Harnessing Earth Energy to Hold Your Ground

Part 1 of 5 of a series on elemental realms

Twenty years ago, I joined a tiny dojo in a biomedical engineer's garage. I was the youngest, the smallest, and the only girl. I rolled with a group of sweaty, often smelly, full-grown men three to five times a week.

As gross as it may seem, it was my dream life.

At 20, I was hungry for real knowledge — something I couldn't find in my college classes. In the dojo, I understood physics and anatomy by doing and feeling, not by forcing myself to listen to lectures. Off-campus, I learned about human behavior and even about learning itself.

My mind and my journals overflowed with ideas and connections. The world began to make sense.

Decades later, I still think upon those years as the most intense learning experience of my life. The philosophies I learned in that garage never left me. I got older and gained more experience, but I still turn to them and reliably find answers. Basic warrior principles have offered me balance and direction even in the most chaotic periods of my life.

One of those principles is a Japanese Buddhist concept called godai, or the Five Elemental Realms. It's helped me negotiate terms with clients, know when to leave a bad job, and understand how to strategically navigate sensitive personal situations.

I’ve highlighted Earth in the image because we will focus on this one first.

It's important to eventually know all five realms, but even a warrior trainee is not expected to learn them all at once. Of the five, Earth is the easiest to learn, and that's why new students start there.

So that's where your training will start, too.

Archetype & Feeling of Earth: The Ruler

Why does anyone want to be a warrior? It's usually because they've endured or seen others endure being pushed around, bullied, and ignored. For the first time in their godforsaken life, they want to stand up for themselves. They want to be seen for who they are and have a place in society. They are desperate to be the ruler of the tiny space they occupy — the domain of the self.

Earth is the first realm of study because new warriors must first learn to control the space above their own feet: their personal space.

Although the archetype of Earth is the Ruler, a novice can think of themselves more like a ruler-in-training, or a child ruler. A child ruler knows they will one day rule their own kingdom, but they are still learning and lack experience. So it's important to understand your own potential for power while also undergoing necessary training.

To embody the realm of Earth, it's important to first understand what it feels like. Think of a mountain — immovable, heavy, and grounded. Earth is standing firm and letting petty distractions roll away. It's putting up a wall between you and that thing that won't stop bothering you. It's saying "no" effectively and without recourse. When you embody the energy of Earth, you are the mountain.

Earth is sheer stubbornness.

Adobe Firefly created a pretty good visual representation of an Earth/Ruler archetype

A tenth-degree black belt I train with says, "Earth is the thing you do when you're too dumb to do anything else." It's a blunt way to put it, but it's true. Earth techniques are a last-ditch effort when your personal space has already been invaded — and you didn't see it coming.

If a fighter was more skilled, they could have gotten out of the way earlier. If their intuition was properly trained, they might have avoided the situation entirely.

Therefore, Earth is the most basic approach one learns, and also the only one that might be effective if they are sick, drugged, or injured.

Movement: Auger

A lot of times we think of martial arts as a sport for athletes. When we watch fighting matches, we see fit bodies struggling and jumping around. But Earth is the opposite. This type of defense grinds down of the opponent, burying them with a feeling of heaviness. It can feel like being caught in a mudslide, hitting a wall of rock, or in some cases, encountering an explosive volcano.

Earth movements don't require dexterity, agility or speed. There is no weapon associated with this level. All it requires is gravity and the weight of your body.

When you've been caught off guard and can't get out of the way, you have very few options left to you. When you are grounded like this, the most effective way to generate power is by twisting and dropping your weight — like an auger.

An auger, drilling into the ground.

This creates a spiral-like movement similar to a screw. By grabbing a part of the opponent and drilling down into the ground, they inevitably must go down with you. Then, by alternating the direction of the auger from left to right or vice-versa, you keep the opponent off balance while continuing to drive them into the ground. When you run out of room to move downwards, you can explode vertically upwards with a strike to the throat or whatever becomes available to you in that moment.

Movement in the Earth realm isn't so much about changing positions as it is about holding a position. Earth energy is embodied by a ruler who digs in, refusing to leave their kingdom, and stomps with a resounding "NO" in the face of intruders.

Applications & Implications

Channeling Earth energy is useful for anyone who could use more stability or firmness in their approach. Especially for a person who is often pushed around or taken advantage of, Earth can help them learn to rule their space.

In the workplace, this energy can be used to say "no" to a task that is clearly a waste of time. Children can learn it to stop bullies from picking on them. When you are plagued by a toxic relationship, use Earth energy to stand your ground and refuse to be taken advantage of any further.

Earth should be used for the non-negotiable. When you are certain, make it certain.

Challenge:

Think of one thing in your life that you know must be done, but you've been hesitant to take action on. You are going to use Earth energy to help you take one step towards getting something done.

Maybe you need to have a tough conversation with a family member. Maybe there's a broken shelf in your home that infuriates you every time you pass by it. Maybe you work a job that is killing you inside, but you haven't brought yourself to make any steps towards leaving.

Now, close your eyes and imagine you are the ruler of a mountain kingdom. Your people rely on you to stand up for them, and you alone can do something about it. With a low growl, grunt, or even a stubborn harumph, dig your heels in. Feel the earth under your feet. Absorb the power of the Earth as you imagine sinking through the dirt. As doubts and excuses arise, destroy them with your willpower. Sink deeper and deeper — through layers of hesitation and imaginary rock — until you become the mountain.

Open your eyes, keeping your resolution intact. While you have this energy, schedule a necessary call. Tackle an important decision. Start your dream side project.

Next up: Water (The Scientist)

I hope this week’s explanation of the Earth realm has helped you understand that different energies can be used as approaches to problem-solving. Each one has it’s unique applications.

Unlike video game characters or superhero movies, a person not embody only one manifestation. We continuously transition through all of them, and that’s why we need to train all five.

So next week, I’ll cover the realm of Water.