The Elementals

[Mirrorah]

I was wondering if anyone worked with the elementals apart from calling the corners. How do you do it? Is there anything I should know?

[SpiritTalker]

Calling the quarters is a simple way to recognize the valuable & always present elements. When working with Elements you must always always always, once more, always retain balance. One meaning of the quartered circle is balance. The element opposites are by polarity not by position on the wheel. (-)water opposite (+)fire, (-)earth opposite (+)air.

I wrote about it in the spells topics Red Magic & Red Therapy. I'd worked a year-long project concentrating on Fire-energy. I didnt think to include water energies to balance the fire energy. Within the same week of ending the project i experienced a broken water main at my house. Was the timing just coincidence & old plumbing? or was it the Water Element re establishing the balance Id upset by my neglect? I only figured it out later. Big head smack!

Elementals each have their own set of rules. It's a good idea to get familiar with them in Nature & observe with all your senses before working with them. They will teach you about themselves with dignity & humor.

[Ashrend]

I didn't know that about the positive and negative things, maybe that what some of my issues have been. I have been working mostly with fire so time to balance that out I guess.

As for the question the ways I have been working with it is energy wise, shaping my own energy into the elements in my palms, feeling the tingle of energy and then just following my gut with what I do. If it's real world elements your trying to work with just meditate with those elements and understand how it feels and acts, they Ty and see if you can move it. I'm still practicing that without any success yet but practice makes perfect

[SpiritTalker]

If you've been experiencing water issues, like emotional confrontation, household or auto leaks, um bladder problems these can suggest there's too much fire energy on the loose & nature is righting the balance, & contrarily if you've got those same issues without having so much as lit a match it can also suggest too much water energy & a bit of fire energy might set things straight.

One way to work with elemental energy is by polarity balance, just like an altar layout maintains the (-)-female-passive-left and the (+)-male-active-right in spell work for best results. I'm sure there are other good ways to directly embrace the elemental force, like by visualization as you mentioned, or other ways.

I'm not magically trained & skitter along by winging it most often. Balance is just one way I've figured out from trial & error. Once the balance bulb lit in my head I started seeing more applications for it built in to circle casting & the standard Wiccan altar layout, and even daily activities & meal planning. It gives more meaning to eating a balanced meal and living a balanced lifestyle. We can plug in the elements to these. And I think it shows up in kitchen witchery as cooking craft where fire & water are in constant use. Just something to think about.

[Mirrorah]

I read a book years ago and would kill to have it again, unfortunately, I don't remember what it was called. The author talked a lot about the elementals and described them very well and I've always been fascinated by the concept, but never really thought it was true, until the other night when I had an experience with a candle flame, just as Ashrend was talking about, the flame almost seemed like a creature, like a fairy made of fire or something. And it seemed like the flame was moving around with my emotions. When I was calm, the flame was calm, when I felt emotional, the flame flickered. For some reason, I've been thinking of things to do to attract them, like they're a rare hummingbird or something. I want to put fountains in some of the room, frequently lighting candles, burning incense, things like that.
The author of the book I was talking about earlier also spoke about how they are attracted to certain people by their personalities and some people do things that make them mad and they start acting out. SpiritTalker, I understand what you mean. It seems to me that if one tried to make their personality the way it would need to be to attract each element, a person would be very balanced.
And to feel them all around you if you were balanced seems like it would be a very joyous experience, though I know it would be easier said than done. And if you're getting out of balance, they'll let you know. They'll, like you said, break your pipes, then you realize what you've been doing wrong. And to top it all off, they sound so cute! (JK) But seriously, it's easy to see one in a flame and I know you can see air with smoke, or by the path of the wind, sometimes the wind feels like it is conscious somehow. I think for Earth, you'd simply have to be outside. I can't see attracting a Gnome into your house to live in a pile of rocks or something. But water is harder because I don't have a good place to be around fresh water. Someone told me rain, which is a good idea. Really, I like to hear anything about them. Oh, and I definitely agree with you about the observing part. I just want to be friends for now. lol (What I just wrote sounds like the ravings of a madwoman. lol)

[SpiritTalker]

The Way of Four: Create Elemental Balance in Your Life by Deborah Lipp is a good one.

I'm not one to set out to attract Others, being a more live-&-let-live type, but I do notice movements, like tree bark shifting into an image & then sliding back as it was, vines moving when there's no breeze, & spicey scents where no flowers grow; and I'm not sure where earth spirits and Fae fall off and elementals begin, but the elementals are so very basic they would likely be a part of the substance forming the element itself. I guess, like the Fae, if they want to let you see 'em, you will.

Just a note that the thing with my pipes was tied to magical energy over emphasis, not casual daily presence or personality, per se.

[barker]

Fire: honesty
Water: patience
Air: innocence
Earth: strength

I like to run through these element/virtues in order what to establish Silence. It is like the world gets destroyed and rebjorn. Takes a long time mind you, reproving one's soul. You could probably do it quickly, and call it self, tho.

[Mirrorah]

Spirit Talker-I'm sure it's best to just observe until you know what you would be getting into. Oh, and thanks for the book suggestion.

Barker-Thanks. I like to hear how others do this.

[MsMollimizz]

The Way of Four: Create Elemental Balance in Your Life by Deborah Lipp is a good one.
Just a note that the thing with my pipes was tied to magical energy over emphasis, not casual daily presence or personality, per se.

Here's the quiz ! http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... 24276.html
Gentle Light
MsMollimizz

[LC]

There is another book focused on the elements by Scott Cunningham called Earth, Air, Fire & Water. Haven’t read it through.