the Building Blocks of the Universe
After taking the recent Gathering into the realm of ancestor worship, I decide to journey to a local botanical garden to sink down into Mother Earth as she draws life back into her darkened womb. In the stillness of nature offers a wonderful gift to unplug of the stress filled demands of modern-day life and to simply be.
Around me the elemental building blocks of the cosmos were at play during this time of transformation. As the wind danced amongst the branches, it toyed with the leaves in their brilliant scarlet and oranges, teasing them to join the downward flutter to Mother Earth who was waiting beneath, in wide receiving abundance. Those leaves whose energy had now been spent, formed a carpet where they would gradual be relieved for the last ounces of chlorophyll before gradually decaying and dissolving back into her often with soaking precipitation that cleansed all from the dusty memory of the hot summer. Yet above me, the once fiery, passionate sun was determined not to succumb to a mere memory, as it continued to stir the life force energy below.
The Hermetic axiom states: “As above, so below, as within, so without”.
As I breathed in the coolness of the air, I wondered what I could release from my own self, what needed to decay, to be dissolved, to be repurposed into something more beneficial. Often our modern lives impact so much upon us that we forget about our innate connection with nature. We overlook the realisation that it is not something separate from us but indeed part of us. Amongst our concrete and airconditioned lives, we shy from the sensation of the elements upon us, perceiving them as more of a discomfort than anything meaningful. Yet, despite our attempts to disassociate ourselves from the natural world, the truth remains – we are nature.
Part of my initial training in contemporary witchcraft was very much focused on establishing a relationship with the elements – Earth, Air, Fire and Water. While this training occurred in Wales, as I continued to move with each circle of the sun, it began increasingly evident, and regardless of what hemisphere I was in, how interwoven the elements were not only within contemporary witchcraft, but in other forms of magic, as well as providing a deeper understand with respect to our connection in the universe. Such a revelation is, after all, considered to be one of the Great Mysteries.
When was the last time you stopped and contemplated the role that the elements play within your life?
How connected are you with the elemental forces that are around us as well as within in each and every one of us?
As with all Mystery teachings, there are many layers to such work, and depending on how deep the seeker wishes to immerse themselves into the elemental realms, will reveal the depth of understanding. In a world focused on instant gratification and manifestation of results, allowing ourselves the time and space to “be” with the elements, to contemplate their interplay with our own selves, as well as being able to use them to deepen our perception into this reality (and beyond), I personally believed that such work is needed more than ever – if only because of the benefits it has on our mental health and sense of connectiveness in an ever-increasing disconnected world.
Even if you are not able to attend The Elements of Witchcraft event that will be taking place on Sunday, 19 May 2024, I would encourage you to spend some time considering the role that the elements play in your life, as well as the world around you.
Spend some time meditating on each of the elements in turn, using physical items in your practice if need be (a feather for air, a seashell for water, a candle for fire and a bowl of dirt for earth).
As you go about your daily business, consider the roles that the elements play.
Remember, we are not separate from the earth, from nature – we are very much part of it – and it is of us.
Blessings, Frances
