Long before our discovery of the elements that now grace our periodic tables, people of the ancient world believed that all life was formed through the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. They also believed in a fifth element, spirit. Without these five elements, life could not exist. They are the very foundations of creation and the basis of life itself. The four elements correspond to the four directions of our physical world, the four quarters of the universe, and the four winds. Water and Earth are female energies, while Fire and Air are male.
If you look at the Elements from another angle, they become the states of matter: solid (earth), liquid (water), gas (air), and plasma (fire). All substances are made up through combinations of these elements. The Earth is the essence of fertility and solidarity, nourishing, binding, and providing form. Air is the essence of intelligence, liberating and stimulating. Fire is the source of active strength and defense, animating and activating, while Water provides emotion and fecundity, making things malleable and flexible. The fifth element or “spirit” is sometimes called Nyu (Druidic) or Akasha (as in the Akashic Records). It is a relatively contemporary concept however.
The Chinese have five elements: Earth, Air, Metal, Water, and Wood. The Japanese have thirteen elements: Celestial, Void, Wind, Spirit, Fire, Earth, River, Ocean, Mountain, Forest, Thunder, Time, and Sound (or Music). For simplicity’s sake, we’ll deal only with the four physical elements of the Western system. The Pentagram, or up-right five-pointed star, is symbolic of the five elements. A reversed Pentagram represents the darker side of the elements. Each has its own good and bad aspects. Most people work well with one or two elements over the others. I have Water, Air, and Earth in fairly equal amounts, but Fire wipes me out completely.
Here are some of the main correspondences of the elements:
The Earth
is a symbol of feminine divinity. Though we might naturally assume brown to be its color, green is more often associated with this element, and gold is its metal. For many, it is a symbol of the Goddess, representing both potential and fertility. Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are earth signs. The Earth also corresponds with the North and the season of autumn. Salt, sand, or a pentacle may be used on the altar to represent it. According to Chaos magick, Earth is a symbol of physical matter.
The Earth influences passive attributes like health, luck, calm, comfort, patience, practicality, and thrift, as well as more aggressive qualities like strength, courage, acquisition, and responsibility. At the opposite end of its spectrum of influence, Earth affects things that are cold and dry, boredom, stagnation, destruction, and darkness. The Earth is very much a balancing principle. If you work well with the Earth, you will be able to control feminine qualities, utilize herbal magick, and perform physical healings. The earth allows you to affect prosperity, luxury, gifts, income, change, material things, harmony, and success. It is also used for love and affection, friendship, partnerships, and alliances, beauty, artistic ability, grace, social activity, decorating, and gardening. Architects, artists, beauticians, chiropractors, dancers, designers, engineers, entertainers, and poets would all benefit from Earth magicks.
Air is an emblem of male divinity. Its color is yellow, and the metal is silver. The zodiac signs of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are air signs. Air holds dominion over the season of spring and the East. On your altar, the wand, incense, and smoke may be used to represent this element. By the Chaos system, Air is a sign of space
Air generally acts on energetic principles such as goals and ambition, advancement and promotion. This element is for success seekers. It affects careers, prosperity and personal finance, fun, fairs, health, crops, children, and volunteer and civic services. Events connected to the law, authority figures, and totem animals are influenced by Air. The element controls buying, selling and other areas of speculation. Air is all about rushing forward to new things, and so it also affects areas of divination, mental alacrity and growth, and creativity. Conversely it also emphasizes things hot and moist, dramatics, waste, and frivolity.
Fire is another active male element. It corresponds to the Sun, Mercury, Mars and the zodiac signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. The color for Fire is red. Fire holds dominion over Summer and the South. If you wish to represent fire on your altar, the sword or athame and candles are its symbols. Really any form of illumination is a symbol of Fire. Chaos magicians consider Fire a symbol of energy.
Fire represents vitality, power, strength, courage, and defense. It is an invigorating principle, motivating and passionate, which can be used to influence such matters as partnerships, physical activity and energy, sex, health, luck, justice, success, ambition, personal finances, business deals, buying, and selling. On the other hand, it affiliates to things hot and dry, aggression, combat, confrontation, and war. Fire will aid one in the repair and operation of mechanical things, and the use of guns, tools, and metals. It is an element for hunters and authority figures, sportsmen, police, and soldiers.
Water is an active symbol of the female divine. Like earth, it is a mothering, fertile symbol. The Moon, the planet Jupiter, and the signs of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are signs of Water. Blue is the color for Water, and its direction is west. It holds sway over the winter and the West. The cup, chalice and cauldron are representations of Water on your altar. According Chaos magicians, Water represents time.
Water is used in active matters of wealth and abundance, opportunity, and joy. It is also passive, like earth can be, influencing tranquility and charity. It affects desire for self-improvement, research, reading and study. Like Air, water is about movement and expansion. It influences philosophy, religion, divination, social matters, and logic. Like Earth, it is balancing. Water controls those things that are cold and moist, gloomy, foreboding, stagnant, or poisonous. Those who have some dealings with foreign interests, broadcasting, publishing, publicity, and legal matters will benefit from Water magick, as will those in search of luck, growth, political power, material wealth, a collage education, and long distance travel. Doctors, guardians, merchants, those engaged in correspondence courses, gamblers, sportsmen, those who work with horses will also benefit from Water.
Elementals
Though elementals by definition inhabit their elements, they are in fact nature spirits that have no definite form or appearance other than those that they choose to adopt. They are forces of nature whose activity can result in violent storms, unpredictable ocean currents, earthquakes, and forest fires. A Fire elemental might appear as a light, a face in a flame, or a warm spot that you suddenly walk through. A Water elemental may be a cold spot. An air elemental could be a sudden breeze or whirlwind in the dust. A smell, taste, or an pebble in your shoe could be evidence of an Earth elemental.
Each element has its own class of elementals, though the terms used for them can cause a certain amount of confusion. For instance, the term for elementals of the Earth -gnomes- has been borrowed in several European languages to refer to small earth-dwelling faeries much like dwarves or kobolds in nature. Salamander is the name for fire elementals. It also refers to small lizard-like amphibians related to frogs. Because they live in decaying logs and have moist skins, they would sometimes crawl unhurt out of a blazing fire. This is how they came to be called Salamanders.
Unlike us, elementals blend into one another both physically and at subtler levels to form collective bodies from what most people would consider inanimate matter. Their numbers and power is the greatest where their elements are the strongest- gnomes in mountains and caverns, undines in the oceans, sylphs in wind and storm, and salamanders in flame, but they are also around us at all times.
Some elementals are said to be deceitful and hateful toward human beings, causing accidents and tragedies. Frequently these entities are used in psychic attacks as “thought forms” by practicioners. When elementals are summoned for some purpose, they attach themselves to the human aura. Unless they are dispatched when their mission is accomplished, they will continue to drain energy from the magician.
The following are some of the correspondences and aspects of Elementals:
Earth
Elementals: Gnomes, Dwarves
Time: Midnight
Symbol: Crystals, stones
Parts of the body: Bones and sex organs
Magick: fertility magic, tree magic, herbal lore, prosperity, rune casting and knot magicWater
Elementals: Undines, Nymphs, Mer-people
Time: Twilight
Symbol: Cups, cauldrons, any vessel filled with water
Parts of the body: blood and stomach
Magick: scrying, purification, healing, divination and dream magicAir
Elementals: Sylphs, Zephyrs
Time: Dawn
Symbol: Incense, fan
Parts of the body: chest, lungs and throat
Magick: predicting weather, controlling winds and shapeshifting.Fire
Elementals: Salamanders, Firedrakes
Time: Noon
Symbol: Candles, flame
Parts of the body: head
Magick: controlling heat, healing, candle magick and Tantra