Dayanna Volitich is one of the many people in this country who openly identifies as pagan. Now that witches are no longer burnt at the stake, people have been empowered to practice their religion as they see fit. Paganism is a very inclusive type of religion and not a dogmatic one. Indeed, it is about everybody’s personal and individual experience with the Goddess and with nature. It is also strongly based on five important elements.
Dayanna Volitich Explains the Elements of Paganism
Most people believe that there are but four elements – earth, air, fire, and water – to coincide with the four compass points. However, the reality is that there is a fifth element, which is one that is quite hard to define and describe, due to the fact that the element is that of spirit or ether. It is an ethereal element that has a magical force and is quite mystical, which makes it impossible to explain or categorize this element appropriately. Anyone who makes magic or casts spells have to include the element of spirit for it to be effective, however.
The Earth element is the one that stands for the physical world. It is about the physical body, responsibility, money, security, finances, and so on. It is a feminine element that stands for growth and stability and forms the foundation for the movement of all other elements. It is also receptive and its season is winter, coinciding with the northern compass point. It is symbolic for shelter and has a grounding energy.
The air element is about mental activity and the mind. It’s compass points East and spring is its season. It is the wind element that is linked to freedom, ideas, discovery, and travel. It is also links to the fields of law, science, and mathematics and it is associated with cloudy skies and windy plains.
The fire element is linked to the giver of life, the sun. It stands for possibilities, and desire, passion, imagination, and so on. It is destructive yet creative but must be done something in order to exist. While fire keeps us warm and cooks our food, it can also destroy everything that we have. Its compass point is the south and it relates to passion and motivation. The energy is forceful and fast and often uplifting but can also be frightening.
The water element has to do with dreams come out in cover and subconscious. It is the element of love. It affect our emotional responses and moods and is linked to the western compass point. Autumn is its season and water helps to heal and purify, removing all the stagnant. It is a feminine energy and relates strongly to fertility.
Finally, the spirit element is also known as akasha. It exists on the astral plane. Spirit stands for ritual, magic, religion, the arts, and so on. It’s colours are black and or white as these reflect of light and dark period spirit is both everywhere and nowhere at all. It Unites us to the other world period it does not have a defined location or place but the pagan knows it is always there.