Enchantment

Enchantment is a personal exploration of the four elements and their power to reconnect us to the planet, other people, and ourselves as we re-emerge from a global health crisis feeling busier than ever before.

May describes enchantment as “the ability to sense magic in the everyday, to channel it through our minds and bodies, to be sustained by it.”

The first time May rediscovered this ability was when, tired from endless Twitter scrolling, she decided to take a walk. She discovered a small stone circle on a nearby hill in the English countryside where she lived. It felt so natural and soothing, she made the walk a daily pilgrimage.

She found other ways of using earth to calm her anxious mind, too. Walking barefoot is a moving meditation, May claims. So is keeping a pebble in your pocket. I have one on my desk. It feels great in my hand. I can imagine myself walking in a forest when the smooth surface touches my skin. Tiny triggers can have a big effect!

Next to earth, May also found comfort in water. If you’ve ever spend time at the ocean, watching waves form, build, crash, and subside, you know how calming it can feel. The saltiness of the air, the sound of spray — they are literally refreshing.

May also rediscovered an ancient well, which was once used as a place of healing and worship. Not knowing its exact origins, she made her own ritual of baking bread, walking to the well, thanking it for its water, and then eating a simple meal there.

We often think of fire as the most dangerous of elements, but its power to destroy is also a force of cleansing. Where forests burn, the ashes of trees becomes soil for new plants. In some cases, fire’s ferocity even saves us. Take meteor showers, for example: While we’re watching beautiful shooting stars, fire is burning building-sized rocks before they hit our planet. Fire allows us to cook food, and it is around campfires that we gather, tell stories, and form a sense of belonging and community. It is a great example that how we interpret and respond to enchantment is up to us, May thinks. If we focus on fire’s danger, we’ll always be scared of it. If we respect it and appreciate its benefits, we can harness it as a source of wonder. Finally, air represents constant change, May believes. She explains the “Brocken specter” phenomenon, named after the highest mountain in the Harz region of Germany. Due to its often misty peak, climbers might see gigantic versions of their own shadow glistening in the clouds. Talk about changing your perspective! Whether it’s a…