poemtry and prose

Because it is so gorgeous out, I think i will try and capture some of the knowledge of the elements. To me, the elements are what makes the world turn and give us the seasons. Each element is just as important as the other and without them, i do not think the world would be as beautiful and bountiful as it is. We are very lucky, on this planet, to have had the Goddess’s great gifts of such a variety of gifts here.

My parents and their teaching say we live in a world of 4 elements. Which i guess is partially true. However, what Rayne has taught me is that there is indeed a 5th element. One that i would not have considered an element had i not chosen to learn from Rayne. And now that he’s taught me so much, this 5th element seems more important now than some of the others.

Okay, in no particular order the world is composed of fire, wind, earth, water, and spirit (sometimes also referred to as energy). Each of these elements is connected to other things living and being a part of this world. They each have an animal or fowl association, they all have colors and trees associated, as well as seasons. Well, all of them have a season associated with it except for spirit, which contains all things on a higher level.

Since i am writing this in the Winter, i will start with the element of Earth. The Earth brings us stability and hearth. Everyone is connected to the ground and everyone has a place, a structure, a town, a continent that they identify with home. Earth is also associated with the colors of nature, greens and browns. Tools that we can use that represent this element include drawing the symbol of the pentacle, sand, dirt, salt and the bounty itself we receive for nourishment from the land. We thank the Earth for providing us with it’s wisdom and connections and in its honor we strive to become strong and grounded in ourselves and our lives and communities.

Water is associated with Spring and West, i believe. It makes sense that water be representative of west because the great ocean that lies over the hills to the west of our city. The blue water surrounding the lands upon which we live on also lives within us. Water becomes our emotions and the desires of love and wanting. The chalice from which we fill wine in with, the bowl, and mirror are the tools of the West element. Blue and green, found underneath the water are this element’s colors. And i guess that by default association, any creatures living within or near the water may also become representatives of the water element as well. I must remember to ask Rayne if this is correct later. We thank the Water for providing us with it’s wisdom and connections and in its honor we strive to understand our emotions and how to live according to who we are.

Air element is associated with the East and with Spring. Air is thick and never the same, it contains all sorts of things and is always in constant motion. As such it is connected to our intellect and the ideas from which all things come from. The candles made of beeswax, imported, sweet incense and the athame (forbidden lore for a lady in training to keep, but Rayne promises me that he will procure one for me and keep it during my lessons until the day of the Awakening when i can hold one and keep it on me always). Air is colorless and as such we associate it with white which some believe is to be without any color. We thank the Air for providing us with it’s breath and music that springs new ideas from and allows us to better our lives through thinking and learning.

Fire is associated with Summer and the South and it is the last of the cardinal elements. Creativity and the birth of new things is the mark of Fire. Drums, fire itself, and in some cases a sword. The colors of the Fire element include orange and red and yellow, the bright colors of the sun. We thank the Fire for providing us with it’s warmth, creativity and motivation to spark the ideas within them and act upon them.

The last element, Spirit, only has an associated direction of up. Rayne says that this is what connects us to the higher powers of our God and Goddess through which we operate in harmony with what the Universe wants. I thought it odd to connect colors and things to Spirit, choosing instead to see it linked separately but Rayne assures me that in order to invoke and operate thru the center of one’s being, the Spirit, some form of symbolism must take place. That is why we choose the color purple for one’s spirit and of course we are the tools by which we honor and use Spirit. My parents would disagree that everything has a Spirit; they have been taught that only humans and some of the higher forms of animals have spirits and souls. I have always disagreed, but i never spoke out. There have been times when the cat, Peaches, seems to know my thoughts and feelings and has always been there when i am sick. Or what about the dogs who chased off the boars for Polly when she wandered to far into the forest? No spiritless creature could have done that. We thank the Spirit for giving us a way of connecting and believing in the higher love and power of the Goddess and that through her we can make a better life for us and turn the wheels of destiny into creating a community we can love.

Then for each element Rayne also gave me another meditation to do. I guess this is supposed to get me to understand the difference between how each element feels to me, around me and in my body. I like this idea as it allows me to be more in tune with Nature. So starting with Earth, i am to (if i can) go outside and sit under a tree, or near one and plant my feet down so they lie flat on the ground. Then i am to extend myself downwards into the ground. Not physically of course, but in my mind. I think about going all the way as far as i can, touching the very core of the Earth. And then i allow myself to just be one with the Earth. Just feel what it means to be connected to trees and plants and within the ground.

For the Water meditation i can do one of two things. When i bathe in the pond, i can send my mind and myself into the water, becoming a drop of it. Allowing the calmness and the flow of the water to move me around, and let me become what it feels to be like the water moving and becoming whatever container i am. Or i can sits by the waterfall and do the same thing but imagine myself a quickly moving drop, flowing from the calm, into the storm of the water, never stopping but still flowing as my body ebbs and flows with whatever contains it.

The Air meditation i am to wait until the wind comes. Then i am to close my eyes, hold out my arms and imagine myself being carried upwards with the wind. High into the air. Becoming apart of the air, being wistfully danced around the land. Being able to see everything, the ground below me, my home, and the people i care for.

The Fire meditation is similar to the Water one. Rayne wants me to light a candle, of purest white. Instead of becoming a drop of water, i have to imagine myself part of a flame. Moving, flickering, warm and bright. Burning anything i touch, proving heat to those nearby.