Earth

The Earth Element

Late summer is a time of natural abundance: abundance of fruits and pleasures, and abundance of hard work to prepare for winter. It is also a time when the fledglings of birds and the young of many animals are now old enough to begin to fend for themselves—but they do not always want to!

The gift of Earth is a comfortable time for asking these questions: Have we learned to take care of ourselves? Is our chosen work fulfilling? Do we have a good ecological balance of giving and receiving in our lives? Are we getting what we need? Do we even know what we need (rather than what we simply want)? How do we nourish ourselves fully enough to be capable of generosity without self-sacrifice?