Magical Elements (Part two)

Let’s look at the four elements!
This article is the second in a series. The first article discussed the history behind the four elements. It also provided my perspective on how they function in witchcraft.
In today’s article, we’ll look at each element, one by one! It’s best to read the earlier article first. It covers concepts such as the hot-cold/dry-wet spectrum. These are a bit important!

I’ll be giving a bit of the traditional correspondences. I’ll also be talking about why those associations exist. I hope you find it interesting, and that it helps with your craft. Let’s begin with Fire!

Fire

Fire is a hot and dry element. This means that the forces fire represents are both stable and active.
People wonder why fire is “stable.” Realize that, or centuries, it was the only source of stable light on dark nights!
Fire consumes. It also provides warmth and light. It has a mixed role in human history. Ancient people drove away predators with Fire. So, it’s associated with our ability to defend ourselves against malevolent forces.
Even so, its destructive power is well-known. Before the modern era, house fires could be particularly devastating. After all, there were no fire trucks in those days! Thus, fire corresponds both to dangerous aggression and necessary self-defense.
Fire was not something humans have known about forever. We had to discover and harness it! Many legends describe fire as gifted by (or stolen from) the gods. It was a revolutionary discovery for our species. It is thus associated with human ingenuity. It can represent our ability to shape natural phenomena in our favor.
For this reason, we associate Fire with the creative spark within each person. It is also associated with the concept of Will. This can mean both our everyday desires, and our deepest goals. It represents our desire and ability to enact change in our reality!
It’s associated with the suit of Wands in Tarot. There, it corresponds to human creativity, will, desire, and our driven activities. For many diviners, the Wands represent new projects and creative energy. The fourteen cards of the suit represent the spectrum of human desire and drive.

Air

Air is a hot and wet element, but this only means that it is active, yet flowing and dynamic.
To understand air’s metaphysical meaning, look at how actual air currents behave. It was easy for our ancestors to notice and observe the weather, wind, and clouds.
Air does nourish human beings. Our ancestors didn’t understand this, though. So, it doesn’t factor into the metaphysical meaning of air. You might have this association, though. As usual, go with what works for you!
Air is very quick! It is also very powerful. Think of a tornado. It represents dynamic changes. The wind, like fire, can destroy even very strong structures. This is why Air and Fire are both seen as active elements.
Air gets associated with the human intellect and communication. These are concepts that are capable of creating rapid change. We associate the idea of communication, in particular, with speed. After all, if you’re going to communicate something, you want to be efficient and quick about it.
In ancient times, reliable and fast communication was paramount. This is often taken for granted now. After all, the Internet made communication much easier! Strong winds bring to mind the speed and power of mass communication. They also represent the powerful, yet capricious nature of human intellect.
We usually associate Air with the Suit of Swords in Tarot. This is one of the more difficult suits, though! It shows a lot of vigorous action. To better understand Air and the Tarot Swords, realize that thoughts become actions. A mere idea can create incredible and swift changes!

Water

Water is the wet and cold element. It is dynamic and ever-changing, yet passive and nourishing to us.
Passive elements, including earth, are those which provide nourishment in some form. All the elements aid humanity in some way. Still, humans are more in touch with the nourishing aspect of Water and Earth in particular. Their importance was obvious to ancient agrarian societies!
When something is active, it changes you without your own initiative. Water is a passive element, though. You draw from water by choice. It is true that floods sometimes force themselves into our lives.
Still, our ancestors were more influenced by the nourishing power of drawing from the sea. Some scientists even believe that  seafood helped humans develop modern brain structures! Water is something you seek out and use for nourishment.
Water is dynamic in nature - think of how capricious the sea and large bodies of water can be. Also, their depths hide dangers and treasures.
Most associate water with human emotions in magical systems. This because emotions tend to embody the same qualities in a metaphorical fashion. Most people have hidden emotional depths. Our emotional landscape ebbs and flows.
The Tarot associates Water with the suit of Cups. These are often very positive cards! They represent the range of human emotional experience. Some of my students have asked why so many Cups are positive cards.
This might be because it is human nature to emphasize positive emotions. This keeps us from despair. While it is never good to completely ignore bad feelings, positivity does go a long way!

Earth

Earth is the dry and cold element. This means that it is passive, and also less mutable.
The earth under our feet has always been a very stable feature of human experience. Thus, it’s strongly associated with the fixed, unchanging aspects of human existence. This is true of Earth more than any other element!
Without a doubt, even early humans knew how important soil was. They knew that Earth was a source of great physical nourishment for humanity. Like Water, Earth is something humans choose to draw from. Thus, it’s passive.
The Earth abides. We alter it, farming and tilling the soil. This helps sustain and nourish our bodies. For this reason, we associate Earth with the human experience of embodiment. It corresponds to the physical facts of our existence. It also calls to mind the constant, unchanging features of reality.
We associate Earth with prosperity and fate, fertility and growth. These are concepts dependent on nourishment.
They’re also constant features of life! You might even say that Earth is the “closest” element to humanity. It has a lot of depth, and you can spend much time working with it.
In the Tarot, the suit of Pentacles represents Earth. It displays the range of material conditions of humanity. A trite description might say this suit just refers to finances.
It’s actually more complex than that! Pentacles are actually one of the more difficult suits. This is because so many people try to reduce it to money matters. Really, the Pentacles speak about all physical things. This includes both nourishment and fertility.

Going Further

I mentioned this in the previous article, but I’ll say it again. I think it’s important! The elements are actually arbitrary categories of human existence. They are powerful because as they act as symbols.
Symbols allow witches and magicians to make connections. They allow us to tap into larger forces at work in the universe!
These connections allow us to create change in conformity with our individual Wills. In other words, they make magick possible! I hope this article gave you a good foundation for studying the elements.
In reality, you could spend your entire life focusing on their magick. Many witches even spend a long time focused on a single one! There is a lot of complexity here!
The elements can interact in interesting ways. There’s also tons of ways to connect with them for spell work!
I hope you all have a wonderful day, and that your lives are full of wonderful magick!

Kind of want to do a third part in this series though I only planned for two. It would be about mercury, salt, and sulfur and how they relate to the elements.