A Study of the Elements
Grounded by Earth
North - Foundation - Strength
Pray to What Earth
Pray to what earth does this sweet cold belong,
Which asks no duties and no conscience?
The moon goes up by leaps, her cheerful path
In some far summer stratum of the sky,
While stars with their cold shine bedot her way.
The fields gleam mildly back upon the sky,
And far and near upon the leafless shrubs
The snow dust still emits a silver light.
Under the hedge, where drift banks are their screen,
The titmice now pursue their downy dreams,
As often in the sweltering summer nights
The bee doth drop asleep in the flower cup,
When evening overtakes him with his load.
By the brook sides, in the still, genial night,
The more adventurous wanderer may hear
The crystals shoot and form, and winter slow
Increase his rule by gentlest summer means.
Earth is associated with the cardinal direction of the North, the place of midnight, when the sun’s light has moved beyond the horizon of sight and appears to be held in the darkness of night before sunrise. Earth is also associated with all things of the physical realm. Humanity, flora, fauna, crystal and more are all contained within earth. Earth is also the place of manifestation, concrete and tangible outcome.
Earth holds within its bound the potential for creation, evolution and sustaining of what has been created. Following the Laws of the Elements, Earth would fall under the Law of Summons and the Law of Abundance. Earth is the energy of the magnet that attracts to itself what it sends forth. Because earth defines the manifest world and all that is contained within, it draws to itself the power of manifestation itself. This is the Law of Summons.
The Law of Abundance is exemplified in the quality of fertility and the abundance of life that are part of the earthly realm. When we speak of fertility, we also place financial affairs, money and physical possessions within this element's energy.
The element of Earth and the physical planet of Earth are very similar in quality. Each serve as the foundation for what will be brought forth into manifest form. Each offer strength and stability to allow for growth. Each carries the life thread of connection between the mundane and the spiritual.
Earth is probably the easiest of the elements to realize. It is our visual landscape; the place where we make our homes and go about our daily lives. Because there is such a fine line between the nature and energy of the element and the planet upon which we live, I think it is also at times the one most overlooked and taken for granted. When we call to the element of earth in ritual or meditation we are calling to the memory that lays dormant within the belly of the earth itself. We are calling to the memory of our higher nature that lays dormant within. And, when we connect with the element of earth we are connecting with the collective consciousness of our natural world. We are connecting to our physical manifest selves and our lineage that is the foundation of all creation.
Some Correspondences: Earth
Direction North – Late Evening/midnight
Elementals Gnomes
Colors Greens and Browns
Season Winter
Sabbat Winter Solstice
Instruments Drums/Percussion
Astrological: Capricorn Virgo Taurus
Tools: Pentacles/Coins
Tarot: Suit of Pentacles/Discs
Life Cycle Sage/Crone
Chakra Root
Element Specific Practice
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Journaling
Free associate the descriptive words you would use to define earth
(ie. sun, fertility, strength, etc..)
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Sensory Work
Meditate on the physical world
Bring a snack with you and find a quiet place under a tree or in a garden. Sit on the ground and allow the energy of the earth to move through you. Open all your senses to the experience of smell, sight and sound. As you engage in this state of physical presence, begin to eat your snack. Make note of the taste, the texture of the snack in your mouth and as you swallow.
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Experiential Work
Put on your favorite music and dance and move to the rhythms you hear. Feel the strength of your body, the sweat and the beating of your heart and the blood coursing through your veins. This is your physical being in concert with the energy and life that surrounds you.
