The Elements, Directions, and Correspondences

Wiccans place great emphasis on the four classical Elements: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth in creating ritual space and mindset. In these four concepts are a rich store of metaphor and symbolism about the differences that make up balance. Whether they are viewed as Mind, Spirit, Heart, and Body; Inspiration, Courage, Love, and Strength; or the four Watchtowers of classical magick, the power in their symbolism seems to be constantly renewed every time I meditate on them, and I love writing elaborate invocations to the elements in ritual, because their symbolism is so rich and so multifaceted.

Below, find some of the correspondences I like to use with the elements. They're in a general format of Time; Manifestation; Symbolism; Imaginings; Animals; Mythic Representation; Tools; Color. I also include the fifth element as some people use it. Note that the list is by no means either exhaustive or authoritative, so feel free to use this as a starting point for your own meditations, practices, and discoveries.

Air: the East

Beginnings, morning, sunrise, spring; wind, breezes, hurricanes, tornadoes; the mind, wisdom, knowledge, inspiration; fields of wind-rippled grasses, the scent of spring wildflowers, sound of pipes on the breeze, feel of wind lifting your hair; the eagle, falcon, hawk; sprites; the sword or athame, incense (smoke), the wand (some trads); noscere - to know; yellow, white, pale violet.

Fire: the South

Noon, summer; bonfires, fireplaces, cooking fires, forest fires; will, action, passion, enthusiasm; the desert sands, the smell of wood smoke, the sound of crackling flames, the feel of the hot sun beating down; the lioness; salamanders; the wand, incense, candles, the sword (some trads); velle - to will; red or orange.

Water: the West

Twilight, sunset, autumn; seas, lakes, rivers, rain, floods; emotions, cleansing, healing; the sea lapping a rocky shore, the smell of salt spray or fresh summer rain, the sound of a babbling brook, the feel of cool water cleansing your body; dolphins, seals, fish; naiads, merfolk, selkies; the cup; audere - to dare; blue, grey, sea green.

Earth: the North

Midnight, winter: earth, mountains, stones, soil, vegetation, earthquakes; body, strength, foundation, permanence; a plowed field, standing stones, or silent forest, the smell of rich damp earth or pine needles, the sound of silence in a forest, the feel of something solid beneath your feet; the bull; gnomes; the pentacle, salt, crystal; tacere - to be silent; green, brown, black.

Spirit or Chaos: the Center

Timeless, in all times, "once upon a time"; space, the astral, between the worlds; transformation, change, interconnectedness, the returning spiral; the point at the center of a galaxy, the sound of rich harmony or a single voice; the unicorn, the dragon; the Goddesses and Gods; the cauldron; to believe, to have faith; clear, black, white, or rainbow.