The Elements
Of Life
In the Goddess tradition,
as in many other earth-based traditions, the elements that
sustain life are sacred. The four elements of life - air,
fire, water, and earth form a circle, with the fifthe element,
spirit, as its center. Each of the first four elements of
life represents one of the four directions. For us, air is
the east, fire is the south, water is the west, and earth
is the north. In your circles, you must work with the correspondences
that feel right to you. The elements teach us about ourselves.
Air, fire, water and earth represent our minds, our energy,
our emotions, and our bodies. When we face a problem or a
challenge, we can ask ourselves whether we've looked at it
from the point of view of each element. What do we think?
What energies do we notice? What feelings do we have? How
are our bodies affected? What does our inner spirit tell us?
The circle of the elements of life helps us to remember to
consider the whole, not merely one part, of any question or
decision.
When these four elements of
life are present and in harmony, the fifthe element, spirit,
or center, is created. Spirit is what we call conscience,
character, intuition, or the small voice inside. In Goddess
tradition, this is the place where aquired knowledge and our
innate wisdom meet and are touched by the Goddess to form
an inner spirit, a sense of direction that steers us away
from harm and toward our life's purpose.
In the task of raising children
in Goddess tradition, we find that just as the four eleemnts
earth, air, fire, and water connect to make the sacred circle,
these elements, when translated into human attributes, make
the child a whole vibrant person. Our goal, as people who
are rooted in the world view of the Goddess traditions, is
to rais echildren who are empowered. Empowerment is that combination
of self confidence, independent thought, intuition, and egagement
with the world that enables us to live by our princicples
and stand up for what we believe in. By creating an environment
that empowers our children and ourselves, we strive to create
a culture based on concern and compassion, rather than apathy
and indifference.
In the following sections
we discuss each of the five elements and their primary associated
qualities as they relate to child rearing and self-development.
We focus on realistic goals and common sense strategies that
we can all draw from, regardless of our personal preferences
on a number of issues.
Fire
All life on earth depends
on the energy of the sun. Plants use that energy directly
to live and grow. Animals must eat plants or other animals.
But directly or indirectly, we are all sustained by the sun.
In the Northern Hemisphere,
the sun is brightest and hottest when it shines at high noon
from the south. Therefore south is the direction we associate
with fire.
Fire is also the element that
warms our houses and cooks out food. the hearth fire is sacred
in every earth-based tradtion, for fire is the living heart
of the home. Before, television, people would gather before
a fire to tell tales and sing songs during the long nights
of winter, We still love to sing around a campfire or chant
over a ritual fire in the center of our circles.
Fire is also dangerous. Like
all thing of power, fire demands respect. A curtain wafting
across a candle can burn down a home. The summers are dry
where we live, and a careless match or stray spark can ignite
a wildfire that may burn thousands of acres and hundreds of
homes. Learning to knowfire means learning how to use fire
safely and how to put a fire out. Fire reminds us that we
are all responsible for each other's safety.
Fire is the symbol of human
energy as well as the sun's energy. Health, strength, enthusiasm,
and passion are qualities of fire. When we direct our energies,
when we focus on a goal, we use our will, one of the powers
we find in this eleement. Fire is connected to all forms of
magic that direct energy, especially healing and protection.
The time of day connected
to fire is, of course, high noon, just as the season is high
summer. The colors of fire are red, orange, and bright golden
yellow. The lion, because of its bright golden color and wild,
dangerous power is often seen as a symbol of fire. So is the
dragon, with its fiery breath. Legends tell us that salamanders
could live in fire - but don't test the myth with any of the
ones you may find!
Brigit, of course, is the
Goddess of the sacred flame of poetry, healing and the forge.
Pele is the Hawaiian Goddess of the volcano. Hestia is the
Greek Goddess of the hearth. Lugh is the Celtic sun God. Wayland
Smith is the ancient God of the forge. Set is the anceint
Egyptian God of the hot desert sun. There are many more Gods
and Goddesses of fire. On our altars, a candle flame brings
the presence of fire to our rituals. The tool of fire in our
tradition is the wand, which is used to direct energy, and
wands are oftenmade of wood, which burns. You can make a wand
of your own by cutting (with adult help if working with a
wee one) a small branch from you favorite tree. Be sure to
ask the tree's permission, and leave an offering.
Water
Life began in water, in the
currents of the primeval ocean, and living things need water
to survive. Our bodies are mostly water, and our blood is
similar to seawater in its chemistry. Water carries nutrients
to all the cells of our bodies and cleanses our wastes. Clean,
sweet water is sacred to all people who honor life.
Water moves in a great cycle
around the globe. Rain falls on the earth, bringing life to
plants, soaking the soil or collecting in streams and rivers
that flow to the sea. The great tides and currents of the
ocean sustain sea life from the tiny plankton tot he great
whales, influencing the weather, wearing away the shore. Water
evaporates from the surface of the waves, forming clouds that
bring the rain, and so the cycle begins again.
The summers are very dry where
I live, so the first rains of winter are especially sacred.
Suddenly new life appears. Seeds sprout, and grasses begin
to grow. Our winters are often very wet, and rain comes down
for days and days. Dry streams spring to life and rivers widen
their flow. In flood years, we see the imense power of water
to break through obstacles and carry away anything that blocks
its flow. In drought years, water becomes extremely precious
to us, and we learn to guard every drop carefully.
Water also represents our
feelings and emotions. After all, our feelings flow and change
like wtaer. We can bathe eah other in love and appreciation,
but we can also rage and storm like the ocean waves crashing
against the shore. When we honor all our feelings, the ones
we think of as positive and those we think of as negative,
we can choose how to act so that our emotions feed life. When
we know our anger, we can choose to act peacefully. When we
admit our fear, we can choose to act with courage.
For us, water is in the west,
the direction of the ocean and the rain. Its time of day os
the gray twilight, and its season is autumn, when the rains
return. The colors of water are blue, blue- green, and gray.
All water animals ~ all fish and sea creatures, including
dolphins, whales, and the wise salmon ~ are symbols of water.
Tiamat, the ancient Babylonian
sea seropent goddess, was mother of all the Gods. Aphrodite,
Greek Goddess of love, is also Goddess of the sea. Brigit
carries the power of the holy well along with the sacred flame.
Oshun is the Yoruba Goddess of the river and of love, art,
and culture. Yemaya is the Mother Goddess of the ocean. Ba'al
is the Canaanite God of storms and the returning rains of
winter. Tlaloc is the Toltec God of rain. Mananan mac Lir
is the Welsh God of the sea, while Poseidon is the Greek ocean
God, whose horses are the wild waves.
On the altar, the symbol of
water and traditional tool is the cup or chalice. Seashells,
water-smoothed stones, and images of water creatures can also
be used.
Spirit
We have gone around the wheel
of the elements and visited all four directions. Now we come
to the center, the place of that mysterious fifth element
we call "spirit," although we could just as well
call it "mystery." The center is the place of change
and transformation, and this element is not so much of a physical
presence but the sense of connection that puts us in touch
with the great powers of life and death. Spirit might also
be called "relationship," as the center is the place
where we connect with the Goddess and God, with our traditions,
and with prayer, blessing, meditations, and personal practice.
Another name for this section might be "core values,"
for here we contemplate ethics, right and wrong, and our responsibility
to be healers, peacemakers, and protectors of the earth and
her peoples.
Spirit is timeless. It corresponds
to the whole cycle of the day and night, the whole wheel of
the year, and the realm beyond time. Its color is clear ~
or the rainbow, which contains all colors. All the Goddesses
and Gods can be considered as aspects of the center.
The traditional tool of the
center is the cauldron, the magic soup pot that combines the
earth/metal of the container, the fire below and the air to
feed it, and the water within to bring about transformation.
The drum, which holds the heartbeat of a circle and keeps
a large group unified, is also a tool of center. Many symbols
can be used on the alter to represent spirit. One of our favorites
is a mirror, for our connection to the sacred must be found
inside each one of us.
Earth
The Earth ~ Rocks, minerals,
and the living soil beneath our feet. Plants draw energy from
the sun, but they are nourished by the earth. Seeds are planted
beneath the ground to begin their lives. The dead bodies of
animals and plants are taken back to the soil to feed new
life.
We think of earth as a solid
thing, but soil is amazingly complex. A square foot of good
garden soil is like an underground city full of space, caverns,
crystalline arches, and mineral bridges, all teeming with
life. Soil contains air, so that life within can breathe,
and carries water to sustain billions of soil creatures and
feed the roots of plants. When we truly understand the marvelous
world below us, we can protect the soil from erosion by wind
and water, and learn to help build new, rich soil where plants
can grow. Gardening, tending trees and plants, and caring
for animals are all ways to honor and protect the sacred earth.
The earth is the element that
stands for our bodies. Our physical bodies are sacred, and
we must take care of ourselves as we take care of the earth.
All the food we eat, all the things we make and do and use,
are part of this element. Because good soil is often dark,
the color of the earth is black and its time is midnight.
The green of living plants and growing things is also a good
earth color. Its direction is north, the one quarter of the
sky where in the Northern Hemisphere the sun never travels,
and its season is winter, the time of darkness when seeds
sleep beneath the ground. Plants, trees, and all land animals,
especially big ones such as bulls and bears, are symbols of
earth.
Gaia (GUY-yuh) is the ancient
Greek Goddess whose name means "earth." Demeter
was the Goddess of grain and agriculture. Eriu was the Irish
Goddess who gave her name to the land itself. In many Native
American stories, Corn Mother is the sacred being whose body
feeds the people. Cernunnos is the Celtic Horned God, the
God of animals. The Green Man in all his aspects is the God
of plants and trees. Ogun is the Yoruba Lord of the forest.
Robin Hood is an old English forest God. There are many, many
more Goddesses and Gods of earth, of particular plants and
animals, and of sacred places.
Symbols of earth for the altar
can be stones, crystals, rocks, or living plants. Leaves,
grain, fruits, flowers, and vegetables can also be used. The
traditional tool of earth is the pentacle, a five- pointed
star in a circle, often inscribed on a plate or made of metal.
Its five points stand for the four elements, plus the fifth,
spirit. They also stand for the five senses, for our five
fingers and toes, and for the human body with legs apart and
arms uplifted to invoke the Goddess. The circle around it
stands for the wheel of life. For us, the pentacle is a symbol
of wholeness and balance, and of the ancient mysteries of
our tradition.
Air
Every Moment of our lives,
we must breathe in order to survive. Air carries sounds and
scents, and its clarity allows light to pass through so that
we can see. Air is invisible, except when other things move
in response to its motion, when the wind makes branches dance
and leaves fly, or bends the grasses down as it passes.
We share breath with all life.
Like other re-blooded creatures, we breathe in oxygen and
expel carbon dioxide,which is used by plants and trees to
transform the pure energy of the sun into food for all living
things. Plants and trees give off oxygen, which we breathe
in, and so a balance is sustained. We honor air as the breath
of the Goddess and the gift of our most ancient fellow living
creatures.
In our tradition, we associate
air with the east, the direction of dawn or sunrise. Because
air is invisible, we identify it with the parts of ourselves
that are important but cannot be seen: our mind, our vision,
our thoughts, and our dreams. Air represents knowledge and
understanding, which we gain by looking closely at what is
around us. Air is connected with springtime, the dawn of the
year. The animals of air are, of course, birds and all flying
insects,such as dragonflies and butterflies. Air's colors
are pale pinks, yellows, and whites.
Some of the Goddesses of air
are Iris, the Greek Goddess of sunrise and the rainbow, and
Oya, Yoruba Goddess of the whirlwind and sudden changes. Boreas
is the Greek God of the wind; Hermes is the power of thought
and communication. Elegba, th Yoruba trickster, translates
human language into that of the Orishas, the great powers
of the universe. All could be invoked for the gifts connected
with air.
Symbols of air to place on
your altar might be feathers, incense or other good-smelling
things, fans, pinwheels, or kites. In our tradition the tool
of air is the athame, the Witch's knife. It stands for thepower
of the mind to seperate things, to say: "I am me and
you are you and we are not the same." Clearly, a knife
is an inappropriate tool for young children. Substitutes might
be a pair of scissors or a pen (the pen is mightier than the
sword).
| Authors Details: The Elements Of Life
by Starhawk |
Articles On The Elements Of Life
(The Elements
Of Life)
(The Elements)
(Elemental
Energy) |
