As a Witch I was initiated in the understanding of life and the natural elements that make it up. To be able to do this we must leave aside preconceived ideas, beliefs and all personal prejudices. It is necessary to listen patiently, in silence and with reverence, one by one, the lessons of mother nature, which will allow to anyone that wants to, to see and know. Nature only discovers its truths to whom are receptive. Accepting the truths that it suggests and wherever they lead, we'll have in harmony with us the whole universe.
The Tubilda lineage discerns a bit from the mainstream view of the elements. Our culture comprises nine basic elements in Nature: Water, source of life and symbol of union. Earth, represented both by any land that can serve as a home for plant organisms and in geological forces, a symbol of health and fertility. Plants, and especially trees, as they form the connection between the terrestrial world and the celestial one, symbol of balance. Metal, an element that includes not only metals for witches, but also minerals, gems and crystals. Symbol of protection. Fire, which comprises the process of combustion, as well as electricity, symbol of destruction and renewal. The Air, which comprises the atmosphere and its processes, symbol of freedom and inspiration. Light; The sun, the day and energy, symbol of wisdom. Darkness; The moon, the night time and rest, symbol of regeneration. And the Secret Element, which is all and nothing at the same time, symbol of magic and life.
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| Oriental Elements, by Yin Lum |
In most Western pagan traditions, a rather extended model, only contemplates four Elements; Fire, Air, Water and Earth as well as a fifth Element in charge of boosting and balancing the vital energy known as Spirit or Ether. Each of them is linked to a cardinal point, a color and a part of the human being: Fire, red and east, as spirit, linked to action; Air, yellow and north, as mind, linked to thought; Water, blue and west, as emotions; And Earth, green and south, as the body. These are represented in the famous pentagram, also known as the five-pointed star.
The elements have a very important role in relation to magic and rituals, they use fire for magic that requires action, such as boosting or creating something or an invocation. The air is used for everything related to divination, that is, when magic is directed to other times and places or in those cases where we're looking for answers. Water is used in evocation spells, that is when we transform or manipulate feelings, emotions and other intangible things. And Earth in magic that seeks transformation, such as alchemy or the use of the cauldron. Many western research on the Elements concludes here, or add s attachments to "magical beings" such as salamanders-fire, sylphs-air, undines-water, and gnomes-earth. They also often include knowledge about herbalism or astrology and convey a spiritual connection to the Elements and visit natural sites, such as forests, with respect.
The Oriental tradition, however, counts five Elements; Water, Wood, Earth, Fire and Metal and use the following cycles of energy relationships to gain balance and power through age-old techniques such as Feng Shui or the I Ching:
POSITIVE CYCLE
Water nourishes plants,
Wood is used to feed Fire,
Which becomes ashes and returns to the Earth,
The Earth creates metals,
And Metal mineralizes water.
NEGATIVE CYCLE
Water extinguishes fire,
The heat of Fire melts metal,
Metals cut wood,
Plants consume the earth,
And the Earth blocks and make water muddy.
They also have their version of the Secret Element, the universal energy with the difference that they are two opposing but complementary strands rather than a single entity. Yin and Yang. These are dynamic in the sense that their energy fluctuates: when one increases, the other decreases. Energy concentration is a yin process, while the tendency for its displacement and propagation is a yang process. Western thought tends to think that yin and yang are fixed states, yet in the oriental tradition they are continually changing. In the West we give yin and yang a moral connotation; Are exclusive, or the one or the other, which isn't true under oriental standards. They are extremes of a single whole; A dynamic equilibrium in continuous change, it is only detrimental what is in imbalance.
