It is now the third week of January 2021, and the Water and Air elements are firmly in ascendence with floods and gales forecast throughout much of the country. In mythology and astrology, the element of Water is associated with the emotions and the element of Air is associated with the mind, and so, as we watch these two elements dance across the country – in the form of rain and gales – we often mirror this ‘energy-in-motion’ or e-motion in our own bodies. We may feel ‘under the weather’ or that ‘we don’t know which way the wind blows’.
As the rain relentlessly falls, the rivers become muddy and turbulent, and our own thinking can reflect this so that we can’t really see things clearly or our thoughts are shrouded in mist – so now is probably not a good time for decision-making! We may also feel a bit disorientated and uncertain, and if we look out of the window, we see this is reflected in the trees and shrubs which are being tossed this way and that in the wind.
But there is a beautiful complementarity between Water and Air: it’s a dance, it’s not static, so eventually, the element of Air (the mind) blows away the element of Water (the emotions) and in its wake brings drier, clearer, calmer weather. Gradually the rivers subside, and their waters become crystal clear again, and the winds have pruned away any deadwood from the plant beings that is not necessary for next year’s growth. Similarly, after a period of emotional turmoil in our own lives, our inner waters will begin to calm and clear, and we can think lucidly again; and the winds of change that always accompany emotional turmoil will have brought with them a degree of clarity on that which we can prune from our life choices; things that we no longer need to do or hold on to.
The old adage, ‘As Within, So Without’ constantly reflects in our lives: what is happening outside is often mirrored inside us, because in reality there is no boundary between us and our wider environment. Nature gives us so many clues to interpret what archetypal influences are at play. We just have to engage our Symbolic Sight to see them.
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