The characteristics of this element include instinctive thought and the experience of a natural science. This is a spiritual science, and one whose functions and realities cannot be duplicated in a lab to conform to accepted scientific method.

Earth, water, fire and air are the elements of life. Discord comes from a perpetual lack of balance. In astrology, the air sign of Libra is often represented by the scales. Since the scales are naturally in the process of balancing, one could just as easily call Libra the unbalance sign.

The elemental associations in astrology are: Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn | Water - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces | Fire - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius | Air - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. The astrological and elemental associations are especially relevant as revealed in the Tarot, which is another means of gaining understanding of the undercurrents from which life as we know it springs.

Some attributes of each of the elements, while expressed differently through each of the three signs, are Earth: Stable, routine, no-nonsense, dependable, averse to disruption | Water: Depth, passion, passive-aggressive, can be vindictive, unconventional thinking | Fire: Self-promotion, jealousy, insecurity, generosity, acting on a grand scale. The expression of the elements is constantly illustrated through the behavior of people, the social and political climate, art, literature and all interaction. Thinking of biblical stories and the book of Genesis, Jehovah seems to display the characteristics of the element of fire, and the sign of Leo in particular. He created the mortals (by definition, sure to die) Adam and Eve, yet told them that they would surely die upon eating the forbidden fruit. The serpent displays the characteristics of the element of earth, disclosing that the eating of the fruit would not result in death, but in becoming as gods - which Jehovah admits in Genesis 3:22. The serpent spoke matter-of-factly, while Jehovah often showed agitation, and according to biblical translation, even claimed the name "Jealous". In the New Testament, we see that Jesus is illustrated as one who thought unconventionally, to the point of being accused of "having a demon". His display of depth, passion and spiritual power posed a threat to his accusers. One could consider his cursing of the fig tree as a vindictive act. For these reasons, and because he was misunderstood and wrongfully accused, I see him as of the element of water and the sign of Pisces. Biblical scholars suggest that his birth took place in March, fitting in with the Pisces/water theory, and of course the fish symbol is often associated with him.

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger....And he still maintains his integrity, though you have incited me against him to ruin him without any reason"..."Skin for skin!" Satan replied, "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."

These verses seem strange to me, as though God is having a conversation with himself, with Satan being a voice in his head challenging his ego.

This story has always bothered me. It appears to me that Satan is powerful, indeed, a God. And an insecure, prideful and Jealous God so transparent to Satan in his weakness does not seem to me to be all-powerful. I don't think that weakness and jealousy can be characteristics of an omnipotent, true God.

* "From the Judeo-Christian standpoint, the taking of the fruit by Eve and Adam at the serpent's behest was shameful, a transgression of Yahweh's commandment. From the Greek standpoint, however, the taking of the fruit was a triumphant and liberating act which brought to mankind the serpent's enlightenment. To the Greeks, the serpent freed mankind from bondage to an oppressive God, and was therefore a saviour and illuminator of our race. The Greeks worshipped Zeus as both saviour and illuminator; they called him Zeus Phanaios which means one who appears as light and brings light. The light that he brought to the ancient Greeks was the serpent's light that he received when he ate the fruit from the serpent's tree."

On the science of healing...the culture we live in influences our thinking very much, and we don't even realize it. We accept what we have been indoctrinated with, without question and even though it is contrary to what we can see to be true. Medicine provides good results sometimes. We accept that it also causes allergic reactions, surgical complications, and death from certain diseases even with the best medical care. Expectations of the medical profession are actually very low, and when something happens like, "the operation was a success, but the patient died", people just shrug it off and pay the bill. When considering the success rate of the medical profession, we may wonder how many doctor visits and how many tests it takes for an accurate diagnosis, but there are so many variables. And the measure of success is subject to interpretation as well - one could say that when that diagnosis comes after 30 visits and multiple tests, that success has been achieved. One could especially say that if he is aware of an entire lack of accurate diagnosis for much longer.

Many people disregard spiritual healing and attack those who practice it as though they are fraudulent. It's harder to measure the effectiveness of prayer or spiritual means of healing, because it is not standard medicine. And sometimes when results do come, they are not recognized or are dismissed as a freak occurrence - something we certainly shouldn't expect. It seems easier to dismiss a spiritual healer than a physician, because we've been conditioned to believe in medical science, and to consider the spiritual healer a quack. Spiritual healers seem to be held to a much higher standard, and unlike doctors, have a whole lot to prove. I think there's something wrong with this. I don't automatically exclude either method as invalid, and believe each has its place. But when a patient has to return to a doctor numerous times for an accurate diagnosis, to get a replacement prescription for a drug he is allergic to, or for unsuccessful treatment of a disease for the last days of his life, people rarely do any questioning and the doctor and his industry still get paid. And as far as I can see, those are everyday events in the medical industry and not anything unusual.

The medical profession has changed drastically over time, from a noble profession that acknowledged a higher spiritual power, to an industry saturated with marketing where the higher power is carnal.