Mabon 1999 Newsletter Paganism 101 - The Elements - Part Two

"Attuning and working with these engeries in magic not only lends you the power to affect dramatic changes in your life, it also allows you to sense your own place in the larger scheme of Nature."
--Scott Cunningham, Earth Power

Having now explored the elements as individual concepts, it is now time to pull them together in a workable system. How do we draw five very different and individual elements into a coherent system? There are many ways of doing this, and we will look at just a few , and I encourage you to research and discover other systems. (Please keep in mind these lists and systems are not exhaustive or inclusive of every ones way of thinking, they are reflective of some of the more ‘popular’ systems.)

Lets firstly take a look at the periodic table of elements to see where the scientific community place the elements. How do you reconcile the difference between the four or five elements that we work with, with the scientific view of the elements and chemicals in the world?

Secondly, figure 2, shows how the elements have been represented as symbols.
Sorry, artwork not available - webmaster

Thirdly, figure 3, the table of correspondences, used by some Pagans.

	Earth	Air	Fire	Water
Direction *	North/South	East/West	North/South	East/West
Colour	Green	Yellow	Red	Blue
Zodiac signs	Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn	Aquarius, Gemini, Libra	Aries, Leo, Sagittarius	Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Season	Winter	Spring	Summer	Autumn
Time	Midnight	Dawn	Noon	Dusk
Places	Caves, mountains, forests, caverns	Windswept hills, high mountain peaks, towers	Deserts, volcanoes, dry plains	Oceans, rivers, lakes, marshes, pools, raindrenched land
Rules	Growth, prosperity, nature, wealth, abundance, wisdom	The mind, knowledge, abstract learning, theory, imagination, ideas, beliefs, beginnings, rebirth	Energy, heat, will, purification, inspiration,passion desire	Emotions, feelings, love, intuition, the sub-conscious mind, mystery, fertility
Tools	Stone, Pentagram	Athame, sword, censor	Wand, staff	Cauldron, chalice
Animals	Bull, stag, bison, mouse	Birds, Gryphons	Dragons, snakes, lizards	Dolphins, whales, fish, seals, Sea-serpents

(source: Dragonwood, Sun Dragon)

Lastly, figure 4, a couple of graphic representations of the elements, the cardinal directions and how they relate to the elements, and the pentagram.

(Source: Laren’s wonderful we page)

<image>
(Source: Symbolic Meanings)
Sorry, artwork not available - webmaster

Now that you have had a look at a couple of systems, it is time to stop and reflect and see how you would use these systems. Are they reminders, reference lists, starting points for further exploration? How will you relate the elements and their various systems to how you develop as a Pagan? Any feedback on these systems would be warmly welcomed. Good luck for your studies and experiences on your path.