What follows is a bit on the elements, picked up from books, and my own interpretations. It is by no means the final word in Elemental information, but it is a useful starting place. THE EARTH Earth is our mother. It's as fertile and nurturing as farmland; as moist as soil and dry as sand. In its physical manifestations (such as stones), Earth represents the densest of the elements.Press your hand against fresh dirt. Feel it's stability, its earthiness. Know that within its fertile surface we've raised our food; on it we live our lives; within it we bury our deceased.We couldn't exist in this form without the Earth. But our planet is simply a manifestation of this element. True Earth-energy also exists within ourselves and within the universe at large.Earth is the realm of abundance, wealth and prosperity. EARTH CORRESPONDENCES DIRECTION: North - the place of greatest darkness. TYPE OF ENERGY: Receptive. BASIC NATURE: Fertile, moist, nurturing, stabilizing, grounding. Gravity is a manifestation of this element. COLOR: Green - from the color of living plants PLACES: Caves, canyons, forests, groves, valleys, fields, farms, gardens, parks, plant nurseries, farmer's markets, kitchens, baby nurseries, basements, mines, holes. RITUALS: Money, prosperity, fertility, stability, grounding, employment. RITUAL FORMS: Burying, planting, making images in soil or sand. HERBS: Earth-smelling plants, such as patchouly and vetivert; mosses and lichens; nuts; dry and stiff plants; heavy, low-growing plants; generally roots. STONES: Heavy or opaque, as in coal; green, as in emerald and peridot. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: Drum, all percussion instruments. CREATURES: Dogs, horse, earthworm, gopher, ant, cow, burrowing animals. SEASON: Winter - the time of darkness. TIME: Night. MAGICKAL TOOL: Pentacle. SENSE: Touch. NATURAL SYMBOLS: Salt, clay dish of fresh soil, rocks, sheaves of wheat, acorns. TYPES OF MAGICK RULES: Gardening, magnet, image, stone, tree, knot, binding. GODDESSES: Ceres, Demeter, Gaea, Mah, Nephthys, Persephone, Prithivi, Rhea, Rhiannon. GODS: Adonis, Athos, Arawn, Cernunnos, Dionysus, Marduk, Pan, Tammuz. AIR Air is vital to human survival. Without air, we would perish. Air is the power of movement; of freshening and of intelligence. It's the invisible and yet quite real mixture of gases that we breathe in every day. In magickal terms, Air is also the power of the mind: the force of intellect. Go to a place with clean air and breathe deeply. Touch a feather. Inhale the fragrance of a heavily scented flower. Study an intricately patterned leaf. Experience the wonders of the manifestations of this element. Remember, too, that we possess Air energy within ourselves. AIR CORRESPONDENCES DIRECTION: East - the place of sunrise. TYPE OF ENERGY: Projective. BASIC NATURE: Flying, moving, fresh, intelligent, suspending. Sound is a manifestation of this element. COLOR: Yellow - the yellow of the sun, the sky at dawn PLACES: Mountaintops, wind-swept plains, cloudy skies, high towers, airports, schools, libraries, offices, travel agencies, psychiatrist's offices. RITUALS: Travel, instruction, study, freedom, knowledge, recovering lost items. RITUAL FORMS: Tossing objects into the air, suspending tools in high places, fanning light objects, visualization, positive thinking. HERBS: Fragrant, as many flowers; pungent, as in culinary herbs such as dill; airy, finely-veined, or wind-swept; generally leaves. STONES: Light stones, such as pumice; transparent stones, such as mica. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: Flute, all wind instruments. CREATURES: Spider, most birds, winged insects. SEASON: Spring - the time of freshness. TIME: Dawn. MAGICKAL TOOL: Wand. SENSE: Hearing, smell. NATURAL SYMBOLS: A feather, incense smoke, fragrant flowers. TYPES OF MAGICK RULES: Divination, concentration, visualization, wind magick. GODDESSES: Aradia, Arianrhod, Cardea, Nuit, Urania. GODS: Enlil, Kheohera, Mercurym, Shu, Thoth. FIRE Fire is the creator and destroyer. It warms our homes, cooks our food, and fuels our passions. Unlike the other elements, Fire cannot exist in physical form without consuming something else. Thus, fire transforms objects into new forms: heat, light, ash, and smoke. On a sunny day, go outside at noon and press your receptive hand against a warm rock. Smell the smoke from a burning fire. Gaze into a candle's flame. immerse yourself in Fire energy, and realize that it also exists within ourselves. Fire must be controlled to be of benefit to us. When we light a candle, we call upon its powers - but also limit them. This is necessary if its physical forms are to be of use. But even a raging forest fire actually helps the Earth, clearing away underbrush and encouraging dormant seeds to burst into new life. FIRE CORRESPONDENCES DIRECTION: South - the place of heat. TYPE OF ENERGY: Projective. BASIC NATURE: Purifying, destructive, cleansing, energetic, sexual, forceful. Heat is a manifestation of this element. COLOR: Red - from the color of flames PLACES: Deserts, hot springs, volcanoes, ovens, fireplaces, bedrooms (for sex), weight rooms, locker rooms, saunas, athletic fields. RITUALS: Protection, courage, sex, energy, strength, authority, banishing negativity. RITUAL FORMS: Burning or smouldering; heating. HERBS: Stinging, thorny or hot, as thistles, chile peppers and bouganvillia; desert-dwelling, as cacti; stimulating, as coffee beans; generally seeds. STONES: Red or fiery, as in jasper; volcanic, as in lava; clear, as in quartz crystal. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: Guitar, all stringed instruments. CREATURES: Snake, cricket, lizard, praying mantis, ladybug, bee, scorpion, shark. SEASON: Summer - the time of heat. TIME: Noon. MAGICKAL TOOL: Knife/Athame. SENSE: Sight. NATURAL SYMBOLS: Flame, lava, a heated object. TYPES OF MAGICK RULES: Candle, storm, time and star. GODDESSES: Brigit, Pele, Vesta. GODS: Agni, Hepaetus, Horus, Promtheus, Vulcan. WATER Water is the cleansing, healing, psychic, loving element. It washes over us when we see our mates; supports us when we swim; gives us life when we are dehydrated. Dew dusts plants after the sun sets. Rainstorms (one manifestation of this element) drench us. Taste pure water. Move your hand through a stream, lake, pool, or bowl full of water. Feel its cool liquidity; it's soft touch. Listen to water trickling into a pool. As you do these things, remember that we contain Water energy within ourselves as well. The energy of this element is vital to our well-being as humans, for it contains within it the essence of love. Love is the underlying reason for all magick. Water is love. WATER CORRESPONDENCES DIRECTION: West - the place of the setting sun. TYPE OF ENERGY: Receptive. BASIC NATURE: Flowing, purifying, healing, soothing, loving. COLOR: Blue - from the hue of deep water PLACES: Lakes, springs, streams, rivers, beaches, oceans, wells, swimming pools, bathtubs, showers, bedrooms (for sleep), health spas, steam rooms, fountains. RITUALS: Purification, love, psychic awareness, dreams, sleep, peace, marriage, friendships. RITUAL FORMS: Dilution, placing into water, washing away, bathing. HERBS: Aquatic, such as water lillies and seaweed; fleshy, as in succulents and lettuce; loving, as in rose and gardenial; generally flowers. STONES: Transparent or translucent, as in amethyst and aquamarine; blue, as in blue tourmaline. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: Cymbal, bell, all resonant metals. CREATURES: Cat, frog, turtle, dolphin, whale, otter, seal, dugong; most fish and shellfish. SEASON: Autumn - the time of harvest. TIME: Dusk. MAGICKAL TOOL: Cup, the cauldron. SENSE: Taste. NATURAL SYMBOLS: Shells, a cup of water. TYPES OF MAGICK RULES: Sea, ice, snow, fog, mirror, magnet. GODDESSES: Aphrodite, Isis, Mariamne, Mari, Tiamat, Yemaya. GODS: Dylan, Ea, Manannan, Osiris, Neptune, Poseidon. AKASHA The Elements emerge from Akasha, the immutable, changeless source of all energy. This is the realm of potentiality: of promise, of paths not yet taken, of unformed galaxies, of outer space. Akasha is also present within our bodies. Some say that the spark of life, that unknowable force that is called the "soul," is a bit of Akashic energy housed in the physical body. Akasha is sometimes thought to be symbolically present on the Earth. More often it's seen as the Mother (Creatrix) of the elements. It's little used in natural magick, but something of its nature should be understood. Primarily, Akasha is unbeingness. Its energy, which extends everywhere throughout the universe, has not yet achieved form and substance. It's the primal source of energy that creates and fuels the elements. Because of this, it contains complete, balanced energy: Earth and Air and Fire and Water. The following table of Akashic associations points out its universal nature, and is not meant to be used for magickal purposes. AKASHA CORRESPONDENCES DIRECTION: North, east, south and west; also within and without; up and down; also, a complete lack of directions and dimensions. TYPE OF ENERGY: Projective/Receptive. BASIC NATURE: Unknowable. COLOR: Purple or black PLACES: Outer space; vacuums; the Void. RITUALS: Religious in nature. RITUAL FORMS: None. HERBS: None. STONES: None. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: None. CREATURES: None (and yet, all). SEASON: All (and yet, none). TIME: Eternal starlight. MAGICKAL TOOL: None. SENSE: None. NATURAL SYMBOLS: None. TYPES OF MAGICK RULES: Religious.