Polarity practitioners work with and balance energy based on assessment
of the elements.  Rather than having a generalized or vague concept
of "energy," the Polarity model organizes energy into
five different qualities, based on the universal
elemental energies found in all of nature. 

These five elements are Space (or Ether), Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

Space/Ether is the basis of all Polarity work.  Its qualities are silence, stillness, neutrality, openness, being without doing, balance, tranquility and simple presence.  You can find Space in nature wherever there are wide open spaces, such as prairies, mountaintops, the middle of the ocean, frozen tundra, glaciers, a cloudless blue sky, outer space - or in quiet, meditative places such as large caves, cathedrals or an isolated clearing in a forest.

The qualities of Air include lightness, quickness, uninhibited movement in all directions, agility, motion, speed and changeability.  Air is seen in nature as gentle breezes, winds, gusts, tornadoes, hurricanes, sandstorms, as well as birds in flight, butterflies and bees dancing from flower to flower, the quick movements of a deer or gazelle, tall grasses waving in the breeze, flags flapping with the wind, or confetti swirling in the air. 

Fire has qualities of warmth, heat, brightness, focus, direction, clarity, enthusiasm, vitality, loudness, expansiveness and outward radiation.  Examples of fire in nature are all sources of heat and combustion, from explosions, erupting volcanoes, lightning bolts and the sun on a hot summer day to sparklers on the 4th of July, the cozy warmth of a campfire or fireplace, a bonfire on the beach, the gentle light of a single candle or a dramatic flaming dessert.

Water's qualities include flowing, merging, cleansing, nurturing, timelessness, fertility, intuition, deep feeling, attachment, receptivity, inclusiveness and the rhythms of life.  Water manifests in nature as the seasons, the lunar phases, and all cyclic patterns, as well as all physical manifestations of water - oceans, lakes, rivers, swamps, creeks, ponds, pools, rain, puddles, and damp, humid, soggy conditions.

The qualities of Earth are density, solidity, structure, steadiness, endurance, strength, patience, perseverance, organization, practicality, groundedness, manifestation and completion.  Earth is seen in nature as all forms of rocks and soil, mountains, deserts, farmland, as well as all buildings, walls, foundations and structures.