The Element of Land

Photo taken by me!

For the longest time the element of earth confused me, mostly I believe, because I was seeing a picture of the planet earth, and as you know the planet earth contains all of the elements not just one.  It was a very perplexing thing.  

So a few years back, I was re exploring my understanding of the sacred elements.  I travelled with two witchy friends of mine to Castle Point, with the intention of discovering what the element for east was.  You see while I understand that there are ‘traditional’ correspondents for the elements and directions, I live in New Zealand, and our seasons and circle casting is opposite to that of the northern hemisphere and seeing as I believe in practising in the land you live rather than trying to fit something from another land, so to speak, I was curious as to see what would happen.  

Castle Point, Photo taken by Chris Seaman

Of course I had not been specific when asking about the direction I was and elements, however the message I got back in regards to the elements, was the following impressions which I have translated into words: Land, Ocean, Wind, and Fire, somewhat different from Earth, Air, Fire and Water.  When I enquired further about Land in relation to the elemental energies of earth, I was given a vision if you will. 

 I turned away from facing the ocean and faced towards the land, I was sitting on the saddle, that is the huge sticky up bit you can see in the photo.  As I sunk my awareness down into the earth, I stared to feel the land.  I started to feel the energies of the people who had lived on that land before.  As I spread my awareness down through the various layers of soil and into the distance, I could feel the farmers who made their living on the land, holiday makers who came and went, the settlers, who cut down the trees, and created the farms that the farmers now lived on and the Maori and the lives that they had lived.  Then I shifted deeper into the soil and land itself, and could feel how the soil feed the plant life, and made homes for some of our native birds, along with several of our import.  The land was showing me something here, it was the energies and wisdom of those that had lived and live on it.  It is difficult to explain in words as I was receiving emotions, which loosely translated into images, not really anything that was spoken.  But then this has been how I have always done this type of thing.  And boy did it take me years to figure that one out, but I digress, and perhaps is a subject for post another day. 

This energy these pictures of Farmers, Holiday Makers, Settlers, Maori and the fauna and flora living on the land was part of the energy of this element of earth, the land.   Which is quite different from my initial image of the Planet Earth, go figure *coughs*  

So what did I learn through all of this?  Apart from the obvious learning in a very visual way the more about the element Earth, or what I now refer to as Land. I also learned that learning about the elements is an on-going process, and as you yourself progress and deepening your understanding of magic, and your own path, so to you deepen your understanding of the elements, kind of a hand in hand thing.  

I am currently furthering that understanding by doing the elemental meditations by Philip Carr-Gomm, called Wild Wisdom Meditations with Earth, Water, Air & Fire, and these if you are interested are very good and can be found here at CD baby.  These meditations are also good for beginners, to start their journey to understanding the elements.