The Elements (2)

Air

Without air, there would be no life. Air is the essence of life. On Venus, the gasses are too inhospitable for life as we know it. The gas giants of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus have liquid nitrogen for an atmosphere, and are considered to be lifeless. Only Earth and Mars which have atmospheres seem to be capable of sustaining life. As an atmosphere, air keeps the heat in, and converts water gasses into liquid. This enables life to flourish. As the wind blows the seeds to the ready earth, so it also brings rain clouds to dry areas.




Spirit

The alchemy of spirit binds the other four elements together. The spark of spirit unites with the elements to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. Without spirit, each element would remain inert. However, spirit does more than add spark, it also keeps the elements in balance so that none could harm us. Too much air destroys trees. Too much fire creates a lifeless world. Too much earth will suffocate us. Too much water floods us. In return, the four physical elements balance spirit. Too much spirit makes us insubstantial and ungrounded.

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Works Used:
Cessna, Abby, “Atmosphere of the Planets”, Universe Today, 24 July 2009, 29 Dec. 2009 http://www.universetoday.com/guide-to-space/the-solar-system/atmosphere-of-the-planets/

Leonard, William, “Food for Thought”, Scientific American, December 2008, 29 Dec. 2009 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=food-for-thought-into-the

Roberson, Don, “Sandgrouse Family”, Bird Families of the World, 27 Feb 2000, 29 Dec. 2009 http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/sandgrouse.html
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Copyright: Virginia Carper, 2010, Animal Teachers