Rethinking the Elements

 

Think about the Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit, etc.  What do you associate with these forces?  Any seasons, cardinal directions, colors, creatures, or attributes?  Do you have a special connection with any of them?  Do you even perceive Elements that are not listed?  Now, think about why you have these associations. Did you read about the correspondences in a book or article?  Did your mentor or coven give you this wisdom?  Or is it something you developed in your own practice?  Lastly, think about if you agree with these associations.  Have you moved or relocated since first establishing your relationships with the Elements, so they shifted cardinal directions?  Has your practice changed?  Or have you found that you don’t agree with an aspect anymore?

I encourage you to do this questioning every once in a while, especially if you move a lot or have had a serious change in your spiritual beliefs.  Things change, so even if you feel you have standing correspondences with the Elements it is good to reestablish and reconnect.

© Ariadne Woods

Witch Tips Special Edition: Earth

This post is the first of a series discussing ways to connect to the five elements.

In my Earth Science course in school, the professor spoke of the Gaia Theory; the idea that our lovely planet of green and brown is in fact a living organism and we are all just part of a larger system.  As Witches, many of us look at this theory and say well, duh.  She is our home as well as our Mother.

Although it varies, Earth generally is associated with the North.  Her colors are green and brown.  Many deities are associated with Her, including Gaia and the Green Man.  Ways to get close to her are wide and varied.  A small sample includes:

• Gardening: Or any other form of physically working with the earth, including working with gemstones (I’m not an expert in stonework, see other sources like Youtube’s Hibiscus Moon or Witch on the Rocks if you’re interested).  Feeling it through your fingers.  Watching life you have planted spring forth and prosper.  Or, if you are city-bound, cultivate houseplants.
• Dance: You don’t have to have years of formal training to move to music and let go.  Just put good music on and start moving. Feel the earth under your feet.  Use this method to connect your relationships between earth and spirit.  Along the same lines: drumming.
• Eating Something Earthy:  I’m not talking about buying organic, being vegan, or eating ‘bunny food.’  Have you ever noticed how you feel after eating a potato?  Or a carrot?  It’s easy to over-do (and therefore feel TOO heavy), but eating root veggies can allow you to slow down and look around a little.
• Tree of Life Grounding:  I forget who originally guided me through this visualization exercise, but I know I have found it since then in The Spiral Dance.  Begin with a deep breath.  With the next imagine you have roots that dig deeply into the Earth.  Then with the next breath grow a trunk and branches to the stars.  Breath again and imagine flowers and leaves sprouting.  Spend time in this state, thinking of yourself as a conduit of energy between the Earth and the stars.  Use this meditation to heal the Earth.  It’s also great before spellwork and intense trancework.
• Craftwork: Pottery, yarnwork, beading, etc.  They ground of in the creation of something beautiful and often deal in part with some sort of material from the Earth.

© Ariadne Woods