Everything Under the Moon

elements
Usually counted as four, the elements are essential to magic.
Each of the four directions is ruled by an element and the zodiacs are divided into 4 triples, each triple is associated with an element.
We witches call the 4 elements to create a sacred circle when doing magic and our(basic) tools are 4, one for each element.

Wind: compass point east, wind is the element associated with communication, the mind, intellect and knowledge the signs under wind are Gemini, Libra and Aquarious. Those three have these characteristics more or less.Burning of incense is an invocation to the spirits of Wind. Another symbol for wind are feathers. Yellow, spring and sunrise are the color, season fo the year and hour of the day associated with wind.

Water: compass point west, water is for deap knowledge, changability, arts and intuition. The three signs under water are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. A bowl with rainwater, springwater or seawater will call the spirits of Water. Blue, sunset and autumn are the color, time of the day and season for water.

Fire: compass point south, Fire is passionate, strong willed, couragious and power. Aries, Leo and Saggitarious are under fire.Lighting candles ( red is best suited) calls upon the energies of Fire. Red, noon and summer are the color, hour of day and season fo the year of Fire.

Earth: compass point north, earth is solid, stubborn and motherly, the signs under earth are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. *my suggestion is you purchase a magnetic compass
Gemstones or a bowl with salt , sand (or dirt) are for Earth.
Traditionally a magic circle starts and ends with North.
Green, midnight and winter are the color hour of the day and season of the year for earth.
note: if you are going to use gemstones then you should be carefull when cleansing them for example gypsum dissolves with water. Personally i leave my gems inside a bowl with thick salt overnight to cleanse them.


circle casting:
A witch casts her circle when doing magic, i say circle but its a sphere (bubble if you like) of energy that surrounds us protects us. This bubble/circle is an expansion of our heart..our emotions are reflected upon it.
Each individual has his/her way of opening their circle, some simply visualize water ripples under their feet, some see sparkling dust all around in a circle. A personal chant does the trick as well.
The traditional way is to face each compass point and call to the element starting and ending with earth( north).
Personally i have a 4 meters long cord with differnt colors (each for an elemnt ) i make a circle with it and sit in the center...
try various ways and see what works for you best..invent your own way if everything else seems "wrong".

And now a little homework i found on a book, find a representative of each element, lets say you want to start with fire and you have chosen a candle, hold the candle in your hands, run your fingers through the fire (dont burn yourself in the process) try to feel the energies of fire running through your heart, mind and soul, what's it like? Does a memory pop in your head? What do you feel about each element?
Is it cold, warm, soft, harsh, pleasant, unpleasant?
I for exapmle always get excited with fire, i feel like a kid who had sugar for breakfast, lunch and dinner, its the passionate nature of fire that affects me, but i wont say more because that is MY opinion.

note: if you feel like it, post your thoughts/results here so others can see and comment on them!! That is only optional ofcourse.

as i have mentioned before... i am connected with the five elements. I love fire and wind and spirit.when i call sprit i always feel energized and anxious. When i call fire i have a warming sensation. When i call wind i feel peacful and at one with the world.

If there is anything i can do to help with this topic plz feel free to let me know.

i thought there were only four elements? do you mind me asking why you use 5?

"spirit" seems like a strange thing to add in to the classical earth, air, fire, and water... almost like one of those "what doesn't belong" games.

sorry if i sound rude, just trying to understand.

spirit has always been part of the elements, it's just the one that doesn't have characteristics. Spirit is sometimes said to be the combined power of all the elements. It is also sometimes seen as the power of the Goddess & God, and the inner self

I believe in the 4 elements water wind aerth and fire..for me the spirit is the power, heart if you like of the witch!!
That inner strengh, the feelings, that guide us.

The Chinese who practice Feng Shui, have five elements.

These are:-

Fire - Colour Red - Season Summer - Direction South
Wood - Colour Green - Seaon Spring - Direction East
Earth - Co;our Yellow/Brown - Season None - Drection Centre
Water - Colour Black/Dark Blue - Season - Direction North
Metal - Colour White/Gold - Season Autumn - Direction West

thank you for explaining hummingbird

What's this about traditionally starting and finishing the circle casting with East??
Why has it changed?

In my tradition u always start with east, because east is the direction of birth, and that is the direction the sun rises and starts its cycle... other people may start with other directions but east has always felt right for me

oooh i see.
so it's the whole "what feels right to you" thing again.
haha it's coming up a lot
but i like the concept East sounds like a more fitting way for me too. Once you put it like that.

Yes, i like the whole "what feels right for you" thing too hehehe, because really, when you think about it, if it DOESNT feel right to you then there is no power behind it.... so whats the point really??

I have added some new info on the topic..i apologize for my mistake, Earth's compass point Is north not east as i typed (by accident)!!

Or south if ur in the southern hemisphere with me =D

In my tradition, these are the elemental colours:

Air: Red
Fire: yellow
Water: Blue
Earth: black

so for your hemisphere:
west-water
east-wind
north-fire
south-earth???

i have also heard of brown for earth..
got any other differences in the color correspontances?

Yep! Thats correct for Southern hemispherians... hahaha And we cast circle in an anticlockwise direction... freaks!! hehehe