Elemental Shell Shock

Humanity has long believed in four elements. Earth was the lowest level; humanity and living things; the soil beneath. The next layer was Water, less dense then Earth, higher than the earth. Air was above Water, Air also called Wind. It moved with a freedom unequaled on earth-- maybe that's why humans always have wanted to fly. Fire was the highest, above the earth, the stars in the sky; unpredictable. The four elements Earth, Water, Air, and Fire were long believed to be the foundation of everything; life, gods, the unexplained.

However, There is now believed to be at least seven pure elements. Seven being the known number. It cannot be know for sure. One might think that there are hundreds of elements; carbon, oxygen, uranium, iron, iodine, etc. However, those are all Earth and Air, are they not? How does fire place on that table? Is it a gas, liquid, solid? It is known that it uses oxygen and it cannot burn without it, but still, how does it place?

The seven elements are this: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Spirit, Sight, and Electricity. There might be more, but it is unknown how many. What, one might ask, are Spirit, Sight, and Electricity. Spirit deals with the emotions; anger, love, hate, joy, sorrow, fear, and so on. Sight is seeing with more than others. The past, things far away, and for the talented few, the future. Electricity? Now that is the aspect of charges, positive, negative. Electricity is lightning; and the movement of charges gives off light does it not? Light is what the eye sees. Electricity is therefore dealing with illusions, no?

For example, the eye sees a flower, a red rose. Earth can change that rose to be, for instants a hedge. Earth could also change the physical composition of the eye and brain to make the mind see that it is a hedge. Water and fire cannot chance the appearance, unless they destroy it, so therefore they will be left out of this discussion. Air can thicken itself and magnify or opaque itself and one will not see a flower anymore. Spirit can also change the mind's interpretation of that flower. Electricity; however, can utilize light and make the eye see something that's not there, purely illusion, not changing either rose or body. The creature will see what Electricity wills it to. Isn't that interesting, all the possibilities?

Now one must not sit there and believe that Electricity is the most powerful element, hardly. The point is that each element has its own strengths, and weaknesses. Electricity is stopped by Sight and Earth, Earth is not burned by Fire, but eroded by wind and water. No element can stand alone as best. There is a system to these things. A balance.

The most recent three elements led to the belief of possibly more elements, some believe that there should be a difference between the Earth users. The logic is told to be that metals do not have the carbon of living things and therefore there should be Earth and a new group being Life. This was disproved by that fact that each person has just one talent, and how could one have both Earth and Life?

The fact that the elements cannot wholly be explained is one reason why there are seven. The periodical table has a system, an order. Why then should Earth be metal and living things? The fact that there is some mystery, some things that cannot be explained, puts the seven elements above the hundred some odd elements of the periodical table.

Why are they unexplained? What makes fire burn? Is it a reaction between two things? Why then does lightning start fire? These questions have proved that at least seven elements are above an earthly level. Not Earthly, earthly. There is a difference. They are above earthy things because they cannot be explained; like God, or gods if one prefers.

That is yet another question; is there a higher power? Yes, there is Water, Fire and such powers, but is there a God (or gods if one prefers)? Are there seven gods or one all mighty God? That is another thing that cannot be explained. People have different irreconcilable views and it is good that they need not be discussed. Each person has their own beliefs. However, the question of the seven elements is mote. They are there, and the issue of God, or gods if you prefer, will be left alone in this discussion.

Each person has one element. That is fact. An Earth user cannot use Air, they just don't have the capabilities. Yet another unexplained thing. Earth has the largest range of areas; chemicals, metals, living things. Is oil Earth or Water? It is liquid is it not? However, the chemical composition is not H2O. The origin of oil is in dead plant matter--Earth. Why then are metals included in Earth? The answer is because the Earth users can also manipulate them. Illogical, yes, but true, just like the other six elements.

If each person has just one element how then are such feats of weather done. The feats being; for example, stopping dry spells, floods, reducing tornadoes into rainstorms. The answer; team work. Air, Water, and sometimes even Electricity, Spirit, and Earth. They all work together. The wind blows the clouds of water vapor, held together by grains of sand and dirt. The clouds and lightning are all manipulated by the Elementals.

Elementals? Who are they? What are they? Elemental is simply a term for someone who uses an element. Elementals are every person. Elementals even sometimes refer to the creatures of another plane of existence. Salamanders, Sylphs, etc. The connection is unknown, but it is there.

Just as the elements work together, they also pull apart. Fire and Water, Wind and Earth, Electricity and Sight, but where does that leave Spirit? If there are Seven elements then Spirit is the odd one. It, like Sight, works on a different level than the others. Why then is Sight's opposite Electricity? Illusions and truths. Sight sees falsehood, Electricity creates them, inverse, no? Spirit is then left off on its own. It is said to balance the other elements. Spirit can therefore calm a storm and calm the elements from destroying each other. Is Spirit then order with an opposite of Chaos? Not quite; are rage, sorrow, hatred, and fear uniting? Do they bring peace and order? Many believe Spirit to be its own paradox.

Where is the order in that? The order is counter balance. Order and Chaos are balanced in humans, why not the elements also? They have limitations and strengths, they balance each other. If there was no balance, what would stop one from becoming dominate. Life cannot exist without all the elements.

The elements on their own would not mind a world of themselves alone, but humans cannot live that way. How then do the elements work together? Spirit of course. It balances or imbalances. However, It deals with hate and love and therefore likes a steady medium. The essence of every human is the soul, or spirit. The element Spirit is the equalizer between all the elements, and its self. Humans who with their spirit work together force their respective elements to work together. Can Air and Water work together without Spirit? Only if the humans work together.

What does that mean? Only if they work together? Can Spirit force them to work together? Yes, it is possible. Just as their own spirit can force them. Force them? It is not known how the human mind works beyond tiny atoms of carbon and electrical impulses. The spirit of humans is balance, which is Spirit. Humans are made from Earth, the mind works with Electricity, the body needs Air, the body also needs Water. The body uses Sight to learn and live, and its spirit and Spirit keep that balance.

But where is Fire in the body? Yes! Fire is the counter balance, and so is Spirit. Can two of the seven elements balance six of the elements? Of course! The body is not purely Water of Air or even Earth. Together the parts are one, and as always Spirit is its paradox.

Now, one shouldn't believe now that Spirit is the most important. It is spirit that's important. The willingness to overcome trail, the will to work together will bring together Earth and Air, Water and Fire, Sight and Electricity. All things go back to the system of balance and counterbalance. All seven are equal, no single element is most powerful. They all try, but fail.

Are humans more powerful than the elements? They can make them work together and that proves the supremacy, right? Wrong, Water drowns and dehydrates; Fire burns; Earth crushes, buries, and decomposes; Air suffocates; Spirit imbalances to madness; Electricity fries and deludes; Sight also causes madness. Knowing too much will drive one insane. This proves yet again, balance and counterbalance. Order and Chaos.

Why do people have the elements? Is it heredity? Yes, and no. Sometimes yes and yet, sometimes no. Do the elements choose their users? Who can tell? Yet, every child at birth has a talent, an element. It strengthens over time, the talent reaches maturity as the mind and body does. If the parents are Earth will that make the child Earth? Mostly yes; however, it is always unpredictable. The most common belief is that the element chooses its wielders. The element looks for traits; will, love, greed, calmness, serenity, and then chooses; however, that is just the common belief.

But how then is strength determined? Does the element sit and think, and pick what level it wants its user to be? The belief is that the level is an inborn part of a human's mind. Then why isn't the element inborn? Some believe it to be so. It is still unknown.

What is strength level? It is a rating, one through five. One through five with highs and lows given for greater accuracy. One is low and five is high. Most of the populace have levels between one and three, four and five are rare.

The elements are used by reaching out to the world around and gathering energy from the respective elements. The higher the level the longer the reach and the greater amount of energy that can be stored. Stored? Is there a special place in the body that stores elemental energy? The earth users say that as humans evolved the mind gained the capability to use and store elemental energy. So as the different parts of the brain have different purposes so a part might be used in the manipulation of the elements.

Manipulation? Yes, the users manipulate the elements, moving them. What does Sight do? Sight moves images to see, Sight can also move time. Fire can make fire out of nothing but air, and sustain it through will. Electricity gathers the negative charges and moves them producing power that gives off light. Spirit moves and stimulates emotions. Moving Earth, Water, and Air is easy to understand, what wasn't there, now is.

All the Elementals have to work within the lays of nature, to some extent. The more will and power, the greater the limit of experiment. Will has come control over the usage of the power. However, a willful level one cannot hold more power than a lazy level two. The level one could use the power more effectively then the level two who wastes power.

Yet even the most powerful, willful level five cannot make fire burn without oxygen. Earth still is more dense than water, and Electricity is still grounded by Earth. The balance of Nature.

Yes, the balance and counter balance again. Does that mean if a five of Water is born, a five of Fire is born on the same day? Who knows? Yet another unanswered question.

It might not be paradox then, that seven of the most powerful Elementals every known, were born on the same day.