Air + Water: A Mystic's Guide to the Edge of Two Elements
Channeling power and potential at the intersection of Air + Water through The Edge Oracle
Context: The Edge Oracle
The Edge Oracle is a collection of original symbols, each representing a specific ‘edge’ or in-between place. The intention of The Edge Oracle is to provide tools and frameworks that integrate the wisdom and power held by the (often overlooked) liminal spaces of our world, into our everyday lives.
The first set of symbols within The Edge Oracle represents the 6 Edges that connect the 4 traditional Elements of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. For more background, check out my Introduction to The Edge Oracle post.
Symbol of Air + Water: Cloud
Evaporating from the sea’s collective body, Water separates from itself and ascends to the sky in the form of invisible vapors. As it rises, it swirls and dances through the breeze, finding and merging with its fellow molecules again. After enough droplets have collected, no longer light enough to be held by Air, the Water freefalls back toward earth. Rain pours life onto new places, in a way that may seem sudden or ‘out of nowhere’ to those who receive it — though it has been a long process of transformation for this Water to arrive. The Cloud reminds us that life is a cycle of change. The shape of our individual journey is unpredictable, though its pattern is universal. More than half of our body is Water, and we too will rise as individuals, connect through community, and shower the world with our gifts on the way home.
Overview: Triangulating the Edge of Air + Water
In this post, I approach The Air + Water Edge as a source of power and possibility by exploring three topics:
1) Examples of the Air + Water Edge in culture and ecology
2) Qualities that emerge at the Air + Water Edge across the range of Examples
3) Prompts to connect the Edge of Air + Water to your personal life
This framework — Edge Triangulation — is designed to provide ways to access, understand, and reflect the wisdom of any Edge. This is a foundational aspect of The Edge Oracle, and subscribers to DEEPER will receive first access to future posts where I’ll be sharing more tools and methods like this for engaging with wisdom from the Edges.
Accessing the Edge: Examples of Air + Water
Below, I’ve collaged and listed some of my favorite Examples of the Air + Water Edge in nature and culture. I chose these Examples because (to me) they represent a diverse and inspiring range of how the Edge of Air + Water can manifest in physical and conceptual forms. As you view/read them, I encourage you to notice which ones spark the most curiosity or interest for you, and to take note of any Examples that come to mind which are not on this list.
Collage Examples of Air + Water Edge: Hurricanes; Divinatory readings (Tarot, Oracle, etc.); Poems & Personal letters; Flying Fish & Swimming Birds; Waterfalls; Tears; Virality & Contagion; Salt
Additional Examples of Air + Water Edge: Clouds; Rain; Rainbows; Storms; Mist; Bubbles; Sailing; Surfing; Prayer; Conversation; Trends; Lottery; Water guns; Water slides; Carbonated beverages
Understanding the Edge: Qualities of Air + Water
Reflecting on these Examples of where the Elements of Water and Air meet in our world, we may start to notice some recurring conceptual Qualities that exist at this Edge. Based on my own observation, research, and reflection, here are three key Qualities that emerge consistently at the Edge of Air + Water. I’d also encourage you to personally engage with the Examples of this Edge that resonate strongest with you, and see what other Qualities might emerge from them.
1) Ambiguity
While Ambiguity may feel like a lack of clarity, it often suggests that there are multiple, simultaneous truths at play. Rather than attempting to simplify a complex situation in order to fully comprehend it, Ambiguity invites us to honor the complexity by surrendering absolutism and opening ourselves to whatever aspects of the situation we can connect to. When we embrace that there may not be a fixed or singular meaning, Ambiguity can sweep us into its dancing prism of possibilities. Here, we encounter and discover the range of realities that exist within its mists. When navigating Ambiguity, we do not consult a map — we listen for what leads us.
2) Catharsis
Catharsis asks us to be fully present and in our feelings, surrendered to the ways in which our emotions seek to be expressed. We cannot control or predict what will emerge from us during Catharsis — we can only allow for its arrival. Similar to anticipating a heavy storm, it is ideal to prepare before entering a state of Catharsis, putting any safeguards in place that can prevent harm to ourselves or others during the unpredictable nature of its release. This intentional preparation can also facilitate the ability to express ourselves without feeling the need to tame, judge, or limit the potency of our emotions. The medicine of Catharsis lives in both the intense mind-body experience of its release, as well as the subsequent reflections on what emerged after the experience has passed.
3) Faith
It’s no secret that our lives are often shaped by forces beyond our control. Within this dynamic landscape, Faith invites us to deepen our trust in our inherent value and essence. Through Faith, we can learn to embrace life’s volatility by knowing that wherever the journey leads us, we carry a unique purpose and potential. Paradoxically, the degree to which that potential can both emerge and evolve is highly correlated to the amount of Faith we have in its existence. The ways we express Faith will look different across each of our individual paths, but its overarching pattern serves to reveal and remind us of the depth and dimension of connections that exist both within and beyond our ‘self’.
Other Qualities at the Edge of Air + Water:
Transformation; Shape-shifting; Surrender; Separation; Individuation; Travel; Reunion; Surprise; Self-worth; Ascendance; Dissolution; Expression; Essence; Formlessness; Flow; Cycles; Remembering; Responsiveness; Rest; Presence; Rebirth; Sailing; Synchronicity; Resonance; Interpretation; “Ego death”
Reflecting the Edge: Prompts for Personal Connection to Air + Water
After reviewing the Examples of this Edge and some of their overarching Qualities, you may already be sensing some ways that the Edge of Air + Water is reflected in your own life. To help us further access the power of this Edge, here are some Prompts to identify and strengthen your personal connection with the Edge of Air + Water.
When you see [Quality] and [Example] — insert any of the aforementioned Edge Qualities / Examples that most interest you. I recommend using a journal to write, reflect, and see where it leads.
Edge “Example” Prompts:
What do I find beautiful, admirable, or unique about [Example]?
What don’t I understand about [Example]? Through research or having a direct experience with [Example], what becomes revealed to me?
After noticing what inspires and/or intrigues me about [Example] from the previous two questions — what do these attributes of [Example] reflect back to me about myself, my desires, or my current situation?
Edge “Quality” Prompts:
Where does [Quality] feel most present or most absent in my life right now? How do I feel about that, and what can I learn about myself or my situation based on the presence or absence of [Quality]?
What are my biggest priorities right now? For each of those priorities, what is my relationship to / the role of [Quality]? How could I try shifting my relationship to [Quality] as a way to better support this priority?
What are some things I have learned about [Quality] through personal experience and/or from observing it elsewhere? How might I apply these learnings to support me now?
Closing Thoughts & What’s Next:
Through The Edge Oracle, my intention is to create more awareness, understanding, and collaboration with the possibility and power that exists at the Edges of our world. Through DEEPER, I will continue to expand upon this with upcoming posts about:
-Each of the 5 other Elemental Edges, and their unique Examples & Qualities
-How to work with the Edges in a Question/Answer format (and combine it with other practices like Tarot & Astrology)
-The Edge Temple: How the 4 Elements and 6 Edges work together
…. and lots more!
Thanks for being here. With love,
Dante Deeper