Being Human, Making Music and the Quintessence; the Convergence Point of the Elements.

What are the 4 elements?

Originating from a combination of ancient Egyptian, Greek, Alchemical, and Chinese (5 elements) philosophies, it conceptualizes that certain archetypal forces reveal themselves in nature.

Since that definition sounds like it’s straight out of some old dusty ancient dictionary, let’s put into other words.

Basically, it’s the idea that throughout nature there are different temperaments that are expressed. Just like you and I have different personality traits, so do the 4 elements.

Don’t give me that look! You do it all the time. “That’s a mean looking storm” “What nice a gentle breeze” “Sigh.. what a miserable rainy day”

Contrary to the common perception of the 4 elements, they do not attempt to describe their physical counterparts. The four elements relate to the qualities of energy and matter. Not literal fire, air, water and earth that we find in our physical environment.

The 4 elements are Fire, Air, Water, and Earth.

You could almost see the 4 elements as direct representations of personality traits. Wait…a second, that sounds familiar!

Carl Jung, the famous 20th-century psychologist, took these 4 elements and actually created an entire personality theory. Jung developed the widely used and accepted Myers-Briggs personality tests. He has credited alchemy, astrology and the 4 elements for their insights and influence on his work in personality theory.

His 4 psychological functions are Intuitive, Sensation, Thinking and Feeling.

Perhaps since the ancients didn’t have the infinite rabbit hole of the internet, Netflix and social media as distractions, they studied and observed their environment more closely.

Almost all ancient civilizations had some form of astrology. A map, or set of personality types attached to various star systems, their stories, and natural phenomena.

The Elements Of Life — The Essential Temperaments

Keeping in mind that we’re not talking about the chemical properties of matter, I like to use this a fun framework for inspiration in creating music and as guidance in living a holistic life.

Within nature, we know that the change and transformation of energy is the basis of physical life. We see that every day with how we transform air, food, water, and sunlight into useable energy for our bodies.

To create a better life and grow as a person we must learn to master the 4 elements within ourselves. In order to develop that balance let’s look more closely at the fundamental qualities of each element.

French scientist and renown philosopher Gaston Bachelard looked at the elements from the idea of what they each desire.

“Earthly joy is riches and impediment, aquatic joy is soreness and response, fiery pleasure is desire and love, airy delight is liberty and movement.” — Gaston Bachelard

I’m sure you resonate with at least a few of these desires. Maybe some more than others? Think about your core values and life goals. What elements do they reflect?

Fire — Intuition — Temperature
Air — Thinking — Mobility 
Water — Feeling — Fluidity
Earth — Sensation — Solidity

As you can see, each element has different principles they represent. Although, they are all interconnected and not absolute. You have aspects of all of these elements within you.

You, as a human being, have many different characteristics that are in relationship with one another. Earth can also be hot like fire, air can be cold like water, water can be solid like water, etc.

The key is balancing the various elements within your temperament to achieve harmony as a human being. Learning the life lessons you need to, based upon your unique personality traits.

Maybe you have a hot temper and have to bring more Water into your Fire element. Or maybe you have trouble with scheduling and keeping commitments and need more Earth in your Air element.

You must become the convergence of the 4 elements and emerge the 5th

The Fifth Element

Ancient cultures in Egypt, Greece, and India all had similar systems to describe the fifth element as “void” or “space”. Or also known as the classic term, Aether. This element is meant to encompass that which is beyond the material world. They believed the cosmos and all celestial bodies were made of this element.

Aether is the essence that the 4 elements emerge from, the spirit that animates.

It is also termed Quintessence. (Awesome song by Mastodon). It is derived from the Latin words Quinta (fifth) + Essentia (element).

The greek Pneuma, (Awesome song by Tool) the Chinese Qi, Kundalini, the Philosophers Stone and Dark Matter all point to the fifth element. Lifeforce itself.

“The quintessence is a thing that is spiritual penetrating, tingeing, and incorruptible, which emerges anew from the Four Elements when they are bound together.” -Issac Newton

Liquid Architecture

A song has different musical qualities that are interconnected between its parts. Musical elements such as dynamics, melody, bass, and rhythm all serve specific roles. They have different “personalities”. Yet, are all interconnected and work together.

Somehow, with music, it’s more than the sum of its parts. *cough* Fifth *cough* element *cough*

Here are some of the roles that I’ve found within the elements and making music. Hopefully, they can spark some inspiration in your music!

1. Earth — Rhythm

Earth is solid. It represents the senses and the physical body. Earth is the foundation, the rhythm of a song. Rhythm moves the body and stimulates dance, and is the pulse that drives a track.

2. Water — Bass

Water is liquid. It represents the feeling and your emotions. Bass is the undeniable thing that you feel in a song. Bass is deep and makes you feel. The bass frequencies of our voice carry our emotions.

3. Air — Melody

Air is gaseous. It represents thoughts, ideas, and thinking. Air is about expressing thoughts, telling stories and communication. Melodies speak to you and are extremely expressive. Notice how our voice goes up an octave when we’re excited and down when we’re serious!

4. Fire — Dynamics

Fire is luminous. It represents intuition and the human touch. Fire is the dynamics within a song, the energetic changes. The subtleties and intensity, the drama and passion, the soul. You must have heard “That’s straight fire” “The mans got soul!”

5. Aether — Inspiration
 
Aether is space. It represents the spirit, the essence, and the purpose of a song. Aether is the source of your inspiration, your creativity. The unquantifiable, etherial life-force behind your song. The intangible quality that transmits a meaning through you and for others.

Chooou Choooou! Pssst. All aboard the mystical archetypal music-making train of metaphysical forces headed to aether land!

When a song is beautiful and changes lives, it’s pure gold.

Interested in learning more? Click here to download your Mindset Map and discover your next steps in your musical journey.

My name is Alexandre Joyal. I help music creators achieve success with their music by teaching them how to produce themselves and adopt a creative mindset.