The Four Elements: An Introduction

Water, earth, fire, air…

These are the four elements on our planet, takers and givers of life. Every animal, crystal, plant, color, spell and more can be connected to one or all of these elements. As a Sea Witch, I have a heavy focus on the element of water, but even with that distinction, I still incorporate all elements into my practice, mostly because there is no separating them in magic. Every element is connected to each other: Water and earth combine to make mud, with fire to make steam, with air to create rain and hurricanes, and so on. Those who identify as elemental witches use these combinations often in their craft, dedicating their practice to the intricacies of each element and what they can learn from them, or working closely with the elemental spirits.

These lists can, and should, be adapted and changed to fit your personal practice. Just how the elements can blend together, so can their associations and spellwork. Roses are a great example of a flower that has connections to every element. They are often associated with love spells and the fire element, but are grown from the earth, and have been used as offerings to the water element for centuries.

Earth is the element of substance. It includes all life, and all other elements within. It is also the element of abundance and prosperity, of grounding and connection. Those who work with the earth have deep wisdom, and crave to understand more. They prefer quiet solitude, and it isn’t unusual to find them hugging a tree from time to time. I often use sand to represent the earth element on my altar.

• Money spells- anything to do with abundance and prosperity will connect you back to the element of earth. Money bowls that include things from the earth that represent wealth are a great option to use when working with this element. Your money bowl can include far more than just your country’s currency!
• Grounding & meditation: put your bare feet into plush grass or rich soil, stretch your arms up to the sky, and stand tall as the trees do, imagining your feet planting like roots to the earth while your body soaks in the heat of the sun. Connecting with the earth element in this way takes you out of your head and back into your body, and is a great way to lower anxiety and stress.
• Use pentacles on your altar as well as salt, soil, eggshells, and charcoal to welcome the earth element to your space. Be mindful that if you have pets you’ll want to sweep this up after!
• Aligns with the planetary bodies of Saturn, Venus, the Earth itself, and the zodiac signs Capricorn, Virgo, and Taurus.
• Animal spirits: All animals have a connection to this element and overlap with others, but specifics include bison, deer, cattle, pigs, blue jays (air), crows (air), geese (air), swans (air & water) , crocodile (water), turtles (water), dragonflies (air & water).
• Spirits like dryads, elves, leprechauns, brownies.Their association with the element of earth comes from the locations in which they are said to dwell, deep underground or in thick, lush forests, and the colors they are most often seen in. Leprechauns, for example, are often depicted in green and associated with gold. However, their connection with rainbows also loosely ties them to the elements of air and water. 
• All herbs come from the earth, and have more than one elemental correspondence, but some I use to represent the earth element include olive, ferns, ivy, mugwort, sage, fennel, cloves, mandrake, patchouli, and rosemary, for their musky, earthy scent, color, and in some cases, taste.
• Crystals are also all associated with the earth element, but gold, brown, black and green crystals such as chrysocolla, emerald, malachite, obsidian & tigers eye are specifically connected by color.
• Earth elemental: Gnomes

Air is the element of adventure, travel, and swiftness. Those who work with this element are curious and sometimes flighty. They are the dreamers and thinkers and innovators, and you can always count on them for an unconventional but effective idea to get you out of a rut! Since air is one of the intangible elements, I typically use feather or lavender to represent this element in my practice.

• Weather, clairvoyance, and concentration spells- the influence over the weather can be a combination of many elements, but it sits within the atmospheric element of air first and is one of the most challenging witchcraft practices. However you will find the most harmony with spells regarding focus, study, communication and divination within this element.
• Justice & travel- Libra, the scales of the zodiac is an air sign, and is associated with justice and karma. Call upon the element of air to help you in legal matters or delivering swift justice, and for any travel, especially flights.
• Cloud watching, wind and smoke cleansing.
• Include an athame or bird feathers on your altar and stones like opal, celestite, moldavite, clear quartz, & howlite.
• Aligns with the planetary bodies of Jupiter, Mercury, and Uranus, and the zodiac signs Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini. 
• Any flying animals like eagles, hawks, falcons, dragonflies, butterflies, fireflies as well as gazelles for their flight-like gaits.
• Spirits such as pixies, fairies and sprites.
• Herbs include dandelion, lavender, lilac, lily, marjoram, thyme, peppermint, violet, bamboo, laurel & vervain.
• Let your imagination run wild and write down everything that comes to mind
• Air elemental: Sylphs.

Fire is the element of passion. It is both creation and destruction, the spark of life and the blazing inferno, born within the very heart of the earth. Those who work with the element of fire know the drive of ambition, the spark of creation, and the burn of overzealously. Though fire and water appear to be complete opposite, they are often used in tandem, like a warm bath or even adding the element of earth in the form of herbs to make tea.

• Candle magic, fire scrying- Even as a sea witch, I use a lot of fire in my practice in the form of candle magic and scrying. Lacking a significant amount of this element in my natal chart, I find that connecting to fire this way helps keep me connected to the spark which inspires many of my ideas. Fire scrying is also a fantastic way to connect with this element, just make sure to keep a safe distance from the flame and don’t strain your eyes!
• Altar representations include wands, lava rocks & candles.
• Crystals such as garnets, rubies, citrine, red jasper, & any blown glass.
• Aligns with the planetary bodies of Mars, Jupiter the Sun, and the zodiac signs Leo, Aries and Sagittarius.
• Colors of red, orange, and yellows.
• Animal spirits like the scorpion (also connected with water), lions, bees, snakes, ladybugs
• Spirits such as phoenixes and dragons
• Work with herbs like cinnamon, chili pepper, hibiscus, olive, orange, pomegranate, sesame, sunflower and tobacco.
• Fire (spices) salt and the alchemical symbol for fire (pictured above) can be used as substitutes if no fire can be lit in your space
• Take time to fuel your passions and get active, dance around bonfires and let the spark of creativity light up inside of you. This element can also be invoked for purposes of love, sex, and celebrations of life.
• Fire elemental: Salamanders

Water is the element of change and transformation. Water has three main states that it occurs in: ice, liquid or vapor. Each of these states comes with its own spiritual attributes, along with the attributes of the transformation between each state. Those who work with the element of water understand the rushing of a swift river, the force of a tidal wave, and the promise of hope in a bubbling spring. I use this element the most often in my practice. Everything from cleansing sprays, to scrying and potion crafting. If I am not using actually water on my altar, I will represent the element using sea shells.

• Emotions, trauma, love, healing, intuition spells- Sit in a bath with let the water flow over your body, feel it cascade over your head and down your shoulders in the shower, stripping away that which does not serve you.
• Water scrying, love spells, enchanting jewelry with water, dream work, destroying sigils with water.
• Altar decorations include cauldrons, a chalice, silver, nautical motifs like anchors, ship wheels, sea shells, and jewelry
• Crystals such as opals, aquamarine, quartz, shells, fossils
• Cleansing bath/showers, floor or window washes, water wards, enchant water before drinking.
• Aligns with the planetary bodies of the Moon, Neptune, and the zodiac signs Scoprio, Cancer and Pisces.
• Animal spirits such as sea serpents (to shed emotional skins), bears, horses, sea birds, scorpions, and fish.
• Spirits such as mermaids, selkies, krakens, lake ladies and nereids.
• Watery herbs and foods like watermelon, aloe, mint, catnip, latus, rosemary, lemon, pear, elder, grapes, coconut, and apple.
• Meditate in water, look into horse riding, learn how to swim in a mermaid tail!
• Water elemental: undines

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