Poetry of the elements

Whether philosophy, alchemy, religion, esotericism, natural science or art: a wide variety of disciplines have been studying the four elements for centuries. The idea that the earth or the entire universe is made up of fire, water, earth and air dates back to ancient times. The four elements are recognized as a primordial principle with transformative powers that is both dynamic and always valid. This idea remained an important point of orientation for all knowledge until the Enlightenment. With the advent of new discoveries and insights in the natural sciences, particularly in chemistry, the term element was reinterpreted. It is now understood to mean substances that cannot be further separated; the periodic table classifies them.

From today's perspective, the explanation of the world with the four-element theory seems outdated, but the questions that were asked at the time still remain unresolved: How did the earth and the universe come into being? And is there a principle that determines everything? What happens after death? These existential questions are certainly one reason for the continuing fascination associated with the four elements.