Connecting with the Four Elements Ritual

Earth, air, fire and water- these make up the four most widely known elements of life. Rarely passive, these elements are dynamic- always energetic. We can tap into these energies and use them to balance ourselves, and to connect with the world around us. The four elements are almost always moving, their energy manifesting in their physical being. Rarely do you see a body of water very still- it's usually full of ripples, a babbling brook, the ebb and flow of the tides. Fire leaps and crackles as it gives off heat. The air moves with breezes and currents, and the earth is ever moving- not just the plates- but the soil being worked beneath our feet. Here is a short and easy ritual you can do to connect (or reconnect) with these building blocks of life.

Set up your area with a colored candle at each of the four compass points. Red in the south, blue in the west, green in the north, and yellow at the east. At each point, also place a physical representation of the element. I suggest a bowl of water in the west, incense at the east, a separate candle in the south, and a bowl of salt in the north.

Cast a circle if you wish- this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you are comfortable doing so, do it.

Approach the east side of the circle and light your yellow candle. Hold it and envision everything that represents air to you, how you have experienced air in the past. Has it been windmills, a warm breeze in the desert, a cool chill of the winter air? Envision this with all of your senses. Taste it on your tongue, feel it on your skin. Say out loud: "Air." While you are envisioning these manifestations, say words that you correlate to this air element. For example, breeze, communication, Mercury, knowledge. This is your personal connection to air, so don't feel as though you have to be "traditional." When you feel like you are finished, light the incense and walk it around the perimeter of your circle (even if you didn't cast circle, still trace it). Envision a yellow line of energy demarcating your circle. Replace it next to the yellow candle and move south to your fire candle.

Pick up the fire candle and envision fire. How have you experienced fire in the past? Bonfires, candles sunshine? Envision it with all of your senses. State words that you associate with the element of fire, like passion, will, candle, flame. When you feel as though you are finished, light the other candle and walk it around the circle. "See" a line of fire energy around the circle, overlapping and weaving in with the yellow energy placed there by your incense. Replace your fire candle and move to your west quarter.

Light your blue, water candle. Envision water as you have experienced it. Have you swam in the ocean, a pool, a river? Have you felt the water move around you as you swam? Feel this and imagine waterfalls, brooks, or a serene pond. Speak aloud words you associate with water- intuition, dreams, serenity, peace. When you are finished, pick up the bowl of water, and sprinkle it around the edge of your circle, adding a blue thread of energy intertwined with your red and yellow energy. Place your bowl back near your water candle and move to the north.

Pick up your earth candle and light it. How do you see earth? Do you see it as the trees and the plants? Do you see it as the soil, warmed on a summer day? Feel your connection to the earth as you have experienced it in the past. As you are feeling this, state words that you feel connect with earth: green, new beginnings, security, life. Take up the bowl of salt, and like the water, sprinkle it upon the perimeter of the circle, seeing a green strand of energy among the yellow, red, and blue already there. Once you return to the north, put down your bowl of salt.

Take a few moments inside your circle. See in your minds eye, the four colors that make up your circle edge. Feel the constant movement of the elements at all four quarters. Really take the time to feel your connection to it all.

Once you are finished, return to the east. Say aloud, "blessed be, air," and blow out your yellow candle. Envision the yellow energy making up your circle to dissolve. Move to the south, and say, "blessed be, fire." As you blow out the candle, "see" the red thread of energy release and dissolve. Repeat with the water, and the earth candles.

If you cast a circle, uncast or open it. Take a few deep breaths and ground, if necessary.

May's Full Moon

Tonight's the full moon! I love it when it's stormy here, especially while doing witchy workings. I feel that it adds energy to whatever I'm working on. May is the Hare Moon or Planting Moon (depending on the culture), and the energy that it brings is an energy full of growth, fertility and workings toward keeping ourselves fed. Today, I'm focusing on fertility.I do have a few things to plant in the ground, but am unable to do so in the rain.

Here are a few ideas on what you can do for this full moon:

• Focus on making a baby!
• Focus on renewing your creativity
• Plant seeds in the ground
• Charge seeds in the moonlight
• Start some seeds in small containers
• Or of course, do a working for whatever you need at the moment

If you are looking for some easy plants to start from seeds, I suggest radishes. They go from seed to food in about six weeks. If you start new seeds on week 4, they should be ready to plant by the time you are pulling your grown radishes out of the ground. This is a great lesson to kids about how food doesn't originate in the grocery store.

Paranormal Investigation = Séance ?

In the world of Facebook, Twitter and Ning, it’s easy to find information on paranormal groups in your area. Many groups have a fan page on Facebook, as well as a website of their own, and possibly even a public message board. What one finds on the science-minded groups websites is almost always the same. “We don’t do séances, nor Ouija or Spirit boards. We use our (scientific) instruments to gauge levels of paranormal activity.” Now, to someone who is in the paranormal community, we know that there are no devices that have been created solely to gauge and/or prove paranormal activity (except for the Ovilus, etc- but it doesn’t seem as though the paranormal community accepts them, yet). Instead, we use devices that have been used for other purposes- audio recorders, EMF (electro-magnetic field) meters, video cameras. Investigators also use devices using existing technology adapted for seekers of the paranormal, like the K2 Meter. An outside person or client might not understand that, and the technology that we use might seem mysterious to them.

Merriam-Webster defines “séance” as a meeting to receive spirit communication. Séances and spiritualism become popular in the nineteenth century, and the popularity continued on into the twentieth century. Still now, in small “séances” people are using Ouija or other spirit boards- I’ve even seen a pink one at the local toy store. People at séances would try to communicate with spirits on the other side, usually with the aid of a medium. They’d try to get the spirits to speak using raps on the table, spirit trumpets (horn-shaped tube thought to magnify the whispered voices into a range that humans could hear), and of course the well-known spirit board. Communication was also said to be happening with the appearing of objects, or a strange smell- anything out of the ordinary.

In the twenty-first century that we live in, those trying to communicate with spirits will sometimes call in a paranormal investigation team. The team brings in all of their equipment: audio recorders, cameras, meters, thermometers and more. The team then asks questions and awaits the response of the spirit world. Can the spirit finish the “shave and a haircut” knock? Will they light up the lights on a K2 meter (the K2 is based off of EMF technology and an increase in EMF lights up the lights)? Many of these questions are asked, and we hope to hear answers once we review all of our recordings. Investigators also look for objects appearing or moving.

Today’s paranormal investigations are very similar to the séances of yesteryear. One difference being that most investigation groups do not connect their collective energies like those attending a séance might- by holding hands, or touching the same object. Besides that small fact, it seems like both a séance and today’s paranormal investigators use the same techniques. While our ancestors were listening to a spirit trumpet, trying to hear voices not on our frequency, so do we listen to our audio recordings, hoping for hidden words. Both séances and investigations use raps, or lights, or some other physical change as an example of communication. Both investigations and séances look for things out of place- however presently, we have the advantage of being able to view video to do so. Sometimes those on investigations use mediums, even to speak with the dead. There’s no reason to think the ability of today’s mediums would be better than the abilities of mediums past.

It seems as though these two ways of contacting the dead are very similar. Both use physical movement of some sort to gauge activity, both seize the concept of spirit voices unheard by human ears, but able to be heard using a device, and both communicate with spirits using the best technology of the day.

More Energy

This recent weekend, we had our coven meeting and it was really nice. We did a few of the energy exercises described in my recent blog, as well as one that Aislin had tried before. In addition to being fun, it was really good to practice moving our energies around within our bodies, and from one person to another.

Energy Pushing Exercise
Aislin said that she thinks that this exercise might be in Penczak’s Inner Temple book.
One person is the ‘pusher,’ the other is the ‘receiver.’ Both parties stand facing one another and they might close their eyes to improve their concentration. The pusher begins to direct energy toward the other person with the intent to push the receiver, making her lean back. The other people act as observers, as both pusher and receiver will probably have their eyes shut.

This was a great exercise. We switched partners throughout the exercise, which was my original plan- but time really flew by quicker than expected- so we’ll have to do the other exercises next time.

Energy Play Exercises

I posted a tweet in regards to energy exercises, as my group will be doing some of that this weekend. I asked if anyone had any fun ideas. I got nothin'. But that's okay. Here are a few exercises that we've done before.

Energy Balls
Sit down.
Take a few deep breaths and ground yourself using the common tree meditation. Place your roots deep into the ground. On an exhale release all your tension and anxiety. Begin to draw up energy from the ground, into your roots. Feel it flow into your legs, into your torso, and up into your arms. Feel this energy flow into your hands. Let it flow into your cupped hands, creating a small ball of light the size of a pingpong ball. "See" this ball, and use your will to grow it into a tennis ball. Note the color of your energy ball. Change the color of the ball. Now expand your hands and expand the size of the energy ball. Practice changing the size and color of the energy ball.

Partner Energy Ball Practice
Sit across from your partner. One person creates an energy ball in their cupped hands. Their partner sits across from them and cups their hands. The person with the energy ball transfers it to their partner. The partner then changes the size or color and passes it back to the original person. This goes on for awhile, then the partners can do a pass and then discuss what they think they received, and then what they changed.

Group Energy Ball Practice
Sit in a circle. One person creates an energy ball, and passes it to the person on her left. This ball is passed around the circle a few times so everyone can get attuned to the energy. The second time, each person changes the ball a little bit. It's kind of like the old game telephone.

Projecting and Receiving Energy into the Body (Partners)
One partner lays down and the other kneels over them, palms down over the first persons body. The partner laying down closes her eyes. The kneeling partner chooses a part of her partners body to focus on, and begins to channel light healing energy into her partner. The partner laying down is responsible for being receptive to the energy and try to feel where the energy is.

Shields and Energy Balls (Partners)
One person puts her shields up, and another creates energy balls and tosses them at the shield. Then, switch.

Don't be disappointed if you don't guess the color of your partners energy ball, or can't correctly guess where your partner is feeding you energy. Practicing is important, but these exercises are meant to be fun. They will help you get attuned to your energy, as well as the energy of your partners. One thing that is really important is - ground at the end of your energy practice. You are exchanging all kinds of energy, so make sure to ground out any energy that isn't yours.