New To The Craft

Earth-Air-Fire-Water

To some outside the Craft the idea of the four classical elements can seem quaint – an outdated theory constructed before the advent of modern science.  We now have the periodic table to explain the “true” elements that compose matter, so what use are the concepts of the ancients?  It can be easy to dismiss older beliefs and practices if one takes the point of view that we have since replaced them with newer and better discoveries.  But that is awfully presumptuous as well.  So let us take a closer look at what wisdom may lay behind the elements of earth, air, fire and water to explain why they form one of the basic cornerstones of Wiccan thought and practice today.

In ancient Greece philosophers debated over what the things in the universe were composed of and if everything could be reduced to one essential element from which all else was constructed.  Some thought that basic essence was fire, others water or air.  What arose out of their debates eventually became the theory of the four classical elements, sometimes featuring a fifth as well (quintessence).  All could be explained by seeing the world as composed of a mixture of these substances in various quantities.  Without microscopes and our other modern technologies they obviously could not know much of what we have since learned about the composition of matter.  Yet it was not the literal correctness of what they proposed that was important.  Characterizing objects in the world as a combination of earth and water, or fire and air, was a description of the qualities of those objects.  Therein lies the key to understanding the wisdom of these ideas, and why it would be foolish to throw out the baby with the bathwater by dismissing them.

Earth to us represents solidity, stability and grounding, as well as things associated with our planet such as fertility, wealth, etc.  It is our body or our physical being.  Air symbolizes the intellect and the mind, or intangible thoughts that have are formless in the material world.  It is also literally the air we breathe to live.  Fire is change, transformation, passion, and our will or drive.  Some also associate fire with the spirit.  And finally, water is associated with those tidal aspects of our nature, such as our emotions and subconscious mind.  The blood that flows through our veins is the most obvious instance of water within us.  There is an infinite list of further associations for each element, and Wiccans make great use of these correspondences in their rituals and magical workings.  One may ask, why?  Understanding the elements as metaphor for the qualities of things is all well and good, but why the emphasis on them across so much of Wiccan practices?  As someone who is still trying to learn my correspondences I can appreciate the desire to figure out why we put so much effort into learning these things.

What I believe is that learning the elements teaches a very basic and very important concept: balance.  We all strive to be in balance for our own peace of mind.  Justice itself is represented by scales because it is balance in the world that brings us this peace and a sense that all is well.  When we see the world as composed of elements what we are trying to say is that this is the framework through which we choose to see a particular area of our lives so that we can bring it into balance.   For instance, when I am not in balance with regards to taking care of myself I frame it in terms of the elements.  To be healthy I need to eat properly and exercise (earth), continue to learn and expand my mind (air), socialize and maintain my relationships (water), and make time for my spiritual practice (fire).  Those correspondences are my own, and the point is that any individual can create such a structure to put areas of their life into perspective and achieve the balance they need.  When I neglect any of those areas I feel the repercussions, but when I remember to include each one I am more happy and whole.  As a religion that takes its lessons from the natural world, Wicca recognizes that to emphasize the harmony of the elements teaches us how to live better lives more in tune with our natural functioning.  We represent all on the altar without exclusion; and in so doing imprint upon ourselves the wisdom of equilibrium.

Journal for the Month of September:

You know how when you first start learning a new subject you can get carried away and read all day and all night in your excitement trying to absorb as much as possible like a sponge?  It’s kind of like a new crush you can’t stop obsessing over and you spend all of your spare time on it.  Then after a while you are still studying all the time but it’s a little more like work and you stop and say to yourself hey where’d the fire go?

Well, I kind of hit that wall this month.

I had my first major gut-check where I had to honestly ask myself if I was still interested now that the honeymoon fever had worn off.  The good news is for myself and for those reading this column, I am!  Something can’t feel “new” forever I suppose, but now that I am past that I have a feeling that it’s not a bad thing.  Just as with a relationship it may not be fresh but that only expands the opportunities for making my explorations deeper and more meaningful.  If finding one’s spiritual path were easy and involved only flirtation with the externals it certainly would not be rewarding.  So this month I can say I found my commitment to continue on, and in a way I’m more excited than ever to see what the coming months will bring.  I hope you will continue to follow this journey with me as well.  Until next month, blessed be! )O(