An inspiring guidebook to the role of the elements in different faith traditions and religious practices and ceremonies. Includes engaging activities, meditations, poems and prayers for exploring your own spiritual connection to the elements.
Cait Johnson
only available as an eBook
Discover the elemental approach to spirituality—keys to self-healing and re-connection to the earth.
“When we explore and savor and interact with these elements, we are both remembering a primal connection and forging it anew. Welcome, then, to this travel guide for a journey with a particular purpose: connecting with the elements that are so basic and universal to all of us. We will look at the many ways that different faiths have danced with earth, water, fire, and air throughout history, coming to a deeper appreciation of each way’s uniqueness and a greater respect for one another’s paths, at the same time remembering the commonality of our human beginnings.”
—from the Preface
The root of human spirituality is grounded in four elements—earth, water, fire, and air. They are common to all people and almost every spiritual path; they are the keys to our understanding of Spirit; and they can help you achieve personal fulfillment and re-connection with others.
This inspiring guidebook explains the role of the elements in different faith traditions and how they’ve been incorporated into religious practices and ceremonies. You will be encouraged to explore your own spiritual connection to the elements through engaging activities, enlightening meditations, and evocative poems and prayers.
Earth, Water, Fire, and Air is a celebration of how all people are connected by the elements. You will come away with a deeper relationship to others, your own spirit, and this sacred planet.
You can’t help but be drawn into the elemental approach to spirituality detailed in these pages. Identifying the four basic elements as humanity’s first ways of knowing Spirit and reminding us of their value for spiritual nourishment, Earth, Water, Fire, and Air reveals our human interconnectedness and offers a fascinating look at element-based symbols, traditions, and ceremonies.
Explore the spiritual traditions that have incorporated the elements into their practices, including:
Buddhism • Christianity • Earth-honoring paths • Hinduism • Islam • Judaism
Creative activity suggestions serve to enrich our spiritual relationship with each element—both individually and in community with others—and to help us discover how deeply nourishing it can be to live in an elemental way.
"Combining history, opinion, and literature, invites readers of all stripes to inhale shared values and exhale diverse concerns."
—Publishers Weekly
"This is a beautifully written book that weaves together the wisdom of many traditions with unique and creative practices to deepen our connections with the elements. Cait Johnson is a marvelous guide through the elements that make up our world, our bodies, and our souls."
—Tom Cowan, author of Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit and The Shaman's Quest: Journeys in an Ancient Spiritual Practice
"Drawing from the diverse and yet profoundly similar teachings of the world’s faith traditions, this is a must-have book for both the beginning spiritual journeyer and the seasoned traveler. Through guided meditations, simple activities, and thoughtful questions, one is gently led to understand the basic elements of all human existence."
—Carole Ann Camp, co-author of Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight—A Beginner’s Guidei
"Opens up the deep, rich possibility to transform your relationship to these basic elements with fascinating facts and stories and simple, yet profound visualizations, meditations and exercises. It is a book to savor."
—Kay Lindahl, author of The Sacred Art of Listening: Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice
