and focus the five elements of Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit, both within yourself and from outside. This is a complex ability, which comes more easily with practice, so we usually start by using a number of visual links and cues to help bring all these elements together. The elements exist inside us and outside of us and they have many symbolic representations, visual and mental links, which may be used and which are often termed correspondences.
Understanding of the five elements is one of the most important concepts of the Craft, and the foundation of working magic. Together with visualization, which I’ll talk about later in this chapter, this is what makes Magic work. All the candles, incense, cords, images and other tools are just that; tools that you use to implement and enhance your understanding of the elements and your ability to visualize.
So what are the elements?
AIR
Air is within us as our thoughts, and as such should be the first element to be brought into use, for thought should always precede anything else! Air represents the thinking and planning stage of any proposed action, magical or otherwise.
Externally, Air is everything from the gentle breeze that ruffles the leaves to the destructive force and power of the hurricane or tornado. Air is all around us and without it we cannot breathe. We take the external air into our being with every breath and, with practice, learn to draw on that external energy to fuel our internal thoughts.
Air also represents and is represented by the direction East, incense or a feather on the Altar, the season of Spring, the morning, and often the colour yellow.
FIRE
Fire is our passions and enthusiasms, it is present when we become enthusiastic and excited by an idea. It is the difference between having an idea and really wanting to put that idea into action, or the difference between needing something to read and wanting to buy that particular new book!
Fire is everything from the spark that falls from a match to the full energy of the Sun, or the inferno of a volcano. Without fire there would be no heat, no light and no life.
Fire is represented by the direction South, a candle or crystal on the Altar, the season of Summer, midday and the afternoon, and usually by the colour red.
WATER
Water is our emotions. It is when we become emotionally involved in an idea or project, when it actually becomes important to us.
Externally, it encompasses the gentlest raindrop, the streams, rivers and oceans, the torrential downpour of a summer storm to the awe-inspiring tidal wave or tsunami. Water is essential to all life; we drink it, bathe in it and use it daily with little thought.
Water is represented by the direction West, a bowl of water or a shell on the Altar, the season of Autumn, the evening, and often by the colour blue.
EARTH
Earth is our physical self, our body. It is the stage in a process when we move from the mental aspects to the physical and ‘make it real’ in the world.
Externally, it is the land, the soil, rocks, stones and mountains. It is the foundation from which all life springs and to which it ultimately returns for rebirth.
Earth is represented by the direction North (often called the place of power), salt or a stone on the Altar, the season of Winter, the night, and often by the colour green.
SPIRIT
The essential self that makes us who we are, sometimes called the soul, is our Spirit.
Outside of us the Spirit is the Goddess and the God, and that Divine essence permeates all things.
Spirit is represented by the centre of the Circle and by the Circle itself as it is all places at all times. In the Circle we ourselves also represent Spirit, as do the Goddess and God we call upon in our workings. On the Altar, Spirit may be represented by statues or pictures of the Goddess and the God, by a gold and a silver candle, or not at all because it is everywhere. It has no time and no season for it is present in all times and seasons. It is often represented by the colour violet, or by the electric blue of the Circle itself.
When preparing to work Magic we commence by setting the Altar with representations of the elements, so that they are indeed present in actuality. We then invoke the elements in the Quarters (the four compass points) and invite the Goddess and the God to complete the five elements. These steps are part of creating the Sacred Space, which is not just an area, but a key step in making Magic work. In Ritual we call upon the elements externally. But we also need to evoke the elements within, and often this starts before the practical steps of creating the Sacred Space. It begins when we think carefully about the Magic we wish to perform, and continues as we become enthusiastic and emotionally involved in it. The process culminates in the Circle when we put those mental steps into action in the actual creating of the Magic, by whichever means we select, and when we imbue it with the spiritual energy of our inner self.
I have mentioned that we need to have the elements in balance. This is essential; you can easily see the problems that might be caused if your actions are powered by emotion and passion, but lack thought. Magic without any passion will be flat and without energy, magic without emotion will be weak and uninvolved, and so on. Where one element is in greater strength than another you also get imbalance, which is why it is a bad idea to work Magic when ill, very angry or upset. This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult, for even the most experienced Witch, to work magic for those people and things which are closest and most important to them, because their emotional involvement can be overwhelming.
In order to be able to harness, balance and focus the energies of the elements we need to spend some time actually getting to know and understand them. For some people this can be done by spending time simply experiencing them in the natural world, and this is one of the reasons why so many Witches like to work with plants and nature, even if that means just keeping a couple of pot plants. Others may find that they need to spend time using visualization or meditation techniques, such as pathworking. All tend to find that they need to do some mental and spiritual ‘housekeeping’ from time to time, to ensure that they clear away the ‘baggage’ caused by daily life and relationships. It used to be common in the Craft to hear the term ‘tests of the Elements’, and this referred to actual tasks, often set by the High Priestess of the Coven, which had to be completed before the Witch was considered to be accepted for the next level of learning. These ‘tests’ seem to have died away in modern times, but it is still a good idea to set yourself tasks which will expose you (safely) to experiences of the elements in their natural state. These might include going to a hilltop to experience strong winds, lying down in strong sunlight to meditate (not just to sunbathe!), immersing yourself fully in the sea, or visiting a deep dark cave and turning your torch off for a few minutes. Deliberately seeking to experience the Spirit is somewhat harder to envisage, but often the best way to set about this is to devise a meditation which can be performed in Circle or to perform a Self-Blessing.
VISUALIZATION
After understanding, harnessing and balancing the Elements, the next most important technique in being able to work Magic is that of visualization. Visualization is simply being able to imagine so strongly, that what you imagine seems as ‘real’ as the ‘real world’. It is not just a matter of seeing the ‘picture’ in your mind, but also of being able to experience the other senses of sound, taste, touch and smell, too. Whilst a lucky few find that this comes naturally, many people find it extremely difficult at first, but it really is just a matter of practice. The secret is not to expect too much too soon. Start by bringing to mind recent, mundane events, such as the last meal you ate, or the experience of watching TV last night. When you can conjure these up in your mind’s eye so clearly that you can remember sounds that you may not have been aware of at the time, then it is time to move on to less personal experiences. Many people soon realize that the technique of visualization is something that they practise in an unformed way when they daydream. For them it is more a question of learning to direct their ‘daydreaming mode’, rather than learning a new technique.
Visualization