The Elements

In the witches' view of the universe, all things are made up of four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. All animals, plants, stones, emotions, inanimate objects, and energies are combinations of these elements…as, of course, are we. Everything has its own unique blend of the four elements in it: everything that has substance has earth in it; everything that has energy in it has fire; everything that flows and/or has feelings has water; and everything that involves sound, thinking, or communication has air in it.

We call upon the elements when we do magic, offer healing, undertake a project, cook a meal...anything where we would like to have the elements come together in perfect balance for a specified purpose. This isn't praying so much as inviting the energies of the elements to come into our space and offer their own unique gifts to the project we are working on.

Many people work with "elementals." These are creatures whose being is totally of one element. They embody that element and can help or hinder us as we work with it. Generally, they like people who embody the best features of their element, and can make trouble for those who feel uncomfortable with it...but it is possible to befriend all of them.

Most of us have more of one element than the others in our makeup...or perhaps have one or two that are lacking in comparison. One way to get an impression about this is to have your birth chart drawn by an astrologer and count how many planets you have in each element. Another is to read about the elements and their correspondences and see which ones you are most comfortable with. Most people start out by establishing working relationships with the elements they resonate with easily, and then work toward those that are more elusive for them. To be most successful as a magician, and to have a well-balanced personality and energy system, one should try for reasonable balance between all four, but there will always be some you'll find easier to work with.

In these pages, I offer information about the correspondences of the elements. I also offer a number of suggestions for short meditative or experiential activities that can help you get in touch with the feel/energy/meaning of each of the elements. I suggest the types of things that would honor each element on an altar, and ways that one might try to befriend the elementals. Goddess knows I'm still working on all of this myself, (especially with Fire) so if you have any suggestions for something I haven't mentioned, please let me (Willo) know.

Please note that while things like herbs and stones are primarily of Earth and music is primarily of Air, etc, different representatives of each of these groups will have more energy of one element or another than the others might. This is how we can say that light and leafy herbs, or those with penetrating, clear scents might be of Air, and those that are hot and spicy might be of Fire, even as we acknowledge that all herbs are Earthy beings. Similarly, candles are magical tools of Fire....but we can light candles of various colours or scents to honour the other elements.

I wrote an exercise for meeting, playing, and learning with birds for the Air page. I live in a big city, and songbirds are one of the few "wild" things I get much opportunity to interact with. If you live in the country and can spend time with some of the other animal friends I have mentioned, please enrich your experience by doing so. Watch them, talk to them in non-threatening ways. (note...I've learned that birds really don't like to be smiled at...they don't seem to realise that this way of showing teeth is meant to be friendly) Offer or leave food, healing energy, or anything else you are inspired to give. Observe their behaviour and learn from it. You can have learning experiences no less profound than The Wart's even if you can't physically change into animals, if you open yourself to thinking like them. Of course, please remember that wild animals are wild and may hurt you if you look like food or if they are cornered or threatened.

One final note...I offer many classical correspondences and some that are relevant for me. As you become familiar with the energies involved, you may find other correspondences make more sense to you. Just as it makes sense to celebrate the Sabbats according to the actual season in the southern hemisphere, so it makes sense to place Earth nearest your polar ice cap and Fire where you see the tropics. I once spent a whole magical retreat with all my directions 180 degrees out of synch because there was a mountain where I thought North was and water where I thought West was and an eagle's nest where I thought East was. The magic worked.

Let these pages form a springboard for you in your own exploration of the elements. And enjoy the new partnerships you'll form.

Sun, Leo, red/orange/yellow, sexual, active, male, creative/destructive, candles, flames, hot peppers, red food, spicy foods

...Take a moment to watch a candle burning. See how the wax forms a puddle at the base of the wick and is drawn up the wick to feed the flame, as the air feeds it from above. See how this combination of liquid, solid and gas comes together to make Fire, which transforms its fuel to light and heat. Yet another of the mysteries of our world...the way that fire can transform anything we feed it to pure energy, leaving only a small amount of ash...which is itself a nutrient for the soil...

...whether it is the miracle of a single candle flame, or the raging destruction of a forest fire, Fire is an element whose power for transformation is immediately apparent...

Perhaps the greatest source of Fire we know is our Sun. This ball of burning gasses provides all living things on Earth with warmth and light. Without it, life as we know it would be impossible. By the miracle known as photosynthesis, our cousins the plants are able to capture the energy of the Sun in a form that both they and we can use for nourishment. The sugars made by plants using the light of the Sun form the basis for all foodstuffs...and when we eat these sugars and starches, we break them down to release the energy they have stored.

Energy is the currency of life. It is the vibration of the molecules in our cells that allow those molecules to come together so that our cells can be built. Energy allows us to move our muscles to go in search of food, to gather and prepare it, and to consume and digest it. It is the heat that makes us respond to the opposite sex and the fuel for the acts that reproduce the species. Our brains, hearts, and bodies require it to function.

As above, so below. The Sun burns above us...and its energy supports life. The energy we consume we can translate into useful work. That work we can trade for the things we cannot do for ourselves, and our work supplies the needs of others. Any energy that is in excess after our basic needs are met, we can burn off in the pursuit of pleasure.

Fire is associated with the South in this hemisphere. Certainly it is easy to think of the great deserts and tropical jungles to the south of us. Even on the shortest days, the Sun rises in the South and shines upon us from this direction. Fire is associated with noon, when the sun is at its zenith in the sky. It is associated with Summer, that time when the Sun is with us for long days that ripen produce. It is associated with young adulthood, that time of life when we expend huge amounts of energy training and making careers for ourselves...the time of life when we expend large amounts of sexual energy to find the mates we wish to have children with...and to produce those children.

Movement is one of the themes of Fire, and when we build the great bale-fires at the Sabbats, we often raise energy by dancing around them. Dancing is one of the most effective ways to raise energy and alter consciousness that we have: it keeps us in our bodies but makes our circulation of both blood and energy increase markedly. It is a wonderful way to dislodge blockages by increasing the energy flowing by them. It also pulls people together, moving to the same rhythm, creating a movement of bodies around the fire and a movement of energy in harmony.

Magical techniques associated with fire are candle magic, burning of anything, scrying in flames, and dancing around fires.

Fire heals by getting things moving. It can help one overcome the stagnation of apathy, the heaviness of depression, or the distant coldness of intellectualisation. It also heals by transforming one form of energy to another.

Fire corresponds to Will, that force within us that keeps us selecting goals and moving toward them, dealing with the obstacles and challenges we find in our path. It's the spiritual quality of strength of purpose, and it helps us deal with obstacles and challenges. It motivates us and helps us motivate others to work with us for common goals. It gives us courage (from coeur, French for "Heart") when we are dis-cour-aged or dis-heart-ened.

The magical tool associated with the South and Fire is the Wand, which conducts and aims the energy of the practitioner out to his/her goals. Actually, the athame and sword are often used in much the same way, and sometimes the assignments of these tools are reversed, with the wand in the East and the athame in the South. I prefer to place the Wand in the South because the Tarot suit of Wands corresponds to Fire, the suit of creative work, energy, and overcoming obstacles... Major Arcana associated with Fire are the Emperor, Strength, the Devil, the Tower, and the Sun.

One of the magical functions of Fire is protection. It is the energy that sets boundaries and rings alarms when those boundaries are crossed. Many techniques for self-protection involve surrounding oneself with light. That light might absorb any negative energy that comes toward you, or it might transform it, burning it in the way of fire to create a neutral energy. The technique that surrounds one with purple flame, as described in Basics of Personal Energy Management is particularly effective this way.

As one progresses on the Wiccan path, the question of will comes up many times. First one embraces the Rede which commands that we not harm others and that we learn what our will is and do it. It commands that our actions must be directed by our own wills...not by the whims of others or by our fears, reflexes, or addictions... but by what we have consciously chosen as our will. Then comes the realisation that when we search for our will, this means looking beyond convenience or habit to look for a higher will or purpose. A Wiccan might not say, as Jesus did, "Thy Will not mine be done." But we do learn that there is a higher Will related to a higher good, and sooner or later we who pledge ourselves in the service of the God/dess will be looking for ways to bring our own wills into alignment with Her Will.

This light of Will that burns at our core is sometimes called Spirit. People define Spirit in many different ways, and my own definition is still evolving: for me it has to do with this process of aligning my will with Divine Will and my light with Divine Light. Many esoteric traditions put this quality or aspect of being called Spirit in the South with Fire. Some place Spirit in the Center of the circle, where all the elements come together.

The angel associated with Fire is Michael, chief of the archangels, known as the Warrior of God. I don't see Michael as a Rambo of the heavens; he is an arm of the God/dess and his flaming sword dispenses justice, balance, and protection to all the children of the One. He is often depicted in armor, like the ideal chevalier of the Middle Ages, protector of the weak and helpless. Like a true warrior, he would rather settle disputes peaceably than with violence. He is dressed in red and scarlet, the colours of Fire, courage, and honour.

All the elements have a destructive side; hurricanes, floods, and landslides can kill as surely as fire. But there is something about the consuming hunger of fire that strikes fear in people. Certainly the virtues of this element...transformation, protection, and fighting spirit...need to be carefully contained and directed or they can also be destructive. Certainly the warrior spirit has gone completely out of control many times in human history.

I also believe that the Catholic church had a stroke of genius when they elected to use Fire as a tool of execution for those who strayed from their teachings. They also made fire their symbol of eternal suffering. By creating an almost universal fear of fire, they also made us afraid of our fighting spirit, our will to communicate with Divinity in our own way and work toward our own goals, afraid of our very creativity. It was a wonderful weapon to keep people from expressing individuality and independent spirit. I think that the witches' willingness to embrace the Fire in their being is far closer to the "devil worship" Christians fear in us than is our gentle horned God.

The fire elementals are called Salamanders. They are brilliant, ephemeral creatures that dance in flames. They will help you overcome obstacles, and they like people who have the courage to act on their truth. They will help you protect yourself when you must...and have little patience for willing victims. While they enjoy playing in flames and will come when you light candles or fires, the gift they appreciate most is an act of courage.

You might wish to make an altar in the southern part of your house to honour the Element of Fire and the Salamanders. Drape it and decorate it in red and orange. Offer candles, snakeskins, sand, desert roses, and red stones. Welcome the Element and the Salamanders to make this their home. Then light the candles on this altar when you ask your Higher Will for guidance or work on your fears.

When invoking the Element or elementals of Fire use the symbols offered in the background of this page. A Fire Invoking Pentagram starts at the top, moves to the lower right, and continues around to repeat this line. Fire can also be invoked using the circle with a triangle in the middle, or a red triangle. To release the element, draw the Air Releasing Pentagram shown in the bottom left corner, which is a reversal of the Invoking Pentagram. If you use the red triangle or triangle in a circle, see the flames burning out through it, then see it folding in upon itself and disappearing.

Magical Goals Aided By Fire: Athletics/Banishing Illness/Competitions and contests/Courage/Creativity/Defense Loyalty/

Creatures Associated with Fire: Cats: Lions, Tigers, Cougars, Panthers, Housecats, Desert Dwellers: Snakes, Lizards, Scorpions, Fiery Creatures from Myth: Fire Dragons, the Phoenix

Alder	Allspice	Amaranth	Angelica
Asafetida	Ash	Basil	Bay
Wood Betony	Blood Root	Cactus	Carnation
Carrot	Cashew	Cat Tail	Cedar
Centaury	Chili	Chrysanthemum	Cinnamon
Cinquefoil	Clove	Copal	Coriander
Cubeb	Cumin	Curry	Damiana
Dragon's Blood	Frankincense	Galangal	Garlic
Gentian	Ginger	Ginseng	Goldenseal
Gorse	Hawthorn	High John the Conqueror	Holly
Horse Chestnut	Hounds tongue	Juniper	Leek
Lovage	Mandrake	Marigold	Masterwort
May Apple	Mullein	Mustard	Nutmeg
Oak	Olive	Onion	Orange
Pennyroyal	Pepper	Peppermint	Pimento
Pineapple	Poke Root	Pomegranate	Prickly Ash
Radish	Rosemary	Rowan	Rue/
Saffron	St John's Wort	Sarsaparilla	Sassafras
Sesame	Shallot	Snapdragon	Sunflower
Tangerine	Tea	Thistle	Milk Thistle
Holy Thistle	Ti	Toadflax	Tobacco
Tormentil	Venus Flytrap	Walnut	Witch Hazel
Woodruff	Wormwood	Yarrow	Yucca

Agate, fire	Agate, red	Amber	Apache Tear
Asbestos	Bloodstone	Carnelian	Citrine
Flint	Garnet	Hematite	Iron
Jasper, red	Lava	Red Calcite	Ruby
Sardonyx	Sulfur	Sunstone	Tiger's Eye
Topaz	Zircon

Other correspondences include the astrological signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, and the Sun and Mars.

Earth, Virgo, brown/green, female, creative, crystals and stones, bread, grains, fruits and vegetables, salt

....Imagine yourself walking in the forest. See the tall trunks around you, smell the dry leaves on the forest floor. See where the sunlight filters through the branches, and see the little flies that are highlighted in the sunbeams. Beside you is a tree that has fallen over. You go to sit on it... You see a small seedling growing in the fallen log, its roots digging in to anchor it, its branches reaching up for the sky...

The element of Earth represents our Mother, the planet Earth itself. It represents body and solidness. It represents permanence, stability, and security. All the things of Earth are things you can see and hold. If Earth is Matter, it's also the Mother, or Mater. It represents nourishment on all levels. So Earth encompasses the soil which nourishes the plants and the insects and worms that process the decayed matter in the Earth to turn it into food. It represents the plants and all creatures that eat the plants. So it represents all the animals that run on four legs ...or two...or many...

Hoofed Animals: Cows and Bulls, Stags and Does, Buffalo, Moose, Antelope, Goats, Sheep
Forest Dwellers: Boars, Wolves
Diggers in the Earth: Rabbits, Squirrels and Chipmunks, Gophers, Groundhogs, Badgers
Insects that live in the Earth: Centipedes, Termites, Worms, Woodbugs
Earth Creatures from Myth: Earth Dragons, Gnomes, Dwarves

Earth is the element traditionally placed at the North pole of the circle. This is an easy association for me, because there are mountains north of me, and vast stretches of wilderness that are too cold for many people to wish to live in. Since anyone in this hemisphere associates North with tundra, ice, and snow, it is reasonable that as we've followed the circle around, North represents Winter. It also represents the Winter of our lifetime... old age, when our bodies are no longer fertile, but our dreams are. Within the cycle of the day, Earth represents midnight, the time of complete darkness after dusk and before dawn.

While all of the elements offer their own types of healing, Earth is the element that rules the healing of our bodies. It is the element of the plants...so the healing herbs... although each herb will have a unique balance of the elements within it. And of course, it is the element of the crystals, used for healing on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.

The Earth Elementals are called Gnomes. Gnomes come in many sizes, from the little guys who nurture each blade of grass to the large ones who work with the trees, to the huge ones who work with whole mountains. They are the elementals we can contact and communicate with most easily because they are the densest, the most like us. They like to live in the earth, and don't care for exposure or sunlight. They work hard and tend to be quite serious. The "Seven Dwarves" who befriend Snow White and go each day to dig in the earth for precious stones are very typical Gnomes. They can be good friends to those who love the earth. (We call people who are loyal and practical "the salt of the earth") They respect wealth and they respect those who are thrifty and recycle.

They appreciate coins and stones as gifts...they also appreciate any work you do to heal the Earth, to recycle, or to plant and maintain gardens.

The Gnomes will help you with work to heal the body, or to heal the Earth itself. They will work with you to break habits that aren't healthy. They will work with you for prosperity and abundance. They will assist you with fertility issues and with any work you do for your family.

Types of magic ruled by Earth and the Gnomes include crystal or stone magic, herb magic, magic that plants seeds or buries things, and magic with sand or salt. Any of these things can represent Earth on your altar...stones and crystals, pots of earth, growing plants, salt, or cast-off gifts of creatures of earth...like antlers or hooves.

They can also help you with all of the following:

Magical Goals Aided By Earth: Abundance/Agriculture/Archeology/Buildings and Houses/Construction and Fabrication/
Family/Fertility/Healing/Job and Career Matters/Money/Nutrition/Old Age/Weight Problems

The magical tool associated with Earth is the pentagram. This magical symbol, the five pointed star, represents the four elements pulled together and under spirit. It is a powerful symbol of protection. Earth is associated with the Discs or Pentagrams in the Tarot, and with the Empress, the Chariot, the Wheel of Fortune, the Hermit, Judgement, and the World.

Other correspondences include the astrological signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, and the Planets Venus and Jupiter.

The Archangel of the North and the Earth is Uriel. Dressed in greens, browns, and black, he is a fearsome, quiet figure who offers justice. He is the patron of psychics and an initiator into the mysteries.

You might wish to make an altar in the northern part of your house to honour the Element of Earth and the Gnomes. Drape it and decorate it in browns, greens, and black. Offer stones and crystals, pots of earth or bowls of salt, coins, gems, herbs sacred to Earth, and the cast off gifts of animals, such as antlers or hooves. Welcome the Element and the Gnomes to make this their home. Then light the candles on this altar when you cook, wrap gifts, work with your family, plan your finances, or do healing work.

It may help when invoking the Element or elementals of Earth to use the symbols offered in the background of this page. An Earth Invoking Pentagram starts at the top point, moves to the lower left, and continues around to repeat this line. Earth can also be invoked using the circle with a cross in the middle, or a plain black square. To release the element, draw the Earth Releasing Pentagram shown in the bottom left corner, which is a reversal of the Invoking Pentagram. If you use the black square or circle and cross, see the shape it folding in upon itself and disappearing.

You can ask the Element of Earth, or its Guardians or the Gnomes to help you develop any of the postive traits listed above. To balance any of the negative traits, you may need to appeal to the other three elements to help balance an overabundance of Earth.

Alfalfa	Barley	Beet	Bistort
Buckwheat	Corn	Cotton	Cypress
Fern	Fumitory	Honeysuckle	Horehound
Horsetail	Loosestrife	Magnolia	Mugwort
Oats	Oleander	Patchouly	Pea
Potato	Primrose	Quince	Rhubarb
Rye	Sage	Sagebrush	Sorrel, Wood
Tulip	Turnip	Vervain	Vetivert
Wheat

Aventurine	Angelite	Azurite	Celestite
Agate, green	Agate, moss	Alum	Aventurine
Cat's Eye	Crysophase	Coal	Emerald
Geodes	Jasper	Jet	Obsidian
Olivine	Onyx	Peridot	Stalagmite
Stalactite	Tourmaline, black and green	Turquoise

...Take a deep breath into your heart, and let it out. As you breathe in, take a moment to ponder the mystery of this ocean of air we live in. We and all the other animals breathe in the air and remove the oxygen so that we can live...we use it to extract energy from our food. The waste product is Carbon Dioxide, which we breathe out. Our cousins the plants take in the Carbon Dioxide and use it to trap the energy of the sunlight, so that when we eat them we extract this energy. The plants give off oxygen, which they breathe out...and the cycle of life continues...giving and receiving so that we all live...like your breath...in...and out...

The element of Air is associated with the East in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the where the Sun rises, so this thinnest and most etherial of the elements is associated with Sunrise...and new beginnings. It is associated with Springtime and the wonder and curiosity of childhood.

Think of the joy you feel as the sky lightens in the East. Think of the sense of potential you feel as you see the clouds take on the glorious colours of the beginning of a new day. Of course, we feel the same sense of potential, of awe at the beauty of a life beginning when we hear the cry of a newborn babe, or when the winds of Spring blow the scents of the thaw and the bursting blossoms our way...

The element of Air is, of course, associated with the sense of smell. While there are scents we associate with each of the elements , the scents of Spring flowers come to mind. And the scents we use for cleaning the air...lavender, lemongrass, and pine. Incense is the magical tool of the East and the Air.

The element of Air is also associated with music. Of course, sound is transmitted through airwaves. But Air provides the songs of the wind rustling in the trees. Of all the songbirds. Of flutes and whistles. Of our own voices raised in song. Certainly, one can associate certain types of instruments with each of the elements, and we will, but Air is the element of that first creative urge to create beautiful sounds...

Creatures Associated with Air

Birds: Eagles, Hawks, Nightingales, Larks, Hummingbirds, Wrens, Chickadees, Sparrows, etc.
Insects: Butterflies, Dragonflies, Bees, Ladybugs
Flying Creatures from Myth: Air Dragons, Fairies, flying horses

Angels are also associated with Air, although there are angels specifically associated with each of the elements. The Archangel often called as Guardian of the Air is Raphael.

Raphael's name means "Healer of God." He is robed in gold, yellow, and blue. He carries a caduceus, the wand entwined by two serpents used as a symbol of healing. He rules science, knowledge, compassion, and healing.

Another Being who carries a caduceus, of course, is Mercury, messenger of the Gods, who rules intellect, verbal expression, science, synthesis, and research. Mercury is another Guardian of the Air.

The realm of Air is the mind and mental activity. Air rules the ideas that come "out of the blue." It offers the gift of clarity...the ability to perceive what is relevent and useful in a given situation. It rules the process of sythesising ideas and concepts from many different sources or disciplines into something that is cohesive and comprehensive. It rules the communication of these ideas... writing and verbal expression. It rules teaching. And it rules poetry.

The elementals associated with Air are called Sylphs. These are among the easiest elementals to see, especially as a flash from the corner of your eye. They look like small winged creatures in pastel colours who ride the airwaves..often they are called fairies. They tend to be attracted to those who are quick thinking and quick moving. They can be mischevious...blowing things about...rustling through your hair...making sounds that distract you.

They can also help you with all of the following:

Magical Goals Aided By Air: Communications/Educations/Group Work/Intellectual Skills/Organization/Overcoming Addictions/ Speaking/Teaching/Tests and Examinations/Theorizing/Travel/Writing...Prose, Poetry, or Music

All of the exercises offered above will help you attune to the Element of Air and its elementals, the Sylphs. Focussing on breathing, timing magic for dawn and/or Springime, attuning to and befriending birds and/or flying creatures, writing, singing, making music, reading anything that makes you think, burning incense or otherwise offering lovely smells to the air (perhaps as essential oils). When you chose to meet the Sylphs, try to find a hilltop where the breazes fly around you. At first, just meet them and share joy in their gifts and beauty. Offer them a present...of a song, poem, or scent. Befriend them.

You might wish to make an altar in the eastern part of your house to honour the Element of Air and the Sylphs. Drape it and decorate it in pale blue, yellow, and white. Offer feathers, dragonfly wings, pipes, pale blue stones, incense, herbs sacred to air. Welcome the Element and the Sylphs to make this their home. Then light the candles and incense on this altar when you read or write or study.

It may help when invoking the Element or elementals of Air to use the symbols offered in the background of this page. An Air Invoking Pentagram Starts in the upper right, moves to the upper left, and continues around to repeat this line. Air can also be invoked using the circle with a dot in the middle, or a plain blue circle. To release the element, draw the Air Releasing Pentagram shown in the bottom left corner, which is a reversal of the Invoking Pentagram. If you use the blue circle or circle with dot, see the winds blowing out through it, then see it folding in upon itself and disappearing.

You can ask the Element of Air, or its Guardians or the Sylphs to help you develop any of the postive traits listed above. To balance any of the negative traits, you may need to appeal to the other three elements to help balance an overabundance of Air.

You can also call upon the Air elementals when you wish to work on healing for the air or the atmosphere...ask them to help remove pollutants, to repair the ozone layer, etc.

Acacia	Agaric	Agrimony	Almond
Anise	Aspen	Bean	Benzoin
Bergamot	Bistort	Bittersweet	Borage
Bracken	Broom	Caraway	Celery
Chicory	Clover	Dandelion	Dill
Dock	Elecampagne	Eyebright	Fennel
Goldenrod	Hops	Lavender	Lemongrass
Lemon Verbena	Lily of the Valley	Linden	Mace
Male Fern	Maple	Marjoram	Mastic
Meadowsweet	Mint	Mistletoe	Mulberry
Parsley	Pecan	Pimpernel	Pine
Pistachio	Rice	Summer Savory	Senna
Slippery Elm	Southernwood	Star Anise

Other correspondences include the astrological signs of Libra, Gemini, and Aquarius, and the Planets Mercury and Uranus.

Air rules the suit of Swords and is associated with the Magician, Justice, the Wheel of Fortune, Temperance, and the Star in the Tarot.

Water...it has so many moods. One can picture the deep swelling power of the ocean or the tiny lines made by raindrops on a window. Water is the crystal clarity of a mountain stream or a stagnant pool rich in micro-organisms. It's the warm laziness of a scented bath or the cold splashing challenge of white-water rafting. It can nourish or it can destroy. It can clean or it can leave a layer of muddy sludge. It can be still or rapid, deep or shallow, tranquil or fierce, ephemeral or enduring. We do our best to contain it and train it...and it serves our purpose when we do...but it also becomes unusable if allowed to sit too long.

All in all, it is a very fitting metaphor for the flow of our emotions.

Water is the element generally associated with West in circle. Because I live where the ocean lies to the west of me, this is an easy association to make. Certainly in much of British and European folklore there are tales of lands of plenty over the waters to the West.

It is the place where the sun sets...so a place associated with earned rest. It is, naturally enough, associated with dusk...that hazy time between true day and true night...between work and sleep. It is associated with middle age, that time when we have settled to enjoy some peace...in relationships, in constructive work, in the raising of our children. (...well, again, water isn't always peaceful!)

And the shadowy in-between time, when light and shadow are so hard to distinguish is also a metaphor for another association of water...that of dreams, visions, and illusions. Just as, in dreams, the connections between scenes and events are murky and might not make sense...water can seep in unexpected ways through the ground or through walls. Just as mist can make both vision and hearing inaccurate...just as water can magnify anything seen through it... just as a watery surface can act as a mirror that distorts, so can our emotions render our perceptions inaccurate....and create illusion. And a classic way to scry for visions is to use a bowl of water.

The heart, of course, is another association of Water. Do you recall that melting, weak-kneed feeling the first time you fell in love? Love, considered by some the queen of emotions, is a strong association of Water.

The heart pumps the blood through our arteries, and collects it from the veins...which in turn collect water from the tissues and lymph. It pumps blood through the kidneys, which regulate the balance of water and electrolytes in the body. Our bodies are 90% water, and that water creates the intracellular and extracellular fluids, the brew in which electrolytes, nutrients, and enzymes are able to carry on the functions of life.

Water is central to the mystery of how life first came to be; the chemicals that first came together into self-replicating forms could not have done so in any medium but water...

Water flows in riverbeds and sits dreaming in lakes, it falls through the skies and shifts constantly in the deep craters that form our oceans. It becomes a body we can define only through being captured in some kind of container. Indeed, we need a container for it if it is to sit on our altar. We can't raise it to our lips to drink without a container. The magical tool associated with water is the cup or chalice.

And this tool is a metaphor for all the containers that open to receive and hold the stuff of life. It can be the cauldron of Cerridwen or the cupped hands of Quan Yin. It can be the womb of the Great Mother or of Gaia which contains the seas. The ocean, of course, being the place where all waters flow, is the final cauldron where our souls are collected when we die.

The Christians took this image and made it into their Holy Grail, which has become a symbol of the healing possible through Divine Love... Again, love emerges as a theme for Water.

And before I leave the theme of chalices and cups....the Tarot suit associated with Water is, of course, the Cups...the suit of emotions and matters of the heart. Major Arcana associated with Water are the High Priestess, the Lovers, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, and The Moon.

The Moon, of course, has a deep association with Water because it rules the tides of the oceans. And again, we see here the theme of the uterus, watery container where life begins, with its tides and cycles synchronised with those of the moon. The other "planet," (astrologically speaking) associated with Water is Neptune. The astrological signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

One of the major functions of water in magic is its role as a cleanser. Of course, all the elements cleanse in their own way, but water of course is the medium in which we bathe, shower, wash our clothes, and scrub our homes. It's what we combine with soap to make bubbles..

Of course, one of the more wonderful gifts of Water, which combines both its cleansing action and it's Love, is forgiveness. Cleanse the old resentments, fill those spaces up with love, and see how much better you feel.

Some ways of using water in magic include bathing and showering, as above, and charging water to drink, sprinkle about, anoint with, and evapourate by your bed or on your altar. As already mentioned, one can scry using a bowl of water, or look for visions in the steam rising from a pot, kettle, or cauldron.

The elementals of Water are the Undines. These are filmy, translucent beings rather like little mer-people who swim in the waves. Nancy Watson sees them as little globules floating in the water. They are sentimental, and romantic, and love people who are in touch with their emotions. Tears, love poetry and songs, and scented oils or perfumes make gifts for these beings.

The Archangel associated with Water and the West is Gabriel. Some sources see this angel as masculine, others feminine; in general, angels are considered beyond gender. S/he rules birth, death, and transformation. S/he is the angel of mercy and justice in balance. S/he is considered the angel of the Moon, and guardian of women's cycles and childbirth. S/he can be seen with a cup or a horn, and is usually dressed in blue with orange highlights.

You should be able to make contact with the Undines, and with Gabriel. Ask them to help you with your goals related to emotional healing. Ask them to help you with matters of love and forgiveness. Ask them to help you with any healing you wish to do for the waters of the Earth. Ask them to help you work with dreams or visions.

Magical Goals Aided By Water: Communicating with Ancestors/Beauty/Childbearing and Rearing/Family issues/Friendships
Healing/Home..comfort and beauty/Letting go/Love/Meditation/Partnerships/Psychism/Purification

You might wish to make an altar in the western part of your living space to honour the Element of Water and the Undines. Drape it and decorate it in rich, watery blues and greens. Offer shells, feathers of waterbirds, and green watery stones. Have a chalice or bowl of water on this altar and change it daily. Welcome the Element and the Undines to make this their home. Then light the candles on this altar and drink its charged water when you explore your emotions in your journal, perform acts of love, work with your dreams, or work with psychic techniques.

It may help when invoking the Element or elementals of Water to use the symbols offered in the background of this page. An Air Invoking Pentagram starts in the upper left, moves to the upper right, and continues around to repeat this line. Water can also be invoked using the circle with a line across the middle, or a silver crescent; see waters flowing through these symbols into your space. To release the element, draw the Water Releasing Pentagram shown in the bottom left corner, which is a reversal of the Invoking Pentagram. If you use the silver crescent or circle and line, see the waters flowing out through it, then see it folding in upon itself and disappearing.

You can ask the Element of Water, or its Guardian or the Undines to help you develop any of the positive traits listed above. To balance any of the negative traits, you may need to appeal to the other three elements to help balance an overabundance of Water. For example, the fiery emotion of anger often helps one move beyond the apathy and helplessness of depression by helping one find one's own power, and gets the emotions flowing freely again.

Creatures Associated with Water

All creatures that live in or on the water: Fish, Whales, Dolphins, Sharks, Otters, Beavers, Seals, Walrus, Starfish, Anemones, Shellfish, Abalone, Sea Snails, Crabs, Lobsters, Scorpions, Sea Horses, Barnacles, Sea Urchins, Sand Dollars, One-Celled Organisms, Seagulls, Ducks, Swans, Herons, Albatross, Puffins, Cormorants, Alligators, Crocodiles, Eels, Water Snakes, Frogs, Leeches
Water Creatures from Myth: Water Dragons, Mermaids

African Violet	Aloe	Apple	Apricot
Aster	Avocado	Balm of Gilead	Banana
Bedstraw	Belladonna	Birch	Blackberry
Bladderwrack	Bleeding Heart	Blue Flag (Iris)	Boneset
Buchu	Buckthorn	Burdock	Cabbage
Camellia	Camphor	Cardamon	Catnip
Chamomile	Cherry	Chickweed	Coconut
Coltsfoot	Columbine	Comfrey	Cowslip
Crocus	Cucumber	Cyclamen	Daffodil
Daisy	Datura	Dittany of Crete	Dulse
Elder	Elm	Eucalyptus	Feverfew
Foxglove	Gardenia	Gourd	Grape
Heather	Hellebore	Heliotrope	Hemlock
Hemp	Henbane	Hibiscus
Huckleberry	Hyacinth	Hyssop	Indian Paintbrush
Jasmine	Kava-Kava	Lady's Mantle	Lady's Slipper
Larkspur	Lemon	Lemonbalm	Lettuce
Licorice	Lilac	Lily	Lobelia
Lotus	Maidenhair	Mallow	Mimosa
Moonwort	Morning Glory	Mosses, all	Myrrh
Myrtle	Orchid	Pansy	Papaya
Passion Flower	Peach	Pear	Periwinkle
Persimmon	Plum	Poplar	Poppy
Purslane	Ragwort	Raspberry	Rose
Sandalwood	Scullcap	Skunk Cabbage	Spearmint
Spikenard	Strawberry	Sugar Cane	Sweetpea
Tamarind	Tansy	Thyme	Tomato
Tonka	Trillium	Valerian	Vanilla
Violet	Willow	Wintergreen	Yew

Agate, Blue Lace	Amethyst	Aquamarine	Azurite
Beryl	Calcite (blue, green, pink)	Chalcedony	Chrysocolla
Coral	Holey stones	Jade	Kunzite
Lapis	Lepidolite	Malachite	Moonstone
Mother of Pearl	Pearl	Rhodocrosite	Sapphire
Selenite	Sugilite	Tourmaline (blue, green, pink)

Aventurine	Angelite	Azurite	Celestite
Kyanite	Mica	Pumice	Sphene