Clay As Remedy

Our Earth offers us clay. Clay embodies vital elemental forces, widely overlooked in this country. All of the elements; Earth, Air, Fire and Water have tremendous healing power.  Clay is Earth and retains the planet’s electro-magnetic energy. It is a purifier like fire, water and air, despite the fact that it is dirt! Healing with clay connects us to the Earth’s forces and creates a reciprocal relationship. Consequently, as healthier humans, we have more energy and passion for tending to the earth.
While clay is not a cure-all, it is a natural remedy that can have an impact on body, mind and spirit, depending on how it is used. Potters, for example, have experienced its ‘healing’ effect through clay’s willingness to listen. When you push or pinch, the clay responds. Experience with a particular clay and its moisture content elicits the best response, but the inherent nature of clay is to move as instructed; pliable at the creator’s hand.
Working with clay is incredibly therapeutic.  I have witnessed hundreds of students benefit from both a short two hour class and the deeper results of a long term endeavor. Their comments have ranged from feeling more relaxed, rejuvenated, grounded and at peace, to describing clay as “a gift; a re-connection with the forces of nature, a spiritual connection that permeates the soul, the physical body, the whole self.” Potters across the world have felt this connection and are drawn to clay like a magnet without really understanding the mystery of clay’s energies or its healing power.