Wicca for Beginners (11 page)

Once you’re inside the circle, do not cross the boundary. You do not want to break up the energy. If you need to leave the circle and come back in, use the two fingers you used to draw the circle to cut a “door” in the boundary. When you return, redraw the line. Try not to do this except in an emergency, though. It’s hard to maintain the energy of the circle if you leave it, and it messes up your focus on whatever work you’re doing in the circle. Some Wiccans consider it unwise to allow a circle to stand empty, in which case someone new must come into the circle if the lone occupant goes out.

To take down the circle at the end of your ritual, begin at your starting point and move around the edge counterclockwise as you visualize drawing up the circle through your two fingers and pushing it back into the earth through your taproot.
Do not allow the energy to stay in your body.
Return it to the earth. Ground after taking down the circle.

In the next chapter, we’ll explore the four quarters and the four elements, which Wiccans use to strengthen their circles and their magic.

6

The Four Elements and the Four Quarters

In Wiccan and magical
thought, the energy that is infused throughout the universe can be divided into four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The elements are the building blocks of life; the forces of nature and creation. If one were missing, the world as we know it would not exist.

Wiccans work with the elements in many ways. They incorporate elemental energy into their circles, rituals, and spells. They attune themselves to the elements in order to work in concert with the rhythms of nature. They also study the elements to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Some of the secrets of the universe are locked in the elements.

Each element has its own “feel”; its own energetic signature. Each also has several associations, or correspondences. These correspondences are useful in magic. The idea behind working with correspondences is the “like attracts like” concept we covered earlier. Fire attracts things associated with fire. Water attracts things associated with water, and so on. Therefore, if your goal and one of the elemental energies share traits in common, incorporating that element into your spell work or ritual would strengthen your effort. It may seem surprising how many things are associated with each element, but if you think back to the idea that the elements are the building blocks of life, then it’s not such a stretch.

Here is a brief list of elemental correspondences. This is by no means complete, since everything under the sun (and the sun itself) has an elemental correspondence. However, it will do to get you started working with the elements and give you a taste of each.

the element of earth
is feminine, solid, and stable. It corresponds to the north; winter and the Winter Solstice; the astrological signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn; midnight; the dark of the moon/waning moon; old age and/or death; fertility; money; stability; building foundations; food and sustenance; and agriculture and gardening. Some of the colors associated with it are green, black, gray, and brown, and some of the animals associated with it are the bear and buffalo. Wiccans often use rocks, crystals, or salt to represent earth in their rituals.

the element of air
is masculine, light, and cerebral. It corresponds to the east; spring and the Spring Equinox; the astrological signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius; the dawn; the new moon; birth; youth; enlightenment; inspiration; communication; writing; mobility; and computers and electronics. Some of the colors associated with it are yellow and gold, and some of the animals associated with it are insects and birds, especially eagles and hawks. Wiccans often use incense smoke or feathers to represent air in their rituals.

the element of fire
is masculine, hot (obviously), and energetic. It corresponds to the south; summer and the Summer Solstice; the astrological signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius; noon or midday; the waxing moon; adolescence; impetuousness; passion; drive; creativity; anger; force; light and brightness; and transformation. Some of the colors associated with it are red and orange, and some of the animals associated with it are horses and lions. In their rituals, Wiccans use fire to symbolize itself.

the element of water
is feminine, cleansing, and healing. It corresponds to the west; fall and the Fall Equinox; the astrological signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces; dusk; the full moon; adulthood; nurture; emotions; the subconscious; the otherworld; transformation (like fire, but slower); mystery; compassion; secrets; and the occult. Some of the colors associated with it are blue and green, and some of the animals associated with it are fish and dolphins. In their rituals, Wiccans use water to symbolize itself.

Beings of the Elements

Many Wiccans believe that there are spirits or other otherworldly beings that are associated with each element. How Wiccans perceive what those spirits are, what they look like, and their powers or properties varies depending on the Wiccan and/or his or her tradition.

In the old magical grimoires, which are really the providence of ceremonial magicians and not Wiccans, the beings of the earth are called gnomes, the air beings are called sylphs, the fire beings are called salamanders, and the water beings are called undines. The gnomes, unsurprisingly, have a grounded, solid energy, and are thought to be stewards of the earth and keepers of its treasures, like precious metals and minerals. The sylphs are light and elusive and are believed to ride on the wind and inspire new thought and fresh ideas. The salamanders live in the coals of the campfire, and enhance passion and the creative “spark.” The undines are lithe and full of grace and mystery, flowing with the water in which they live.

Some Wiccans use the ceremonial magic system and refer to the beings of the elements by those names. Personally, I don’t see the elemental beings as gnomes, sylphs, salamanders, and undines, although they certainly share traits with them. For me, the beings associated with the elements are more nebulous, and their forms and strengths more flexible, but they are not less powerful. In my perception, they don’t have the solidity (if you can call a sylph solid) that the ancient names imply. We do not teach the gnome/sylph/salamander/undine idea to our students, but they are certainly welcome to use that system if it works for them. As I said, each Wiccan experiences the elementals in his or her own way. If you decide to walk the Wiccan path, you will discover your own relationship with the elementals.

I should also point out here that many Wiccans associate certain gods and goddesses with each element. The Celtic goddess Brid, for example, might be a fire goddess because she is goddess of the forge. There is more about the gods in chapter 7, and after you read that, you might want to explore this idea for yourself.

Attuning with the Elements

Many Wiccans put a good deal of time and effort into exploring and aligning themselves with the elements in order to enhance their rituals and magic. The following are a few easy exercises that you can do to begin attuning yourself to the elements. They’re so easy, in fact, that they’re kind of obvious. That’s the point, for two reasons. First, the elements are everywhere and in everything, so getting in sync with them should be simple. The second reason is that because they’re everywhere and in everything, we take them for granted. Sometimes shifting our perception slightly and making a conscious decision to become more aware of something ubiquitous, like the elements, opens up whole new possibilities right under our noses, in our everyday lives. Try one or more of these ideas:

experience the elements at home.
Find and list everything in your living space that symbolizes one of the elements to you. For example, the stove, the microwave, the fireplace, the space heater, the curling iron, the hair dryer, the toaster oven, matches, a cigarette lighter, the thermostat, the furnace, the barbeque, the electric blanket, and maybe even the smoke detector all represent fire. Once you’ve made your list, reflect on why you chose the things you did. What do they have in common? How are they different? Repeat for the other three elements.

experience the elements outdoors.
Visit a natural place that contains or symbolizes to you one of the elements. For example, you could go to a garden, forest, or cave for earth; a windy bluff for air; or a stream, lake, or ocean for water. If you can’t find a suitably fiery place (I live near a volcano; you may not be so fortunate), a campfire somewhere away from city noise and people is a great alternative. Relax and ground in the place you chose. Close your eyes, unless it’s not safe. Breathe in deeply. Use as many of your senses as possible to experience the element. See if you can touch it (not fire, of course, although you can pass your hand near it and feel the heat), smell it, hear it, taste it. Spend enough time in your chosen location to make a real connection to the element. Write down your perceptions afterward. Repeat with the other three elements.

experience the elements in your mind.
Create a pathworking where you visit each element and learn about it. For example, journey to the bottom of the sea or the surface of the sun. Record your experience, and repeat for the other three elements. Instructions for creating a pathworking are in chapter 4.

experience the elements through the seasons.
You may have noticed in the correspondence list that each element is associated with a season. To Wiccans, the cycle of the seasons throughout the year is one of the most important things that the elements symbolize. As you’ll see in chapter 9, the Wiccan holidays are based on the seasonal cycles. To attune yourself to the elements and seasons together, choose one of the solstices or equinoxes to begin. From that day until the next solstice or equinox, make a conscious effort to notice and feel how the associated element works in your life and how it aligns with its season. For example, begin to explore spring and air, separately and together, beginning on the Spring Equinox, and keep it up until the Summer Solstice, when you will shift your attention to summer and fire. Follow the cycle through the year. Record what you discover.

The Quarters

In addition to being associated with a season, each element is associated with a cardinal direction. Earth is north, air is east, fire is south, and water is west. The four directions, also called the four quarters, are an integral part of Wiccan ritual and magic.

If you picture a magic circle, like the one you learned to draw in chapter 5, and place the four quarters in their proper places around it, the circle becomes a microcosm of the universe. All of the elements of life are present. If you start in the east quarter and move clockwise around the circle, you travel from dawn to midday to dusk to midnight, the cycle of a day; from new moon to waxing moon to full moon to waning moon, the cycle of the moon—a month; from spring to summer to fall to winter, the cycle of the sun—a year; and from birth to adolescence to adulthood to old age, the cycle of a human life.

Since Wiccans strive to work with natural patterns, they “call” the quarters into their ritual circles. By doing this, they bring the cycle of the seasons and all of the building blocks of life into their microcosm. If you subscribe to the idea of the circle as a space “between the worlds,” then you are bringing together the material and spiritual worlds and manifesting your will on the spiritual plane. Bringing the quarters into the circle packs a wallop for your ritual or magic, and many Wiccans wouldn’t build a circle without them.

Calling the Quarters

Wiccans often call the quarters in ritual just after the circle is drawn. Frequently, they will draw the circle and then go around it twice more, sprinkling saltwater one time and carrying burning incense the other. This brings the four elements into the circle, since saltwater represents earth and water and burning incense represents fire and air. If the elements are already there before the quarters are called, it’s easier to call the quarters because like attracts like. To clarify: The elements and the quarters are not the same thing. However, they are tied tightly together by symbolism. As to whether the elements represent the quarters, the quarters represent the elements, or both, you’ll have to decide for yourself. There are Wiccans in all three camps.

Before we plunge into quarter calling, you should know a little bit about the witches’ symbol: the pentagram. A pentagram is a five-pointed star. Four of the points represent the elements, and the fifth represents spirit or deity, which unites them all. If the pentagram is in a circle, as you see in a lot of Wiccan jewelry, it represents the four elements and spirit bound by the magic circle. I’ve also heard it said that the pentagram is the human hand and the points are the fingers, so in this case it represents human potential. The pentagram has been linked to Satanism and all sorts of other unsavory things by Hollywood scriptwriters and others who have no clue what they’re talking about, but it is really a powerful and positive symbol of creation and vitality.