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The Elements of Detoxing

Emerging from Winter is a natural time to do a detox, when our bodies are waking up to longer days, the promise of new beginnings, the creative forces of Nature stirring within us which set our minds on our bodies, our gardens, our homes.

There’s more to detoxing than clearing out our system. And there’s less to detoxing than clearing out our system! On the one hand, if it was really only just about eliminating toxins, or metabolic residues, then we’d be looking on our bodies as little more than machines. On the other hand, it’s only a fallacy to think we can ever achieve a total detox, for our bodies are continuously producing them, even as we are continuously absorbing them from the environment, the air, food…

While it is, in principle, about clearing out accrued waste from our bodies, doing a ‘detox’ is really just giving our energy system a bit of a shake up. It doesn’t matter what kind of detox you do, any time you reconfigure your body’s energy system you begin to notice qualities in yourself that hadn’t recently been to the fore: the freshness of your perceptions, your connectedness to life’s purpose, your resolve, your sense of belonging, your individuality, your inner resources, your sense of fun… These are really just aspects of your being that now, like your physical body, have a new vitality. It’s all there in the clarity of your taste buds, the brilliance of your eyes, the aliveness of your skin, the better sense of smell, the spot-on co-ordination, the quick reflexes, the sense of timing, the smart choices, the synchronicities…

Many of our Wisdom traditions have been teaching us about these qualities for millennia. They conform to what we know as the Elements - Earth, Air, Water and Fire. We have, in our times, grown accustomed to perceiving the body as a material entity and because these elemental qualities are not to be seen under a microscope they are easily relegated to the sidelines in our investigation of the human condition. Using them as a model for teaching about energy has long been the practise in diverse traditions around the globe, from East to West.

The elements constitute the ingredients of all of creation in different dynamic configurations. In the mineral kingdom these qualities are for the most part pretty fixed and non-changing (rocks for example). In the vegetable kingdom there is a bit more movement, as seasonality, climate and conditions have effect. In the animal kingdom we have yet far greater dynamic movement due to our mobility and ever changing relationships. And, as humans, we have a degree of self-awareness which makes it even more intricate.

So let us now look at how these elements manifest in us.

Earth Energy

Our Earth energy is the energy that we recognise in the Earth beneath us, ie solidity, heaviness, stillness, security, depth… This is our sense of ourselves as physical beings, our flesh and bones, and all the pleasures and pains these can give us. Our senses give us detailed information about the Earth from outside ourselves: touch, taste, smell, sound, sight… From inside we can feel our own physicality, our sense of solidity (we’re not blown about by the wind or affected by other people’s opinions of us etc.), our continuity (we are the same person this morning as went to bed last night, our family is still our family), our heaviness (don’t you love the weight of your body lying in bed in the morning!), our stillness (meditating, watching the stars, fishing…), our security (‘We can, we can, we can!’), our peace (really, we have no wish to cause trouble. We are at peace with ourselves). Overall, these are feminine attributes. With these qualities we are comfortable in our own skin, no big ambitions, no big impulse to go anywhere, no big effort needed of us… We are in tune with Mother Earth.

Air Energy

By contrast with the stillness and heaviness of the Earth, Air is characterised by its movement and lightness, just like the air that we feel blowing in our hair. This is not a static energy, like the Earth, but in fact the very opposite, always bringing us somewhere as we follow our inquisitive mind. Air energy attracts us to novelty and change. There is already something light in this. We feel an innate liveliness, we are a light presence, funny, entertaining, flowing with ideas. We have a light step, a light composure and we are effortlessly social. Air has always been associated with the mind, the world of ideas, analysis, freedom and the search for Truth. It is fundamentally a masculine energy, more commonly exalted in men. It is a natural complement to Earth energy, for without it we might grind slowly to a halt.

Water Energy

This is the element that is the common denominator to all of life and without which it just would not happen. Notice how the space probes are always looking for water as the most rudimentary requirement for life to take hold. So water is the connecting principle in all life-forms. It is what joins us together on this great journey. Water is what gives us a sense of belonging, a sense of participation, a sense of relationship. We feel part of a family, a community, a nation, a culture, a generation. We have a sense of justice, a sense of our past, we support causes, we have a sense of ethics, we co-operate. We have a natural affinity for Beauty. We have a great ability to bond, to attach ourselves, to identify with others. We have compassion and we trust in others. This is ultimately because we trust in ourselves. This love for the self is what makes it possible to truly love others and gives us a natural disposition to nurture and take care of others. It is a pre-eminently feminine principle.

Fire Energy

In no small way, Fire energy is the opposite of Water energy. Fire is the energy of our personal creativity, our ego. It doesn’t care about the community, and is centred on personal ascendancy. It is the energy of survival, of growth, of renewal, of transformation. It is what gives us the power of achievement, and also of destruction. It is what stimulates us to create works of art, technology, cities, fast cars, bombs. Without fire we would slip into the dark abyss. Fire is exciting, dangerous, hot, wild and fast. It is firmly set on the future. It has a strong sense of Oneness, or God and a strong masculine flavour.

So a broad-spectrum detox will re-energise all of these qualities in us. This means that a detox which is based on diet alone can only go so far. When so much attention and time goes into an effective detox dietary regime, it is a lost opportunity not to extend the work into the realm of the body as well and increase the effect way beyond one dimension. Re-acquainting body, mind and spirit through yoga, walking, massage and other treatments means that the remit of the detoxing experience extends into all areas of life. We can begin to recognise where our elementary qualities might be stuck and movement has become sluggish. As living beings with many attributes, diverse gifts, unfathomable wit and intelligence, extraordinary filigrees of relationships, we blossom into our own beauty when the constant interplay between the elements is a moving, living, vital process. A little awareness of what happens when we become embedded in one element can help to shift things in a positive way…

To be stuck in Earth is to keep slowing down more and more until eventually we grind to a halt. This is literally moving less and less (sitting, lying), less sport, less walking, less travelling, less career changing, less new relationships, and more and more routine combined with less energy to change it. In tandem there will be an increase in heavy foods (meat, starch) that will slow metabolism and lead to a build-up of body-mass, not a pleasant picture.

Too much Air, on the other hand, leads to the opposite scenario. Always on the go, restless, busy, not able to settle down, overly analytical, a quick and possibly incomplete metabolism; the compulsive entertainer who always keeps things light and avoids stillness and silence like a phobia. The life and soul of the party, but only bearable in measured doses…

Being constantly in water means that we are constantly giving of ourselves, generous to a fault, leaving us with an energy deficit when it comes to looking after ourselves. There are innumerable causes and people out there who need our support and care, and it’s hard to say no sometimes, but that is what we have to do if we are going to look after ourselves too. If we give away our All, there will be nothing left, for ourselves or anybody else.

Constantly being alight in our Fire energy will mean that we eventually burn out, if we don’t kill ourselves or someone else in the meantime. Think of joyriders, stressed out high-achievers, gang-leaders, ambitious politicians and plutocrats of all sorts… Of course we might simply be constantly creating works of art, or finding new ways to earn money. If only we could look at the larger picture and slow down, take time out, nurture relationships, take ourselves less seriously…

To achieve a good all-round detox it is really essential to get away from our normal day-to-day existence, find a place where there are no demands of the usual kinds, where we will be supported as we move out of our comfort zone, where it isn’t all left to our own sometimes weakened resolve. There is no bad time to do it but early in the New Year is a great time to take a step in a new direction because we have that seasonal impetus towards renewal and growth. You will never regret it!

About the author: Dhara Kelly runs The Cloona Health Retreat, near Westport in County Mayo, which specialises in residential detox holidays of three and five days. Information at www.cloona.ie