When I was following Buddha’s teaching, I learned to observe the four elements of the body. When we feel the weight of the body, that is the earth element; the flow of blood circulation in the body is the water element; the body temperature of hot and cold is the fire element; The flow of air in and out of the body and the sensation of expansion and contraction of our lungs and organs from the breath is the wind element; the flow of energy and the feeling of a connection with the universe is the ether element. These are the elements we observe through the sensation of the body to understand how the physical being is connected to the physical realm.

With the understanding of Baha’u’llah’s teachings, we can have a fresh look at the ancient divine elements, through the awareness of our inner being and observation of the condition of inner life through the feelings of our heart. From this inner observation, I learned about how our soul connects with the spiritual realm and the Kingdom of God.

Here is what I understand…

When our heart is touched by the Word of God, our soul feels vivified, it is like a plant receiving the rain falling down from the sky and comes alive. This is the effect of the living fountain (water of life) from God……

After the seeds of the Word of God are planted in our heart and we start to see them grow, our mindset constantly renews and our vision becomes higher and higher, broader and broader. It is like a tree growing taller and taller and on top of the tree we can see further and wider. It is also like a variety of flowers planted in a garden, the more they are nourished by the love of God, we gradually can smell the fragrance of the Words of God and hear it as the sweet melody from heaven. These are the phenomena we can observe when the condition of our heart is cultivated and improved. This is the effect of the condition of the dominion of the heart (earth) caused by the Sun of Reality (God).

When our heart is remembering our Lord, We think about the signs of God that we saw, the confirmations we received, the grace God bestowed on us and the mercy He shows us, we feel the sweetness and want to love our Lord more. This is the effect of the burning love (fire) caused by the Sun of Reality…..

When our heart is full of the desire for the Cause of God and wish to be in the spiritual battle fighting together with the Lord of Hosts, to be able to contribute something to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. This is the effect of the Holy Spirit (the wind of God’s decree) caused by the Sun of Reality…..

The feeling in our heart shows the effect of the four Divine elements (earth, water, fire, wind) cause by the Sun of Reality. This is the evidence of the ceaseless outpouring of grace from heaven.

How can we connect to our inner being and experience the connection with the Kingdom of God? A receiver needs to receive an active force in order to see the effect. So, only when our hearts and minds completely turn toward the Sun of Reality do we feel strongly the divine power and feel the effect it causes. This is like the effect we see on this planet caused by the sun.

We sense four elements on this planet with our outer senses. In the same way, we perceive four spiritual elements from the Kingdom of God by our inner power and feel it with our hearts.

Blessed is he who hath acknowledged Thy most excellent majesty, and whom the veils that have shut out the nations from Thee have not hindered from directing his eyes towards Thee, O Thou Who art the King of eternity and the Quickener of every moldering bone! Blessed, also, is he that hath inhaled Thy sweet savors, and been carried away by Thine utterances in Thy days. Blessed, moreover, be the man that hath turned unto Thee.
~ Bahá’u’lláh ~