Building a Relationship With the Elements

After watching an episode of The Sacred Circle, a follower of my CricketSong facebook page asked if I would share ideas on how to start working with the elements. During the episode Allorah Rayne, Renee Yin, and I discussed how important it was for a new Witch (or any Witch for that matter) to establish a relationship with the classical elements of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. When the Lunar Wisdom Coven was active each Samhain every member was given an element to work with for that year until the following Samhain when the elements were switched. Allorah suggested working with an element for six months then switching so which ever length of time you decide I would say anything less than six months isn’t 

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enough time required to really establish a relationship with that elements energetic personality. ​

As a Witch, I believe that it is important to align or attune with the energies or spirits of our environment because when we do so, we are able to have personal experiences with the elements and witness how each of them manifests within the natural world that we are a part of as well as how they manifest within our own physical bodies. And if you are a Witch who cast Circle during spell casting and Ritual work, establishing a relationship with each element or Quarter is vital to calling and releasing their energies. If you don’t know how the energy of Water or Air or Earth or Fire feels then how will you be able to determine if you actually accomplished the evocation?

Having a relationship with the elements is a basic tenet of Wicca. I've already written a blog post pertaining to this, which can be found here: The Tenets of Wicca: Having a Relationship with the Elements, Elementals, and Guardians
 
So, how does the Witch establish a relationship with each element? I am going to share with you some ideas, but these are only suggestions. I would advise that each suggestion would be best as a focus for five to seven days (one week) and that you incorporate the idea as many times as possible during that week, though if it is an activity that you enjoy no one is stopping you from continuing to use it as a focus for a longer length of time. Please keep in mind that not all of the suggestions may work for you and as you begin to work with an element you may be inspired to try something different. I encourage you to follow your own intuition and any messages or insight that you receive from the spirit of the element, your gods, your Spirits, Guides, and Ancestors.​ Witchcraft is an intimate and personal practice. 

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The Book of Elements:
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The first exercise I usually encourage individuals to do can be found in the book Witchcraft Theory and Practice by Ly De Angeles. This exercise is to create a personal Book of Elements, which will encourage you to consider the elements Fire, Water, Earth, and Air and how they manifest themselves within you.
 
First you will need a notebook or create a word document, which you will divide into four equal sections. Title the first section Fire, the second section Water, the third Earth, and the fourth Air. Divide the pages of each section into two equal columns, one side titled Acceptable and the other side Unacceptable. Once that is complete you should contemplate the characteristics and traits of your personality and on each side of the pages you will list these characteristics and traits that correspond with each element. During this exercise it is important that you are brutally honest with yourself otherwise you will not be able to accomplish the desired goal. This exercise will be ongoing as you work through the elements as you may not display some characteristics until they are triggered by an exchange or situation.
 
Keep in mind that sometimes a particular attribute that we have assigned to Earth, Fire, or Air may actually be better associated with Water so continually reevaluate your lists and shift them if necessary.

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​Working and Incorporating the Elements:
 
Questions to consider as you work with each element 

1. What is the element trying to communicate with me?
2. Are there things that I can learn from the way it operates in the natural world?
3. How do I think this element feels about its relationship with humankind?
4. How is the relationship it has with humankind different and similar to its relationship with the other species that shares the Earth with it?
5. How does the element manifest within my personality?
6. What activities do I enjoy that would be aligned with the element?

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Working with the element of Fire:

• Build campfires or bonfires, work with candles, oil lamps, torches or other flames.
• Cook on a gas stove, bake in an oven.
• Spend time in the sunlight or daylight.
• Go to the beach, lay in the sun.
• Turning up the heat in your home, cuddle under blankets or quilts.
• Use a sauna, participate in a sweat lodge or hot yoga and experience sweat.
• Take hot showers or baths, and hot tubs.
• Consume hot liquids (tea, coffee, cocoa) and soups.
• Eat spicy foods or hot peppers.
• Visit tropical or desert locations.
• Keep charred wood, soot, ashes, jet or coal, lava rocks, and other such items from volcanos near you or on you.
• Watch movies, videos, and documentaries about fire.
• Be spontaneous.
• Be courageous.
• Allow yourself to be outspoken or opinionated; don’t hold back your self-expression.
• Follow your aggression.
• Embrace your competitive nature. 

Working with the element of Water:

• Go swimming, water ski.
• Go to a water park.
• Purchase a water fountain or fish tank.
• Spend time in the rain.
• Play in the puddles.
• Go to the lake, pond, river, stream, ocean or other body of water.
• Visit a waterfall.
• Take leisurely showers and baths.
• Enjoy a hot tub or whirlpool.
• Use a vaporizer or humidifier; enjoy steam baths.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Consume soup or other liquid based foods.
• Keep river rocks, sea shells, coral, reeds, or bamboo near you or on you.
• Watch movies, videos, and documentaries about the ocean.
• Allow yourself to cry.
• Follow your inventiveness
• Be compassionate.
• Be romantic.
• Allow yourself to be empathic or nurturing.
• Follow your intuition.
• Embrace your emotional nature

Working with the element of Earth:

• Plant a vegetable garden, herbs, flowers, or a tree.
• Make and bake bread.
• Spend time in the forest or a park.
• Go camping or hiking.
• Visit a cemetery.
• Dig and play in a sandbox; build a sandcastle on the beach.
• Walk barefoot.
• Spend time naked.
• Eat bread and other items made with grain.
• Include red meat in your diet.
• Use pink Himalayan salt in or on your food.
• Weave a basket.
• Pet something with fur (dog, cat, hamster, etc)
• Comb or brush someone’s hair.
• Get or give a massage.
• Learn reflexology, palm reading, rune casting.
• Learn Tai Chi or other Martial Art.
• Dance.
• Play drums.
• Craft pottery, ceramics, or other clay items.
• Carve something from wood or rock.
• Build something.
• Do a jigsaw puzzle.
• Visit botanical gardens or tropical locations.
• Keep stones, rocks, crystals, branches, bones, skulls or other items from the earth on your or near you.
• Watch movies, videos, and documentaries about gardening, birth, death, or food.
• Be productive.
• Be structured.
• Allow yourself to be precise and calculating.
• Follow your determination.
• Embrace strategy and planning.

Working with the element of Air:

• Practice deep breathing; meditation.
• Burn incense and scented candles; use an oil diffuser.
• Craft some bees wax candles.
• Read a book, newspaper, magazine, etc.
• Keep a journal.
• Listen to music, nature sounds, or white noise.
• Purchase a fan and use it.
• Hang some wind chimes or bells.
• Buy a bird feeder, hang it and observe the birds.
• Build a bird house.
• Spend time in the wind.
• Learn a musical instrument (strings or wind instruments).
• Sing and / or take singing lessons.
• Eat popcorn, cotton candy.
• Consume honey.
• Fly a kite.
• Hang a wind sock.
• Blow bubbles.
• Allow your laundry to air dry; hang on a clothes line.
• Keep your windows opened.
• Sit on a swing.
• Ride in a hot air balloon or glider.
• Fly in an airplane or helicopter.
• Inflate balloons.
• Visit a butterfly garden or aviary.
• Have a Reiki session and / or become attuned to Reiki.
• Learn Qigong or Yoga.
• Climb a mountain.
• Keep feathers, leaves, dandelions, and other such items near you or on you.
• Watch movies, videos, and documentaries about music or bees.
• Be creative.
• Be logical.
• Allow yourself to be expansive and explicit with your words.
• Follow your inspiration.
• Embrace your own rhythm.