Book of shadows

Elements

Wiccans work with the five elements; Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. Without any one of these elements, the building blocks of life, we would not exist. Wiccans use these elements on altars when we call on them to combine and give power to our spells. We honour them for giving us life and for giving us nature.

Each of these elements has its own attributes and magical properties:

Earth is stability, strength and healing. It is connected to practicality and finance, but also to beauty and nature. Earth element is feminine. To use magic with this element, use herbs for healing, or flowers and trees. Bury objects, notes and symbols within the earth itself.

Air is intelligence and creativity, independence and thought. The Air element represents deep consciousness and psychic power, inspiration and imagination. You cannot see Air but it is always there. To do magic using Air, a masculine element, use incense or aromatherapy oils. Write a message on paper and give it the wind. Magic representing Air is about travelling, freedom, knowledge and finding things that were once lost.

Fire is ambition, passion and forward moving. It represents energy and getting things done and is the element that brings love and heat. Fire represents change or transformation and is the element of magic. When using this masculine element in magic, light candles, burn objects in fires and use cookery.

water is spiritual and ever changing, connected to our emotions and subconscious. Strong when moving, but calm and still when dormant, it is a purifier and gives us wisdom of the soul. To do magic with this feminine element brew teas using herbs, relax in herbal baths, submerge objects and symbols under water, use water to purify, add sea salt to water or use seawater as a holy water to purify a space or object.

Spirit is the prime element that is present in everything. It provides the space and balance for all the other elements to exist. It is the universe, gravity, and what all things are made of. It is our being and our soul. To do magic using the spirit element you should combine all the other elements in your magical working. This would usually be done when you are trying to see the future, communicate with the spirit world or for deep meditation.

We give thanks to these elements at our altars and use their power in our spell work and rituals. In Wicca remember, we work with balance. It's been written in the book a number of times already but it is always worth repeating. This balance is everywhere, or should be, and includes elemental balance. When writing this book I am working with the Air element. Someone wanting to work with their aggression, frustration or passion should work with the Fire element. But people often use one element more than others and can become over dependent on one element or have trouble relating to others. We must find a balance and use each element equally to stay focused and balanced within ourselves.

The elements also connect to other parts of our life and surroundings and these are important when conducting our rituals and spell work.

Earth is North, Air is East, Fire is South and Water is West.

We can use variuos things to represent an element for our altars. Below are some suggestions. For further information on how to set up your altar, please see the chapter on Altars.

To represent Earth in the north quarter of our altar we would use salt, rocks, crystals, stones, acorns, tree branches, flowers, herbs, and a green or brown candle.

To represent Air in the east quarter of our altars we would use burning incense, feathers or a yellow candle.

To represent Fire in the south quarter of our altars we would use a burning candle, or a red or orange candle.

To represent Water in the west quarter of our altars we would use a glass or goblet of water, sea shells, sea weed, river water or a blue candle.

To represent Spirit in the centre of our altars we would use a pentagram which brings elements together, or we can also use a white candle.

Additionally, each of the twelve signs of the Zodiac correspond to the four main elements:

Earth signs are Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo.

Air signs are Aquarius, Libra and Gemini.

Fire signs are Leo, Aries and Sagittarius.

Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

For further information on Astrology please see the chapter on Sun Sign Astrology.

Finally, the four suits of the tarot cards symbolise the four elements in the following way:

Pentacles represent career and money and symbolise Earth.

Swords represent thought and intelligence and symbolise Air.

Wands represent dreams and ambition and symbolise Fire.

Cups represent relationships and emotions and symbolise Water.