˚✧₊⁎The Power Of Your Subconscious 𓂀 ——-

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The Other Elements

This is the fifth part of my elemental series! Today we will explore other elemental systems, possible other elements within the system, and other cultural explorations into elemental systems!

So, we have looked at the basic elements, earth, air, fire, and water, but what about the rest? What about all the other magical systems out there?

Why are there sometimes other elements?

Often times when we are researching the elements, a lot of spaces will have other elements that are important to their culture or religious framework. The most basic outline we can see across multiple cultures is the veneration of 'earth, air, fire, and water' but most cultures also venerate elements outside of that, whether its the concept of a spirit or another element that plays a role in life like snow, they will be venerated differently.

As science progressed, and as esoterica were working on an elemental system, they started grouping together things. An example is with snow, WE know that snow comes from water, so it has become an aspect of water in western systems, however to an ancient culture that may not have known that, it became its own element with distinct lore and features. This can stem from multiple reasons, like if its a cold climate so half of the year is covered in snow spawning a cultures need to venerate it differently. Additionally societies each had their own needs and philosophical beliefs which called for the addition of multiple other elements. We will explore more about the nuances of this later.

Another aspect that is worth exploring is that some systems do away with the 4 main elements all together, take Feng Shui or Wu Xing a 5 element system that composes earth of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Now, this system came from need and philosophy, it is a reflection of the culture it came from (9th century China) with strong emphasis on harmony and figuring out a place in the world.

Now that we have looked into what I am talking about, lets look into some nuance.

What are aspects and names? Why are they not elements themselves?

As we previously explored in an example, lets look at snow. Snow is now an aspect of water in western elemental systems because we know that snow directly comes from water, why isn't it an element itself anymore? Snow has become an aspect, or a form of the element of water with its own distinct name, associations, and lessons outside of the whole of water. What gives?

Similar to how gods have epithets (aspects of their character) and archetypes told in stories, the elements have the same thing, instead its observable traits that come from the whole. For example, fire is also ember, charcoal, and wands because fire is associated with all of those things, they are extensions of the whole that offer a unique perspective. It is an aspect you can work with, like picking an epithet to work with in deity work.

With this in mind, it explains how we get 'darker elements' or pieces of elements. Now some things cannot be classified in this way, so they become elements all on their own. For example, some groups will include elements like 'nature' to describe the living things and use earth to describe the unliving things, it is spiritually distinct from earth, and has its own associations. While in the west people lump that in with earth, it isn't true for every system and often times there is spiritual and religious significance to the distinction.

Because of all of this, personal elemental systems are extremely unique to someone's region and beliefs, Its why for some groups snow is still its own distinct element, or even sometimes considered a distinct byproduct of an element of a god, like a child, making it a distinct element. There is not right or wrong answer when it comes to the elements or elemental expression, what's important is that you find a system that resonated with you, the land you are standing on, and the lands that came before you.

Something important to recognize is that elements are very naturalistic and are intrinsically linked to human activity, things like climate change, terrain change, and more can influence how an elemental system evolves. It is why it matters that you research both the land you are standing on, and the land your ancestors walked on, so you get a more rounded view of how the elements have adapted and you start learning more about what resonates and connects with you personally.

What are some examples?

Keep in mind, these are just some examples and don't reflect every culture out there! I wanted to list a couple examples to get get you thinking about where these systems came from and why. As a reminder; people are not a monolith, lets not treat them as such, these are just a couple examples from around the globe, research is key when looking into personal associations. These are just some bite-sized beliefs Greek Classical Elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Aether Philosophy: Empedocles (5th century BCE): Proposed the four elements as eternal substances forming all matter. Aristotle (4th century BCE): Added Aether (divine, unchanging substance of the heavens). Celtic Traditions Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit/Otherworld Symbolized life’s cyclical nature and the connection between the physical and spiritual realms.

Hindu Panchabhutas Earth (Prithvi), Water (Apas), Fire (Agni), Air (Vayu), Space/Ether (Akasha) Foundational for Ayurveda and many spiritual traditions, they are the building blocks to life.

Hawaiian Elements Earth (ʻĀina), Water (Wai), Fire (Ahi), Air (Makani), Spirit (Mana) Reflects the balance of nature and spiritual energy (Mana) vital to Hawaiian culture. Native American Traditions Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Sacred Directions or Spirit (varies by tribe) Can be tied to the Medicine Wheel but not always, with an emphasis on balance and harmony.

Other System Ideas When in the process of researching, its possibly you will find other systems and beliefs, for example some sources online will say "The Norse believe in 12 classical elements" when in actuality it could be mistranslations, adaptations from medieval times, and so much more. Its important to consult with historical sources and people living within these cultures to make sure you are getting a full and accurate picture into their elemental systems! There are many, many others around the globe, with their own beliefs and systems, it is absolutely worth doing a deep dive to see what systems exist and why.

What is the western elemental system?

The western elemental system is a generalized system of elements (usually 4-5) that stems from ancient Greece, but was later expanded on by alchemistic and esoteric traditions! During the Hellenistic period, the Greek elemental system merged with Hermeticism and Alchemy in an attempt to build more with scientific practices, to which the western elemental system was finalized and integrated into western occult traditions during the medieval period! The things that made this system so unique is that it did not rely on any major mythology, but rather was used to explain concepts of the natural world. Because of the secular use, as well as a spiritual one, people began using this system to label tarot suits, herbs, astrology signs, and its where a lot of the 'elemental labels' come from today! A vast majority of sources you see use the western elemental system, which has its own pro's and con's especially when you cant pin point the origins to a belief, so remember to use researching skills when looking at these systems.

While we do have this system, we also began to see the spring of "cardinal witches", witches that use the cardinal directions to associate their practice to a certain element. The western system does attribute the elements to specific cardinal directions, so a west witch would mean a witch who delves into matters of water, the past, divination, and the psyche, because those are all associations with the western idea of 'west' These labels come from pop culture, folklore, and occult practices alike that have greatly shaped the way we view the western elemental system.

Final Notes

While no elemental system is perfect, we are exposed to it constantly on our spiritual and magical journeys. It can be a wonderful tool when learning about magic and how we interact with it on a worldly basis! I hope you found this informational piece as interesting as I did! Do you feel like you subscribe to an elemental system? where does it come from? Let me know in the comments below :) Fair Winds

Sources and Notes

On Verticality

Earth, Air, Water and Fire : The Verticality of The Classical Elements — On Verticality

Throughout human history, our ancestors have created myriad different theories and ideas to explain our world and how it’s composed. One the

en.wikipedia.org

Classical element - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Feng shui - Wikipedia

Tip Jar

stellar death 🌌

the death of a star is an interesting process that takes billions of years, but i think that it’s a great comparative representation of the death of living beings.

i believe that death is a mere transfer of energy - our physical bodies perish, while the energy of what we once were is transferred to another plane of existence to form what most people refer to as spirits.

like the death of a supergiant star, we go through an energetic transformation (the formation of a supernova) and end up as an invisible, but very present, state of being (black hole).

aside from physical death, death can also be viewed in a symbolic manner - you can break bad habits, discover a new way of life, take on a new career path, or undergo a fundamental transformation and it can be viewed as the symbolic process of death and rebirth. 

the correspondences associated with this process are as follows:

the collapse of a star - death

supernova - transformation

neutron star or black hole - rebirth or energetic transfer

© 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 𝙰𝙳-𝙲𝙰𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰

☀️Sun water☀️

🌞Used for:

Protection, healing (especially physical), happiness, truth, clairvoyance, courage, strength, prosperity, luck, self-love, cleansing, confidence, leadership, justice, gardening, growth, warmth, comfort, fertility, and creativity

🌞How to make it:

Leave the water on a sunny windowsill or outside, preferably in direct sunlight. Sunrise, 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm are perfect times for this, or you can leave it from sunrise to sunset. You can also add herbs and flowers to it as well (lemon peels, orange peels, marigolds, chamomile, cinnamon, sunflower, etc.) Or charge it with some stones (like sunstone, orange calcite, citrine, tigers eye, goldstone or carnelian), but please don’t put these stones in the water. You can also make a sun tea with sun water for a very potent solar spell.

Chakra Charts

Sunne Witchcraft (Basics Guide)

Hi everyone, Bunny here and today i have a surprise for you! This is one of my very first witchy blog posts, centered around solar magic! So buckle up and get ready for my basic guide, a future surprise (yes, another one!!!!!!)

What is Solar Witchcraft? ☀️

Well I'm so glad you asked my child! Solar witchcraft is a branch of witchcraft that uses the sun as the core. Core? Yes the core. The core being the what the branch or path centers around, and what it utilizes most, the Sun! The Sunne is a great source of healing, energy, confidence, and just overall pick me up! This branch of magic or witchcraft can be seen as more of a sub-division of a bigger branch, such as cosmic magic!

Ways to use Sunne Magic ☀️

There are so many fun and creative ways to really make the Sunne apart of your practice! Such as but not limited to:

Eat Lemons

Eat oranges

Eat any kind of fruit that is in the citrus family

Honor a solar deity

Make a Sunne altar

Make Sunne tea

Prosperity spells

Cleansing or banishing with the Sunnes energy

Grounding with the Sunne

Make Sunne Salt

Buy a Sunne catcher

Buy crystals that can physically represent the Sunne in your space

Success Spells

Beauty spells

Confidence spells

Protection spells

Dried orang peels

Make Solar charged water

Do a fire ritual (please make sure you practice safety first when attempting this)

Solar Deities ☀️

Celtic- Áine, Belisama, Brighid, Ceridhwen, Danu, Etain, Sulis, Olwen

Egyptian- Bast, Hathor, Isis, Nut, Sekhmet

Norse- Freya, Sol/Sunna

Hellenic- Alectrona, Athena, Eos, Hemera, Hera, Thesan, Victoria, Iris, Medusa

Chinese- Xihe

Japanese- Amaterasu, Marici

African- Anyanwu, Mawu

Australian- Gnowee, Wala, Wuriupranili, Yhi, Djanggawul Sisters Indian- Aditi, Devi, Saranyu Baltic- Saule, Zaria

Slavic- Mater Sva, Koliada, Solnste, Xatel-Ekwa Sami- Beiwe Alaskan- Akycha

Sunne Correspondences ☀️

Crystals- Sunstone, Fire Opal, Red Jasper, Citrine, Clear Quartz, Pyrite, Garnet, Ruby

Animals- Rooster, Koi, Ox, Snake, Horse, Lion, Eagle, Ram, Tortoise

Mythological Beast’s- Dragons, Nine Tailed Fox, Phoenix

Tools- Ashes, Candles, Crystals, Sundial, Sun Water, Sun Catcher, Sun Oil, Gold Leaf & Gold Jewelry, Sun Salt, Sun Symbolism Plants/Herbs- Sunflowers, Marigolds, Oranges, Other Citrus Fruits

Metal’s- Gold, Bronze, Copper, Titanium

Magic- Healing, Vitality, Success, Strength, Protection, Money & Wealth, Cleansing, Banishing, blessings, Love Colors- Red, Orange, Yellow, Gold, White Corresponds With- Pride, Masculinity, Passion, Beauty, Success, Joy, Cleansing, Wealth

Conclusion ☀️

I hope this found anyone it needed to in good tidings. The images are not mine and all credit goes to the artists who were kind enough to share their work! The correspondences compiled are some of my own research, and some others i found along the way! Credit & Kudos goes to them!!!

🕯️🌕🧊👏🍵💫📡🎓🎱🍀I channel my talents into prosperity. 🍀🎱🎓📡💫🍵👏🧊🌕🕯️

Likes charge, reblogs cast.

Cartomancy

A tarot styled divination method using standard playing cards. This oracle first appeared in Europe in the 14th century and is still used sporadically today. Practitioners of this divination are commonly called cartomancers. Cards can be laid in a variety of spreads and functions much like a tarot deck. As such, cartomancy decks should be designated and regarded with all the respect of a deck of tarot cards. The meanings of the cards are as follows:

Hearts

• Ace: Love, beginning, happiness, friendship

• King: Fair-haired man, affectionate and generous, but impetuous

• Queen: Fair-haired woman, trustworthy

• Jack: Fair-haired young person, good friend

• 10: Good fortune, joy

• 9: Desires fulfilled

• 8: Invitations/partings

• 7: Someone unreliable

• 6: Unexpected good fortune, generosity

• 5: Jealousy, indecision

• 4: Changes, travel

• 3: Need for caution

• 2: Friendship, success

Clubs

• Ace: Harmony, property, achievement, love

• King: Dark-haired man, honest, open

• Queen: Dark-haired woman, strong, helpful

• Jack: Reliable friend

• 10: Fortune, abundance

• 9: New romance

• 8: Opposition, danger of recklessness

• 7: Prosperity, potential romantic interference

• 6: Business success

• 5: Help from a friend/partner

• 4: Bad change of fortune

• 3: Good partnership

• 2: Disappointment and opposition

Diamonds

• Ace: Money, a ring

• King: Fair-haired man, stubborn

• Queen: Fair-haired woman, flirty, witty

• Jack: A relative, unreliable

• 10: Journey, wealth

• 9: Financial opportunity, surprises

• 8: Declarations of love

• 7: A gift

• 6: Reconciliation

• 5: Successful meeting

• 4: Change for the better, an inheritance

• 3: Domestic/legal battles

• 2: Important love affair

Spades

• Ace: Conflict, infidelity, stress

• King: Dark-haired man, successful, ambitious

• Queen: Dark-haired woman, seductive

• Jack: Dark-haired youth, well meaning

• 10: Grief, despair, imprisonment

• 9: Bad luck, delays, quarrels

• 8: Disappointment

• 7: Possible loss of friendship

• 6: Improvements

• 5: Anxiety, setbacks, interference

• 4: Jealousy, business troubles

• 3: Bitter parting

• 2: Scandal, gossip, deceit

Note: You may choose to include the joker to represent folly, new beginnings, the Universe and to also signify the person receiving the reading.

Bonus: Using Playing Cards to Detect Baneful Magick

This technique relies on reading either red or black cards and nothing else. It can technically be used to answer any yes/no question.

Shuffle the deck and ask, "have I been hexed or cursed?" -while you are shuffling. When ready, stop shuffling and deal out five cards in a row, face down. Then one by one, left to right, turn them over. Black indicates a 'no' response, while red indicates 'yes'. You can see the degree of the curse by the presence of red cards. All black is a clear 'no' and all red is a clear 'yes'. The spread can be read as follows:

5 Black - 0 Red: No curse or negative energy present

4 Black - 1 Red: Blip of dark energy, natural defenses can ward it off

3 Black - 2 Red: Dark energy present, possible jinx

2 Black - 3 Red: Sufficient dark energy, possible hex, cleanse immediately

1 Black - 4 Red: Significant harmful magick present, likely hex or curse. Do a purification/protection ritual

0 Black - 5 Red: Curse confirmed, take serious action to uncross/cleanse/protect. Someone has intentionally tried to harm you with magick.