When commencing the journey into contemporary witchcraft, one thing that quickly becomes apparent is that the majority of information available appears to relate to the Northern Hemisphere with little, if any, acknowledgement to the differences south of the equator beyond the most noticeable being the difference in the seasons.  What follows is a look at some of the major differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres that may need to be considered should the seeker wish to follow an earth-centric spiritual path such as contemporary witchcraft.

Seasonal Differences

Due to the 23° tilt of the earth’s axis, when  it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter here in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.  For this reason, the seasonal symbolisms associated with Easter and Christmas are out of place here in the Southern Hemisphere.

Without taking into account any seasonal shifts due to climate change and global warming etc, and focusing simply on the timing based on the relationship between the earth and the sun, this means that:

• The winter solstice occurs around 21 June whereas the summer solstice occurs around 21 December.

• The autumn (autumnal) equinox occurs around 21 March whereas the spring (vernal) equinox occurs around 21 September.

• The four “cross-quarter” festivals, or seasonal gateways, observed within contemporary witchcraft also are changed to reflect the appropriate seasonal alignments in the Southern Hemisphere.

Direction of the Sun

The tilt of the earth’s axis also means that while in both hemispheres the sun rises in the east and sets in west, on its journey across the sky in the Southern Hemisphere, it travels via the north.  For this reason, many followers of earth-centric traditions in the Southern Hemisphere cast their circles in this direction, via the north, or in an anti-clockwise direction as opposed to via the south, or clockwise.

According to the Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary, the word “deosil” comes from Gaelic deiseil meaning “sunwise” or “in the direction of the (apparent) motion of the sun”.  In Scottish folklore, deosil was considered the “prosperous course”.  The word “widdershins” comes from the Middle High Germanic word widersinnig meaning “against” and “sense”, also “in a direction contrary to the apparent course of the sun”.  In Scotland it was the lowland Scots (from East Lothian down to the English border) who favoured the word “widdershins”.  In more modern times the association with clock direction has been included.

Elemental Placements

When the above is considered, when it comes to aligning elements with directions, these may also need to be changed.  For example, as the Temple is located in South Australia, it seems logical for the placement of Fire to be in the North, while Earth is placed in the South.  Environmentally, to the North is the equator and from the North come the scorching summer winds.  North is also the placement in the sky of the noon day sun.  Likewise, from the South come the bitter cold winds of winter, is the frozen landmass of Antarctica, and where, within esoteric teachings, the sun never appears.

Regardless of where we reside, the sun rises in the East, and because of this, many magical traditions position the element of Air in the East.  Air represents new beginnings, and this is reflected in the rising sun.  With the sun setting in the West, the element of Water (which rules the emotions) is often placed in this direction.