Gaea's

The elements of nature; Earth, Air, Fire and Water are the foundations of creation and the basis of life itself. Ancient myths describe how four Divine Beings (spirits) were sent to make order out of the chaos that was fledgling Earth. As the rays of their celestial bodies made contact with the crystallized influences of the lower world, they became the four elements linking humankind to nature, the heavens and the Divine.

Alll physical and spiritual substances are made up of one or more of these elements. The Earth is the essence of fertility and solidarity so it nourishes, binds and gives form. Air is the essence of intelligence, which liberates and stimulates. Fire is the essence of strength that animates and activates. Water is the essence of emotions and fecundity making things malleable and flexible.

The Pentacle (up-right five pointed star inside a circle) is the witches traditional tool of the craft, and is symbolic of the four elements being kept in balance for good by the fifth element spirit, represented by the circle itself. A reversed Pentacle (inverted five pointed star, sometimes referred to as the Satanic Pentacle) represents the bad or darker sides of elements and elementals. As there is duplicity in the Goddess and God, so there is duplicity in elements and elementals. Each has its own good and bad aspects.

In mysticism, magic and alchemy an elemental is a creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements of earth, air, water or fire. The elements balance each other out through opposites – earth contains air, air erodes earth, water quenches fire and fire boils water.

Coming from celestial form sent by the divine beings the Goddess and God, the fifth element or spirit (otherwise known as Akasha) came from a lower hierarchy of spirits called Elementals. The elementals task was to govern the four elements. So Gnomes govern the Earth, Sylphs control the Air, Salamanders command Fire and Undines prevail over Water. Elements and elementals are assigned to the four cardinal points of a circle under the watchful eyes of the Lords of the Watchtowers (the Mighty Ones, Old Ones, or the Guardians), who are next in line on the hierarchy of the spirit world. So Earth and Gnomes are assigned to the North, Air and Sylphs to the East, Salamanders and Fire to the South and Undines and Water to the West.

More to follow on the Elements and Elementals.

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3. The Earth Goddess – Gaea
4. Tarot Interpreted – The Basics
5. Magical Zodiac – Aries
6. Magical Zodiac – Leo
7. Magical Zodiac – Sagittarius

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