The Elements

The ancient Greeks believed that there were four elements that everything was made up of: earth, water, air, and fire. 

All cultures across the world have some form of symbolism related to the four elements – fire, water, air, and earth. 

It’s widely acknowledged that these four elements sustain living beings and make life on earth possible.

Take any of these elements away and we don’t exist.

The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was the first to theorize about the four elements in 450 BCE. 

Based on Aristotle’s discoveries, alchemists invented four triangular shapes to symbolically represent the elements. 

Fire is considered to be the first element to be created on earth. 

Fire is predominantly associated with the sun, is a warm and dry element.  

It gives off light, which protects all living creatures from the shadows of night. 

Fire is transformative, and when merged with other elements, it can change and grow. 

For instance, when fire encounters air, it grows bigger, and burns brighter.

Water is the most soothing and calming of the four elements. 

It’s cool and wet nature allows it to appease the mind and body. 

The water element can be found in oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and springs. 

Life on earth would not be possible without water, and every living creature from the smallest microorganism to the largest mammal depends on it. 

The flowing and transformative nature of water makes it a cleanser and purifier.

Air is the element of life itself as all living creatures, both plants and animals, require air to live and thrive. 

Air is warm, moist, and provides the mind and body with energy. 

The air element can be found all around us, but its most visible manifestation is through breezes or winds.

Earth is the most materially grounded element.  

It’s cool and dry nature, provides a comfortable living space for all plants and animals. 

The earth element can be found in fields, hills, mountains, and plains and is home to all living beings. 

Survival would be impossible without earth.  

Earth is a rich and fertile element providing energy and sustenance to all living creatures.

TINY CRYSTALS IN OUR BRAIN

We thought you might find this interesting, we did.

Shrove Tuesday

600 BC - The first recorded mention of pancakes dates back to ancient Greece and comes from a poet who described warm pancakes in one of his writings.

1100 AD – Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) becomes a traditional way to use up dairy products before lent – the pancake breakfast is born. 

It started when Pope St. Gregory prohibited Christians from eating all forms of meat and animal products during Lent around A.D. 600. ... So Christians made pancakes to use up their supply of eggs, milk and butter in preparation for Lent. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day.

It is also Fat Tuesday.

1445 - The year that villager’s in Olney, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, started their famous pancake race. Each year the winner receives a smooch from the church bell ringer. 

1700s – Before baking soda chefs added fresh snow, which contains ammonia, to help make pancakes light and fluffy. 

1800s - Milk and occasionally cream become the preferred liquids for pancake batter: before then, brandy and wine had been just as common.

1870s - The flapjack becomes known as the pancake and America is changed forever. 

1880s –Maple syrup becomes the preferred topping of choice.

1931- Bisquick is first introduced and good cooks across America start using it to make extra fluffy pancakes. 

1966 – A “New York Times” food editor publishes a recipe for a baked pancake that he discovered while visiting a friend in Honolulu. 

1985 – Bisquick becomes the official sponsor of National Pancake Week, creating a weeklong celebration of all things pancake. 

1995 - The largest pancake ever flipped was made in Rochdale, United Kingdom. It measured 16.4 yards across, weighed 3 tons and took more than just a frying pan to flip it over. 

2008 – Actor Rainn Wilson creates SoulPancake.com, a feel good website that encourages people to explore what it means to be human with a little laughter along the way. 

2009 – Aldo Zilli (above photo) set a new world record for flipping a single pancake – he flipped it 117 times in 60 seconds. 

2012 – 890 people set a world record for the most people tossing pancakes — 930 tried but 40 flippers were disqualified for dropping their cakes.

Ok, let’s make pancakes…

3 cups/375g all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 1/2 cups/375ml milk

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a bowl. 

2. Break the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk together with the milk.

3. Gradually add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to a smooth batter.

4. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and melt a small knob of butter. Pour the batter into the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.

5. When the top of the pancake begins to bubble, turn and cook the other side until golden brown.

6. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

The More Trees We Are Surrounded By The Lower Our Stress Levels

Even though it’s something many of us already know, a recent study reveals how nature can help reduce stress levels. 

Researchers put people in stressful situations and then showed them 3-D videos of various “city”scapes, each with different densities of tree cover.

The thicker the tree-cover, the lower the subjects’ stress levels dropped.

The researchers, from the University of Illinois and the University of Hong Kong, subjected 160 participants to various stressful scenarios, including having them prepare to deliver a speech, or perform a math test, in front of judges and cameras.

Once the participants were fully stressed out, they viewed one of 10 six-minute videos of city streets that changed only in the amount of tree coverage, ranging from 0 to 70 percent.

What they found was the higher the density of trees, the lower the levels of stress the subjects reported. Inversely, the lower the density of trees, the less helpful the video was in helping the subject recover from stress.

The real story here is, spend as much time as you can surrounded trees. 

The Old Religion is the magic of Nature itself. It is the essence which binds all things together.