Fire is one of the four natural elements recognized in Antiquity.
The Latin word elementum came to Spanish as an element . This is what is called that which integrates or constitutes something . Natural , on the other hand, is what is linked to nature (as opposed to what is artificial or supernatural).
The notion of natural elements refers to different issues according to the context. In ancient times it referred to four elements that were linked to the possible states of matter: fire (plasma), water (liquid), air (gas) and earth (solid).
The four classic natural elements
These four natural elements were the starting point for the development of the four humors that, according to Hippocrates , constituted the basic substances of the organism: blood , phlegm , bile and black bile .
Within the framework of astrology , this concept has been used since Antiquity, taking advantage of the four natural elements to carry out calculation and interpretation techniques in the preparation of the astral chart (it is also called the natal chart , and it is a diagram that shows the positions of the planets with the Earth as the center point at a specific moment in time).
The ether
It is important to talk about ether , the fifth natural element according to certain beliefs and theories, which science considers obsolete. Those who include it in this group describe it as an extremely light substance that occupies all space in the form of a fluid .
This concept can be found in the theory of the Greek philosopher Aristotle , as well as in documents from the late 19th century related to electromagnetic theory.
Water appears among the natural elements.
Natural elements, esotericism and occultism
The French philosopher Pierre A. Riffard , who specializes in the field of esotericism, is the author of Diccionario de esoterismo , a book that was translated into Spanish in 1983. There two orders are described for natural elements: the stratigraphic ( earth, water , air, fire and ether) and the generic (ether, fire, air, water and earth).
Occultism is also interested in natural elements. For example, some of its sectors relate the four elements represented in the Egyptian sphinx with Babylonian astrology (the set of astronomical methods and theories that were developed in ancient Mesopotamia). They draw a correspondence between four signs of the zodiac and the parts of the sphinx: Aquarius (water), Scorpio (air), Leo (fire) and Taurus (earth) are related to the human face, wings, claws and the legs, respectively.
In the literature of Europe, especially in the Baroque theater, there are numerous passages in which natural elements are mentioned. Two clear examples are given in Life is a Dream , by Calderón de la Barca , and in Hamlet , by Shakespeare .
Products born spontaneously, without human intervention
The idea of natural elements, on the other hand, can be related to what nature produces spontaneously, without human intervention. The stars , plants and minerals , for example, can be considered natural elements.
In the context of economics , the expression has a similar meaning. Natural elements are products that are not manufactured by humans , such as fauna and flora. When a person intervenes in production (as in the case of an animal cloned in a laboratory), the element is no longer classified as natural.
A flower that grows spontaneously in a dune near the sea is a natural element, just like the river that increases its flow thanks to the rain and the rocks found on a mountain. On the other hand, a television, a car and a table are not natural elements. On many occasions, products arise from a natural element that is transformed by man : a cotton shirt, a wooden chair, etc.