The Power of Air

Sometimes the strongest force is the one you can’t see.

Sunday January 19 marks the start of Aquarius season. As the Sun moves from Capricorn to Aquarius, it shifts from an earth sign to an air sign.

In the symbolism of the elements that is used in Astrology, tarot, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and other disciplines, air relates to the mechanisms of the mind.

Air symbolizes thoughts, beliefs, and ideas. It relates to the stories we tell and how our mind works.

Of course, you can’t see air. It has no image.

In Tarot, air is depicted in the suite of swords or blades: that which slices or cuts through.

You can see this built into our everyday language:

When someone is mentally acute or insightful we say they have a “sharp mind.”

A person who communicates their ideas with clarity and precision “cuts through” the noise.

Someone who gets lost in too many ideas starts “spinning.”

Inability to focus on one idea at a time is described as “flighty.”

A person who doesn’t seem to have any ideas is called an “air head.”

Because we can’t see air, we are prone to easily forgetting its power.

Air is not to be underestimated.

After all, you wouldn’t be so dismissive of a hurricane or a strong typhoon.

Air is what fans the flames of a spark to help it grow into a fire.

Air is what gives lift to our ideas, what helps us rise above and soar.

Air is what causes the waves on the ocean.

Air is not just our ideas and thoughts.

Without air, we cannot breathe. We cannot live.

Air is our life force. It is our vitality.

Just one breath — one sip of air — is the difference between life and death.

Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful.

Air is is what powers our life.