Air

AIR

The element of air is maintained by special elemental beings called Sylphs. In addition to the air which we breath and as such surrounds us terrestrially, the entire Atmosphere has to be taken into consideration, since the latter also includes the air. The Sylphs themselves have female forms because of the delicacy of this element. In the upper atmosphere, however, where for example the weather is formed and various other changes take place, the elemental beings are in both male and female forms. Air is an element which is indispensable to all kinds of life on earth. Plants, animals and human beings cannot live here without the existence of this element.

The air is a mixture of gases of 21% is oxygen, 78% hydrogen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide. We also have varying amounts of water vapour and other trace quantities of hydrogen, ozone, helium, neon, methane and so on. Carbon dioxide from the air and water are used by plants through the process of photosynthesis in which plants produce sugars for themselves which are stored as their tissues and on which we all feed. The plants, through this process, produce a very important by-product, oxygen, which all animals and also humans breath and without which life as we know it would not be possible.

The atmosphere, which surrounds the earth not only contains all these mixture of gases mentioned above but also a special layer of gas called the ozone layer which has recently been discovered to be very important to life on earth in its ability to protect us from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun which can be cause cancer. The atmosphere also protects us in many ways against the harmful effect of other kinds of rays such as cosmic rays which would otherwise hit us here in unimpaired strength.

The atmosphere has generally been divided into layers and it would be useful for us to familiarise ourselves with these. The lowest zone is called the Troposphere which extends up to about 16 kilometres above sea-level and this layer is where the weather is formed. The Stratosphere lies above this and extends up to about 50 kilometres. This layer is important because it contains the layer of ozone mentioned above. Then comes the Mesosphere which is characterised by marked decreases in temperatures as altitude increases and extends up to 80 kilometres above sea level. The next layer is called the Thermosphere because of the rapid rise in temperature which can reach 1200° centigrade. It is also called the Ionosphere because electrons are generated as a result of ultraviolet rays from the sun ionising this layer. It extends up to 640 kilometres above sea level. The Exosphere lies beyond this and extends for up to 9600 kilometres which is the outer limit of the atmosphere.

The importance of the atmosphere can be appreciated when the balance is disturbed by for example the actions of man. For example, if the ozone layer present in the Stratosphere is destroyed as it is happening at the present, because of the introduction of harmful industrial chemicals, ultraviolet rays from the sun which this layer is meant to absorb are able to penetrate to the earth thereby damaging skin and eyes leading to widespread skin and eye cancers. If the carbon dioxide, methane and the so-called 'chloroflourocarbons' increase in concentrations in the atmosphere, they retain the sun's infrared rays thereby causing a rise in the earth's surface temperature. This temperature rise which has been described as global warming may melt polar ice caps leading to catastrophic weather changes, flooding and so on. Air pollution by factories have been known to cause 'acid rains' destroying rivers and forests, crops and other vegetation.

In the field of medicine, oxygen has been discovered to play a pivotal role in body defence. The white blood cells in the blood which are part of the body's natural defences against bacterial invaders go through a process called a respiratory burst, a rapid intake of oxygen which helps them to destroy microbes through a series of reactions in which products of oxygen called 'radicals' are released which are very toxic to these organisms. Do we deny there is still more to be discovered? Many people have discovered the importance and the invigorating effects of breathing exercises. Who can assert with certainty there is no more still to be discovered? We are at the very beginning of a very long road. Real success, however, can only be achieved through close collaboration with those elemental beings associated with this very important element.

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