Module 1, Lesson 4

The 14 Elements of Wayapa®

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Welcome to Lesson 4 of our online course -

How to Reconnect the Disconnection with Wayapa®

I’m Jamie Thomas, the co-creator of Wayapa.

In Lesson 1….

we learnt about all of the problems being created as a result of our disconnection

from Wayapa.

In Lesson 2….

we learnt about all of the CONNECTION TECHNIQUES that Indigenous people used to

stay healthy and well….

in harmony with their environment.

In Lesson 3….

we started learning about using Wayapa as a CONNECTION TOOL…. and all of the

earth, mind, body, spirit benefits as a tool.

In Lesson 4….

I’m going to take you through each of the 14 Wayapa Elements so you can learn why

they are so important.

When you combine all of the 14 elements together in a physical practice….

as in visualization….

it becomes a story….

just like the circle of life.

So what are the 14 elements?

The first of the 14 elements is the Creator.

Looking at that concept of a Creator, of the creation of the planet….

it doesn’t matter if it’s a concept of a spiritual creator….

it doesn’t matter if it’s a concept of a physical creation….

some people talk about the Big Bang Theory….

it’s about looking at the Creator….

and how we Connect to that and be appreciative of where it’s from.

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The second element is the Sun.

The Sun is about acknowledging the benefits the sun gives us….

the light…. the warmth…. the whole photosynthesis process of creating oxygen, the

whole necessity and need for it.

Waypapa also focuses on the seasons….

so the seasons are about acknowledging that we as a planet, Mother Earth, is cycling

around the sun.

We talk about the Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year)

we talk about the Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year)

but also about connecting to the Equinoxes (Spring & Autumn Equinoxes have equal

amounts of daylight & darkness)

and tuning ourselves in….

with how nature responds to those seasons, to those cycles.

Element number three is the Moon.

It’s about acknowledging the power of the Moon.

It’s about acknowledging the Moon cycling around Mother Earth.

It’s about acknowledging how the Moon affects our bodily functions….

how it affects the water on the planet…. the water within the bodily functions of

animals.

The Moon is a very powerful source and it’s important we are aware of what stages

the Moon is at….

whether it’s a new moon….

a waxing moon….

that full moon that is very powerful…. or the waning moon.

Wayapa is about connecting in and being observant of the Moon’s cycles throughout

a lunar month and about acknowledging that we are affected by it. Which in turn

will make us well if we are aware of where the Moon is at and where it’s cycling.

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The fourth element of Wayapa is about the Earth.

It’s as simple as that.

It’s about acknowledging the spaces that are around us where we are standing.

It’s about acknowledging the surface of the Earth….

is it Water....

is it Rocks….

Sand….

Grass….

Dirt?

It’s about acknowledging the mountain ranges….

whether they are massive mountain ranges or whether they are just small hills….

the valleys.

It’s also about acknowledging the shifting plates that are underneath our feet and

about how the Earth was created by volcanoes and so forth.

The fifth element is the Lightning.

The Lightning is about sharing the knowledge that we can attain about why Lightning

is important for the Earth.

Does it serve a purpose?

Some of the stories that I have learnt is that Lightning charges all of the minerals in

the land….

it creates fertilizer for the earth through a transformation process (of changing

nitrogen into nitrate).

It’s about acknowledging that Fires can start from Lightning….

and that it’s a regenerative process for the Earth.

It also talks about fire and our relationship with the Earth and how we connect to

that fire….

how we use it for our own warmth…. and cooking….

and how we use it as a tool to continually regenerate the Earth.

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The sixth element is the Rain.

It’s about that relationship we have with Rain….

and I have a lot of friends…. and there was a stage where I went through it as well….

where sometimes we get a little bit down about the Rain.

The Wayapa element of sharing the Rain is about acknowledging its importance….

the Rain has patterns…. and it has seasons….

and that Rain travels from different directions….

and it’s going all across the oceans.

It’s coming from the West….

it’s coming from the East….

it’s coming from the North….

it’s coming from the South.

The Rain is patterning all over the planet and how we connect in with that….

but when we are connected to that rain we acknowledge that we need Rain….

so on the days where we feel trapped inside….

and we just want to go out….

because we’ve been inside for three or four days….

don’t get discouraged by that….

be happy that it actually is raining….

Imagine a world without Rain…. it would be very dry and we’d be very thirsty!

The seventh element is the Wind.

What is the wind actually doing for the planet?

A couple of things that come to mind when I share the environmental stories of the

Wind is that….

it’s pollinating plants and flowers….

it’s picking up seeds and blowing those seeds across the planet….

it’s picking up nutrients.

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One of the stories we share in Wayapa is that the Wind picks up the nutrients from

an African desert….

that was in the sand from a million-year-old ocean bed….

and blows it across the ocean….

and deposits it in the rainforests of South America to fertilise that whole space!

So the Wind is an important tool of Mother Earth….

and that depositing of seeds….

that re-creation of trees in other parts of the world….

is an important tool that the Wind plays in Mother Earth.

The eighth element we talk about in Wayapa is the Tree.

So you might actually start to see a bit of a pattern forming here.

The first element being the Creator….

then the second element being the Sun…. the center of our universe.

The third element being the Moon….

another very powerful aspect of how we are affected and connected….

and then the Earth.

So we are coming down from above….

and then all of the elements that Mother Earth has…. the Lightning…. the Rain.

Then we go from that Wind that blows those seeds and we become that Tree.

So the eighth element is about Connecting into that Tree.

Trees are a very important part of our life….

they sustain us by the oxygen they create….

the materials they have….

the wood that we use for building….

the food….

the shelters….

the spiritual connectivity to the Trees.

Trees are a very important part of Wayapa but they’re also a very important part of

our environment.

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The ninth element we talk about is the Air Element.

We use the eagle as an Air element example but for the next three elements, you

can use whatever you connect to….

it’s their movement that we connect to with the Air element.

It’s about acknowledging all things that fly….

whether it’s eagles…. or other birds….

or whether it’s bats….

or bees…. insects or butterflies.

It’s about acknowledging that there are things in the world that fly.

If you go back thousands and thousands of years ago…. millions of years ago….

dinosaurs…. things that occupied that Air space.

It’s about using that air analogy of getting up above your situation and looking at

something from a bigger picture….

so the Air Element is an important part of Wayapa.

The tenth element we use is the Land Animal or Element.

We use the Kangaroo as an example….

it could be a wallaby….

but we use the Kangaroo because one….

its uniquely Australian…. and this is an Australian-made modality….

and two….

is that the Kangaroo is a very exceptional animal.

It has the ability to shut down its breeding mechanism when food is scarce or there

are droughts. That animal is very aware and in tune with its environment….

so as not to overuse or over populate its area.

The Kangaroo is an analogy for….

in the old days traditionally….

everything on that Kangaroo was utilized….

the meat for food….

the skin….

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the sinew….

the teeth….

everything was used.

So if you’re looking at a traditional village structure set up….

there’s no waste from that animal.

So that Kangaroo is a very important topic as a tenth element because it’s about its

ability to sustain itself….

but it’s also about not using something a little bit and then throwing it away….

it’s about using that whole thing.

It gets me thinking about recycling, up-cycling and reusing.

The eleventh element we talk about is….

obviously we’ve gone from the Air to the Land….

is the Water.

The Water Element is important because it’s about honoring all things that live in

water, both fresh and salt water.

It’s about looking at that water element…. so we use the Eel.

They are here in Australia…. here in Victoria…. And they’re in other parts of the

world as well.

Eels, the short-finned eels, live in the fresh water and grow up….

and when they’re ready to breed….

they migrate out into the ocean and they have the babies and then they pass on.

So we talk about that fresh water and salt-water relationship….

and the need for clean fresh water….

and clean salt water….

but we also talk about that innate ability….

which we call cellular memory.

So those baby eels are born with that knowledge of where to go.

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How do they get back to those river ways from which their ancestors came from?

We focus in on that concept of cellular memory….

and how we are Connected to the memories of our Ancestors.

We are actually born with those memories….

that’s how those baby eels know how to go through that whole process of

reconnecting back to where their Ancestors came from.

The 12th element is talking about the Hunter.

The Hunter is about looking at….

in a 1000 generations of our Ancestors….

or 2000 or 5000 generations of Ancestors….

who were the people that hunted?

In Wayapa….

we talk about that it was traditionally the man that actually went out…

and hunted the bigger game….

providing for his family.

In some villages around the world….

sometimes the women hunted….

so it’s about looking at the concept of what a hunter is.

When we go into these last three elements….

it’s about talking about what are the things you need to learn to be that person….

to be successful….

and what does being a modern day hunter look like?

Have the skills changed or are they the same?

So it’s about honoring the skills that were needed to hunt for the food and resources

that are provided for our families.

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The 13th element….

you probably guessed it….

is the Gatherer.

It’s about honoring the knowledge and the skills that the gatherer obtained to go

out, once again, to collect the resources.

Often the Gatherer was the women in our families…. in our communities

that went out and collected the smaller resources….

the food, the nuts, the berries, the tubers, the roots….

but also the things that make string from the reeds or rushes.

But it’s also about that social side of going out together.

When we talk about the roles in a traditional sense…. when I say traditional we’re

talking about ancient times…. when we were hunters and gatherers….

what were their roles….

sometimes they did both.

So what were those roles….

and how do they relate to us in a modern context today?

Finally, the 14th element….

how could you complete a Wayapa cycle without acknowledging the Child!

To us at Wayapa, the Child becomes the Creator.

The Child becomes the one that has passed on to them….

all this knowledge of how to sustain itself….

By knowing the stories of the seasons and the cycles….

Often in a village there was a Creation story of where we come from as people and

these were passed onto the Child.

The knowledge of the Hunter and the Gatherer….

depending on the gender of the child….

that knowledge was passed on….

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so they could grow into the Community….

and start their own family….

and continue that intergenerational relationship with respecting the Earth.

The question we ask ourselves at Wayapa….

Is….

What are we teaching the next generation of children?

Are we teaching them the Philosophies….

the Principals….

and the Practices….

of how to look after the Earth and why is it important to do it?

So Wayapa becomes a tool that we need to show to our next generation of children.

So for the Child Element….

it’s about looking at the analogy that children have to learn all of this stuff….

and often it takes time.

Just like we teach children to walk and talk….

we use the analogy of water…. that we teach children to swim.

To do that….

it’s a reflective process of looking into the water….

feeling that water….

and connecting in with it.

The Children are the 14th element of Wayapa….

and just as important as the first!

Just like the event of a Creation…. the Children will CREATE….

just like WE are the Children….

we will CREATE the next generation of Respectful, Responsible and Accountable

humans that will need to have a relationship with Mother Earth.