Green Tara Elements
A healthy life depends on synchronization of mind and body. The body also needs to be balanced. In traditional Eastern medicine, the body is said to be composed of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. If the elements of the body are unbalanced, we can have problems that affect not only the body, but also the state of our minds.The earth element represents the bones and flesh of the body. The water element is the fluids in the body. Fire is the element that controls digestion. The air element is related to the energy of circulation—of the blood, oxygen, and nervous system. And you need the space element within the body for the simple reason that otherwise everything would be smashed.
These elements also have an emotional component. The space element is related to the sense of spaciousness. An imbalance of space will leave us feeling cramped and constrained in our thinking. The air element is associated with the mind and mental functioning. When the air element is imbalanced, you may feel flighty or exceedingly nervous; when the air is balanced your mind is curious and flexible, and you are able to grasp new ideas and ways of thinking. An imbalance of the fire element can lead to impulsive “hotheaded” behavior. A healthy fire element strengthens your willpower and enables you to feel passionate and inspired in your efforts. A healthy water element helps to calm your emotions; otherwise you may feel overly sensitive or emotionally turbulent.
And a healthy earth element allows you to feel grounded.In the Tara practice of healing the elements, we learn to visualize and work with the energies that affect the balance of these elements. In this practice, we visualize colored light streaming forth from Tara and renewing each of our elements with the essence of inexhaustible vitality. We associate a golden light with the earth element. A white, opalescent light is associated with the water element. The fire element is red-orange, like the glow of molten metal. The air element is emerald green, and the space element is sapphire blue. We visualize these colors streaming forth from Tara. The light of each element extends to the outermost reaches of the universe and collects the essence of each element. Then we visualize this light and similarly colored liquid completely filling our bodies and fully rejuvenating each of our elements in turn.
