Be in Your Element book - Constitutional Analysis - Your true Natur

ether air fire water earth

Christopher Walker. M.B.a
Dr. raMa prasaD. B.a.M.s.

Your mind-body constitution
reveals the real potential within you.

1
Thrive in your career &
empower your soul.
Innerwealth Homebridge Youth Program 2008 you
discvoer the real potential within

let’s live
aswe’reintentedto,
let’s do
aswe’reintentedto,
let’s enjoy
aswe’reintentedto.

3
discvoer the real potential within you

Be In Your Element

Copyright © Christopher Walker & Rama Prasad, 2005 - 2008

The right of Christopher Walker to be identifi ed as the author of this
book has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988

First Published 2005
Re Pblished 2008

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or
otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Pat-
ents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright
Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP,
UK, without the permission in writing of the Publisher.

Requests to the Publisher should be addressed to

ISBN

Typeset in 11/16 pt Palatino, Myriad

Printed and bound by Walker Publication Pty Ltd

For details contact Christopher Walker:
alive@chriswalker.com.au

also

Rama Prasad
www.ayurvedaelements.com

4

dedication
We dedicate this work to all our parants, siblings,
partners, friends, teachers, students and well-
wishers, who directly and indirectly
helped us learn and grow.

We dedicate it gratefully to the world.

5

Note

This book is not intended to replace your doctor, therapist,
lawyer, counsellor, coach, healer, guide, consultant or any
other person who delivers specialized services to you in per-
son. This book does not aim to replace your faith or ask you
to subscribe to any other belief system other than the one
you currently hold.

This book aims to provide insights into your unique charac-
ter and an awareness of what nature intended when giving
you the specific and unique body constitution you were born
with.

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Be In Your Element

Contents
Background 6
Being unique 8
Your elemental lifestyle 9
Being real – Getting beyond the Ego 9
Who are you? Your True Nature 10
It’s only Natural 11
Managing your Life 12
Finding Your Element 14
Your Body Type on a Universal Stage 14
Elements in Brief 14
Your Constitutional Charts 14
The Five Elements of your Constitution 17
Determine your Natural Constitution 19

Your Constitution explained
Ether Constitution 23
Summary 24
Air Constitution 29
Summary 30
Fire Constitution 34
Summary 35
Water Constitution 40
Summary 41
Earth Constitution 46
Summary 48
Summary of all Constitutions 52
Your Element At Work 58
Productivity through Constitutional Analysis 58

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Real stories 59
Honouring diversity 60
Sustainability is the key 62
Ether at Work 64
Summary 68
Air At Work 73
Summary 76
Fire At Work 81
Summary 83
Water at Work 88
Summary 90
Earth at Work 95
Summary 97
Summary - elements at work 102
Relationships
Element to element at Work 110
Element to Element at Home 121
Your current imbalances and balancing techniques 131
Constitutional Analysis Questionnaires 134
Health 134
Vacation and hobbies 135
Diet 137
Relationship 138
Social life 139
Business and work 142
Office environment 144
Lifestyle Master Analysis 147
The evolution of Human History 151

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Be In Your Element

Background
Our lives are a series of choices. Making those choices as
wisely as possible is important. Understanding ourselves is
a great key to this wisdom. There are five elements, which
together make up all life. They are:

the solid particle – Earth
the moisture – Water
the transforming force – Fire
the movement and rhythms – Air
and the thought that created everything – Ether

These five components are present to varying degrees in ev-
erything that exists in the universe, including you. They are
also present in environments, business and behaviour. They
describe life and its amazing diversity in the simplest way.

This is not a new science.

6,000 years ago Ayurvedic scientists found that people who
lived in tune with their own subtle elements -that is their
constitution, found health and happiness easily. And those
who defied – or lived away from their own nature, struggled
and suffered various disease.

Over the years science has become complex and somewhat
illogical. People have spoken of a combination of 3 elements
rather than 5, and rarely have two doctors agreed on this
diagnosis.

Constitutional Analysis is a throwback to the simplicity and
purity of the 6,000 years old discoveries. Your constitution

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has become simple to find, easy to understand and priceless
as a guide to the choices you make.

What is extraordinary, is the application of this amazing
study to relationships and business. Choosing staff, creating

productive environments, aligning healthy job descriptions
with natural talents has the potential to increase the effec-
tiveness of the business world, while reducing stress.

In relationships people laugh more and instead of thinking
about changing a partner or the way they function, they seem
to be able to celebrate their differences and find humour in
some of those old antagonisms.

Constitutional Analysis is based on your mind-body type.
Your body can tell us more about your mind, than your mind
can tell about your body.

The beauty of it is that, you can read these simple signs spon-
taneously. So, not only do you understand yourself better,
but you understand others equally well.

Instead of dividing the world into demographics (locations),
or psychographics (thoughts), constitutions will be a far more
honest and accurate grouping of behavioural traits. Earth
people act that way universally while Air people are the same
the world over. Their buying patterns are identical and their
product hopes the same with highly predicable needs and
values. With this, the opportunity to serve clients and their re-
quirements becomes more honest, accurate and spontaneous.

Your constitutional analysis will reveal information right
from the food you eat, the cause of your moods, identify the
colours that calm you and the music that can inspire you.
It makes being you, so much easier. It’s a simple way to be
conscious and unique.

Constitutional analysis is a great gift for youth as well. For
decades, a normal child has been forced to live the way soci-
ety, family, race or country wants them to live. Nobody wants

13
to know what is in them. The child goes through moulding
or reshaping of various kinds. By time he or she is an adult
there is a big, thick, concrete wall between their True Nature
and body. This wall comprising of patterns, beliefs, person-
alities, habits and so on, does not have anything to do with


Be In Your Element

them. His or her Pre Nature is dying inside so a life built
on or based on these ‘non-constitutional’ patterns will never
give fulfilment.

Your Body is a monitor, representing what is going on in
your mind. A healthy body indicates a pleasant mind and
fulfilled life while a weak body speaks of an unhappy mind
and unsatisfied life.

Your Natural Constitution reflects are those proportions of
the elements that comprise your unique make up. This Natu-
ral Constitution is your permanent template and affects ev-
erything you do in your life. Set in place at birth, it cannot
be changed.

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Being unique
Beyond Ego and personality

When we think of that feeling that makes us affirm the word
“I”, we realize that it is difficult to ascertain the exact defini-
tion of “I”. It is something beyond human comprehension.
Hence, a person begins to know his or her body first and
identifies with it. An individual says, “my body is in pain,
and therefore I am in pain”. The inner self and the body are
not separable. The individual says, “I ate a great meal, there-
fore I am happy”. The body and its pleasures and pains are
the individual’s only concerns.

As we develop a bigger viewpoint, this concept of “I” wid-
ens. When we start seeing ourselves not just as “bodies”, but
also “thoughts, feelings and imagination”, we will be able to
understand the human being more as a whole. Therefore we
are not only comprised of bodies, but also minds. Thus, we
begin to view life in a bigger context. We also start recogniz-
ing the causes of our sufferings. When we recognize that our
thoughts impact our happiness, we grow. “I am not only a
physical body, I am also a great expansiveness of mind” this
realization in its fullness makes one aware of a larger pos-
sibility. Then, this brings about the inclusion of the body, the
mind and some sense of the human spirit in the equation,
“who am I?” It is this combination that we use to identify
ourselves and it’s called the ego.

When a person explores further, he or she begins to experi-
ence the “I”-ness, which exists in a greater context than sim-
ply “the self”. When this idea emerges, we must acknowl-

15
edge the rights of the individual and his or her role in the
greater world.

As time passes we realize that we cannot totally identify with
our physical body (FEELINGS) since it is not permanent and


Be In Your Element

only a vehicle. Then, we know that our thoughts are just an
accumulation of experiences and perceptions (EGO), condi-
tioned ideas that constantly change. We cannot credit our
thoughts with any REAL merit since they are simply too con-
ditioned and mostly subconscious.

With this awakening we can begin to understand a powerful,
new, perspective on life. Then we might ask, “if this body,
and these thoughts and these beliefs are not the true “I”, if I
am no longer identified by my possessions, my beliefs and
my actions, who am I? What is individuality? What is the ef-
fect of my environment on my actions? Who am I really?”

Constitutional Analysis offers this perspective, which cuts
through behaviour, ego and conditioning of our minds and
bodies. Constitutional Analysis is a new perspective that in-
terprets our True Nature from what we had, before we began
to think.

Constitutional analysis mirrors your TRUE NATURE. It is
not based on psychology or behaviour, and has no interest
in analysing your culture, your religion or for that matter
your conditioning. It is based on your DNA, and this cannot
change.

In order to find our True Nature we must become open and
empty again. Often a person comes to us and says “Here I
am. Can you help me find my real constitution?” But they
experience a huge conflict because they argue that their be-
haviour rather than the body type is the reality of their life.
We propose that their body types are defined at birth and
their behaviours are moulded by their surroundings.

Constitutional analysis does not limit or judge people based
on what they are doing. It simply helps people understand

16 the BEST PATH – for their unique constitutions. It is hard
to be empty – to acknowledge the differences between the
constitution and beliefs and to de-identify oneself with one’s
behaviour.

Your True Nature – is that part of you that is above condi-
tioning, reaction and confusion. It is pure. It is your real po-
tential. To the degree that we can be honest with ourselves,
cut the rhetoric and separate our emotions from our truth, is
the degree to which we can live authentically and in peace
with life.

Who are you? Your True Nature
“I want to be authentic, REAL in my life. What does it
mean?”

People mistakenly say – “I am an Earth predominant person
because I am good at managing people,” or “I am an Ether pre-
dominant person because I am good at visioning”. It is an old
psychological conditioning, subject to the environment, which
measures a person by behaviour and is based on the EGO.

Your Real constitution is determined at birth and stays with
you till death. Your Natural Constitution arrives before you
think, act or react to anything in life. It exists in the womb, so
it is revealed by your body type not your psychology.

You can thus determine behaviours that will support you
and patterns that are predictable. You may say “Oh! Now I
see why I loved that music class but hated that math class.”
It wasn’t the topic but the environment. “One teacher made
me feel at home, the other not.” We thrive in our Element
and when our Natural Constitution is fed, the sky is the lim-
it. Productivity goes hand in hand with happiness, which is
optimised when we are in our element.

It is the same for relationships. A dynamic relationship will

17
exist between your Natural Constitution and that of your
partner. Rather than change your partner, try to understand
his/her Natural Constitution and support him/her in that
journey. On doing this, you learn to appreciate them for who
they are, and what you appreciate grows.


Be In Your Element

The giant leap is to break away from psychology-based
lifestyle and business measures and to embrace the human
constitution. Beyond the tricks of the mind, the ego and the
personality, which have fooled the greatest scientists for cen-
turies, Natural Constitution finds the core on which you can
base your choices.

The beauty of finding and acknowledging your Natural Con-
stitution lies in the fact that you have something fixed, which
you can understand yourself. That’s not limiting in any way
since it reveals your unique style.

It’s only Natural
The cost of separating ourselves from nature is being rec-
ognized. The human cost of separating people from what is
true and natural within them is becoming unquestionable.
Our respect for humanity as a global family means we are re-
turning to respect nature. This is inseparable from the qual-
ity of the environment we live in, both internal to ourselves
and external in the world at large.

Knowing yourself, your True Nature, is a great contribution
to this quest for a better life and a better world. This work
invites you to look beyond the conditioning of your culture,
your corporation and your family to find what is REAL with-
in you. It invites you to explore your True Nature.

Throughout history those people who have come to under-
stand what is natural within them have flourished in the long
term. Your True Nature – is that part of you that is above con-
ditioning, reaction and confusion. We call it inspiration. It is
pure. It is your real potential. The degree to which we can be

18
honest with ourselves, and find this reality, is the degree to
which we can be in tune with nature and therefore be at our best.

Your ‘elemental constitution’ – reveals the weather you thrive
in, the foods to balance you, the exercise that suits you and

the career you can live in harmony with. It reveals your pos-
sible imbalances and potential vulnerabilities and cautions
you on what your potential lifestyle hazards are.

It is like sculpting. There before you sits a rock, rough and
covered in mud. You begin to chip away at its surface and
slowly, through hard work, you find a beautiful sculpture
within it.

Our constitution is exactly like the potential that sits within
this rock. Through training we need to remove the unwanted
bits and discover the gem that lies within it. The first thing
is to understand what is your Natural Constitution, which is
the exact shape of that gem. To do this we examine the body
you were born into. Then we reveal how it responds to the
world around it. How it is meant to care for itself and what
its natural process in life is. In other words we learn what it
takes to honour who we really are in our most natural state.

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Be In Your Element

Elements
Of Your Daily Life
You wake up in the morning, eat and get to work on time.
Then, you rush to meet appointments and responsibilities and
attend a health program. This is your Earth element at play.

When you wake up and do your exercises a part of which is
meditation on a higher power, that’s your Ether at play. Then
you have a schedule to follow, kids to drop off at school, bills
to pay, people to contact and some issues to worry about –
that’s your Air element kicking in. Subsequently, it’s time for
action – analysing issues, finding solutions and working out
strategies. That’s your Fire element. Finally, life is a people-
thing. You have partners to say goodbye to, kids maybe, col-
leagues at work, people to lead and news about the world
and its human inequalities to read about, that’s your Water
element.

In an office, you are the CEO and it’s time to renovate. You
hand the responsibility to a consultant. A short, strong wom-
an who sets about proving that with lots of strong features,
plenty of warm wooden features your office will create a re-
ally grounded feeling for those in it. She guarantees produc-
tivity will fly through the roof.

Now it’s finished and your staff comes into the office. Tall
people, short people, round people, strong people, fast peo-
ple and slow people. Did you know that every one of those
people needs a specific office environment to thrive in? Cer-

20
tain spaces suit certain body types and in fact, the new de-
sign brings joy to some and grief to others.

Then it’s time to renovate the home. Let’s say you are the
tall, thin, Ether Predominant type and you love space. So,

you get a Dutch designer to come an make wide open spaces
and white walls. You walk in the door – there are glass walls
and white lounges. It looks straight out of Vogue But how
does this affect the kids, your partner and the whole family
dynamics? How does this space affect your peace of mind?
Does it stimulate or pacify you? You renovated during a time
at work when things were going smooth, you were not too
stretched.

Now your career happens to undergo a crisis and you work
24/7 to get through. So how is your home design impacting
your life? Is it burning you out or building you up? Is the de-
sign created when you were on top of the world going to be
right while you work up from the bottom? Top of the world
homes are open and spacey, bottom up are earthy and wood-
en. Two homes, same family but different circumstances.

Our Unique Constitution means we must honour our unique
process of dealing with life’s ups and downs. If you were
born a Water Predominant person then be Water, don’t fight
against it in order to achieve some preconceived ideal of
what a human should or shouldn’t look like. If you are Water
you will be unique and different, can you love that? If you
are Fire – you are unique and different. Square pegs don’t
go into round holes, unless they shrink. We are not about
shrinking to some ideal of personality or way of living.

Self-knowledge is a more reliable guide to behaviour than
adherence to arbitrarily imposed standards, though both are
susceptible to error.

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Weight
Gravity
Solidity
Integriy
EARTH
Attraction
Fluidity
Flexibility
Softness
WATER
Heat
Transformation
Precision
Sharpness
FIRE
Movement
Rhythm
Lightness
Adaptability
AIR
Space
Wisdom
Creativity
Stillness
ETHER

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Be In Your Element

Finding
Your Element
Your Constitution on a Universal Stage
Everyone and everything is composed of these five Elements
in varying quantities and proportions. Each has a unique
proportion and pattern. One Element will be predominant.
Sometimes more than one are predominant. The individual
is grouped based on that predominant element. Thus we get
Ether types, Air types, Fire types, Water types and Earth types.
The whole universe can be broken down into these five groups.

Merits of Elements
Ether Tranquillity, peace, freedom, stillness, calmness,
openness, wisdom and creativity.
Air Rhythm, response, movement, cycles, adaptability,
detachment and changeability.
Fire Courage, analysis, solution, speed, transformation,
drive, passion, intensity, heat and force.
Water Love, care, compassion, connection, gentleness, flex-
ibility and attachment.
Earth Stability, support, reliability, grounding, establish-
ment, firmness and solidity

A rock may look solid but it contains all the five universal
elements. If you break – even the driest rock into its com-
ponents, it will contain Air, Water, Fire, and of course Earth.
But what surprises many people is, that a rock also contains

24
Ether. And therefore, so do you.

Ether is the thought that created the rock in the first place.
An intangible force but an essential one since nothing could
exist without some original design for its future.

Your Constitutional Charts
When you evaluate your constitution you will end up with
a chart like the first one in the series below. It will reveal dif-
ferent proportions of the five elements. This, if measured at
birth and death, will never show any change.

But the other charts change constantly. Our lifestyles, our
minds, the food we consume, the work we do and more.
Each has their own constitution. Digging a hole for example
is an earthy task, thinking is an etheric task, mixing with
people is Air and nursing them can be Water and anything
to do with change, is Fire. So our lives rock and roll through
a series of charts like the second, third, fourth and fifth ones
below. There are hundreds of such lifestyle charts and they
add to the Constitution of your environment.

Mismatch your natural constitution with your environmen-
tal constitution and you will develop disease, unhappiness
and a serious conflict with nature — and nature never loses
a fight.

Let us look at the charts in more detail.

We have taken an example of a Fire Predominant person be-
low, with Earth as his secondary element in the first chart.
Ether, Air and Water are present but in less quantities. So we
state that the individual is Fire Predominant. We can also say
that they are Fire –Earth Predominant.

This is a wonderful gift -because Paul, the individual in the
example can see his strengths and weaknesses, know what
fits him best at work and home and can find his ideal life-

25
style. They can design their office to include lots of Fire and
Earth based ingredients. This is called happiness and fulfil-
ment. Use your elements to live as nature intended.


Be In Your Element

Purple = Ether, Blue = Air, Red = Fire, Green = Water, Black
= Earth

26

Now there are four environmental charts here on display.
They represent Paul’s lifestyle, state of mind, food and over-
all dynamics. In other words the last chart depicts Paul’s life,
and how much of each element he is using. You can see a
huge difference between his Natural Constitution and his
overall lifestyle. In the last chart you can see his Fire is way
into excess, his Ether is in excess, and his water is slightly out
of balance. His Earth is depleted.

Even when we know what is good for us we sometimes don’t
live well. This has been made very complex by the myriads
of advice given and the overwhelming number of self-help
books in the global market. Add to this the easy access we
have to an ever-increasing variety of choices, and living in
your element is becoming a minefield. I think Paul can be
excused for losing the plot.

But the cost to Paul will be deadly if he doesn’t fix the ex-
cesses and depletions in his elements.

This 52 year old gentleman started experiencing heartburn
and irritability (excess Fire), sluggishness (excess Water),
anxiety, insomnia (excess Ether) and insecurity (depleted
Earth) over 3 months. A Fire - Earth person, Paul runs his
own successful finance firm in a country town. He has a
fairly suitable lifestyle for his constitution. Good family and
children, comfortable house, some long-term investments,
hobbies -like hunting, buying and selling properties.

It all gradually manifested as he seriously started thinking of
expanding his business, dealing with some old legal issues,
talking to his lawyer and thinking about sending his son to
the city for higher studies. Instead of an open discussion
with his family, he is bottling up all his thoughts and anxiety
and is over burdening his Ether. Slowly, he started eating a

27
lot of spicy, oily food (excess Fire & Water) and drinking a lot
of coffee (excess Fire).

Now if this goes on for several months, the effects can be
devastating. At work, his mood has become short and snap-


Be In Your Element

py (excess Fire). He is less playful with the kids and his busi-
ness partners are getting warning signs. His anxiety (excess
Ether) is making his decisions poor, his confidence uncertain
and his intuitions absent. He is tired a lot, finding himself
sitting down on the lounge at night and nodding off. He is
drinking a good bit of Scotch and his health is definitely go-
ing downhill.

By reading the rest of this study you will find ways to diag-
nose and change your lifestyle and work to suit your consti-
tution.

That’s the key. You don’t change yourself. But, you change
what you do.

When Paul put a lifestyle matrix into place, he made the fol-
lowing adjustments:

Inspired by an ‘elemental’ consultation Paul adapted the fol-
lowing aspects of his lifestyle:

1. Discussed his issues with all the relevant people (using
Ether and Fire intelligently). Giving them sufficient time
to express their views and concerns.
2. Starting an alkaline and light diet.
3. Starting eating homemade meals or eating from home to
avoid acidic items.
4. Increasing his water intake (cooling down the aggravated
Fire & Water).
5. Started making a ‘to do’ list on paper instead of his
head.
6. Prioritising his ‘to do’ list (using Fire & Earth wisely).
6. Starting cardio and weight training (for long-term health
and wellbeing).

28 Here is a great opportunity for you to tailor your lifestyle
and work style to your True Nature, and like Paul, get back
to the life you love living, long term.

Elements of your
Constitution
Ether Air Fire Water Earth
tall Medium shorter
thin boned small boned Medium boned thick boned heavy boned
long frame thin frame Medium frame round frame square frame
long wrists small wrists Medium wrists Fleshy wrists thick wrists
long fingers thin Medium fingers short fingers strong fingers
fingers
long jaw line Fine pointy jaw sharp jaw round soft jaw square strong
jaw
Narrow hips small hip bones Medium hip Broad hips square strong
bones hip
long feet small petite feet Medium feet small feet Broad flat feet
swan robin peacock pelican eagle
Deep eyes Glancing eyes piercing eyes round eyes hard eyes
square narrow small high Medium rounded square strong
shoulders shoulders shoulders shoulders shoulders
long Muscles thin Muscles Good medium round soft Big firm
muscles muscles muscles
Delicate agile sharp soft Firm

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Be In Your Element

Everything is
Relative
What’s short? What’s tall? What’s soft and fleshy? What’s
heavy and what’s light? Everything is relative.

In finding our constitution, we talk a lot about body charac-
ters and therefore relativity. If you live in Indonesia you are
tall maybe less than 5’10” and in California it might be 6’4”
and as a Masai warrior it might be 6’10” – each of these indi-
viduals are tall, relative to their family and race .

If you take an American to Japan, they tower over the Japa-
nese. But truly, back in America they are average. So we are
talking about being relative to your original culture. Also,
height is only one of many variables, what we are looking for
in determining your constitution is the whole story. Your jaw,
your head shape, your shoulders, your ankles, your wrists,
your nose and your eyes are all a part of the story. This will
become clearer as we progress.

Determine Your Constitution
Your score should be based on how you feel when you are
healthy and normal. Don’t choose ‘what you want to be’.
There is no better or inferior body type. If you notice that
you ‘want to be’, acknowledge an imbalance -you will know
why. If you behave and live like another body type, it brings
serious imbalances. Life becomes fulfilled when you behave
like your inner self. This questionnaire is to find your inner
nature. Be yourself. If you have doubts regarding your attri-

30 butes, ask your friends or someone reliable, you trust.

The score: 0 = the statement does not apply to you, to 10 =
applies to you 100%. Add up the scores and total them in the
right hand column for each element.

Ether 0 -10 total
1 i am tall compared to the other members of my society
2 i am tall compared to the other member of my race
3 i have long limbs, fingers, and finger nails
4 My skin is thin and translucent
5
Air
1 i am small in size
2 i can be classify as petite
3 i have a light-weight body type
4 i have a slim body with small bones
5
Fire
1 i have a firm jaw
2 i am medium height and weight
3 My body is warm and i like colder weather
4 i have well defined muscles, even without working out
5
Water
1 i am heavy boned
2 My body is soft and smooth
3 My body is strong, my shoulders are rounded
4 My body has lots of curves and circles (large circular eyes)
5
Earth
1 i have strong and heavy bones

31
2 My body is stocky, firm and solid
3 My shoulders are wide and square
4 i have wide hips and a broad forehead
5


Be In Your Element

An Ether type
should spend
more time on
Ether lifestyle,
Ether food,
Ether relationships,
Ether hobbies
and so on.

That is how they
honour their
predominant
32 element.

We’re all going on a summer holiday
Hi Guys, what are you doing for the Christmas holidays?

Dianne (Ether): Well, we wanted to go to a romantic, isolated Is-
land in the Pacific for a few weeks just to get away from it all for
a while. But I don’t think there are any seats and well, we haven’t
made up our minds yet.

Roland (Air): We are going to India – and when we get there, I am
going to a conference, then will travel down to the South to meet
my friend’s parents, then back to the Ashram, and then over to
the other side. We are also going to do some training and visit an
Ayurvedic clinic.

Jason (Fire): The Murray Marathon is on and what I want to do is
win the fastest Kayak section over the race. Its 45 degrees cen-
tigrade and my support crew will not enjoy the flies or the heat
but it’s for a good cause, so I am training everyday.

Joan (Water): We are going to my mother’s house. She’s not well
and we thought it was about time we paid her a visit. I have put
my trip to the Monastery off until June and will do some volun-
teer work at the local school while I am over with Mum. I think my
husband will stay home.

Tim (Earth): We’re travelling to London. We’ve booked the tick-
ets last Christmas, got an amazing deal flying on the wing, the
kids should enjoy that. In London we’ve rented a car, well a horse
drawn cart and will be staying in a friends house (actually the

33
barn) – I also got the company to put us up in a hotel for a night
because I can fit a day’s work in between Christmas and New
Year’s Day.


Be In Your Element

Ether
ther people are tall and thin boned.

Perspective is Ether’s gift. Ether people see the world
from a long way off and therefore have an amazing
sense of fantasy and possibility. Ether people love
space. Both physically in homes that are open and
airy, and personally, thriving on lots of time alone.

Ether people are rarely hampered by reality and we should
be careful to support them in their fantasies and dreaming.
It is this great asset that they bring to the world of business
and family, providing often surreal, but always imaginative
visions of the future.

If it is time to expand your sense of possibility in life, find
yourself an Ether person and ask their opinion. It is usually
astronomical.

As a result of this almost other-worldly skill, Ether people
are often hard to understand. Their sense of time is rarely ac-
curate and their own attention to detail is poor (such details
tend to stifle the Ether imagination)

Philosophical by nature, Ether people need the space to
dream, write, paint and think. They are creative and are
known to overwhelm those whose duty it is to make practi-
cal sense of their ideas, because they never stop imagining.

Inspiration is the realm dominated by the Ether people.
When each of us, no matter what our elemental strengths,
need to reach into the worlds of vision, inspiration and pur-

34
pose, we must tap our own resource of Ether. To do this we
simply eat, find the space, and embrace the lifestyle elements
of the Ether person.

Ether people tend to overuse the Ether element in life. Ex-

cessive reading, excessive thinking and excessive planning
agitate Ether. When this happens, Ether people can make no
sense at all. They can become ungrounded, highly emotional
and self-deprecating, during which time, they are always
ready for a quarrel. The solution in these unbalanced times,
is to put water, or earth lifestyle elements around them.

Another potential problem for most Ether people is that they
get trapped in their head and forget about all practicalities.
They can become unreliable and often spaced out with too
many options on their mind. They are often anxious, eas-
ily worried, and many thoughts pass through their heads in
a short space of time. Ethers often worry themselves to an
early death. Being anxious, they also might also be prone to
strokes and heart attacks.

The Ether person, who chooses to stay in balance with his or
her Element, will surround themselves with the following
support.

1. Earthy advisors and coaches (ether people often gravitate
to ether advice, which is like petrol on a fire)

2. Space – physical and emotional (in order to think)

3. Stillness – meditation, swimming and walking

4. Regularity in food, food quality, snacks that are healthy
and abstinence from stimulants (smoking, nicotine sub-
stitutes, coffee, tea, alcohol, drugs)

5. Respect for the real world issues of being on time (early
for appointments) and predictability

Environmentally, Ether people cope badly with extremes

35
such as heat, cold and wind. From a medical perspective,
these Ethers have an ‘sensitive metabolism.’ The digestive
organs are their most vulnerable region. The large intestine,
brain and nervous system are most at risk. They can often
get circulatory problems if not careful.


Be In Your Element

Ether thrives on tranquillity. It needs peace, space and free-
dom in order to manifest. Ether predominant people are of-
ten their own greatest enemies, attracted to interesting things
like a moth to a flame but they are often disturbed by their
own inquisitive nature. Ether evolves from stillness so in or-
der for your etheric character to come forward you’ll need to
create meditative space and personal mind control to bring
it to the world.

Ether can be silent in meetings and at home because they
are conversing in their heads. They are dreaming the reality.
Ether is one solution to personal trauma.

Ether also thrives on silence – the music of the universe. But
soothing, gentle, meaningful classical instrumentals are also
etheric by nature. The sounds of nature are Ether’s heart.
This together with the color white and other very natural
pastel colours make Ether environments a very sacred place
to be.

Famous Ether predominant people are Goliath, God, Ed-
mund Hillary, Elle McPherson, Mohamed Ali, Nicole Kidma-
nn, Kerry Packer (has all 5 elements strong), Rumi, Socrates,
Cleopatra, Hermes, Pythagorus, Columbus, Patanjali, and
most NBL Basketball players.

Summary -
The Elements of Ether Constitution
Elements in life
Tranquillity, peace, freedom, stillness, calmness,

36
openness, wisdom and creativity.

Elements in nature and body
Hearing, expression, wisdom, subtle, space,
empty, cold, light

Strong elements
Ability to think deep, to accept new ideas,
and see the whole picture

Profession
Philosophy, charity, adviser, planning, creative ideas.

Body nature
Tall, long limbs, slim, slender.

Mental disposition
Open, accepting, thinker.

Favourite phrases
I have an idea.
Let’s think about it.
What is your philosophy?
There is no right or wrong.

Elemental spending
Books, music, philosophy

Favourite games and sport
High jump, chess, magic

Emotional predominance
Openness, neutral, non-judgmental

Type of elemental love
Universal, selfless, impartial, unconditional

Climatic preference
Loves warm, bright climate.
Doesn’t like too dark, damp hot or cold.

37
Need of sleep
Around 5-6 hours of rejuvenating sleep

Need of food and drinks


Be In Your Element

Small, light meals, occasional drinks

Negative environment
Loneliness, isolation, extreme emotions, pressure

Weaknesses
Others think I am impractical

Things we hate
Confinement, boredom, strict routines, heavy exercises

Mantras
Ham or Hum

Chakras
Vishuddha

Systems
Brain, hormones

Symbols
Dot, spark, long line.

We would like your suggestions
on the new office design……
Jenny (Ether): Space, we need space, there’s nothing worse
than cramped up dingy offices. I think large windows, lots of
light, white furniture, Swedish design and a few side boards. The
board table should be glass. I have some ideas about the art on
the walls. But first we should get the Astrologer to define the
best date to open it, the Feng Shui man to layout the energy
and the Shaman to bless the corners. I have an energetic healer

38
who would come in twice a week to purify the air.

James (Air): I agree with Jenny, space is good but we don’t need
offices. An open plan is better since we need to be able to see
each other. We need communal areas over there and we could
have the dark lounge suite design and ergonomic chairs, with
wooden tables, or we could have black tables with ergonomic
walls with bright green contrast to the office. Even if we put one
office over there it is important that anything we install should
be movable.

Fran (Fire): Who give a rat’s arse? Get the thing in, build your
offices. We’re wasting valuable time. Make sure there’s a bar area
for entertaining, the boardroom has Nintendo and the paintings
on the wall have some life to them. Goodness all this fussing
and fluffing around…… We need television remote, high tech
computers and automatics speech recognition, I want robotics
at reception.

July (Water): I think the walls should be a softer color and the
chairs all in a lounge style with cushions. The entry foyer could
be a garden with soft fountains. Piped music and a nice ar-
rangement of pure health water over there. I think the offices
should be arranged in a Turkish Harem design with cushions
and coffee tables. Computers should be hidden from view and
the massage rooms need to be clean and warm.

Bob (Earth): The filing cabinets down that wall, the wooden
board table all the biggest and the best. I want leather back
chairs, and mine should be larger than everyone else’s. I want
wooden floors. We can fit more than 10 people in Jenny’s office
and those cushions and stuff can be put in the store room. This
place is going to work like a top. You watch.

39

Air
A Air People are small and thin boned.

The gift of the Air person, is connection. Air is the bridge
between the etheric world of stillness and the real world of
action. Air people thrive on complexity, their ability to link
and conceptualise events and ideas is an amazing asset.

Air people are extremely creative. Their gift is in huge de-
mand in environments where people need diverse possibili-
ties and potential brought under some control. In the world
of concepts, Air people weave the web that links opportu-
nity with possibility.

The complexity of life is in essence its beauty. The multiplic-
ity of shapes and forms, and colours and objects all inter-
act to create one amazing whole. It’s like creating the whole
from unrelated parts, the merging of movement, like a dance
where diverse talents are harnessed to become one under-
standable performance.

If it’s time to improve, expand and develop through the art
of communication, Air people have the gift. They thrive in
multi-media, complexity and music and dance-related pro-
fessions. Air people love to teach their skills. They are the
happiest teachers.

You would love to walk with this person, do things with this
person and even live with this person –as they would be so
easy going, never stiff with their plans, ideas or likes and
dislikes.

41
Air people tend to over-use the Air element in life. Excessive
talking, excessive travels and excessive changes can aggra-
vate Air and deprive Air people of the other elements in life.
When this imbalance happens the undercurrents are tremen-
dous: minds are busy, anxieties and worries dominate achy


Be In Your Element

bodies, tense muscles, dry skin and blocked thinking result.
It gives rise to the expression “air head”.

When each of us has an Air imbalance, we can easily fall into
frequent quarrels and we can suffer from poor memory and
irregular body rhythms while becoming quite unpredictable.
This can lead to anxiety and hypersensitivity.

Another potential problem for most Air people is that they
can become unreliable and often spaced out with too many
options on their mind.

From a medical perspective, Air Predominant people have
a ‘sensitive circulation.’ Their skin, circulatory system and
large intestine are most at risk. They often suffer from vascu-
lar and stress-related illnesses. Overall the Air type has cold,
unstable and very changeable properties. They are cured and
brought back into balance by everything that grounds them
and makes them heavier, warmer and more stable.

It all happen only when they are out of balance.

In balance, Airs are like butterflies -adaptable, easy going,
light and agile and always moving.

Healthy Air people love a carefree life. They love to switch
between work and play at will. They need a lot of light, moist
and warm food items to maintain health. They need to eat
when they are hungry. This is because external factors influ-
ence their appetite easily.

The Air person, who chooses to stay in balance in his or her
element, will surround themselves with the following sup-
port.

42 1. Grounding environments where there is routine (Earth),
love (Water), motivation (Fire) and freedom (Ether).

2. Rhythm – a regular daily schedule that is difficult to
change.

3. An active environment where their creativity can flourish
– dance, art etc

4. Pleasant music, yellow colours, harmonious conversation
with friends. Regular warm oil massages by a supportive,
calm and sensitive individual.

5. Warmth of every kind is important including well-heated
rooms, warm clothing, warm weather

Air people live in a world of their own, prioritising things
which seem secondary to everyone else. They are active
people who move from one task to another with grace and
speed. Air is the element of touch- the tangibility of things
and people.

Air people need a lifestyle where many opportunities are
available even if none are taken. They need to know that
there are choices. Air types love to talk and are creatively
stifled where conversation is restricted. Chaos overwhelms
the Air element, spinning it out of control. This includes in-
formation which conflicts with either their existing belief set
or contradicts previous data.

People love the Air energy. It’s a sort of letting go, sharing
and a can-do energy. Air people are full of ideas and usually
very easygoing for they can change on a dime. Air music
is any music that swings, grooves and flows. From Opera
to Modern and Latino, anything that is not repetitive and
monotonous. Just like the music – Air energy loves different
color, stripes spots and patterns.

Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa were Air Predominant
people staying ‘easy’ in the most complex of circumstances.

43

Be In Your Element

Summary
The Elements of Air Constitution
Elements in life
Rhythm, response, movement, cycles,
flow, detachment (positive) and changeable.

Touching, locomotion, gas, movement,
rhythm, cycle, cold, light

Strong elements
Ability to switch between jobs,
quick to learn and to do new things

Profession
Teaching, music, communication,
multimedia, performance art.

Body nature
Small, petite, short, slim.

Mental disposition
Adapting, changing, easy going.

Favourite phrases
Take it easy.
Tell me about it.
Which one?
They change all the time.

Elemental spending
Beautiful things, changeable

44
Long distance, marathon, cycling

Enthusiasm, ability to try new things.

Object and reason can change the object of love frequently

Climatic preference
Loves warm, sunny climate. Hates windy, cold.

Need of sleep
Around 6 hours of rejuvenating sleep

Light, warm and moist food items.
Influenced easily by external factors.

Hyperactive, changeable, fluctuating

Weaknesses according to others
Others think I am too vague and fluctuating

Things we hate
Not having few different (variety in) jobs at the same time

Mantras
Yam

Chakra
Anahata

Systems
Vascular and nervous system

Symbols
Crescent, hexagon, wave or a small line.

45

Be In Your Element

Lunch orders please
Mark (Ether): I’d like a green leaf salad with no mayonnaise,
slightly crisp carrots with a bit of broccoli, mineral water at 13
degrees and a golden delicious apple, crisp but not hard. Thank
you.

Lucy (Air) – Chicken salad please, with warm, steamed veggies.
A can of sparkling mineral water and a small cake, thank you.
Oh! or maybe I’ll have some Nori rolls with vegetables and a
bowl of miso soup… but if it’s too heavy don’t bother, I’ll go
without.

Sam (Fire): Chicken salad sandwich with salsa sauce, chilli dip
and a cup of coffee…and a can of cola. Make it snappy. Please.

Donna (Water): I’d like a vegetable quiche with lamb cutlets
crumbed with a bun and a bowl of soup please, if that’s ok – not
too much trouble, can I help you carry it? I would also like to get
something for Mary because she might be back from her meet-
ing by then and she’ll be hungry.

Steve (Earth): I’d like a steak sandwich (8 oz medium rare) with
tomato ketchup and a side salad. I’d like two apples, one for now
and one for after. Don’t let them over charge you for the apples.
I’d also like a can of mineral water.

46

47

Be In Your Element

Fire
Strong build, good muscle tone, average height.

Fire people are gifted with the drive, the passion, the power
to change, transform and evolve. Fire people pave the way
for new life. Fire is the warrior, the king, the analyst and the
strategist. Competition is the keynote of the Fire people.
They thrive when there is a challenge and are easily bored
when the status quo is unchangeable.

If it is time to grow, change, innovate and improve your
world, find a fire person, they will motivate and direct you
wisely. When the change is undertaken, remember to let go
or you may find yourself and your world under the continu-
al microscope of change, change and more change.

You won’t find a more direct – straight to the point element
than Fire. Fire people love to face difficulties or challenges in
life. Known for their courage and passion, Fire people pos-
sess the drive. They are able to analyse situations and find
solutions so the world of consulting, transformation and
preaching has typically brought Fire types to the fore.

Fire people tend to overuse Fire. Excessive analysis, competi-
tion, judgment, speed, hot food, excess alcohol and stimula-
tion agitate Fire. When this happens you’ll quickly see frus-
tration, rudeness and anger. The warm hearted leadership
of Fire gives way to power and force. In these times, to settle
their imbalance, they need cooling – fast. This means a Water
or Earth lifestyle needs to be injected into the Fire world to
slow it, calm it and relax it.

48
If you want to see the latest technology, visit a Fire office.
They love those new gadgets. This is one of their sources of
ultimate pleasure. Strong colours bring out Fire and constant
feedback and rewards keep the Fire alive.

When each of us loses balance in our Fire element, we be-
come acidic, irritable and frustrated. We start to lick our old
wounds, ask for apologies and send guilt in all directions.
Our anger can take a steep curve toward vengeance and vio-
lence if it is left unchecked.

The Fire person, who chooses to stay in balance, will sur-
round themselves with the following support.

1. The freedom to move, let go, and find spaces where Fire
is needed (change)

2. Self Awareness – the ability to understand where Fire is
simply not welcome – (healing, people management and
human development)

3. Competitive environments – where laziness, lack of drive,
confusion and uncertainty don’t thrive

4. Good food, and avoid excess of stimulants of any kind,
including sugar, chocolate, wine, coffee and cigarettes.

5. Cool friends and environments that nurture and support
recovery

Fires love a fast, progressing, bright world. They want
change, now, here. They love to have a challenging relation-
ship, work and hobbies. Challenge fuels them.

Environmentally, Fire people thrive on a moist, winter cli-
mate, green trees, blue water and shades to cool them down.
The ideal location for their life would be a waterfall sur-
rounded by tall leafy trees, a cozy cottage with the fastest in-
ternet connection and the latest laptop to deal with the inter-
national stock market at the flick of a finger. Their choice of

49
holidays will be similar. Beaches, surfs, water sports, snowy
mountains and rainforests are their usual destinations. Ev-
erywhere awaits the challenges for them. Or else they create
them.


Be In Your Element

Medically speaking, Fire people are sensitive around their
liver, blood, gall bladder, small intestine and heart. This is
because most of them overuse heat and hotspots of the body
get affected easily. Usually they respond well to the cooling
alkaline diets and early to bed routines. They contract rashes
and inflammatory conditions easily. Most of these Fires suf-
fer from heartburn, psoriasis or an itchy scalp.

When in balance, they are warm, courageous, passionate and
intense in everything.

The Fire lifestyle is an active one. Many advertisements pro-
moting healthy lifestyles use Fire lives as examples to the
rest of the world. They run on the beach, look fantastic and
can save the drowning dog. Fire is fast, so there’s a continual
drive for improvement. Never let it rest -says Fire, and even
at home though it might be considered critical, it is Fire’s af-
fection. They invented the phrase “if you rest, you rust”.

In their relaxed moments Fire-Predominant people are often
exhausted. They will play till they break then need urgent
repair, but once repaired they’ll say thanks and run out the
door for more. Once they can control this tendency they en-
joy a long, healthy life. They want the fastest best and big-
gest and then want the slowest, easiest and most comfort-
ing to recuperate. Warm, light atmospheres suit them in this
situation.

Fire imparts greater sensitivity to sight, which means when-
ever you are looking around – the Fire element is awake.
This also corresponds to the digestive Fire, so most prob-
lems associated with digestion are Fire problems. The sacred
symbol for Fire is the triangle with the point facing upward,
sharp and direct.

50 Famous Fire-predominant people include Napoleon, King
Arthur, Hercules, Zena -the warrior princess, Zorro, Super-
man, Batman, Batwoman.

Summary
The Elements of Constitution
Elements in life
Courage, analysis, solution, speed, transformation,
drive, passion, intensity, heat and force.

Seeing, modification, electric
transformation, warmth, hot, light

Strong elements
Strong commitment,
driven and passionate approach

Profession
Marketing, negotiating, analysis,
solving, competitions

Body nature
Medium frame, good muscle definition.

Mental disposition
Analytic, fast, driven, passionate, competitive.

Favourite phrases
The world is too slow!
Can I market it?
I am passionate about it.
That can’t be right?

Elemental spending
Luxury, latest equipment and tools

51
Sprints, gymnastics, rowing

Courage. Ability to understand and resolve.


Be In Your Element

Once decided, it is intense and passionate

Climatic preference
Loves cool climates and waterfronts.
Hates hot, damp conditions.

Need of sleep

Strong appetite, need to eat/drink in time

Aggression, judgmental, violence, anger

Others think I am too compulsive and demanding.

Things we hate
Anything that is slow or gentle

Mantras
Ram

Chakras
Manipura

Systems
Digestion, metabolism,

Symbols
Upward directed triangle.

52

The Clothes I love
Hi I’m Jane. I’m an Ether type. And I love, love, love clothes.
I love clothes that make me feel like I am flying, or whole
and full. I love clothes that fly in the wind and make me feel
free. I love anything soft and gentle on my skin. I’m not big
on jewellery, but I love diamonds and precious stones be-
cause they speak to me.

I’m Jenny. I’m Air. I love clothes that flow with me. I’m not
a real fancy dresser, but great boots, tight jeans, tights and
beautiful colours are important. I think and breathe through
my clothes, they show off my personality so they are im-
portant. My favourite stuff is Versace and Dolce Gabbana.
Prada does it for me too, but usually I can find great clothes
anywhere. I love Bali, the soft fabrics and the colourful t-
shirts. Jewellery? Well, if it’s been designed by a designer I
like, I will wear it. Also I wear sacred things, like crosses and
charms.

My name’s Robin. I’m Fire. For me, clothes represent a huge
part of my presentation to the world. I think you dress for
success, and because of that I have a large wardrobe of busi-
ness suits and wild outfits. If I am at work I wear great suits
and shoes but when it’s time to party, I let it all out. People
are surprised at the “two me’s”. They think I am this pow-
er dresser, but when I meet them out they see the fashion
queen. I confess to being a fashion victim. Jewellery, if I can’t
lift the carrots, I’ll wear it.

Amellia here. I’m a water type. Clothes for me need to be
comfortable. I don’t like anything tight and I am certainly
not interested in fashion for the sake of fashion. I have some
amazing outfits and love to dress well but it’s what is inside

53
a person that’s important, not the outside. I love wool and
avoid synthetics at all cost. Jewellery? I have a charm that
my Grandmother left me. I have a beautiful necklace that
my mother gave me on my 21st birthday. They mean a lot
to me.


Be In Your Element

Eileen, that’s me. I am Earth. Practicality is the key. I love
good design that works for me. I love things that make me
look who I am and I have clothes that I can wear anywhere. I
am a bit conservative when it comes to lashing out money for
fashion though. I love good things and buy them but I don’t
go overboard. I love those things that last. It’s worth paying
a few extra dollars for things of quality and style. I think
fashion – for fashion’s sake – is a waste. Jewellery? I have
some semi-precious stones mounted on a gold thread, and I
have some family jewels that I love. I still wear the same ring
that I got from my first boyfriend and I really think it makes
me happy.

54

Water
Soft flesh, heavy bones, curvaceous.

Water people are the most caring. They symbolize kindness
and compassion. Water people are born to love and nurse.
They are amazingly sympathetic.

It is Water that the Greeks referred to as the element that gives
rise to life. Water occupies 70% of the surface of the planet. It
has eroded the Grand Canyon, wearing things down rather
than dominate them. Water always gets its way and it’s more
an evolution than a revolution, collusion rather than a force.

Water people are rarely driven to put the material aspects be-
fore human considerations. Even a person whose element is
not primarily water, will put on weight if he or she develops
a deeply humanitarian philosophy.

If it is time to deepen your human touch, to bring deeper lov-
ing values to your family, or to learn how to nurture and care
for yourself, find a water person to guide you. By nature,
Water people are patient, tolerant, peaceful, friendly and al-
truistic; also loyal, considerate and compassionate.

Globally the element water protects the innocent, defends the
rights of children, protects and stops the forest from annihi-
lation. Water creates corporate care and ethics programs and
builds child care facilities. It brings an ambulance when we
need it and a doctor or nurse to help us when we are down.
Water is universal bonding, a peace-loving element that will
go to great lengths to protect the human aspect throughout.

55
You will find them in any business related to nurturing, car-
ing, helping and compassion. Many nurses, chefs, careers
are Water types. They love swimming and most water ex-
ercises.


Be In Your Element

Water types tend to overuse their water element in life and
indulge greatly in Water food (sweets, carbohydrates, oils),
too many Water emotions (hoarding, attachment), too many
Water excuses (I am slow), and Water relationships (depen-
dant). During unbalanced periods, Water people start put-
ting on weight and accumulating fluids and fat in wrong
areas of their body.

When any of us overdo our Water element, we gain weight,
become sluggish, start feeling depressed, hopeless and inse-
cure. It is easy for us at this stage to become dependent and
clingy. Often when our water element goes into imbalance,
we get addicted to food, especially the sweet variety.

Sometimes in the struggle to keep the promise “I will be al-
ways there for you” they forget about their own basic needs,
and get dissatisfied with themselves. Slowly they build an
extra fat layer to cover it up.

Another water challenge is boredom. This is usually covered
up with extended sleep. Unfulfilled Water people resort to
compensating their missing pleasure through eating. They
often end up with water retention, swellings in the face,
hands and feet. A further problem is their tendency to cor-
pulence, which can lead to metabolic diseases such as dia-
betes.

Medically speaking, Water people have a weak circulatory
and lymphatic systems. Their adipose tissues need constant
toning, their muscles can loose shape easily, pancreas may
be over worked and respiratory system can be watery (mu-
cousy).

Water people go through the worst emotional shock when
there’s violence or cruelty around them. If prolonged, this

56 pain can give them gout and high cholesterol. Even the stron-
gest wrestlers – Water Predominant people – are not prone to
immediate acts of violence.

The Water person, who chooses to stay in balance in his or
her element, will surround themselves with the following
support.

1. Plenty of opportunity to care for others.
2. Constant connection with friends and family, who are the
essence of Water people’s life.
3. Rigorous and regular low impact exercises and sports.
4. Love – lots of tenderness and feelings.
5. Respect for the real world issues of being on time (early for
appointments) and predictability.

On a football field – one water player might rush in violent-
ly to defend his or her team mate or another might block a
tackle or spin a ball rather than chuck it. Water people are
comrades -very friendly and supportive.

We associate love with this Water element. Whenever we
feel it, Water is present. Add a bit of Fire to Water, you get
the chemistry of romance. Water Predominant people bring
a great deal of compassion to the world. Water Predominant
people feel that the world is harsh and are always defend-
ing people, and their right to be passive. Those who stand
for non-violence are using Water (need an abundance of this
element) and once, priests and care-givers were strongly of
the water element.

Often those involved in right-to-life issues are Water Pre-
dominant people. While their counterparts – Air people ar-
gue for more choices, Water types meditate a lot. They love
the passive connection and are drawn to such practices as
Eastern Healing and well being.

Water Predominant people don’t always make good busi-
ness managers but do make great people careers like hu-
man resources and nursing. They are ideal in environments
where people need to care about themselves and others. Wa-
ter types bring fluidity to life circumstance, and love envi-

57
ronments where people care.

Taste is a water function. No wonder we go in for tasty food
when we need some comfort. The symbol that most repre-
sents the Water element is the circle, curves and oval shapes,
smooth rounded and gentle.

Be In Your Element

Romantic, nostalgic people that they are, the waters gravi-
tate to lakes and forests where there are smooth soft slopes
and easy paths. When it comes to music, Water people love
the violin, vocal harmony and lullabies.

Summary -
The Elements of Constitution
Elements in life
Love, compassion, connection, flexibility,
attachment (positive) caring and sharing.

Tasting, creation, liquid, moist, gentle,
soft, heavy, cold, heavy

Strong elements
Ability to be “always there for you”

Profession
Caring, nursing, mothering, safety measures

Body nature
Curvaceous and circular body, soft, gentle, plump.

Mental disposition
Sentimental, caring, gentle, loving, slow, others come first.

Favourite phrases
Are you OK?
Is it safe?
It helps.
It is OK to make mistakes.

58 Elemental spending
Clothing, food, safety, comfort items


Swimming, gymnastics.

Love. Ability to sympathize.

Sentimental, attached, nostalgic

Climatic preference
Loves warm, dry climate. Cold climate can be depressing.

Need of sleep

High flexibility in time and quantity

In negative environment
Attached, greed, obsessive

Weaknesses
Others think I am attached and worry easily.
.
Things we hate
Not having anyone around to share your thoughts or food

Mantras
Vam or Vum

Chakras
Swadhishtana

Systems
Lymphatic, Plasma

59
Symbols
Circle, curve or oval


Be In Your Element

On Family
Peter (Ether): I truly want children, but they must come from love
at the right time. I may not have children of my own, I might adopt,
because there are so many starving children needing homes. I am
not sure that I need to sire my own, I could just adopt some. I will see
when the right moment comes. For now, I just hope that the world
can understand the needs of the hungry. And I do have my career
and lifestyle to consider, so we’d need home help, that’s essential.

Bob (Air): Kids? I love kids, I would love to have a big family, 3 or 4
and they’d be so happy. I want to have them before I’m 30, so I can
spend lots of time with them, go on holidays with them and teach
them about art and music and dance. I’d love to have kids, to tell you
the truth, I’d probably have more in common with them than most
adults. Kids need attention, that’s what I think and you can’t trust
that to others all the time.

Dave (Fire): Absolutely, I want kids as many as possible. As long as I
have a partner to take care of them, wash them, bring them up, take
them to school, do the nappies. Only joking, ha gotcha. Na I love kids
and it’d be really great. I can see us down the park playing ball, swim-
ming riding bikes and great holidays – I’d be a great Dad, just got to
find me the right woman.

Paul (Water): It’s a big responsibility to bring children into this earth.
Of course I want children but you need to be ready.You need to give
them time and love – it’s no use just shuffling them off to school but
a parent needs to devote a lot of their life to their children, create a
safe and loving home. I think too many people jump too soon. I look
after my sister’s kids sometimes – you know kids just need warmth
and love. They are a little ratty sometimes but that’s kids.

Gary (Earth):– A marriage needs children. And I plan to have at least

60
2. Two is good because they can keep each other entertained. The
important thing is education. Kids need a good home and a sound
education. I’ve booked our children into the best school I can find
already. They aren’t born yet, but they have places reserved. It costs a
mint but I think it’s worth it, don’t you, Honey?

61

Be In Your Element

Earth
Heavy frame, strong bones, solid body.

Security is a gift Earth people enjoy and this is felt through
the roof over our heads, the money in our banks, the food
on our tables, the clothes on our backs. Meeting obligations,
making and keeping promises, being there when we need to
be relied upon are the qualities of Earth elements.

Earth people are solid, realistic and highly structured. They
are not easily moved by the wind or storms so they are the
clear thinkers when there is trouble afoot. The Earth repre-
sents the capacity to make good what has been given to us
all, our potential.

Earth elements hold the world in place. It is responsible for
the laws, the rules. It is Earth that determines the forces that
create matter, hold us in patterns and make life predictable
and safe.

Earth Predominant people manage everything and organize
others. If you are around an Earth person you may find your-
self being organized. They tell you what is the most practical
and time-tested method.

By nature, Earth Predominant people are strong, determined,
friendly and caring also loyal, considerate, and dependable.
They always love to talk about the history –‘when I was a
young lad…’. They remember the milestones and civil wars
and when the highway was built.

Earth people tend to overuse their Earth element. When this

62
goes off balance, they become ‘bossy’ and tell others what to
do all the time. Once committed, an Earth person may fulfil
his or her obligations at the cost of their life. Earth people
are the most reliable among the five elements for punctuality
and reliability in a material sense. This becomes their spiri-
tual practice.

When any of us have an Earth imbalance, we become domi-
neering, stoic and stubborn. We can become obsessed with
others and this may look bossy.

Love and affection of an Earth predominant person may feel
like control. They want to know where people are and what
they are doing. If you are with an Earth Predominant person
you may find it a little annoying but it is actually their way of
giving love. They believe everything has a place and things
should always be in those exact places. Anything sitting in
a wrong place, like a book or pen, will drive them crazy. No
wonder others call them control freaks!

If careless, overused Earth element in life can mean that
Earth people slowly develop fibroid growths, enlarged or-
gans, deposits in their blood vessels and ruptured arteries
and organs. They can tolerate that kind of pain or suffering
before they take any step. Their “Get on with it” attitude
sometimes kills them.

Environmentally, Earth people are designed to live in any
climate. They need food at regular intervals, while an rou-
tine keeps them happy. Earth people thrive on real world
physical work like building, gymnasiums or managerial
work –they thrive in it.

Earth people are very trustworthy, and they expect the same
from the rest of the world. They are true to their word and
love others to be in integrity around them. They are deeply
hurt by the breaking of trust or commitment. This to them is
sacred.

Solid environments suit the Earth Predominant persons.
They are meticulous in their ideas and work out the fine

63
details before proceeding with everything. Take a holiday
with an Earth Predominant person and you will find that
they have everything planned out. The strength of this is that
little is left to chance.


Be In Your Element

Earth Predominant people love property investments. They
feel a kinship with construction and building. They will hire
a good team of people around them to get the job done but
really when it all boils down, Earth is in control.

Because Earth Predominant people love order, they are at-
tracted to shapes like squares and rectangles. The ancient
Greeks built their buildings based on symmetry, proportion
and order, a perfect motto for the Earth Predominant person.
Everything fits into a mould for earth and so their ability to
carry through any plan or idea is second to none. Once an
Earth person gets their teeth into something, they’ll rarely let
it go until it’s done (or dead).

The Earth person, who chooses to stay in balance in their ele-
ment, will surround themselves with the following support
group.

1. Etheric visionaries and creative people to stimulate prog-
ress
2. Space – strong furniture, oak and wooden floors
3. Gymnasiums where strength and stamina can be sus-
tained
4. Protein rich food
5. Respect for creativity, philosophy and the enjoyment of
free thinking and exploration

Formality comes easy for the Earth people. They dig the idea
that one and one make two and therefore always want to
know the order of things, what goes where and who’s in
charge of whom. Punctuality is their key, on time every time
– consistency and predictability.

What antagonizes the Earth Predominant person most are
unruly situations – such as those that Ether or Air Predomi-

64 nant people thrive in. When there is a lack of punctuality
the Earth Predominant person takes this very personally and
finds it disturbing to his or her peace of mind. Also resis-
tance is a real bug bear for the Earth Predominant person.
Described often as a very stubborn character element, Earth
gets extremely agitated when there is resistance or stubborn-
ness..

The environment and lifestyle that most upsets and antago-
nizes the Earth Predominant person is uncertainty, doubt-
fulness and complexity, summarized as chaotic. This pushes
every Earth button and earth people go to hell and back to
try and remedy this chaos.

The most common positive feedback Earth Predominant
people get is that they are kind-hearted, supportive and ex-
tremely practical. If you have an Earth person behind you,
you can do almost anything. To a fine edge, Earth Predomi-
nant people can be relied on for all details.

Kind-heartedness is an earth quality. They will care for those
they love and have taken responsibility for. It is often trans-
lated as controlling but at the end of the day this control is
about saving time, money and energy. Whereas some ele-
ments learn by experience and waste a lot of precious earth
time doing so, Earth tries everything to avoid such waste.

To this end, Earth types don’t know when to let go. They hold
and hold unable to sense the difference between support and
interference. They always mean well. Earth people are tena-
cious and wonderful business and personal partners because
you can trust them. This raises the challenge for Earth Pre-
dominant people because of their loyalty – sometimes they
go outside the boundaries of contracts and relationships be-
cause they can’t bring themselves to leave. Survival for them
can become a double life.

Earth Predominant people are traditionalists. They treasure
family and history and hold onto air looms for years and years.
Their favourite color is brown and their lifestyle can be best
described as earthy, hands-on outdoor real world living. Don’t
cramp an Earth Predominant person indoors – that’s a killer.

65
Finally, you’ll know the Earth Predominant person from
one distinctive action, their handshake, a firm, big grasping
friendly full hand grab.


Be In Your Element

Summary
The Elements of Earth Constitution
Elements in life
Stability, support, reliability, grounding,
establishment, firmness and solidity.

Firmness, stability, density, hardness, weight, coldness.

Strong elements
Ability to stick to a plan and complete a project successfully

Profession
Management, organizing, administration, training

Body nature
Solid, firm tissues, rectangular shoulders, jaw & forehead.

Mental disposition
Routine & rules, systematic, factual, methodical, repetitive.

Favourite phrases
Let me do it. I am a firm believer. Be right always.

Elemental spending
Essential things, security, deposits, investments

Weight lifting, body building, throwing.

Boldness. Ability to deal with responsibility.

66
Solid, firm, possessive.

Climatic preference
Enjoy warm or hot very well.

Need of sleep
Around 8-9 hours of rejuvenating sleep

Quantity and time are fixed

Controlled, compulsion, rigid, stiff

Others think I am too dominating and stubborn.

Things we hate
Lousy routine, change of routine, mismanagement, unruly

Mantras
Lam

Chakras
Muladhara

Systems
Musculo-skeletal

Symbols
Rectangle or square

67

Be In Your Element

On Cars

Ether: A clean, easy to operate car with less pollution

Air: A car with GPS, dvd, music system and a phone

Fire: A fast sports car (if possible really expensive and
flashy)

Water: A car that can carry everyone.

Earth: An antique car or a car that can last a lifetime.

68

Be in Your Element book - Constitutional Analysis - Your true Natur

Be in Your Element book - Constitutional Analysis - Your true Natur

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