Elemental Remembrance: A creative archive of somatic remembering and elemental care

Created by
LOR,
Fellow, I Love My Gig Ontario 2025

Published
February 4, 2026

Acknowledgements

With humility and respect, I acknowledge that I live and create on the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississaugas of the Credit — in what is currently known as Hamilton, Ontario, on Turtle Island.

As a settler on these lands, I continue to learn how to live in right relationship with the original stewards, and with the earth and waters that sustain us. I recognize that this creative work, and my ongoing healing, is possible because of the lands I now call home — and I hold a responsibility to listen, learn, and contribute to a culture of care, reciprocity, and justice.

I also acknowledge the ancestral lands of the Chorotega peoples, the original stewards of the territory now known as Nosara, Costa Rica. I give thanks for the generosity of this land — its waters, jungles, winds, and spirit — that held and healed me during my time of living and learning there from 2015-2023. It was within this time that I remembered the elemental wisdom that flows through me, and each and every one of us.

With gratitude and reverence, I acknowledge the elders and Indigenous wisdom keepers from various lineages who I’ve had the privilege to learn from — those who continue to teach me about right relationship, reciprocity, and regenerative living. Their guidance has helped me integrate ancient teachings with embodiment, earth medicine, and culture-building to support collective healing.

Maestra Yness Lopez Sanchez, Maestra Laura Lopez Sanchez, Maestra Lila Lopez Sanchez
(Shipibo-Konibo)

Ruth Díaz Guzmán, Titu Amaru Salqa (Jaukas, Quispicanchi y Anta)

Kuautli Vasquez (Mexica, Xochitl in Cuicatl)

I give thanks to the plant allies, sacred teachers, and elemental forces that have held me through times of transition, grief, and remembering.

I honour my ancestors — known and unknown — whose resilience, creativity, and prayers live in my body. I carry their stories with me in this work.

This work is possible because of the relationships that have held me, the land that has nourished me, and the traditions that continue to remind me: healing is relational, and community lives within our breath.

Foreword

This is a living archive,
a journal-based, somatic inquiry,
an intimate conversation with self and elemental forces, shared as a reflection;
an offering to our sacred union — our interconnection as humans.

Elemental Remembrance begins as a personal practice,
a reflection, a prayer, a reaching,
for care and connection during a time of deep solitude, separated by the pandemic,
I rooted into the regenerative grounds in Costa Rica.

I found kinship in the elements,
the way the water remembered me, and how the earth held my tears, the way the fiery setting sun filled the sky with vibrant colour,
how the air reminded me to soften into hope,
and the way ether weaves belonging beyond time and place.

This work comes from that time,
what I lived, what I witnessed, and what I’m still learning. I was reminded of my resilience through nature’s reflection,
and that community lives within every breath.

Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, elemental forces that make up life,
spiritual teachers in our ecosystem of care, the rivers, winds, stones, stars are our kin, reminding us that we are never truly alone, and when we listen close enough,
We remember, we are sovereign by nature.

Artist statement

I am LOR (she/they), a queer, neurodivergent FilipinX artist, somatic practitioner, and cultural connector living as a settler on Turtle Island. My work lives at the intersection of movement, memory, and care. Navigating life with chronic pain and hidden disabilities, I’ve come to see the body not just as a site of struggle — but as a source of knowing, connection, and transformation.

My creative practice is rooted in land-based listening, somatic inquiry, and ancestral remembering. I’m guided by the wisdom of the elements and what becomes possible when we move slowly, listen inward, and honour our internal rhythms. Through movement, ritual, and reflection, I explore how rest can be a form of resistance and how embodiment can reconnect us to ourselves, each other, and the land.

This work is especially for those of us who’ve been asked to move faster than we’re built for. It’s for those navigating grief, recovery, cultural disconnection, or healing from the systems that were never designed with us in mind.

I create this space for slowness, softness, and self-trust — where creative inquiry becomes a pathway to care, and where collective healing can begin through presence and relationship.

About the archive

This creative archive is a collection of journal excerpts, poetic reflections, prompts, and nature-inspired practices to support personal and collective restoration.

It invites you to move intuitively, attuning to your own rhythm, and adapting what resonates to your body’s wisdom.

Each entry is structured around the elements Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether offering intuitive insights for each, with rituals of connection, and somatic inquiries. These entries are invitational — a weaving of my lived experience, ancestral remembering, and elemental guidance toward a deeper sense of belonging and resilience.

May these words be a companion and a catalyst, a guide and a grounding.
Let this container be sacred.
Let this practice be gentle.
Let this remembering be yours.

Creative glossary

Attunement:

The act of aligning with the present, with another, or with yourself—through deep, embodied listening.

Elemental:

Related to the natural forces of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. An approach to life rooted in nature’s wisdom.

Ether:

The fifth element—beyond the physical. The subtle field of spirit, dreams, and soul.

Recovery is relational:

A phrase honouring that healing doesn’t happen in isolation—it lives in connection, care, and community.

Resilience:

The capacity to return, to adapt, to root again after upheaval—not as perfection, but as process.

Rhythm:

A natural pace of breath, movement, and energy—attuning to our body’s timing, honouring our cycles, and move with care rather than force.

Ritual:

A sacred act of intention. A moment carved out to honour connection—within, with others, with the unseen.

Somatic:

Relating to the body as a source of knowledge and healing. A practice of listening through sensation.

Sovereignty:

The remembrance of your innate wholeness and authority. Rooted in self-respect and connection to the sacred.

Connecting with the elements

With reverence, take a moment to connect with the elemental forces with intention

[Invitation: Retrieve objects that represent the elements to you— stone, bowl of water, leaf, candle, incense, shell, feather]

Earth
may we root deeply in what holds us
through our body and bones
the roots and the ground

Water
may we flow and forgive with grace
through the tides and our tears
the floods and our feelings

Fire
may we ignite what is ready
through the flame of transformation
the heat of our truths

Air
may we attune to our clarity
through the breeze, our breath
and the space in between

Ether
may we remember our vastness
through the unseen thread that connects all beings

May these elemental forces sit in our field as appropriate.
Together, we have the power to heal, transform and rejuvenate.
Please do a good job.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

EARTH

Grounding, Belonging, Nourishment, Stability

The Earth teaches us to slow down, to return to our bodies, to listen within. I’s regenerative nature reflects the innate wisdom that lives in our bones and flesh, soil and trees. The natural seasons and cycles, reflect the internal rhythms that we experience in our body’s ecosystem and landscape. Earth is a regenerative force, and so are we. Earth is enough, at every turn, and we belong exactly as we are.

Somatic invitation

Find a seated or lying-down position.
Feel your body in contact with the ground.
Let your exhale deepen, and your spine lengthen.
Imagine roots growing from the root of your spine, or feet into the earth.
Whisper inwardly: I am supported. I am home.
Feel this connection. Feel your ground.

Root to rise ritual

Stand barefoot (indoors or outdoors). Press your weight into the ground. Imagine your feet rooting into ancestral earth. Speak your name aloud, reclaiming your right to take up space.

Reflection prompts

What does grounding feel like in my body? What helps me feel rooted in myself and in community? Where do I need more nourishment? What does sovereignty feel like in my body?

“The earth does not ask anything from me
she only asks me to breathe
to press my feet and fears into the soil
and let them compost
when I forget how to hold myself
I remember I’m always being held
and I’m led back home
to my breath, and to my power.”

WATER

Emotion, Fluidity, Releasing, Surrender

Water teaches us to trust the ebb and flow. It reminds us that our emotions are sacred messengers. Its tides can be gentle but also dangerous. There is medicine in every tear, and liberation in every release. It has soothing qualities and healing qualities.

Somatic invitation

Begin swaying gently. Let the spine move like seaweed.
Invite small waves in your shoulders, hips, and neck.
Let sounds or emotions ripple through.
Whisper inwardly: I allow. I feel. I flow.

Emotional cleansing ritual

Hold a glass of water in front of you, or sit by a body of water. Whisper your burdens, prayers, or emotions into it. Pour the water onto the ground, or into a plant with reverence. Then drink a glass of water with gratitude, receiving its cleansing and replenishing energy.

Reflection prompts

What does fluidity feel like in my body? Where is there flow in my life? What emotions am I ready to welcome, honour, or release? Where can I surrender? What is my relationship with stillness?

“When I move with fluidity, my body surprises me.
My spine undulates in slow motion, a quiet ripple.
Sometimes I find stillness inside of a movement, a pause within a gesture, a suspended breath.
Stillness lives in the in-between, peace in the moments when I listen rather than push.
When my primal body leads, I remember: I am fluid, not fixed.
I am allowed to change direction, to swirl, to become still.
Stillness is not stagnation, but a form of inner coherence.”

FIRE

Transformation, Willpower, Boundaries, Creative Force

Fire reminds us we are allowed to take up space. It is the force that transforms and clears, that protects and provokes. Fire asks, what are you ready to burn through? Fire is desire, raw and untamed. It is the heat that forges new ways, and the blaze that burns away fear. To call on Fire is to risk, to act, to become. Fire initiates our inner strength and passions.

Somatic invitation

Rub your palms together to generate warmth.
Place them over your heart, belly, or anywhere on your body that needs presence.
Feel the fire in your core and let the energy move up your spine, and through your fingers.
Whisper inwardly: I burn with purpose. I protect what is sacred.
Once grounded, move boldly—shaking your body, stomping your feet, or strong gestures pushing outwards, allowing the heat to move through you.
Return to stillness, feeling feet on the ground, breath in body.

Embers of resistance ritual

Light a candle. Sit beside it and reflect on what fuels your creative fire. What am I ready to ignite, reclaim, or transform? Let the answer flow through movement or free writing. Dance until you sweat, list everything you’re ready to let go of and rip it up, imagine everything you’re ready to call in and speak it into the flame.

Reflection prompts

Where do I feel my inner flame? What empowers my willpower? How can I tend to my creative flame? What am I ready to transform in my life? What helps me return to my inner strength? Do I need gentle or fierce activation?

“Fire lives in my belly, fierce, protective, passionate.
Not a wildfire, but a steady flame, with warmth that sustains without consuming.
I offer my perfectionism to the flame, my control, shame, over-functioning.
I watch it crackle, alchemizing through ash, and into trust.
Honouring the flame of aliveness within me,
watching all that was, transforming into what will be.”

AIR

Breath, Inspiration, Clarity, Attunement

Air is the unseen breath of the world. It carries thought, idea, words. The wisdom of Air is to awaken the mind, to invite clarity, and to stir change. It’s the element of writers, dreamers, and seekers. Air is always moving, never still, never silent, subtle but powerful. It attunes us to presence and connects the voice of intuition and clarity. Air is the force that allows us to hear ourselves again.

Somatic invitation

Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Inhale, lengthen your spine.
Exhale, soften your body.
Feel the air in your nose, and across your skin.
Trace the edges of your body with this awareness.
Imagine the air holding you in an invisible yet felt embrace.
Whisper inwardly: I listen. I attune. I am clear.

Whisper to the wind ritual

Go outside or open a window. Speak your truth aloud. Whisper a wish, an idea, or any expression into the air. Write about your dreams and inspiration.
Trust it has been carried. Let your truth and intentions flow freely with the wind. Breathe deeply, and listen for the whispers in return.

Reflection prompts

What supports my sense of inner peace? What is the tone of my internal narrative? What words am I speaking or thinking into existence? What brings me back to center after being swayed by the winds of chaos? What am I inspired to create next?

“It begins with breath, a subtle, quiet, yet insistent force.
When everything feels like too much, I return to the rise and fall of my breath.
The air attunes me to my inner resource.
A sweet hum or cathartic sigh proclaiming: I’m here. I’m with you. I am source.
Breath is both balm and boundary
A practice of rejoining my sovereignty.”

ETHER

Spirit, Intuition, Mystery, Interconnection

Ether is the space between, and what holds all things. This great unknown force reminds us we are more than we see. It is the energy which cannot be touched but felt deeply. It has no shape, no form, but it lives in all things. To call on Ether/Spirit is to remember that you are never alone. Ether is presence, possibility, and the cosmic thread of remembering.

Somatic invitation

Sit or lay in a quiet place.
Sense the space within and around your body.
Be aware of your internal energy and intuition stirring within.
Let images, sensations, or memories arise naturally.
Welcome all parts of you that arise here.
Whisper inwardly: I am connected. I am infinite. I am held and protected

Silent ritual

Be in stillness. Rest here. Breathe softly. Connect with your intuition. Ask a question inwardly and simply listen. Open your heart to what you cannot name. Let the silence speak.

Reflection prompts

What am I remembering about my presence? What is possible when I do nothing? What connects me to my innate wisdom? How do I relate with mystery? What helps me connect with my higher self?

“When I do nothing, softness arrives. Time expands.
My breath intrinsically moves, untethered from doing, yet connected to everything.
Discomfort arises, my body fidgets, my thoughts loop. But when I stay here, a shift happens.
A gentle descent into my beingness. A void opens, and creativity arrives.
I become receptive to endless possibilities.
The pressure to produce dissolves, replaced by pure presence.
Vast.
Returning to my essence through rest,
reminding me: I am already enough. I am already whole.”

How can care flourish in community

The body holds memory long after the mind forgets. Through movement, breath, and stillness, it speaks of what has been carried, endured, and longed for. In times of crisis or transition, it becomes clear: care cannot be rushed. It unfolds slowly, asking for spaciousness and attunement.

The elements offer us pathways to move beyond urgency and into connection.

Earth teaches grounding,
the steady return to what is stable, nourishing, and held.

Water offers flow,
the ability to adapt, soften, and respond with fluidity.

Fire invites transformation,
the capacity to burn away what no longer serves and to reimagine what could be.

Air brings breath and clarity,
reminding us of impermanence and the necessity of space.

Ether, the unseen, great mystery, holds presence,
the subtle realm of spirit, connection, and intuitive knowing.

These elemental rituals serve as guideposts and mirrors. They offer a framework for relating to self, to others, to the unseen. In honouring each element, a deeper kind of listening becomes possible. One that is relational, rhythmic, and rooted in the body.

In a world that equates worth with productivity, a different value system is required. One that holds slowness as wisdom. One that sees rest not as retreat, but as resistance and renewal. Tending becomes the quiet work, subtle, powerful, and necessary.

To imagine care-centered ecosystems is to envision spaces where:

Collaboration is grounded in care. Healing is relational, not extractive.
Difference is not just tolerated, but welcomed. Innovation is informed by rest, not burnout.
Embodied knowing becomes a form of creative currency.

Through relational rhythms and embodied ritual, care can flourish, not only in individual practice, but within community, and be informed by the natural cycles of the elements.

Closing note from the writer

I’ve been reflecting on what it means to return: to family, to land, to my body. After many years living in Costa Rica, I came back to Canada to be closer to systems of care and support. With that return came grief, pain, and a call to integrate what I learned while living close to the land.

As someone living with hidden disabilities and chronic pain, being back in a fast-moving, city-centered culture has unearthed a lot. I’ve had to relearn what care looks like, not just externally, but from within. While creating this archive, I was reminded of the wisdom we carry. That rest is a resource. That my chronic pain has messages for me. It gave me the opportunity to integrate and embody the learnings of a sacred time spent intimately with nature. Now that I’m no longer in that same environment, I’m being reminded that elemental wisdom and memory still live within me — and I can continue to resource the qualities of elemental wisdom and care from within. A reminder that healing isn’t linear, but relational.

I hope this archive serves as a guide, invitation, something to return to, reshape, and carry in your own way. I hope to evolve this framework into a series of gatherings or immersive spaces where we can embody the elements together, and learn, move, and share in reflection and cocreate a caring ecosystem.

I’m grateful that this project gave me space to remember creative healing, and to share the glimpses of the wisdom and care we already carry.

Thank you for sharing this experience. Thank you for your embodiment this lifetime.

“It begins with breath—a subtle, quiet, yet insistent force.
When everything feels like too much, I return to the rise and fall.
Breath is both balm and boundary. A practice of rejoining my sovereignty.

Take no rush.

We can root.
We can ripple.
We can rest.
We remember:
We are sovereign by nature,
all in this together.”

About the creator