“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts”.
Rachel Carson
Elemental Living delves further into Astro Interiors, to explore the elements which underpin each of the signs of the zodiac.
I am fascinated by the innate intelligence and alchemy of the elements – water, fire, earth and air – and how we can harness their healing properties in our lives, and in our homes.
As we move into September and the advent of Autumn, we explore earth; the element that governs grounded Virgo, as well as fellow earth signs Taurus and Capricorn.
This post explores the properties of earth in nature, energy, culture and the zodiac with more to follow on how to ground and nurture in our everyday lives…
Gathering the earth.
Autumn feels like an opportune moment to connect to the earth element. Traditionally a time for toil in order to gather the harvest, there is a refreshing and industrious feel to September. The new academic year begins and Virgo season is in full swing, activating the month’s distinct productivity.
Although we have been blessed with some glorious sunshine this week, the frivolities of summer begin to dissipate, the sun’s rays lower in the sky, and the light is somehow different.
Earthy palette.
Last week saw the announcement of the new Dulux Colour of Year for 2021, Brave Ground, described by Marianne Shillingford, the creative director of Dulux as the mother earth of colours, “it’s effortlessly elegant, grounding and warm and it’s a supporting colour…mothers are supporting”. As a Virgo Sun & Rising with a Taurus Moon (i.e. a lot of earthiness in my astrological birth chart) and a new mother, the philosophy around the colour speaks my language.
Brave Ground reflects the move we have been seeing towards warmer neutrals (away from cooler grey tones). We are all looking for warming comfort and support as we experience uncertainty and vulnerability due to the sweeping changes to our lives day-to-day. According to Shillingford, Brave Ground also aims to address the need “to find certainty in the strength from the very ground beneath our feet, emboldening us to go forward and begin to live again”.
Mother Earth.
The personification of the Earth as a mother belongs to our collective history through many millennia, mythologies, languages and cultures. Identifying the Earth as an embodiment of the feminine makes sense to me – it is wild, untameable, raw and cyclical, as well as life-giving, nurturing, supportive, strong and grounding.
In nature, earth energy is present during hibernation, when there is a sense of becoming quiet and resting, the feminine yin energy of being rather than doing. The beginnings of autumn mark a natural turn inward and we begin the quest for cosiness and a need for nesting as the nights draw in.
A sensory experience.
The earth element also represents the material, and our concept of tangible reality. Just as the water element is a symbol for our emotional body, fire symbolises spirt, and air, thoughts: earth signifies our physical body and our environment. In that way, the earth element is the easiest to understand as we can perceive it with our five senses. It is what gives form to ourselves and the world around us.
Root to rise.
Earth is also strongly linked to our roots and ancestry. Our modern lives whip up a lot of air energy, meaning we are often living in our heads. To counter this, grounding rituals encourage us to feel down into our bodies, calling upon the idea of roots anchoring deep into the core of the earth.
Earth is from where everything begins, creating a place of stability and strength from which to grow.
VIRGO SEASON – earth as grounding energy.
The shift into the grounding earthiness and purification of Virgo season signals a connection to our inner wisdom and the values that govern the way we move through life. For Virgo, the notions of integrity, organisation, routine and a hardworking sense of dedication are both nourishing and fulfilling.
Home is a highly personal sanctuary of grounding yet wild, earthy colours softened with a flourish of romance and sacred sensuality. A place where both pleasure and practicality are celebrated and elevated to the same level.
This is the astrological season to ground down and nurture yourself and take some time to sift, assess and refine, in order to cleanse, purify and streamline your life.
