Going crazy or getting an upgrade?

These days it's easy to feel like we're on a speed train watching the countryside pass by in a blur. Things are changing at such a hyper-rapid pace that it feels destabilizing, like just when we find our footing somewhere, the ground beneath our feet crumbles away. Sometimes there's so much in motion that the best thing we can do is take a breath and center ourselves amidst the chaos—hold ourselves through it and let it be what it is.

How we hold ourselves through these times matters

We can hold ourselves in the stress of things or we can hold ourselves in the mystery of things and the two are quite different. Holding ourselves in the stress of things exhausts, closes and depletes us. We feel anxious, overwhelmed by all the chaos and struggle to find stability. Holding ourselves in the mystery of things calms and opens our curiosity, sets us in our heart center and allows us to take in the sustenance we need to stabilize and nourish ourselves despite the chaos.

Our center is that deep, still place within where the static of the world and our conditioned mind is quieted so we can more readily hear the voice of our inherent wisdom. It's like having your head under water where all the external noise is muffled while the beating of your heart and the sound of your breath are magnified. This space allows us to access and hear our higher consciousness and wisdom more easily.

How centering helps us

Centering is a good skill to have during stressful times and is way better than freaking out or shutting down, neither of which helps us. When we can center within, we can more easily access the clarity we need to respond to situations with useful aligned actions that help, instead of slipping into knee-jerk emotional reactions that generally do not help.

Finding our path to center

During chaotic, changing times we can find support in the five elements that make up the human body's biology as well as all of physical life. They are also frequencies of energy. These five elements are our inherent nature—Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Aether. We (and all of Life) depend on these five elements to exist.

Spiritual traditions across the globe teach us that staying connected to the inherent wisdom held within these five elements helps us stay connected to our own center, to our highest wisdom and to our Divine Source.

The wisdom of the five elements

What can the five elements teach us? They teach us how to move through the ever-changing landscape of life with more ease, less struggle, and sweet grace. They remind us that we are a part of a larger, interconnected whole, and that we are all in this together, as billions of tiny droplets make up one infinite ocean. And they show us how to consolidate our energy for better functioning when things get weird.

Air, fire, water, earth, and aether carry a deep, primal wisdom that we can relate to and rely on for stability when life's waters get rough or we start to lose our footing. Even if we don't consciously vibe with what they represent, our innate wisdom does. It knows and naturally resonates with the frequencies that the elements carry. All we have to do is be willing to open and explore our relationship to them.

Air

Air sustains us. It teaches us to open and receive. It also teaches us to cleanse and release. Our inhalation feeds us with life. Our exhalation releases what's spent. Each breath feeds our body what it needs to survive and releases what no longer serves. Not only oxygen, but breath is the pathway upon which the life force energy that animates life flows into and out of our body. Without air, we die. Each breath offers a fresh start.

Fire

Fire animates us. It teaches us about passion and joy. It's that spark of life we need to be born, survive, grow, and thrive. Fire has the power to spark something new, destroy something old, and transmute what no longer serves us when we are ready for change. Without this spark, life does not exist. Each spark is a creative force.

Water

Water nourishes and cleanses us. It teaches us how to be strong yet fluid in a harsh world. It feeds what we are ready to grow and washes away what we are ready to release. That's a great thing to know at the start of a brand new year. Without water, we die. Each drop is a nourishing relief.

Earth

Earth stabilizes us. It teaches us about balance, harmony, and true nourishment. It centers us in our essence, roots us into what's true, and reminds us to live in harmony with the rest of life we are so intimately interconnected with. Without earth, life fractures. Each speck is both a stabilizing and yet mutable force.

Aether

Aether holds us. It teaches us about fullness and emptiness. It reminds us that presence is wholeness. It is the spaciousness of possibility and the vastness of infinity that holds everything and nothing all at once. Without aether, life smothers. Each moment of expansion into space is a gateway to liberation.

How do these notions strike you? Where do you see them reflected in your life? What can they teach you that you feel ready to embrace in 2025?

Why not peek behind the curtain this year to see what's there for you?