Read more about the axis-mundi and how it relates to the human need for verticality here. Our surface-based existence is governed by the universality of gravity, which acts vertically along the axis-mundi, so I suppose this is to be expected, but it cannot be ignored that the relationships between the four elements are so deeply rooted in verticality. The commonalities among all the early theories for the classical elements suggests there is something primal going on here. These states of matter are based on the relationship between molecules and thermal energy, which could be what the classical elements were honing in on, before the mechanics of such things were properly understood. The classical elements are no longer recognized as the building blocks of our world, of course, but they do loosely correlate to the modern idea of the states of matter: solid ( earth), liquid ( water), gas ( air) and plasma ( fire). The two also cancel each other out, as too much water will extinguish fire, and too many flames will dry up water. Water is the essence of life, while fire consumes and destroys life. Water represents downward movement, while fire represents upward movement. ![]() ![]() Water and fire, much like earth and air, are also diametrically opposed along the axis-mundi. Flames flow upward and occupy the same space as air, and just like flames, the smoke created by fire rises up and away from earth and water. It consumes life, and it also pairs with air. ![]() Fire is the element of death and destruction. Paired with water is the fourth element: fire. Together, earth and water are always below us, or headed that way. Over time, this downward movement carves up the earth into mountains, valleys, canyons, and other topographic features. Water is the essence of life, and it pairs with earth, since it’s always flowing downward toward the surface. They are based on movement and dynamism, and they’re also diametrically opposed along the axis-mundi. Next, consider all the stuff that goes on in our physical environment. The two are diametrically opposed along the axis mundi, and their relationship is based on verticality. At it’s most basic, our existence depends on a surface to stand on and a place to move around in. Together, earth and air represent our physical environment. Air represents the sky, which is the place we humans seek to reach through verticality. Air is not beholden to gravity in the same way earth is it is essentially the anti-earth, and it occupies the space above the surface, as well as the space above our heads. The next element is air, which always exists above earth. Earth represents the surface world, which we humans exist on. It encompasses all solid matter, which is always pulled down towards the ground, like our bodies. This solid surface is earth, which is the first element. We’re constantly pulled down along the axis mundi, and we’re always standing on top of a solid surface of some kind. We stand upright on two legs, in a vertical stance. ![]() To begin with, consider the human body and the environment we exist in. They were trying to understand how our physical environment is composed, and they were theorizing it without modern technology. This is a grossly simplified explanation, of course, but it represents what the classical elements were trying to do. These elements combine together to form molecules, which are the building blocks of the physical world we inhabit. Today, we understand the world to be made up of atoms, and each type of atom represents an element. Verticality is common to every human being who has ever lived, and if we examine the four elements and pick apart the relationships between them, we’ll find verticality at the center of it all. One thing they did have in common was verticality. For the most part, these were independent cultures that mixed very little, yet each came to the same conclusion when theorizing on the makeup of our world. What made all these early cultures independently identify earth, air, water and fire as the building blocks of our world? We can find variations on the classical elements in Ancient Greece, Babylonia, Persia, Japan, China and India, among others. Collectively, these four elements are called the classical elements. One theory was common to nearly all early civilizations, and it identified four basic elements: earth, air, water and fire. Throughout history, our ancestors have created myriad different theories and ideas that attempted to explain this world and how it’s composed. We perceive our surroundings through our five senses, which are the only window we have into the world outside our bodies. Ever since humanity became self-aware, we’ve been trying to understand the world around us.
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