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From birth we are conditioned to
behave in a certain way. First by our parents, and then family members, reward
“correct” behavior and punish “incorrect” behavior. Once we are old
enough, we are further conditioned by our neighbors, our teachers, and our
peers. If our parents espouse a specific religion, we are exposed to that belief
system and conditioned to behave accordingly, We are given a stroke, a pat on
the head, a reward, a “treat” for behavior conforming to our conditioning.
So, like Pavlov’s dogs, we perform our “tricks” to get our “treats”.
But expecting to always be rewarded (to get our treats) for our behavior is not
the way to having true power. The Power of the CREATOR is all
around us. It is in everything. It is in the trees, the rocks, the creatures,
the Earth itself. All we need to do to gain that Power is to reach for it
through the CREATOR. We will not receive our “treats” when we perform with
the Power. The Power is sufficient “treat”. The
Magic lies deep within us all. It is the power to change lives. The power that heals with compassion teaches with patience,
supports without question, and loves unconditionally. We all have it. Some Dictionaries describe the
word “magic” to be: the art of employing the powers of nature to produce
effects apparently supernatural.The only problem here is the word supernatural.
If magic is supernatural then all humans are superhuman since we all hold
the powers of nature within our hands. “Magic”, or Power, is the
energy in all things… people, animals, the air, water, fire, stones, trees,
planets, stars and moons. Reach for the Power according to need. The elements
that sustain life are sacred. The four elements of air, fire, water, and
earth form a circle, with the fifth element, spirit, as its center. The
elements teach us about ourselves. Air, fire, water and earth represent our
minds, our energy, our emotions, and our bodies. These
are the five building blocks of our world. They are the forms of our lives: our
thoughts, our bodies, our actions and our dreams. From the varied mixtures of
their subatomic energies and chemical compositions they make up the very fabric
of the planet. We may learn
to recognize and call upon the powers of the elements and incorporate them into
our lives. We can journey inward and find those connections within ourselves. |
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Water |
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Water is
associated with soft emotion, peace and spiritual transcendancy. Water
enables the seeker to look within and to create connections with others.
Water is the element of dreams, prophecy and spiritual progress. Life began in water, in the currents of the primeval ocean, and living things need water to survive. Our bodies are mostly water, and our blood is similar to seawater in its chemistry. Water carries nutrients to all the cells of our bodies and cleanses our wastes. Clean, sweet water is sacred to all people who honor life. Water moves
in a great cycle around the globe. Rain falls on the earth, bringing life to
plants, soaking the soil or collecting in streams and rivers that flow to the
sea. The great tides and currents of the ocean sustain sea life from the tiny
plankton to the great whales, influencing the weather, wearing away the shore.
Water evaporates from the surface of the waves, forming clouds that bring the
rain, and so the cycle begins again. Water also
represents our feelings and emotions. After all, our feelings flow and change
like water. We can bathe each other in love and appreciation, but we can also
rage and storm like the ocean waves crashing against the shore. When we honor
all our feelings, the ones we think of as positive and those we think of as
negative, we can choose how to act so that our emotions feed life. When we know
our anger, we can choose to act peacefully. When we admit our fear, we can
choose to act with courage. |
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Air |
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Air is
associated with learning and scholarship. It also serves the arts and science
and tool industry. It fuels the creative and imaginative spirit in mankind.
Spiritually and magickally air sits at the east quarter, at the entrance to the
path of the east wind and brings the sunrise and the season of Spring on the
wheel. Every Moment of our lives, we
must breathe in order to survive. Air carries sounds and scents, and its clarity
allows light to pass through so that we can see. Air is invisible, except
when other things move in response to its motion, when the wind makes branches
dance and leaves fly, or bends the grasses down as it passes. We share breath with all life. |
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Earth |
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Earth is
associated with physical healing, protection, nature and prosperity. Earth is
the element bringing stability. It contains the energies of life, sexuality and
reproduction. It is the element which keeps us centered and in control of our
faculties when we are working with the other elements. The Earth consists of rocks,
minerals, and the living soil beneath our feet. Plants draw energy from the sun,
but they are nourished by the earth. Seeds are planted beneath the ground
to begin their lives. The dead bodies of animals and plants are taken back to
the soil to feed new life. The earth is
the element that stands for our bodies. Our physical bodies are sacred, and we
must take care of ourselves as we take care of the earth. All the food we eat,
all the things we make and do and use, are part of this element. |
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Fire |
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Fire is
associated with strong emotion - passion, lust, anger, war, but is also
determination, drive and accomplishment and finally courage. Fire is the
achiever and serves as both impetuous and possibility of transformation.
Fire enables the rebirth of the spirit and the power for action. All life on earth depends on
the energy of the sun. Plants use that energy directly to live and grow. Animals
must eat plants or other animals. But directly or indirectly, we are all
sustained by the sun. Fire is also the element that warms our houses and cooks
out food. Fire is also dangerous. Like all thing of power, fire demands respect.
Fire is the symbol of human
energy as well as the sun's energy. Health, strength, enthusiasm, and passion
are qualities of fire. When we direct our energies, when we focus on a goal, we
use our will, one of the powers we find in this element. Fire is connected to
all forms of magic that direct energy, especially healing and protection. |
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Spirit |
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The fifth
element Spirit is woven through each of the other elements, completing the
circle and representing the blend, the completeness of all elements brought
together. Spirit represents the whole and represents mankind's continual
search for a power greater than the individual - the inner being, consciousness
and self-awareness that that brings. The center
is the place of that mysterious fifth element we call "spirit,"
although we could just as well call it "mystery." The center is the
place of change and transformation, and this element is not so much of a
physical presence but the sense of connection that puts us in touch with the
great powers of life and death. Spirit might also be called
"relationship," as the center is the place where we connect with the
CREATOR, with our traditions, and with prayer, blessing, meditations, and
personal practice. Another name for this section might be "core
values," for here we contemplate ethics, right and wrong, and our
responsibility to be healers, peacemakers, and protectors of the earth and her
peoples. |
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Use the
Courage Power of Water to reach for all that you can be. Reach for the Power of
the CREATOR and use it for the greatest good. |
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Excerpts from:
~ From "Circle Round" By Starhawk Elemental
and Spiritual Magick What
is the Magic within us all? |
