Your Inner Balance

I want to talk a little bit about an old Medieval science called Humorism. The idea was that humours are four different fluids in the body, which must be evenly balanced for optimum health. The balance of these humours also affected your mood or state of mind. It was thought that people could be born with a certain imbalance of the humours, and this imbalance caused certain physical traits as well as personality traits. The type of food you ate was believed to affect the balance of your humours, and so certain diets were recommended to treat different imbalances. The four humours are associated with the four classical elements of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. This belief, originating in ancient Greece, was also taught in India. The theory dominated Western medical thinking for more than 2000 years.

"Dragons"
Fire - Choleric
People with this temperament tend to be egocentric and extroverted. They may be excitable, impulsive, and restless, with reserves of aggression, energy, and/or passion, and try to instill that in others.  They can be ambitious, strong-willed and like to be in charge. They appreciate receiving respect and esteem for their work.

"Fairies"
Air - Sanguine
People with this temperament tend to be lively, sociable, carefree, talkative, and pleasure-seeking. They can make new friends easily, be imaginative and artistic, and often have many ideas. They can be flighty and changeable; thus sanguine personalities may struggle with following tasks all the way through and be chronically late or forgetful.

"Mermaids"
Water - Phlegmatic
People with this temperament may be inward and private, thoughtful, reasonable, calm, patient, caring, and tolerant. They tend to have a rich inner life, seek a quiet, peaceful atmosphere, and be content with themselves. They tend to be steadfast, consistent in their habits, and thus steady and faithful friends. People of this temperament may appear somewhat ponderous or clumsy.

"Gnomes"
Earth - Melancholic
People with this temperament may appear serious, introverted, cautious or even suspicious. They can be susceptible to depression. They may be focused and conscientious. They often prefer to do things by themselves, both to meet their own standards and because they are not inherently sociable.



You might find that you are more or less one of these personality types, or you may find that you fluctuate between these four states of being. At times, we can feel like we are full of energy, a burning passion, which riles us up and gets us going. At other times we may feel a need to draw inwards and enjoy peaceful solitude with time to reflect. When we become withdrawn and somber, we may need a little help, and it's thought that exercise and spicy food will inject a little more fire into one's spirit. If we become over anxious or aggressive, we may need help cooling down, in which case a nice cup of tea and a long bath could calm our emotions. I think colours can help too, as red is believed to be invigorating, whereas blue is believed to be calming. Each colour vibrates at a certain frequency, to influence your own vibrational frequency. Earth represents a slow vibration, and is a very grounding energy which pulls us inward to work on our private projects and study. Water represents a slightly faster vibration, easing us into the flow of inspiration, so that we might drift into a world of dreams. Air is a faster vibration which lifts us up and gets us talking and sharing ideas with other people. Fire is a very fast vibration which fills us with exhiliration, and can give us the energy we need to act quickly. Too much of one or the other can be problematic, so finding balance in oneself is the key.