Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
The Corner Crone: The Earth, The Air, The Fire, The Water

The Corner Crone: The Earth, The Air, The Fire, The Water

Last updated on: August 14, 2019 at 9:39 pm by Martha Kirby Capo

The Corner Crone: The Earth, The Air, The Fire, The Water 2019-08-14T21:39:35+00:00 Martha Kirby Capo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

(Return, return, return, return . . . )

Some of you may be aware I’ve been trying to be mindful about how my Practice might adapt to my new surroundings. Miami is so very different from the other places I’ve lived (Texas originally, Iowa and Illinois more recently), and before coming here I was pretty obsessed with learning about indigenous peoples and current cultures. “I want to get this right,” I thought; “I want to be careful.” Controlled, intentional. Learned.

So much to learn in so little time! Image by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay.

Turns out I was so focused on the details of my new region that I lost perspective of the larger landscape of my planet. I was so busy figuring out how to reinvent the wheel that I forgot that wherever I am is simply a spoke in the Wheel. Leave it to Gaia to set me straight!

I’ve written about how I’ve been visited (welcomed?) by fire and water in this month since the last full moon. Now, air and earth have joined the welcoming party. Over the weekend we had a lightning strike that took out some of our electronics. Classically lightning is not a primary element; it’s a combination of fire and air—but, you can’t have lightning without air. At that point we’d had a fire in the microwave and water dripping from the ceiling, so experiencing lightning as a representation of Air? Yeah, sure, I’ll accept that.

All that was left was a personal greeting from Earth . . . and then I realized Earth had already come to say hello; I just hadn’t made the connection. Until a local weather forecaster mentioned the effect a few days ago, I had forgotten that it is not uncommon for dust from the Sahara Desert to impact weather on this side of the Atlantic. That’s another thing that’s been happening around me these last few days. I simply had not noticed.

The ripples from the elements aren’t the only nudges I’ve been aware of since settling in; I’ve been having issues with keys as well. Those of you who are familiar with Hekate know that keys are one of Her symbols. This new place has a community pool available—by key—to the residents. My key worked once and then refused to budge in the lock.

Why am I having so much trouble with keys? Photo by Susanne Jutzeler via Pixabay.

A trip to the property management company fixed that problem, though I have to say that when I compared the new key to the old key none of the cuts between the shoulder and the tip matched. The two keys are even noticeably different lengths—so much so that the original key shouldn’t have worked at all.

Finally, the gate to exit the development, just a few doors down from where we now live, conked out (gates are also associated with Hekate). It was repaired a few days later, and my husband’s electronic gate card once again worked but mine . . . . did not.

I took the rational (mundane) action of emailing the property manager—who by now I’m pretty sure knows me by name if not by sight—to report the issue. Turns out he was told that some of the key cards might not work post-repairs; I gave him my card number to re-enter into the system, but for good measure I also put my card with the other keys on my altar and asked for some positive energies.

But sometimes it’s not all about me; well, let’s face it, most of the time it’s not all about me. Witchcraft is about power, at least in part, and that can be very seductive to folx who have felt disempowered for any length of time. When we slough off the shackles of meeting other people’s expectations about how we should be—what prescribed roles we ought to be inhabiting—it can be a heady experience.

We feel free—free to speak our truths with our sassy mouths, to poke our too-bold tongues out at authority. Free to be unconventional not simply for the sake of being unconventional, but because we love ourselves as we are no matter how we are and by All that’s Holy we don’t give a fat rat’s patootie about what anybody thinks about us anymore.

You heard me! I don’t give a rat’s patootie! Photo by Couleur via Pixabay.

But there’s a line between self-love and self-absorption, just like there’s a line between knowing you are able to work within the rules of nature and thinking you can control nature. Much as I’d love to be able to hold my first full moon ritual at my new outdoor altar this evening, there’s a more than good chance of heavy downpours tonight.

If I believed I could control the weather, I’d be putting energy toward that enterprise instead of writing this afternoon, and I’d more than likely be frustrated that my spell “didn’t work”. But I can work within the rules of nature, watching the clouds, tasting the air, paying attention to the wind and holding my ritual between rainstorms. Yes, weather modification may be possible in a laboratory setting, but it’s not a particularly achievable goal for most of us, witch or not. (Note that I am not talking about climate change, which almost 100% of climate scientists agree is the direct result of deleterious human activities.)

So, it could be I’ve been a little too self-absorbed these past few weeks, counting the rings on the palm trees instead of stepping back and seeing that I’m in a grove. Before I moved here I was all about changing up my rituals to fit in with my new environment, an environment I had yet to experience. But change without understanding context is simply aping.

Take time to discover new rhythms. Photo by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay.

Victoria Erickson writes, ““Don’t dismiss the elements. Water soothes and heals. Air refreshes and revives. Earth grounds and holds. Fire is a burning reminder of our own will and creative power. Swallow their spells. There’s a certain sweet comfort in knowing that you belong to them all.” I would also posit there is a nagging discomfort when your relationships with the elements are out of alignment, as mine have been.

And maybe that’s what all of these virtual head-slaps from the elements have been trying to tell me. Don’t be so quick to jump into change simply because I’ve put that expectation on myself; instead, live into the environment for a significant amount of time, certainly more than a month. Try not to muscle myself into a preconceived mold.

Instead, ease past the shock of immersion. Lean more into intention and less into control. Inhale deeply and savor great, slow, wet lungfuls of air. Exhale slowly and mindfully.

And take time to discover my new rhythms, which may not end up being so new after all.

Theology, Ethics, Philosophy

Previous Post

August 14, 2019

Between Two Worlds: A Greek Magickal Papyri Prayer - Rewritten

Next Post

August 17, 2019 Of Light & Shadow: Meeting Hekate Einalia

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which epistle focuses on joy and is addressed to believers in Macedonia?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Galatians Colossians Philippians Ephesians