“What are the negatives and positives of each Element? For example, fire is warm and comforting, yet can be destructive,” one of my readers asked.
Let’s explore this.
Fire
A first thought that fire can be destructive can miss an important part of the picture. For example, fire can be used to purify something. This can be viewed as using fire’s “destructive side” for a positive outcome.
Water
Water is all about emotion. When water crashes, it might be associated with anger. Can the emotion of anger be used for something positive? One of my friends once did a silly stunt in college. He jumped to a balcony. He found himself dangling by his hands with the risk of death or grave injury. He got mad that his life might be ended if he didn’t muster the energy to pull himself up. He grunted a powerful curse word and pulled himself to safety.
One can use anger about how people are hurting our environment and then channel it into taking action to get elected officials to move forward to protect our environment.
Water is also associated with positive emotion, including love. Think of floating serenely on a lake.
Air
Air is about thought. We wouldn’t want to be stuck there. Action is required for positive change. However, thinking something through, which can invoke our intuition, can be truly necessary. Good thought and then good action.
Earth
Earth is the foundation. Traditionally, witches associate earth with abundance, strength and prosperity. However, Earth can be destructive in terms of earthquakes, mudslides and avalanches. Earth is the sustainer. I often think of Earth as connected to stillness. When you tune into the positive aspect of Earth think of how the Earth sustains and supports us.
When you cast your Circle you’re asking the Elementals, the rulers of the Elements, to help you out.
I’ve noticed that it helps to keep in mind the multiple aspects of the Elements.
“This is the time of increase?” my friend, Adam, asked.
“Yes. We’re getting close to Spring. This is a good time to cast a Prosperity Spell.”
Let’s look at what “prosperity” is. I don’t limit it to just a plethora of money. I am talking about your whole well-being. Prosperity is having an abundance of loving friends, family, good physical health, healthy finances and a good relationship to the God and Goddess.
Have you noticed that having some amount of all these things helps you feel more whole and happy?
I felt great when a sudden inspiration flowed to me from the Goddess to combine the four Elements in a coherent pattern that I call the Four Foundations of Whole Life Prosperity.
Here are the Four Foundations of Whole Life Prosperity in the terms of the four Elements/Directions:
Spiritual/East – Element: Air
Having a close relationship with the God and Goddess is key to a good and happy life.
Consider meditation as a helpful way to communicate with God and Goddess. In meditation, you can have your finger on the pulse with the Divine, which helps you create the balance your spirit craves. Your Spirit needs to be close to the God and Goddess. It hungers for a relationship with Them.
With this strong connection, the other Foundations of Whole Life Prosperity will come to you.
Health/South – Element: Fire
I’ve thought of the Element of Fire because the Spark of Life, as in good health, supports your prosperous life. Sleep enough, eat healthy meals and get appropriate exercise. After all, our bodies are temples to the Gods. Keep your body in good running order and cherish your body. Nurture your body by bathing regularly and do the rest to keep your body at its best.
We don’t need to fall for the media ideas of what a stereotypically attractive body looks like. You don’t need to be wafer thin. It’s reported that a number of models are actually unhealthy.
Take good care of your body—as the gift you have. Move in the direction of prosperous health.
Love/West – Element: Water
What does “prosperous in love” mean? I suggest we do what helps us have good relationships.
A friend asked, “What do you think is important to find in a romantic partner?”
My husband replied, “Find someone who is kind and flexible.”
I agree, and I’ve learned that it’s important for me to do rituals and meditation to keep myself strong enough to be kind and flexible. A dash of humor helps.
Taking good care of your relationships helps you support your overall prosperity.
Finances/Earth – Element Earth
A number of my friends complain and worry about their finances. I admit it: I get concerned, too. I’m doing fine, but I have this nagging concern about ending up a homeless person. My husband is ten years older than I am. How will things be after he passes on?
I’ve learned that meditation and rituals can bring about some peace of mind.
How about you? Would you benefit from doing rituals to enhance your peace of mind?
Doing a Prosperity Spell can bring in some income. Having the opportunity to do something nice for yourself (having a dinner, seeing a movie) can do wonders for your feelings and sense that we live in an abundant Universe.
Putting It All Together
Bringing together Spirit, health, love and appropriate finances enhances your experience of a whole and happy life.
Use this following is a spell to help you move forward.
The Whole Life Prosperity Spell
What you will need:
Altar and regular ritual tools
Image (as seen above)
1 small rough pebble (North)
1 unused easy light match (south)
1 thimble of water (West)
1 Incense cone and holder (Air)
Do this spell on a waxing moon, closest to the full moon. Focus on this spell to enhance prosperity in various facets of your life.
Cast Circle in the normal manner.
After cleansing and consecrating the items representing the four elements, place the graphic/picture (with this post) on the altar. Set the items (that represent the elements) on their representative cardinal points.
Meditate on your life being full of what you desire. Once you have a firm feeling about what you want, continue with the next steps.
(Light the match on the rock.)
Fire burns in my veins with health,
(Dip index finger into the thimble of water, touch the water to your lips, and say)
Water surrounds me with the love I desire,
(Tap the rock three times.)
Earth provides that I am financially secure, and I enjoy financial abundance,
(Light incense from the working candle.)
And Air sends this spell and my love to the God and Goddess.
Do the Cakes and Wine Ceremony
Close your Circle.
May this Prosperity Spell enhance your life and happiness.
Have you had moments, like me, of thinking, “Change is hard.”
I like this quote:
“Magic is natural. It is a harmonious movement of energies to create needed change.”
– Scott Cunningham
This idea “magic is natural” can transform how you look at change.
Recently, I realized that the path of “harmonious movement of energies to create needed change” is a path that focuses on the pentagram and the 4 Elements plus Spirit.
As Wiccans we can use the Elements in magick to help us. Each Element is a step toward change.
In the process, each Element serves as a step to the next one.
Air
The first step for making real change relates to the Element Air. Air represents thought. We need to know that we truly want to change in the first place.
Wanting change is not enough. In order to create real change, we need to know that change is needed in our life. This knowing helps us make a real commitment.
Simply wishing for change does not get you where you need to go.
Begin with the idea and firm it up. An idea is a powerful thing. Just like a seed has the potential to grow into a beautiful rose, an idea can manifest into something great.
A well-formed idea includes specifics. You want a target that is sharp like a tack. Something you can measure and see. I will use my weight loss of 42.3 lbs. as an example during this post.
In January, my doctor told me I needed to lose the weight. Now, usually just telling someone to lose weight doesn’t work. They need to want to lose the weight. They need to want to make a permanent change in their life. So where could I begin?
Meditation served as my starting point.
Try it. Burn some incense and meditate on your idea. (By the way, burning incense relates to the Element of Air.)
During meditation, let your mind flow. Ultimately, you take that vague idea you have and shape it into a solid idea.
Losing weight was too vague of a target for me. So, I brought it down to a solid number. I wanted to lose five pounds. That’s it. Just five pounds. It’s something small, measurable, and it can be recorded by tracking my weight on a scale.
Fire
Having a firm idea is a good start. But you need the Element of Fire to get your will into the process. Fire helps give you that push, that extra oomph.
Fire gives you the passion to fulfill your idea.
Use passion to help you form a plan of action. For example, my plan was to focus on dropping five pounds. Using the passion of Fire, I did a Weight Loss Spell:
What you will need:
One seven knob, green candle
Banishing oil
Candleholder
Lighter
Warning: Be sure to do this spell during the waning moon.
Cast the Circle.
Cleanse and consecrate the oil and candle. Set the candle in its holder. Sit and meditate on your losing weight. See the candle as a representation of the excess weight. When you’re ready, light the candle and say three times:
Little knobbed candle of green,
With powers, great and unseen.
I light you in the vast darkness so,
Illuminate health for me to know.
Bad eating habits and lethargy, I rip out
Of my life within and without!
Let this my prayer be answered now!
I pray that you will, I pray that you must,
For me to lose weight high water or bust!
As you my little green candle melts,
So too does my weight and waistline melt.
So mote it be!
Now sit and meditate on losing weight until the first knob is burned completely. Then put out the candle with a snuffer.
Repeat above spell for the next six days.
Do the Cakes and Wine Ceremony.
Close the Circle.
Taking action is a great step. Next, you’ll need to marshal positive emotion.
Water
The Element of Water is associated with emotion. We’ve progressed from idea to passion to a plan of action.
Now, let’s be sure that you keep yourself emotionally healthy during the process.
Losing five pounds was all and good, but I could derail my efforts if I drove myself nuts trying to be perfect. To take care of myself emotionally, I created a tool for myself—the Goddess Style Weight Loss method. (See below for my Online Course Goddess Style Weight Loss.)
Take your plan of action and make a tool/method to help you emotionally.
Consider:
A weekly meeting with a friend to “rally the troops” and to keep you strong and consistent in your efforts
A pamper yourself day to help keep you calm. Or one simple, nurturing action just for you: like getting a massage once a week.
Consider the possibility of getting pastoral counseling from a fellow Priest or Priestess. Your fellow Priest of Priestess has a unique insight into your journey as a Pagan. This can be especially helpful. Doing a ritual together can be just what’s needed to have you move forward faster.
In some cases, working with a therapist related to emotional healing can help you stay on track. You may not realize that a past trauma may be influencing your behavior. I found that working with a therapist helped me deal with details from my past.
Earth
Stay grounded through the Element of Earth.
Part of grounding is to keep silent about your plans when in the presence of naysayers. Guard your energy against intrusions by naysayers, who can ruin one’s magick work.
Imagine that you ground your plan of action into reality. Take the seed of your plan and plant it in the earth.
Let your seed of intention grow strong and create the change you desire.
At the core of Wicca—it is a joyous union with nature. The Earth is a manifestation of divine energy. – Scott Cunningham
This leads right into Spirit.
Spirit
Spirit is an essential facet of your journey to create positive change.
With Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, you have stepped into a new life. You’re using the tools of change.
The last step is Spirit in which you manifest a permanent, positive change.
If that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee. – written in the voice of the Goddess (found in The Charge of The Goddess by Doreen Valiente)
Your Spirit is within you, always. Your Spirit is your true connection with the God and Goddess.
Change fundamentally comes from within. When we do our magick and create change, we don’t necessarily change the outer world, but we really change our inner world.
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“I really could use a simple format for making a spell, Moonwater,” my friend Anita said.
“Okay. I can give you the basics with a 6-Step Formula for Making a Spell,” I replied.
It comes down to these steps or what I call the “6 What’s”:
What do you want?
What element?
What will represent that element?
What do you have at hand?
What words?
What Timing.
What do you want?
Seems simple enough, right? Still, many people hold the thought “I want more money.” That’s too vague. What do you want the money for? Some people have a job that pays well enough but they hate that job. So what do they do? They buy expensive stuff and vacations. Perhaps, what they really want is a job that they feel good about.
Now, ask yourself: What do I want? Then ask yourself, No….What do I really want? Keep refining it until you have it. Finding the root of the need is important.
What element?
How do you pick the appropriate element? Think about your need. What element is connected to it?
Do you want to flow better at work? That relates to Water.
Do you want to think more clearly? That’s related to the element Air.
If you want more energy, you likely want to connect with the spark – with Fire.
Do you feel scattered? To connect with being grounded, focus on Earth.
Questions like these will help you pick what element is best suited for your problem or desire.
What will represent that element?
What object would make a good representation of your element? If it’s Fire, perhaps, a lit candle. If it’s water, you could use a sea shell because it comes from the sea.
What do you have at hand?
With a list of objects that can represent your element, take a look and see what you have on hand that would fit the bill. Perhaps your first thought was to use a shell as part of your spell. However, you do not have one in your home. You could simply grab a bowl and fill it with water.
What words?
The words you choose are important.
Here are three details to help you.
Choose an opening
Here’s an example:
By the powers of the Sun and Moon
Give a deadline
Here’s an example:
So make this happen nine days or less
Put in the protection phrases
Here is an example:
An it harm none.
I also include “This or better.” There are times with the God and Goddess know better than we do what would be good for our overall journey of life.
6. What Timing – moon phase?
Waxing is for gaining or adding something to your life and waning is for decrease or getting rid of something.
Additionally, give a time period for the spell to stop. You can say something like may it come to passwithin three moons. (Spells usually come to pass within one moon cycle.)
May the above details help you in forming your spell. It’s true that one may add other details to a spell. Still, the above provides you with a good start.
The various parts of your spell are like the pieces you put together when sewing a quilted blanket.
“Why is the Witches Pyramid important?” Sharon asked me. “You already told me that the pentagram emphasizes the four elements Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Isn’t that enough?”
I explained that the Witches Pyramid demonstrates how the four elements support Spirit, as you can see in the illustration above.
First, I’ll give you an overview. Here is how Element relates to a direction and a concept:
Air – East – To know
Fire – South – To will
Water – West – To dare
Earth – North – To remain silent
These concepts come together to form an essential part of your Wiccan Practice.
This week we’ll focus on Air.
Air – East – To know
Air is the cerebral element. You’ve probably heard the phrase: Knowledge is power.
In the Craft, we take action to know how to use the tools and rituals. Here is what is really powerful: to know yourself.
The journey of knowing yourself requires that you focus and take efforts to remove distractions. People who are caught up with their ego will miss so much.
Meditation provides a helpful path to discovering the truth that is deep within you.
How does meditation facilitate your self-knowledge? First, it helps you quiet your mind. Clear of distractions, you can learn about what you really need. Not just what you ego wants in this moment.
Clear of distractions, you can make better and better decisions. You’ll have access to your intuition. You’ll quiet down fear.
Clear of distractions, you’ll connect better with the God and Goddess. You’ll ask for guidance and you’ll be able to take in and understand the guidance that arrives as intuitive ideas and nudges in certain positive directions.
Start Easy with Meditation
Many of us hear about meditation and freeze up. We may say, “I don’t have the time.” Start easy. Just set up a timer and meditate for five minutes. Simply, find a quiet place. Get comfortable. Make sure you sit up so you don’t fall asleep. Concentrate on your breathing. When your mind wanders, bring it back to your breathing.
You might even begin a practice with your romantic partner. My sweetheart and I sit near each other – not touching – and close our eyes for our five minute meditation practice. The good news is that when one of us is not in the mood to meditate, the other one can inspire the other one to sit for the five vital minutes of the day.
Certainly, you can expand your meditation time, if you like.
Some people get disappointed that they do not get a wonderful feeling when meditating. Know this: It all counts. With a regular practice of meditation, you make yourself calm and more receptive to guidance from the God and Goddess.
Meditation is a blessing for your mind.
Remember, your mind is your most important tool. And Air will assist you in your goals. This week, consider having a few meditation sessions in which you focus on Air.
Next week we will look at the Element of Fire in the Witches Pyramid.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
GoddessHasYourBack.com 