The Four Elements
If you’d like a deeper dive into Elemental Magic than this blog post, I recommend these books:
Elemental Magic: Secrets of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air Magic by Mari Silva
Earth, Air, Fire, Water - in modern paganism we know these elements well and work with them a lot. Most of the associations come from The Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Agrippa. Lets explore them below…
The Element of Earth
The Earth is the steady ground beneath our feet, those things that keep us safe and true to ourselves. Home, root, family - chosen and actual, safety, material security and the quiet earth itself. We also see the Earth as the physical body of the Goddess - She who gives us life and nourishes us.
Direction: North
Tools: Pentacle
Representation: Bowl of Earth or Salt
Sense: Touch
Weapons: Shield
Qualities: Dry and Cold. Darkness, thickness and quietness
Values: Growth, experience, authority, money, physicality, security, nourishment
Zodiac: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo
Symbols: Square, Cornucopia, Scythe, Salt, Stone, Gnomes, the Bull
Colours: Black, Brown, Russet, Green
Places: Caves, forests, fields, gardens, canyons
Uses: Health, Wealth, Prosperity, Employment and Fertility
Magic Types: Use stones, crystals, and knot magic when attuning to the forces of Earth
The Element of Air
Through Air we connect to the energies of intellect, logical thought, of imagination and cold, hard truth. It raises us above our problems so that we can find logical solutions and implement them with detachment. Air can also be too distant and cold, leaving us without feeling and acting only out of logic.
Direction: East
Tools: Wand
Representation: Incense, feather, wind-chime
Sense: Scent
Weapons: Staff
Qualities: Wet and Hot, thinness and motion
Values: Logic, thought, intellect, planning, law and order, justice
Zodiac: Gemini, Aquarius, Libra
Symbols: Circle, bird, bell, flute, chimes, clouds, sylphs, the angel
Colours: White, sky blue, yellow, silver
Places: Sky, mountaintop, treetop, bluffs, summit of a mound
Uses: Generation of new ideas, gathering information, encouraging cooperation, communications, contracts and strength of mind
Magic Types: Use incense, smoke and scent to attune to the Element of Air
The Element of Fire
Fire breathes life and also burns away all that no longer serves us. It is cleaning, purifying, relentless and without compassion. It is the passion of lust, the spark of creation that burns in us to achieve our goals. We also associate this element with the God, the Sun, who bathes the Mother in energy so that She may bring forth life.
Direction: South
Tools: Sword, atheme, wand, staff, candle
Representation: Flame, candle, wand, staff, light
Sense: Sight
Weapons: Sword
Qualities: Hot and Dry, brightness, thinness, motion
Values: Spirit, lust, desire, spark of creation, consuming, regenerative
Zodiac: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Symbols: Triangle, snakes, lions, horses
Colours: Red, gold, yellow, orange, white
Places: Deserts, volcanoes
Uses: Energy, will, healing, to sever ties, passion, to ignite desire, to burn away the old and make way for the new
Magic Types: Use candle magic or flame or heat of any kind to attune to the Element of Fire
The Element of Water
Water is deep, emotional, subtle and ever changing. Within its depths we search for our own inner self, our intuition and psychic abilities. It rounds us out as it pulls our emotions to and fro - like the Moon pulling the tides.
Direction: West
Tools: Chalice, cauldron
Representation: Water or red wine in a chalice or cauldron
Sense: Taste
Weapons: Shield
Qualities: Wet and Cold
Values: Growth, experience, authority, money, physicality, security, nourishment
Zodiac: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo
Symbols: Sea shells, rain water, ocean water
Colours: Green, blue, silver
Places: Beaches, the ocean, rivers, lakes, waterfalls
Uses: To cleanse and bless, scrying, magic to do with emotion and gentle change
Magic Types: Use stones, crystals and knot magic when attuning to the forces of Earth
The Element of Spirit
The most elusive of elements is Spirit, for it is only we, ourselves, that can ever know our true spirit. It is mystery, the unseen, the intangible that holds all of the other elements together. Like dark matter, we can feel its effects without ever seeing it.
Direction: Centre
Tools: You
Colours: Purple
Magic Types: Astral projection, anything involving connection with the Spirit world