that has been taken to support our own, will greatly enhance its worth to our body. It is also greatly beneficial to get our hands and bare feet into the soil. This helps us reconnect with this element and receive microorganisms that are beneficial to our gut function. Then there is fire. The fire is 9 percent of the system and can been our emotions as well as our metabolism. Are our emotions those of greed, anger, hatred, jealousy, or exclusiveness? Or are they the fires of love, joy, compassion, and inclusiveness? Our emotions are the fire that burns within us. Another way of understanding the fire element is the sun. The sun is the greatest fire we are exposed to and it is pure and unpolluted. It is life sustaining since all energy and all food is solar powered in some way. Getting sun on the body every day is greatly beneficial to our overall well-being and our physical health. Early morning and late afternoon sun are healthy to expose ourselves to and it is also good for our circadian rhythm to gaze at the sun as it rises and as it sets. This will keep us in tune with the fire element within us. Finally there is air. Air is much more than just our breath. Air is within every cell of the body. Every cell is 6 percent air. Without air or the oxygen that we gather from it our cells, muscles and brain will not work efficiently. Today much of the air has become artificial or polluted. Indoor air is often air conditioned and tends to be more stagnate than outdoor air. If we are living in big metropolitan areas this cannot be avoided since the outside air often has smoke, dust, chemicals, and smells in it. Since air however is only 6 percent of the body element however it is less important than our water when it comes to our health. This is not to say that we should refute its value. The best thing to do is to get out into the woodlands or forest, or along a beach and take in good pure air that the earth has circulated. Lastly there is space. This is but 3 percent -for some such as our politicians it may be more - usually residing in the skull. The concept of space is for the esoteric and its importance is vital. Having space to be and think is critical to our mental health. Being confined ether physically or emotionally will cause many unhealthy issues for human beings since we are creatures that always seek expansion. Human beings need space and it is only within space that we can exist it. Though it is only 3 percent without it we could not take on this physical form.
Living a bioregulatory lifestyle one cannot ignore the value and direct connection we have to the five elements. By understanding their multi-dimensional balance it provides us with the power to enhance our health and our lives.