Ousìa | A Guide to Living with the Elements
2020 - now behind us - was a year that forced us to ground more than we expected.
We got to work on a lot of grounding projects such as continuing our home renovation, planning a garden, and learn to make a lot of new things from scratch. We also implemented many grounding practices in our lives, from meditation to keeping an altar, to spending more time in nature. Through all this grounding, something alchemical happened - and we felt an intense deepening of our connection to what’s within and without. A connection to the Elements, for example, was becoming more and more intense for me.
Since the beginning of the year, I had been inspired to write about the Elements - with an aim to gather studies, observations, and practices to invite these energies into our lives and get more familiar with them.
Grounding, for example, was something that I enjoyed associating with Earth. The Earth represents the physical realm, that of safety and shelter - which can be so nurturing in a time of instability and uncertain futures. I really loved connecting with Earth through these crazy months - and felt pulled to lead others into Earth’s medicine. I offered a couple of online workshops on the topic, which was received very beautifully by my community and allowed us all to find solace and connection.
At some point, something new appeared in our project scope: a book. In my initial vision, it has been something simpler, like a small publication. But over the months my writings on the Elements were expanding and expanding. I wanted to go further. I wanted this to become something really beautiful and purposeful. A guide to connecting with the Elements, where insights, art, and rituals would seamlessly blend together as one.
I’m grateful to say that this book came to life this year. It was our first book design project together, as Art of Euphoria. A journey that we honored through every step, where we got to integrate our inspirations and feel supported by many people to bring it all to life. We celebrate this accomplishment every day and I think about this every time I send a book out into the world.
Today I wanted to dive a bit deeper into the process behind creating this book and of course - tell you more about this magical journey of connection to the Elements, by answering a few questions I usually get from people who have been interested in learning more…
What sparked your connection to the Elements?
What led you to start writing a book about the topic?
The more I spent time just noticing their presence in nature, the more the Elements got familiar as distinctive energies that were also present inside of me. It was truly a journey of connecting to something divine forces that reside within and without.
The Elements inspired my art. Slowly and steadily, they became an important part of rituals and practices that I would create around them. In the meantime, I felt inclined to begin a journey of studying and learning about how they have inspired the rest of humanity. The topic felt very compelling and so easy to implement and to understand regardless of religion, spiritual orientation, or walk of life. I felt like: “Wow! This wisdom and medicine is for everyone”. I couldn’t help but share it, especially in the midst of the trying times we’re in. Organically, it started taking form as a book.
What elements are most dominant in your life, and which ones do you tend to connect to the most?
I tend to feel very drawn to connecting with Earth & Water. That connection feels very clear to me when I am spending time in nature. When I’m out in the wild, my attention usually goes to these elements.
I connect to Earth by observing the colour of the mud, picking up rocks or foraging plants. I am extremely curious about the plant world and I feel that sensory experiences of scent and sound activate my intuition. I often feel that Earth whispers messages to me from a time long in the past.
Bodies of Water attract me, particularly rivers. I am in awe of the flow of the Water and often feel like I’m one with it. My sun & rising signs are in Pisces and my moon is in Cancer - I feel like it’s natural that I understand Water. I relate to its receptivity and urge to carve its way into the land.
As an artist, how do you feel the Elements being connected to your creative practice?
The Earth is my ally in creation. I am drawn to co-create with her for many reasons, one of them being the beauty of the colours of the Earth I notice around me. I go on walks and marvel at these colours: clay beiges, ochre yellows, rusty reds. It didn’t take long for me to start letting go of artificial colours and making my own paints with the pigments of the Earth itself. She feels alive, ancient, full of mystery. I also love how Earth shows her receptivity when I work with clay. She offers deeply grounding processes.
Fire is an element that I feel within when I get struck by an idea and pulled to create impulsively. It’s totally electric and it can put me in a trance. It is the essence of creativity - and the element of the Self. It usually comes to me when I need to create for pure self-expression, which builds into my identity as an artist. When that impulsive fire comes, the flames will help us burn parts of us that we no longer need and transform them into new material.
Air brings the perspective and looking at the bigger picture, which can be so useful for re-aligning when I feel like I might be moving in the wrong direction. Water connects me to the heart and reminds me that all I create should be fuelled by this heart connection, where I am allowed to be vulnerable and honour my emotions.
The Elements offer us energies but also angles to look at our lives and processes. I love utilizing them in that way and tuning in when it comes to my art-making process.
As a designer, too - the Elements are key. When working on brand visions with clients, for example, I find it really anchoring to define what the key Elemental energies of each project is or need to be.
How would you describe the process of bringing this book to life?
The process of designing and putting this book together was incredibly rich and full of lessons. It was exciting to see drawings, photographs, words become interlaced together and creating a structure that allows a good flow and introduction to each Element. I am proud to say that the book has been fully designed by David and I - a result of our collaborative work together as a creative team. A project which we are happy to represent with Art of Euphoria.
I wasn’t sure how this book was going to come to life in practical terms. But I knew deep in my bones that it needed to be in the most authentic way possible - in a way that feels most true to my values. That meant exploring the option of self-publishing so that I could have full creative freedom and the possibility to make intentional decisions from start to finish. Of course, this also meant that the process wasn’t going to be easy.
The first obstacle in my path was funding the production of the book. I had a clear vision of this publication being printed really beautifully and using quality materials that respect the Earth. I wanted to collaborate with a local family-owned printing company - but that came with a cost. They believed in my project and suggested the idea of launching a Kickstarter Campaign.
It wasn’t at all what I had in mind, but I decided to give it a try and invest in the process. Preparing a crowdfunding campaign required a lot of work and so much preparation. Raising funds was tough and slow at first, and spreading the word required a lot of effort on a daily basis. It was a long month of hard devotion, feeling the rise of anxiety and insecurities as well as simply trusting in the process. But… it worked! And it was one of the best things I’ve done in my life.
I am so proud to say that this book really did come to life, all thanks to the support of my community. It is the very people who support my work and journey that allowed me to turn this dream into a reality.
Walk us through the content of the book. What does it contain? Which parts of it are you most excited about?
Ousìa is a 104-page book, filled with art, photographs, and content around connecting with the elements.
It explores the spirit of each element, sharing what they represent in nature and within the context of our lives. It allows us to see how the elements are present in Astrology, Tarot, the Seasons, and Lunar Phases. It provides personal insight, rituals, invocations, and affirmations to connect with each of the elements, from Earth, to Air, to Fire, to Water, and of course Ether.
My favorite parts are the rituals… I’ve gathered some of my favorite practices to commune with each Element. And I’m really excited to see how it might inspire people to come up with a few of their own!
How do you envision the experience of journeying with this book?
This book is meant to feel like a guide and companion to the journey of connection with the Elements.
I envision it helping people to open up to a new way of experiencing life and recognizing the energies that guide them in every moment. Knowing the Elements allows us to understand ourselves, understand our relationships with others, understand our belonging to the whole cyclical weave of life.
The Elements are also useful allies in becoming our own healers. A simple example: a day spent in the mind is a day governed by Air (I get this quite often). In this case, I know I need to counterbalance with a bit of Earth connection, which asks me to tune back into grounding and into my body.
Ousìa is not a book to read in one go but serves as an anchoring place to return to while practicing that art of connecting with the Elements. It invites you to cultivate curiosity and trust your intuition, as you might open up to your own interpretations and even create your own personal practices along the way.
I love how the Elements are so accessible to everyone regardless of their background or religion. They offer us endless gateways of connection.
What is your current favorite elemental ritual?
I enjoy cultivating a connection to the herbs of this land - and choose a few every time, to commune with in different ways. I adore the practice of herbal tea meditation (an Earth & Water ritual) to ground as well as burning incense (an Air & Fire ritual) to clear my space.
If this article inspired you, we invite you to discover more about Linda’s personal work and connect with her on Instagram and on her website.
Ousìa is available for purchase through our shop as well as a list of stockists worldwide.
Featured: Linda Pappa
Book Design, Video & Photography by Art of Euphoria
