Empedocles was a Greek philosopher who, in his Doctrine of the Four Elements (Tetrasomia, c. 5 bc) proposed that all matter was composed of the elements of Fire, Air, Earth and Water, and that they had both physical and spiritual manifestations.
His influences included the Pythagoreans (a brotherhood which followed the teachings of Pythagoras), and ancient Greek mystery traditions such as the cults of Hades and Dionysus. However, it is the dynamic of ‘Love’ and ‘Strife’ that is at the heart of Empedocles’ treatise on the Four Elements – an ongoing cycle of joining and dissolution known as the ‘Vortex’ – that can be witnessed in all aspects of existence. He suggested that in the beginning all was Love, and that the Elements were distinct and equal, but held as one in a Sphere, divided in quarters. In time, Strife dissolved the Sphere and then became the dominant force. However, in turn, Love became stronger and the elements would gather again under its influence, eventually forming the Sphere again – and the cycle is repeated (O’Brien 1969).
Hippocrates and Aristotle also developed their own interpretations of the concept of the Four Elements. Aristotle proposed a fifth element, Aether, a divine substance that gives form to the stars and planets. He also added the dimensions of hot, cold, dry and moist to the Four Elements. He maintained that moistness was fluid and flexible, and thus able to adapt, and in contrast dryness was rigid and less flexible, more structured and defined. Aristotle suggested that Air was hot and moist, Fire was hot and dry, Earth was cold and dry, and Water was cold and moist.
Hippocrates viewed the elements as ‘humors’, or bodily fluids, with associated temperaments, as follows:
• Air was associated with yellow bile, and an irritable personality – the choleric type.
• Fire was associated with blood, and an enthusiastic personality – the sanguine type.
• Earth was associated with phlegm, and an apathetic personality – the phlegmatic type.
• Water was associated with black bile, and a pensive personality – the melancholic type.
These concepts devised and developed by the Greeks in an attempt to explain the nature of the universe, our planet and ourselves influenced thinking over the
centuries in many areas, eventually being rejected by science but embraced in alchemy, astrology and many spiritual traditions. Over time, the Four Elements became imbued with myriad qualities – natural manifestations (air, sun, land and sea), subtle anatomy (the mental, astral, etheric and physical bodies) and aspects of the psyche, personal growth and transformation.
The psychologist Carl Jung used the symbolism of the Four Elements in his work and writings. Jung (1875–1961) was one of the creators of modern depth psychology or analytical psychology. Central to his work were the concepts of the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious, symbolism and the concepts of the archetype, persona, shadow, anima and animus, and also personality typology.
Jung used the symbolism of the Four Elements in his classification of eight personality types. He paired the polarities of introversion and extroversion with his concepts of the four personality types – thinking (Air), intuiting (Fire), sensing (Earth) and feeling (Water). Today some well-known personality assessments such as the Meyers-Briggs test are based on this. Jung’s writing on the symbolism of the Four Elements has also influenced modern psychological astrology, as the Four Elements are the cornerstones of Western astrology.
Stephen Arroyo, a well-respected astrologer/psychologist, gives a contemporary perspective on the symbolism in his work Astrology, Psychology and the Four Elements (1975), suggesting that ‘the Four Elements represent specific areas of consciousness and perception, and the ability to relate to different realms of life experience and vitalising forces.’ In addition to this, he gives his view that ‘The Four Elements could also be described as energetic atunements. Each individual’s relationship with each dimension can be in harmony or discord, but we all have the choice of making creative use or misuse of our energetic atunements.’
Using this as a basis, we can start to apply Four Element philosophy to essential oil prescribing. Just as the Five Elements of Chinese medicine have interrelationships and correspondences, so do the Four Elements. The interrelationships between them are best described by analogies with the natural world. Air is confined by Earth, saturated by Water and stimulated by Fire. Fire is smothered by Earth, extinguished by Water and fanned by Air. Earth is parched by Fire, disturbed by Air and refreshed by Water. Water is all-conquering because it is yielding. Water is heated by Fire but escapes by turning to steam, then condensing back to Water;
it is stirred up and channelled by Air but saturates and dampens Air and then returns to a calm state; and Water is given form by Earth but can wash away Earth or flow around it.
The qualities ascribed to the Four Elements begin to reveal resonances with essential oil fragrance qualities:
• Air is associated with the spring, the mental realm and Jung’s personality type ‘thinking’.
• Fire is associated with summer, the realm of the spirit and Jung’s ‘intuiting’
personality type.
• Earth is associated with autumn, the material/physical realm and Jung’s
‘sensing’ personality type.
• Water is associated with winter, the realm of the emotions and Jung’s
‘feeling’ personality type.
Accordingly, Air would resonate with cephalic oils, oils that support breathing, decongestant oils, uplifting and stimulating oils, and oils that stimulate creativity and mental faculties. The fragrance types and characteristics that elicit these effects tend to be green, herbal, minty, coniferous, anise, cineolic, camphoraceous, pine-like, sharp/citrus, fresh, penetrating and diffusive.
Fire is like Air, in that it shares the same quality of ‘levity’. However, Fire is more aligned to action. So essential oils that are associated with Fire are stimulating, invigorating and uplifting oils that may also support the nervous system (action) and the digestion (often associated with ‘fire’). The fragrance types and characteristics of essential oils that resonate with Fire are spicy, caryophyllaceous (clove-like), floral/fruity, peppery, pungent, rich and warm.
Earth, as would be expected, is associated with ‘gravity’ rather than levity.
Therefore calming, comforting, grounding, sensual and nurturing oils and those that support the musculoskeletal system are associated with the qualities of Earth.
Balsamic, caramel, earthy, rooty, sweet/citrus, soft, heavy, musty, rich, smooth, sweet and warm, sensual essential oil fragrances could be expected to impart these types of responses.
Finally, Water shares the association with gravity, but with the quality of movement and permeability. Calming, anchoring oils that promote a sense of ease and adaptability, anxiolytic oils, oils that balance and oils that support the lymphatic and urinary systems and metabolism are associated with the qualities of water. The fragrances of the essential oils that are associated with these qualities are citrus/sweet, rosy, floral/sweet, floral/green, fruity/green, agrestic/hay/grass, woody/fresh and woody/soft. As might be expected, with its permeable nature, Water scents combine characteristics found in the other three elements’ scents, but with subtle variations.
The Four Elements do not form a cycle in the same way as the Chinese Five Elements – and they are usually depicted within a quadrant structure. If an element were under-emphasised in an individual, we would look to remedies that resonate with, or support that element. However, when an element is overemphasised in the individual, balance can be restored by looking to the opposite element, using the idea attributed to Hippocrates – the ‘remedial power of opposites’, which is also found in homoeopathic theory.
For example, if there is an overemphasis on Air, we would observe someone with an overactive mind, who is living ‘in the head’, whose mind ‘runs away’, or whose ‘head is in the clouds’. This individual may not like to get involved with the world of emotions; he or she may dabble in ideas but does not develop anything, because the will is paralysed – although this would depend on the status of Fire too. In extreme cases, there may be no sense of reality, they will be out of touch with their body and their physical and emotional needs, they may be showing signs of nervous exhaustion, or even eccentricity, with a strong dislike of, or dismissive attitude to practical limitations. Applying the remedial power of opposites, we would look to essential oils that resonate with Earth, which is the opposite of Air, and depending on the individual’s other characteristics, we might also include Water oils.
Staying with the Air element as an example, we may also observe an underemphasis on Air qualities. In this case, we might find someone who is too involved in action (Fire), feelings (Water) or material (Earth) concerns. There may be a lack of perception, an inability to reflect or analyse self, and a mistrust of those who place importance on thinking and ideas. This person may also be overly subjective, and psychosocial problems might be an issue. We would consider using Air oils to help redress the balance, while also considering any overemphasis on the other elements.
As is the case with all approaches that are essentially symbolic in nature, it is vital to have a good understanding of the underpinning philosophy in order to make best use of the system. In the case of the Four Elements, this will certainly involve an exploration of Jungian psychology.
We will now explore an ancient healing system that includes aromatic oils:
Ayurveda – and how this too can relate to contemporary aromatherapy. We have already seen how essential oils can successfully be incorporated in some Ayurvedic practices such as Shirodhara (see p. 71). Some aromatherapists study Ayurveda in order to incorporate their aromatherapy practice within this system of healing;
others will use some of the philosophical principles to gain an understanding of their clients and inform essential oil prescription. In the latter case, it is usually the concepts of the doshas and the chakras that can be related to the psychosensory approach to essential prescribing, and it is these that we will focus on in the following section.