6 your notebook .
Take a walk on a grassy area , barefoot if possible . Compare the feeling of the earth against your bare feet with the feeling when you are wearing shoes . Write your responses in your notebook .
Lie on the grass letting as much of your body as possible rest on the ground . Close your eyes and listen not just to the sound around you but to the sounds you can hear going on in the earth beneath you . Now write in your notebook about your experiences .
Work your garden if you have one . If you don ' t have a garden then purchase some compost , a few pots and some seeds , herbs are good for this kind of planting . Place them on your windowsill and watch the seedlings grow , nurturing them and loving them too . You can even talk to them if you wish . Note the date when the shoots appear and when the leaves first appear .
Now it is time for a longer exercise , a meditative journey with the element of Earth .
Imagine walking along the top of a moor . The path is quite wide and you can see the landscape around you for many miles . There are wooded valleys and rocky outcrops .
Ahead of you , just off the path , is a large group of rocks close together . You feel drawn towards them so you pick your way carefully across the springy ground , moving closer to the nearest rock . It glistens and you stretch out your hand to touch it . It feels warm and you decide to lean against it . It is a comforting rock and you close your eyes for a few moments .
When you open you eyes , you move around the rocks until you see a narrow opening . You squeeze through the opening and find yourself in a circular space , open to the sky . In the centre of the space is a smaller rock , just the right size to be used as a seat . You go over and sit on it . It is just the right shape for you and so comfortable that you close your eyes again .
You sense movement around you and hear whispers . Have the ancients returned here to talk to you ? You listen to the sounds and sense everything around you . There is a feeling of peace and of healing and you allow the messages of the ancients to sink into your unconscious mind .
After a while , you realise that it is time to go . You stand up and stretch , looking round for the last time . Just before you enter the opening to the moorland you stop , turn , and say ' Thank you '. Once you are through the gap and on the open moor again , you find somewhere to sit , get out your notebook and write down all you experienced .
By this time you should be feeling quite connected to the elements of Air and Earth and also be able to see how they connect with each other .
So let ' s turn to the element of Water now . It should be easy to write down 10 facts about water so that is your first task . Do it now .
Water is another element that we need in order to live . We can live without food but not without water , so it is extremely important to us and to all living beings on the planet .
I always feel a sense of awe when I see how everything is interconnected , for example , we need water , so do plants and other animals ; water helps to produce our food from crops and it helps the trees and bushes to grow often providing food for us and small animals as well as providing shelter . For now , let ' s continue to consider the element of Water . Water is cleansing and soothing . After a bath or shower your body feels fresher and more relaxed . You have washed away all the negative energy from around your body .
On a spiritual level , Water is the element of emotion , the force of self-healing and the power of inner knowing .
Your first exercise with water is to go and sit near running water – a stream or river- or if it is not possible to find these , then a pond or lake will do .
If you are by a stream or river , look to see which way it is flowing . Is it moving fast or slowly ? Is it clear or murky ? What can you see in and around the water ? Close your eyes and listen to the sound of the water . What kind of sound is it ? How does it make you feel ?
If you are by a lake or pond , then look for ripples on the surface . See if the water is clear . Can you see reflections in the water ? Close your eyes and try to sense the water and any movement in it .