The Wiccan Elements: The Element of Earth

A Wiccan of 25 years, Sage likes to put her background as a writer and teacher to use by helping people learn about this NeoPagan path.

Element of Earth

Elements often play a role in ritual and magic in the Wiccan religion, and their energies are frequently embraced as part of the overall spirituality. The Elements—Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Aether (also known as Spirit, or Akasha)—can be generally seen as the fundamental energies of the universe that make up everything.

The concept of the Elements were introduced in the first article of this series, and in the second I listed correspondences for Air. Now, we shall delve into the realm of Earth.

Correspondences are not set in stone. While there are usually more similarities than differences, there will almost always be variations from list to list. You should use them as a guide in considering what they mean to you rather than as scripture that must be right or wrong.

The Element of Earth

Alchemical Symbol for Earth

The Element of Earth:

Gender: female

Charge: negative (-)

Energy: passive

Qualities: physical matter; solid; heavy; cold

Aspects: tangible world; fertility; growth; productivity

Attributes:

Positive: ambitious, dependable, diligent, earthy, industrious, practical, pragmatic, reliable, responsible, stable, steady, thorough

Negative: critical, dull, inhibited, materialistic, obstinate, possessive, slow, stubborn, unforgiving

Earth

Aligned With:

Day of the Week: Thursday, Saturday

Direction: East

Locations: caverns, plains, canyons, the underworld

Sabbats: Imbolc, Ostara

Time of day: Morning

Time of Life: Youth

Time of the year: Spring

Wind: Euros

Witch’s Pyramid: To Will

Earth is...

Ruling over:

Body parts: physical self, bones

Bodily functions: eating, defecation

Colors: green, brown, black, earth tones

Incense: patchouli, musk

Instruments: drums, percussion

Occupations: armed forces, banking and finances, carpentry, construction, child care, cooking and food service, clerical and administrative work, dancing, gardening, house keeping/home making, hunting, janitors, jewelers, mechanics, stone masons, wood workers.

Sense: touch

Corresponding to:

Herbs: alfalfa, barley, corn, cotton, cypress, fern, fumitory, honeysuckle, magnolia, mugwort, oats, peas, oleander, patchouli, potato primrose, quince, rhubarb, rye, sagebrush, sorrel, tulip, vervain, vetivert, wheat

Metals: lead

Minerals & gems: green agates, moss agates, alum, green calcite, coal, emerald, jasper, jet, salt, malachite, olivine, peridot, black tourmaline, green tourmaline, turquoise

Runes: URUZ, GIFU, BEORK, ING, OTHAL, JERA

Tarot: Suit of Pentacles (coins), Paiges, Empress, Heirophant, Wheel of Fortune, The Devil, The World

Wiccan tools: Pentacle, consecrated salt

Zodiac: Taurus (fixed); Virgo (mutable); Capricorn (cardinal)

Animals of Earth

Image: wikimedia Commons/Stuart Bassil

Associated With:

Animals: most mammals (few exceptions: big cats and horses/Fire; primates and foxes/Air; aquatic mammals/Water); most insects without wings (exception: fire ants/fire); earthworms.

Elemental Beings: Gnomes, elves, leprechauns

Gods: Adonis, Anubis, Cernunnos, Dagda, Dionysus, Green Man, Hades, Herne, Janus, Osiris, Pan, Pluto

Goddesses: Anu, Cerridewen, Ceres, Demeter, Gaia, Fauna, Frigga,Hecate, Nepthys, Ostara, Persephone, Prithivi, Rhea

Mythical Creatures: big foot, chupacabra, giants, jackalope, unicorn, werewolves, wraiths

Pentagrams