So Saturday was the Elemental Ritual day and I was a little late to it (I have a wonky sleep pattern that I am constantly trying to sort out) but I made it for the actual ritual and only missed the Casting of the Circle before we got to work using the elements to bless and almost consecrate our journals/notebooks for the Priestess Path course.
The Circle is always cast so that we are all protected as well as connected - not everyone is able to make it to every meeting so there is a replay available that is put on the course site. When the Circle is cast, the directions are called in to aid with what happens within the Circle.
For the actual ritual, we were all asked to have certain things to hand to represent the elements: incense and/or a feather for Air, a white candle for Fire, a small bowl of water for Water (obviously, haha!), a small bowl of soil or salt for Earth, and a crystal for Spirit. It didn't matter which crystal we wanted to work with, but I've always been drawn to amethyst so I chose a piece of that while my altar has an amethyst tree instead.
We were asked to place these elements in the direction that they are associated with. I was sitting at my desk so the directions were slightly different compared with my temporary elemental altar that I have since set up using the items. The incense was placed in the East, the candle in the South, the water in the West, the Earth to the North, and the crystal in the Centre.
Most of the items I used were items I have received over the last year or so from a subscription box curated by Witch Casket (if you're interested here's their website: https://www.witchcasket.co.uk) and have finally managed to use in my Craft.
It was so exciting to actually be able to use these items that I hadn't previously known or felt like I could actually use them in a ritual or spell and I think it's the first time I have actually felt like a true Witch for having used some of the items I have "collected" over the last 18 months.
We went through all of the elements and used each of them to bless and consecrate our journals/notebooks that we use for this course. It was really interesting because it felt like there was a true connection to the elements and we were bringing it full circle back to "mundane" items. I chose this notebook because I wanted to remind myself every day that I use it to enjoy every moment and I have to say that I am enjoying every single moment of this course!!
Before closing the session, we were asked about where in our bodies we feel the elements. So for Air, I feel a connection in my lungs and chest area, as well as my ears because of my personal grounding habit and music, respectively. For fire, again I feel it in my lungs and chest due to my personal grounding habit. For water, I feel that a lack of water (within my diet but also generally) affects my legs more than any other part of my body. For earth, because of my personal grounding habit and music, I feel it in my chest and lungs but also in my ears. For spirit, I feel it in my head particularly but also through my connection with my cats that seems to be slightly more than the relationship between owner and pet.
During this session, I realised that my desk faces east and it always has since I took delivery of it. East is the direction of air but it's also associated with inspiration and communication. My desk is where I write most of my posts so that I can focus on them as I write them.
My desk is also where I found inspiration while thinking about runes and their connections with the elements. While all of my rune sets are engraved in crystals which have an earth connection, they also have individual meanings or keywords and it was these keywords that inspired me to think about how they could be used to represent the elements.
This was really interesting because it was my first set of runes that started me down this path and I'm always interested in their relationship with the rest of the world. So I sat and considered all of their keywords and how they are similar to those of the elements before coming up with the following:
Earth - Fehu for abundance, fertility, energy and creation
Air - Ansuz for inspiration and communication
Fire - Kenaz (also called Kaunaz) for vision and creativity
Water - Laguz for renewal and dreams
Kenaz also means torch which is a fiery thing used to illuminate the path a person is walking and Laguz also means water so was obviously the best choice for those elements.
There wasn't a particular rune that I felt resonated with the element of Spirit but there is a blank rune that is provided in most sets that are sold now. It wasn't traditionally used in divination but for anyone who wants to use it, it can symbolise the Wyrd or fate of all that is not known by those of us on this physical realm but particularly by the Norns who weave the past, present and future into the web of all things.
All in all, it was a very interesting Saturday evening for me and has taught me even more about my own Craft and how I can actually use the tools I have at my disposal.
I hope my musings are helpful for you and your own Crafts.
Love and peace to you all!!
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