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anzu-kaiba · 3 years

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Some more thoughts on Azure Week 2021

Okay, so here are some themes I've come up with/heard from other fans elsewhere... I'd love to get feedback to see which ones we should narrow it down to. I'm also open to the idea of using quotes or song lyrics specifically as themes.

Theme Ideas

written in the stars/destiny

constellation origin story/myth

zodiac/astrology

planetarium

star of love

lucky stars

shoot for the stars, land on the moon/shoot the moon

the stars are aligned

the stars know everything

in search of the full moon

once in a blue moon

over the moon

many moons ago

promise me the moon

divine origins/god-goddess & mortal relationships AND/OR star crossed lovers

we are all stardust/Star stuff

illusions (Tarot: Moon)

purpose (Tarot: Star)

completion (Tarot: World)

Since songs tend to play a big role in coming up with themes or inspiring prompts, I like the idea of having a list of songs in general to choose from, to put together another Azure Week fanmix. Here are some that I have, but despite my massive music library, this is obviously not an exhaustive list. I'd love to get more genres/different artists in here, especially since it's often how I end up discovering new artists and albums that I love:

Songs

Arabian Nights: Scimitar Moon (Sarah Brightman)

Bad Moon Rising (Palestra, others)

Can't Fight the Moonlight (Leann Rimes)

Blue Moon (Beck)

Dancin' in the Moonlight (Toploader)

Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)

Falling in Love with the New Moon (Momoiro Clover Z, others)

Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra, others)

In the Land of Twilight, Under the Moon (Yuki Kajiura)

Moonlight Densetsu (DALI, others)

Moonlight Destiny (Hiroko Asakawa, others)

Moonlight Magic (Hiroko Asakawa)

My Moon, My Man (Feist)

Shoot the Moon (Jump5)

Talking to the Moon (Bruno Mars)

To the Moon and Back (Savage Garden)

In for the Night (The Moontrane Conductors) [instrumental]

Star (Akemi Sato)

Another Star (Najee) [instrumental]

Counting Stars (OneRepublic)

Paint the Sky With Stars (Enya)

Oh My Stars (Andrew Belle)

Rewrite the Stars (James Arthur & Anne-Marie) [The Greatest Showman OST and variations]

The Star and the Snake (Hands Upon Black Earth) [instrumental]

Shooting Star (Yoshihiro Ike) [From the Dark Side of Dimensions OST]

Star Chart (Yoshihiro Ike) [From the Dark Side of Dimensions OST]

Stargazers (Nightwish) [instrumental METAL]

Stars (t.A.T.u)

Starlight (Muse)

Starry Eyed (Ellie Goulding)

Your Star (Evanescence)

Written in the Stars (Tinie Tempah feat. Eric Turner)

Brand New Day (Ryan Star) OR

Brand New Day (Sting)**

From the Night (Stars)

Guilty Pleasure (Cobra Starship)*

Entropy Reigns [In the Celestial City] (Kelley Polar)

One ~ Even if This World Comes to an End, I Won't Leave You (Day-break)

Center of the Sun (Conjure One)

Following the Sun (Enigma)

Away from the Sun (3 Doors Down)

Rain in the Sun (David Gordon) [instrumental]

See the Sun (Dido)

The Sun Will Rise (Kelly Clarkson)

Sunrise (Norah Jones) OR

Sunrise (Simply Red)**

Sunglass (Hikaru Utada)

Sunburn (Owl City)

In the Sun (Joseph Arthur)

Bohemian Sunset (India) [instrumental]

Sun is Shining (Bebel Gilberto) [Español]

Aquascape – Sunrise (Tunguska Electronic Music Society) [mostly instrumental]

* Okay, the song itself doesn't have anything to do with "celestial" themes, but Cobra Starship is a good band, so...

** The songs with the same title are not the same song by different people, but I thought it'd be confusing to have two songs with the same title on a fanmix, so I'd ideally only like to pick ONE of each of those

Extra Challenge Fandoms (Crossovers/AUs)

Another thought I had was that we could give people an "extra challenge" to crossover their story or make an AU with other fandoms that use celestial elements in their name/concept somehow. Some fandoms I'm familiar with that fit this bill include:

Star Trek (Sci-fi)

Star Wars (Sci-fi/action)

Star Ocean (Adventure)

Sailor Moon (Shoujo modern magical girl fantasy)

Fruits Basket (zodiac) (Shoujo, family drama)

Fushigi Yuugi (constellations) (Shoujo, fantasy)

Full Moon o Sagashite (shoujo, tragedy)

Zodiac P.I. (astrology/zodiac) (Mystery)

Ceres: Celestial Legend (Shoujo/drama)

Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles) (YA/adventure)

This can also be a fun way to introduce people to other fandoms you love, and I'd be more than happy to make a page on the Blue Eyes and Apricots fanlisting with a short summary of a series and where people can (legally) enjoy it, when possible.

Quotes I liked:

"There's something enchanted about night. All those heavenly bodies, shooting stars, the crescent moon, celestial phenomenon. Owls fly at night, and first kisses happen. Night is romantic. Alternately, darkness hides the worst of human behavior." —Luanne Rice

"Love is a portion of the soul itself, and it is of the same nature as the celestial breathing of the atmosphere of paradise." —Victor Hugo

"One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." —Friedrich Nietzsche (whom we know Kaiba reads!)

"In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing."— Robert Green Ingersoll

"No star is ever lost we once have seen, we always may be what we might have been." —Adelaide Anne Procter

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." —Buddha

"The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to." —Carl Sandburg

"I feel like the moon is a very beautiful woman. She's in control." —Ravyn Lenae

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." —Anton Chekhov (A very handy piece of writing advice!)

"The moon is the accomplice of all things related to the heart." —Walter Mercado

"Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good people and noble ventures." —M. F. K. Fisher

"What does it matter how many lovers you have if none of them gives you the universe?" —Jacques Lacan

What do you think? I know this is a lot, but please share any thoughts you may have!

#azureshipping #seto kaiba #anzu mazaki #téa gardner #seto kaiba x téa gardner #seto kaiba x anzu mazaki #azure week #azure week 2021

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thesilverwitch · 7 years

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THE CLASSICAL ELEMENTS IN WICCA

Elements—they are the building blocks of the entire universe. No, I’m not talking about the scientific elements, such as is found on the periodic chart. Sure, they are the building blocks for the physical universe. But I’m referring to the spiritual or classical Elements—they are the metaphysical building blocks.

Mention of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Aether (Spirit) are something Wiccans will come across time and again. Regardless of how big or small a role the Elements play in your personal spiritual path, they’re something you should learn to understand.

BIG “E”AND LITTLE “e”

Sometimes I write ‘Element’, and sometimes ‘elements’. Sometimes I capitalize Air (Earth, Fire, etc.), and sometimes I don’t. There’s actually a reason for it.

Remember the Periodic Table of the Elements from chemistry class? There are 118 known elements and all matter breaks down to these most basic components. When speaking of scientific elements, I use the little “e”.

In ancient Greece, the concept of the Elements (the classical/spiritual ones) was born. They did not have the technology to see atoms and molecules, so they thought everything was made up of some combination of Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Aether.

Fast forward a couple dozen centuries-- now we know that air, earth, fire, water and aether are compounds-- a mixture of smaller elements on the periodic table. For example, water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen.

This is the reason for the distinction. The Elements (capital E) refer to the spiritual/classical Elements of our religion—those forces that we honor. The elements (lowercase e) refers to the actual scientific elements on the periodic table.

THERE’S MORE TO ELEMENTS THAN COMPOUNDS

We all know the Elements are Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Aether. Sometimes people confuse this with earth, air, fire, water and ether. Note my use of capitalization here, because it's very significant.

The Elements—Air, Earth, Fire, and Water—are not the same thing as wind, dirt, flames, and H20. These compounds are meaningful representations of the Elements of course, but the compounds themselves are not Elements. The Elements (capital 'E') are so much more than the compounds for which they are named.

THE ELEMENTAL CONNECTION

The Elements represent all things, and connect all things. Look at the diagram above; you can see the vertical axis contains the masculine Elements (Air and Fire). The horizontal Axis contains the feminine Elements (Water and Earth). The circle is where the Elements meet, as if at a crossroads. The circle surrounds and connects the four Elements, just as Aether (Spirit) is the unifying and balancing factor that runs through everything in the universe—the soul, the divine, it’s what gives life and meaning to all things.Notice how they are equivalent in length and well balanced. When you go around the circle, you get the polarity alternating the masculine and feminine Elements, the projective and receptive, the positive and negative: Kind of like an electric charge (energy!).You might even envision it as a compass, with each Element at one of the cardinal directions. You can even set up the primary altar tools as in some traditions in that same format: the athame is a symbol of Air, the pentacle a symbol of Earth, the wand a symbol of Fire, and the cup a symbol of Water.

CORRESPONDENCES—JUST THE START

Notice in the diagram above in the innermost circle we have our compass and our male/female axis. Beyond that we have correspondences to the directions, time of day, time of the year/season, the sabbats—even the life cycle itself. You get a taste right there at how the Elements correspond to everything; and everything corresponds to one or more of the Elements.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, really, as Elements also correspond to zodiac signs, tarot cards, runes, herbs, gemstones, deities, personality traits, occupations, body functions, activities, etc....the cycles and connections are endless.

IN RELATION TO THE PENTAGRAM

Each pentagram point represents an element. This is why the pentacle is the ultimate symbol of balance—each equal point, all intertwined with each other—balance is a key tenet in Wicca. Wiccans usually wear a pentacle point-up. We move from the point at top (Aether) the intangible, to the semi-intangible realm (Fire and Air) to the tangible realm (Water and Earth). I say usually because some Wiccan trads also occasionally use the pentagram point down. When the pentagram is point up, it stands for Spirit (Aether) ascending over matter. When it’s point down, it represents Spirit descending into matter. As you can see, the Elements are a rich, diverse, and complex system of symbols and energies that effect our world, our minds, and our spiritual practices. Take advantage of their potential by learning to work in harmony with them.

THE ELEMENTS IN DEPTH

Please keep in mind that correspondences can vary from tradition to tradition, from person to person. Though there are more similarities than differences, never take any list of Elemental correspondences as written law.

THE ELEMENT OF AIR:

(Figure above shows alchemical symbol for Air)

Gender: Masculine

Charge: Positive

Energy: Active

Qualities: abstract; ethereal

Aspects: analytical thought; rational mind; travel; communication

AIR ATTRIBUTES:

Positive: witty, intelligent, communicative, inquisitive, inventive, literary, social, idealist, clarity of thought, rational, technical, scientific, logical

Negative: aloof, cold, dispassionate, eccentric, scattered, unfocused, ambivalent, indecisive, deceptive, untrustworthy.

AIR ALIGNED WITH:

Day of the Week: Wednesday

Direction: North

Locations: Mountain tops, sky, clouds

Sabbats: Samhain, Yule

Time of day: Night

Time of Life: Death through Rebirth

Time of the year: Winter

Wind: Boreas

Witch’s Pyramid: To Know

AIR RULING OVER:

Body parts: brains, nervous system, lungs

Bodily functions: breathing, thinking, speaking, singing, coughing, whistling, belching, flatulating

Colors: yellow, white, sky blue, midnight blue, shades of gray

Incense: sandalwood, storax, mastic

Instruments: woodwinds, bagpipes

Careers: accounting, acting, advertising, executive, astronaut, computer programmer or technician, con artist, gambling, judge, lawyer, mathematician, public speaker, sales, most kinds of sciences, singing, teaching, writing.

Sense: Smell

AIR CORRESPONDING TO:

Herbs: Acacia, almond, anise, benzoin, bergamot, bistort, bittersweet, borage, bromeliad, broom, caraway, chicory, citron, clover, dandelion, elecampane, endive, eyebright, fenugreek, goat’s rue, hazel, hops, houseleek, lavender, lily, linden, mace, male fern, maple, marjoram, mastic, meadowsweet, mint, mistletoe, palm, papyrus, parsley, pine, pistachio, rice, sage, saffron, slippery elm, wormwood

Metals: mercury, aluminum

Minerals & Gems: agates, aventurine, amethyst, jasper, mica, pumice

Runes: ANSUZ, RAIDO, EIWAZ, ALGIZ, TIR, MANNAZ

Tarot: Suit of swords, knights, The Fool, The Magician, The Lovers, The Hermit, Hanged Man, Justice, The Star

Wiccan tools: knives (athame, bolline)/swords, censer, incense

Zodiac: Gemini: (mutable); Libra (cardinal); Aquarius (fixed)

AIR ASSOCIATED WITH:

Animals: birds, flying insects, spiders, bats, foxes, primates

Elemental Beings: Sylphs, fairies, djinn

Gods: Allah, Amergin, Anu, Apollo, Ascepius, Baal, Buddha, Ganesha, Hermes, Jupiter, Mercury, Odin, Thoth, Tyr, Uranus, YHWH, Zeus

Goddesses: Arachne, Arianrhod, Athena, Ishtar, Juno, Ma’at, Minerva, Mnemosyne, Morrigan, Muses, Mt, Neith, Nike, Nuit, Sarasvati

Mythical Creatures: Gryphons, Harpies, Hippogrifs, Pegasus, Sphinx

INVOKING AND BANISHING AIR

THE ELEMENT OF EARTH

(Figure above shows alchemical symbol for Earth)

Gender: female

Charge: negative (-)

Energy: passive

Qualities: physical matter; solid; heavy; cold

Aspects: tangible world; fertility; growth; productivity

EARTH ATTRIBUTES:

Positive: ambitious, dependable, diligent, earthy, industrious, practical, pragmatic, reliable, responsible, stable, steady, thorough

Negative: critical, dull, inhibited, materialistic, obstinate, possessive, slow, stubborn, unforgiving

EARTH ALIGNED WITH:

Day of the Week: Thursday, Saturday

Direction: East

Locations: caverns, plains, canyons, the underworld

Sabbats: Imbolc, Ostara

Time of day: Morning

Time of Life: Youth

Time of the year: Spring

Wind: Euros

Witch’s Pyramid: To Will

EARTH RULING OVER:

Body parts: physical self, bones

Bodily functions: eating, defecation

Colors: green, brown, black, earth tones

Incense: patchouli, musk

Instruments: drums, percussion

Occupations: armed forces, banking and finances, carpentry, construction, child care, cooking and food service, clerical and administrative work, dancing, gardening, house keeping/home making, hunting, janitors, jewelers, mechanics, stone masons, wood workers.

Sense: touch

EARTH CORRESPONDING TO:

Herbs: alfalfa, barley, corn, cotton, cypress, fern, fumitory, honeysuckle, magnolia, mugwort, oats, peas, oleander, patchouli, potato primrose, quince, rhubarb, rye, sagebrush, sorrel, tulip, vervain, vetivert, wheat

Metals: lead

Minerals & gems: green agates, moss agates, alum, green calcite, coal, emerald, jasper, jet, salt, malachite, olivine, peridot, black tourmaline, green tourmaline, turquoise

Runes: URUZ, GIFU, BEORK, ING, OTHAL, JERA

Tarot: Suit of Pentacles (coins), Paiges, Empress, Heirophant, Wheel of Fortune, The Devil, The World

Wiccan tools: Pentacle, consecrated salt

Zodiac: Taurus (fixed); Virgo (mutable); Capricorn (cardinal)

EARTH ASSOCIATED WITH:

Animals: most mammals (few exceptions: big cats and horses/Fire; primates and foxes/Air; aquatic mammals/Water); most insects without wings (exception: fire ants/fire); earthworms.

Elemental Beings: Gnomes, elves, leprechauns

Gods: Adonis, Anubis, Cernunnos, Dagda, Dionysus, Green Man, Hades, Herne, Janus, Osiris, Pan, Pluto

Goddesses: Anu, Cerridewen, Ceres, Demeter, Gaia, Fauna, Frigga,Hecate, Nepthys, Ostara, Persephone, Prithivi, Rhea

Mythical Creatures: big foot, chupacabra, giants, jackalope, unicorn, werewolves, wraiths

THE ELEMENT OF FIRE

(Figure above shows alchemical symbol for Fire)

Gender: Masculine

Charge: Positive

Energy: Active

Qualities: energetic; transformative; purifying

Aspects: passion; will; courage

FIRE ATTRIBUTES:

Positive: action-oriented, courageous, eager, enthusiastic, exciting, impulsive, independent, optimistic, quick, spontaneous, tenacious, vivacious

Negative: angry, abrupt, consuming, domineering, egocentric, excessive, hot-tempered, impatient, overbearing, overwhelming

FIRE ALIGNED WITH:

Day of the Week: Sunday, Tuesday

Direction: South

Locations: deserts, volcanoes

Sabbats: Beltane, Litha

Time of day: Midday (true noon)

Time of Life: young adulthood

Time of the year: Summer

Wind: Notus

Witch’s Pyramid: To Dare

FIRE RULING OVER:

Body parts: genitals, heart, intestines, liver, stomach

Bodily functions: digestion, sex, metabolism, regurgitation, smoking

Colors: red, orange, gold

Incense: cinnamon, dragon’s blood

Instruments: brass instruments

Occupations: alchemists, assassins, athletes, electricians, firefighters, fire dancers, lion tamers, martial artists, nuclear physicists, pyro technicians, smiths, warriors, welders

FIRE CORRESPONDING TO:

Herbs: allspice, basil, bloodroot, cactus, carnation, bay, capsicum, cinnamon, clove, cinquefoil, copal, coriander, cumin, curry, dill, dragon’s blood, fennel, flax, frankincense, galangal, ginger, ginseng, High John the Conqueror, holly, hyssop, juniper, lime, marigold, nutmeg, orange, pennyroyal, pomegranate, rosemary, saffron, sunflower, St. John’s wort, tobacco, Venus flytrap

Metals: gold, brass, steel, iron

Minerals: red agates, amber, apache tear, asbestos, bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, quartz, obsidian, onyx, sand, rhodochrosite, tiger‘s eye, tourmaline, zircon

Runes: Fehu, Thurisaz, Kenaz, Nied, Sigel, Dagaz

Tarot: Suit of Wands; all kings; the Emperor; Strength; Temperance; the Tower; the Sun; Judgement

Wiccan tools: wand; staff; candles; any fires

Zodiac: Aries(cardinal); Leo (fixed); Sagittarius (mutable)

FIRE ASSOCIATED WITH:

Animals: lions, felines, fireflies, glow worms, horses, rams, lizards, fire ants

Elemental Beings: salamanders

Gods: Annu, Ares, Balor, Baldor, Belanos, Frey, Hephaestus, Horus, Loki, Lucifer, Lugh, Marduk, Mars, Ra, Set, Shiva, Sol, Thor, Vulcan

Goddesses: Amerterasu, Amat, Atlanta, Bast, Brigit, Eris, Freya, Hestia, Kali, Lilith, Nemisis, Pele, Selket, Shatki, Sunna, Vesta

Mythical Creatures: chimeras, dragons, phoenix

INVOKING AND BANISHING FIRE

THE ELEMENT OF WATER

(Figure above shows alchemical symbol for Water)

Gender: Feminine

Charge: Negative (-)

Energy: Passive

Qualities: receptive, fluid, creative

Aspects: formless, deep, cleansing

WATER ATTRIBUTES:

Positive: beautiful, compassionate, creative, deep, flexible, intuitive, mysterious, resourceful, receptive, sensitive, sensual, understanding

Negative: ambivalent, complex, deceptive, emotional, moody, over-sensitive, passive-aggressive, selfish, vain, wishy-washy

WATER ALIGNED WITH:

Day of the Week: Monday, Friday

Direction: West

Locations: any body of water, seashore/beaches

Sabbats: Lughnasadh, Mabon

Time of day: Twilight/Sunset

Time of Life: maturity

Time of the year: Autumn

Wind: Zepher

Witch’s Pyramid: To be silent

WATER RULING OVER:

Body parts: bodily fluids—blood, saliva, semen, urine, etc.; the womb

Bodily functions: drinking, lactating, menstruating, perspiring, secretion, urination

Colors: blue, silver, aquamarine

Incense: cypress, lotus, myrrh

Instruments: string instruments

Occupations: bartender, brewer, cosmetologist, pet, dishwasher, diver, dowser, fishing, hematologists, ice skaters, laundry workers, life guards, marine biologists, naval careers, oceanographers, painters, psychics, sailors, swimmers, surfers

Sense: Taste

WATER CORRESPONDING TO:

Herbs: African violet, apple, avocado, belladonna, blackberry, boneset, cabbage, cardamom, catnip, chamomile, chickweed, dittany of Crete, daisy, cucumber, daffodil, gardina, heather, hibiscus, jasmine, myrrh, poppy, rose, sandalwood, thyme, valerian, vanilla, willow, yarrow

Metals: silver

Minerals: blue lace agate, aquamarine, azurite, beryl, coral, geodes, jade, lapis lazuli, moonstone, pearl, sapphire, sodolite, tourmaline

Runes: Wunjo, Ehwaz, Hagall, Isa, Phedro, Lagaz

Tarot: Suit of Cups; all Queens; High Priestess; Death; The Moon; The Chariot

Wiccan tools: cup; cauldron; bowls

Zodiac: Cancer (cardinal); Scorpio (fixed); Picses (mutable)

WATER ASSOCIATED WITH:

Animals: fish, scorpions, serpents, waterfowl, water mammals, creatures who dwell/live in water

Elemental Beings: Undines

Gods: Aegir, Charon, Cthulhu, Nun, Dagon, Eros, Hurican, Lyr, Neptune, Nereus, Oceanus, Poseidon, Triton

Goddesses: Amphitrite, Aphrodite, Astarte, Heket, Isis, Kwan Yin, Lady of the Lake, Mary, Melusine, Psyche, Styx, Tefnut, Thetis, Venus

Mythical Creatures: hippocampus, kraken, leviathan, merfolk, nerids, selkies, sirens, waterhorse, any sea monsters

INVOKING AND BANISHING WATER

FINDING YOUR ELEMENT IN WICCA

A lot of young Wiccans are eager to find their elements. I don’t mean to burst any bubbles, but traditionally in Wicca there is no such thing. Yes, you read that right. I know that’s not a popular opinion these days because the idea has gained recent popularity, but please follow my reasoning before you dismiss it.

It should be understood, as explained earlier, Elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water are not the same thing as dirt, oxygen, flames and H20. The Spiritual Elements – capital “E” – together make up everything in life. For Example, the Element of Water (capitalized) is not just the stuff that pours out of your faucets or fills your pool. Water is H20, and H20 is the most pure symbol of the Element, but the Element of Water is so much more than that. It’s also intuition, it’s string instruments, it’s silver jewelry, it’s fish, it’s the moon, it’s being wishy-washy, it’s being nurturing, it’s both compassion and depression, it’s drowning, it’s the sunset hour, it’s peeing and drooling. The Element of Water is infused in every aspect of life, and this is so with the other three as well.

Second, the very notion that someone is “an Element” would contradict a key tenet of Wicca—which is to find balance in all things. If you were one Element, you would be an incredibly imbalanced person. If you lean that heavily toward one Element, it would mean you need less of it, and you need more of the other three.

Some would argue, saying something like: But my astrological sign is (fill in the blank), making my Element (fill in the blank)! Yes, I know—astrological signs fall under the Elements as well. Just because your astrological element’s influence is Water doesn’t mean Water is your only Element. For one thing, your Sun sign is not your only astrological sign (you also have a Moon sign, an Ascending sign, and all those houses in your chart with different planets).

Water touches everyone’s life in many ways, as do all the Elements. One of the ways it influences you is through your Sun sign; that doesn't make it your one and only Element.

But I have an affinity for (fill in the blank) because (fill in the blank)! The word “affinity” simply means you like something. I have an affinity for chocolate, that doesn’t make me the element of chocolate (though—it might be fun).

Once you’ve gotten the idea in your head that you have a special element, it’s a little hard to shake. I know that I have a special connection with each of the elements and balance is key, but I can’t help but feel drawn to Air. Why is this? Air correlates with my Zodiac sign, Libra, as well as the signs Aquarius and Gemini. The Law of Correspondence would suggest that Air is associated with the personality types of these signs. Yes, Air broadly represents my personality type but it does not make it my only element (or predominant element) and it does not make myself Air. Air is my challenger, the element that constantly influences me to reach out to the other elements to find balance. Always remember, balance is key.

CONTROLLING ELEMENTS

The idea of controlling Elements in Wicca is another misconception. I’m not going to argue here whether it’s even possible to control fire or water or air with your mind—and I don’t even know how someone would go about controlling earth (other than gardening or making mud pies). Even if this was possible, this would fall under the category of psychic abilities. While a Wiccan might believe in this stuff, or attempt to perform these tasks, it does not make doing these things part of our religion.

I do have to note here, the idea of "controlling elements" seems to me an incredible waste of time and energy. Let’s assume here for a second people who claim they have these powers can actually do what they say they do. They cause a flame to flicker or a little feather to bounce around or water to ripple at will. That’s all fine and good, but I ask… what is the spiritual lesson and benefit in this?

The amount of practice and effort that goes into what amounts to little more than a neat trick to show off with at parties is ridiculous. How does it actually help someone’s spiritual journey to waste an hour or two a day for months to learn how to make the candle flame bob up and down? It seems to me there is no actual spiritual benefit from being able to do these things—it’s just something you can use to impress yourself and your friends, like juggling 3 oranges or finding someone’s card in a deck.

Allow me to repeat myself, because I feel it’s a very important point that many Wiccans miss: the Element of Fire is not just flames, the Element of Water is not H20, and so on. Controlling a flame with your mind (even if you could) is not the same thing controlling the Element of Fire. You’re just controlling a bit of fire (small “f”). Controlling H20 is not controlling the Element of Water; it’s controlling water (small “w”). And so on.

REALLY CONTROLLING THE ELEMENTS IN WICCA

In Wicca, controlling the Elements isn’t about making candle flames dance or creating gusts of wind with your mind. Controlling the Elements is about finding self-control and balance within yourself and your life.

You want to control the Element of Fire? Don’t play with candle flames—learn how to control your temper. Learn how to nurture your passions and channel them productively. Work on expressing yourself artistically.

You want to Control the Element of Water? Don’t play with running faucets to see if you can make the flow shift an inch over—learn how to master your emotions. Learn how to be more compassionate and understanding. Learn how to listen to and interpret your intuition. Learn how control your mood swings.

You want to Control the Element of Air? Study, learn, and apply your knowledge to life. Practice speaking, help yourself learn to think more carefully about what comes out of your mouth and express yourself more effectively. Don’t allow yourself to give into cynical attitudes. Cultivate wisdom.

You want to Control the Element of Earth? Have courage, and do the things that need to be done in your life-- even the hard stuff. Be strong and steadfast—but try to work on not being so stubborn and closed off to anything new. Be practical and pragmatic, put the work and time into developing useful skills.

Learn to work with Elemental Energies—not by playing with one, single physical manifestations of each Element, but by learning to open yourself to them and all they mean. Think about what they symbolize in ritual, what aspects of life they correspond to, and how you can better utilize that understanding to improve yourself internally. Find Elemental balance.

FINDING TRUE BALANCE

While it's true that a certain Element can be dominant in your life (either for your whole life, or for certain periods of it), that doesn't make you "an Element," and it doesn't mean you are intrinsically tied to it, like it or not. It doesn't mean it should be your focus, either in your life or in your spiritual practices (again, it could indicate your need to bring better Elemental balance). Further, it doesn't imply supernatural connection to or power over the Element.

I know a lot of people who came to Wicca more recently and started with books and websites that tout the “find your element” concept, and it’s very hard to think of things differently when you get used to them. Some will even get defensive when such ideas are challenged. I also know some people like the idea of having supernatural mastery over nature, and this very idea is what drew them to alternative religions in the first place. I understand that learning to control your temper is not as exciting and flashy a representation of Fire to some people as making a candle flame do flickering tricks. “You can’t tell me what to believe!” some might cry. And I’m not telling you what to believe. You can believe what you want.

I’m presenting a perspective that I feel needs to be heard, and that some may find more useful. I believe the ideas about the Elements presented here makes real sense within the context of the Wiccan religion, as well as in life. It may contradict a lot of the more feel-good, fanciful ideas you come across, and if that makes you angry, feel free to ignore anything I have to say on the topic.

However, if you were looking for something a little deeper than parlor tricks and games, if you were looking for a spiritual path to actually impact your life, your personal growth and your spiritual development, I hope this lesser known perspective on the topic will help you along.

TRADITIONAL WICCAN ELEMENT CHANT:

“Earth my body, Water my blood, Air my breath and Fire my Spirit”

Sources: WiccanSage and Golden Dawn by Israel Regardy

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