In witchcraft and other spiritual practices, the elements represent particular aspects of our mental, physical, and emotional selves. Earth is our sense of security and abundance; Air our wisdom and how we act up on it. Fire is our passions and desires; Water our love and compassion. Spirit is our connection to the Divine and the mysteries of the subconscious. By studying the characteristics of these energies, you gain a greater understanding of yourself, as well as your magick and spellcraft.
In the North we find elemental Earth. While earth power does include the actual planet, it also represents the energy of stability, prosperity, and nourishment. It is the dark, the richness of the soil, and as such, the dark richness of our psyche. The Earth contains the Underworld, and it is within the power of the Earth we find the strength to face the shadow of our selves, and accept what it is we discover there.
It is in the Earth element that we find our grounding, within our bodies and our spirits. Only when we accept a situation as it is are we empowered to change it; Earth teaches us how to accept the reality of our lives, and the permanent impermanence of birth, death, and rebirth. Earth shows us the benefits of equanimity – the art of being perfectly calm and content in who and what we are, regardless of our circumstances.
The body is our demonstration of the Earth in motion; the Egyptian Book of the Dead refers to humans as “dust and water walking.” When we get anxious or stressed we’re told to “ground and center”, which is to say, become one with the stable energy of the Earth. Oftentimes, this grounding and centering can be achieved by exercising the body with walking, dance, yoga, etc.
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair”
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Elemental Earth also represents abundance and prosperity, and our relation to money and material items. It is here that we heal our poverty consciousness, and embrace the idea that we are deserving of comfort and monetary blessings. Within Earth we also learn what is enough, so that our desires for material comfort are balanced, and we do not succumb to greed or selfishness.
The Earth is our Mother in that our planet offers us everything we need to be nourished and survive. Our food, our homes, our lives all come from Earth, as the element in its physical and spiritual state is the container for elemental air, fire, and water. Earth nurtures us, with accommodating grace and love – so much so that we even entrust our dead to it. From the Earth we are receive the ability to cradle water (shorelines), contain fire (coal and wood), and create air (oxygen from vegetation).
Correspondences
Rules over: Sacred Law. Grounding, prosperity, abundance, material blessings, security, stability, money, nature, harvest, agriculture, fertility, growth, silence, calm, harmony, balance, recovering, healing, peace , plants and herbs, home, morality, protection, motherhood, silence, birth, death, mystery, structures, physical body, planet Earth.
Direction: North
Time of Day: Night/Midnight
Season: Winter
Colors: Black, brown, green, earth tones
Sense: Touch
Astrological Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Tarot Correspondence: Pentacles
Type of Energy: Receptive
Tools: Pentacle, maps and globes, salt, cords and knots
Natural Symbols: Salt, clay dish of fresh soil, rocks, sheaves of wheat, acorns, all plant life and foodstuffs
Animals: Stag, cow or bull, snakes, bison, dogs, horses, earthworms, unicorns, burrowing animals
Places: Caves, canyons, chasms, forests, groves, valleys, fields, farms, gardens, parks, plant nurseries, farmer’s markets, kitchens, baby nurseries, basements, mines, holes
Ritual Forms: Burying, planting, making images in soil or sand, walking, dancing
Earth Goddesses
Review the correspondence list for the aspects Earth rules. Any Goddess who also has rules these aspects can be considered an elemental Earth Goddess. Review the correspondence list to create ways to invite the presence of the Goddess into your life.
Here are some examples of Earth Goddesses:
Asa Yaa (African)
Corn Mother (Native American)
Demeter and Persephone (Greek)
Ereshkigal (Mesopotamian/Sumerian)
Gaia (Greek)
Hel (Norse)
Hestia/Vesta (Greek/Roman)
Lady of Beasts (Middle East)
Mawu (African)
Pachamama (Incan)
Rhiannon (Welsh)
Journal Questions
- Is your home a comfortable space for you? Why or why not?
- Think of all the trauma and drama humanity has put this planet through. And yet, the Earth endures. How are you like the Earth? What minor or major traumas have you survived?
- What is your relationship to money? Do you feel jealously/envy when others have more than you?
- How do you ground and center? How do you regain calm in precarious situations?
Bonus Activity
Go for a walk. At least ten minutes, by yourself if possible. Look at the vegetation, at the dirt and stones on your path. Even paved roads are nothing but compacted earth. Walk, and give thanks for the strength of your body, and how the Earth supports your every step. "Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet."
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