Working with the Elements and Elementals
Part 1: Air

By Jacqui Winn

As magical working folk, whatever your chosen Path, we all work with and use the Elements and the Elementals within our magical and spiritual practice. We call upon them when casting our circles. We ask them to protect and guide us when working our rituals and to aid in our spell work. It is the Elements that we use to help consecrate our working tools. We work with them when we learn our magical arte. They teach and inform us and help us to further our magical lives. And yet I can’t help but wonder if many of us are simply paying lip service to the Elements and the Beings that inhabit and inform them. It is important that we learn about the Elements as thoroughly as we possibly can, and then move on to the magical beings known as the Elementals. This will help us to reach a deeper understanding of our own natures and the natural world and of our place within it. Working without a proper knowledge of these Elements and Elementals can be dangerous. If we are only paying lip service to them in our Circle casting and rituals then we are not setting up the proper protections and boundaries needed to perform our magical workings and are thus leaving ourselves wide open to darker influences. After all it is they whom we call upon to aid, guide and protect us during our workings and rituals. So we should get to know and develop a working, respectful relationship with them.

When you are just starting out on your magical path it can often be confusing. There are many books out there and some are better than others, all purporting to teach and lead the beginner along their first steps. These books are great for some of the very basics, but we need to look more closely and far more deeply at the Elements if we are to grasp what it is they have to teach us and how we can work with them. When I start to train someone in Witchcraft I get them to research what they can of each Element and find out their various correspondences – planets, colours, directions, days, seasons etc. All this information is easily accessible and widely available. I then get them to spend one month with each Element and to keep an Elemental diary. This means that for one month – full moon to full moon - they spend time meditating on Water for instance. They walk in the rain and think about how it feels, smells, looks. They walk in a stream and let the water caress their skin. Or they watch it as is flows past and see the light dance upon its surface. Listening to the rain on the window during heavy rain is wonderful, or hearing the surf as it hits the beach. All these things, when you spend time with your chosen Element with the intent of really being with it, will teach you something about the Element itself and how you relate to it. Each day the student sets aside some time to be with their chosen Element and then they write up their thoughts, feelings and observations in their Elemental Diary. This is done for each one. Time is spent feeling the wind upon your skin, a gentle breeze, or a howling wind. Both feel different but they contain the same energy and can convey different feelings. Gardening is a great way to work with the Earth, or walking in woodland or rocky places. Take handfuls of it, smell it with your eyes closed and see what it evokes in your imagination. Take your shoes of and walk upon the Earth, we simply don’t do this enough! It feels wonderful. For Fire, feel the sun warm your skin, watch the flicker of a candle flame or feel the heat and see the flames dance in an open fire. There are many ways one can meditate and get a feel for each and every Element. Its easy enough, and this way you get to know the simpler forms of each Element and you slowly begin to realize and understand how they have an impact upon the world around us, and more importantly on and within ourselves. By keeping the diary you will begin to see how each Element connects to you personally and how you connect to it. It is a diary of your relationship with the Elements and your journey of discovery. However, spending just one month with each Element is not enough. It is a great introduction, but one should really look deeper still. This comes with time and experience, but we should all realize that each day we are experiencing these Elements on a personal and physical level, as well as a magical level.

As for the Elementals, we must not kid ourselves that these magical Beings are fairylike in their appearance or manner, or even kindly disposed towards our kind. The Elementals are neither good nor bad, gentle or destructive, they simply are what they are – beings from another dimension that interact with ours. We cannot attach our human emotions to them, for they are not of our world or our kind. Perhaps they are not even aware of humanity until we make contact with them. Maybe they are just curious about us, but we should not flatter ourselves into thinking that they care about us, –why should they? They will allow us to work with them if we know what we are doing and approach with care and caution, but before we even consider this we must work on ourselves first and come to an understanding of how the Elementals interact with us on a daily basis.

All of the Elementals should be approached with extreme caution, but to work with the Elements themselves it a little easier. We have to remember that the Element is the physical manifestation of the Elementals. For example the Air is the Element, the Sylphs are the Elementals, – the beings of Air. So, before we work with the Elementals we have to first know the Element.

To begin with we have to understand that the Elements all reside within us as well as without. Each Element makes up our bodies and therefore to a degree our very beings. They surround us as well, in the physicality of our world and the Universe. As each Element is a part of us, so too then are the Elementals. The Sylphs are in our lungs and the Air that permeates are very molecules, the Undines reside in our tears and body fluids, the Gnomes are in our flesh and bones and the Salamanders in our feelings and sexual organs. When we learn to work with them balance within our lives can be achieved, but if we don’t then problems can occur. For instance, crying (working with the Undines) can be a release and can often make us feel better, but too much crying will leave us exhausted and depleted and often depressed. A balance of our emotions is essential, particularly when walking a magical Path. Working with the Gnomes when nourishing our bodies will keep us fit and healthy, whereas over indulgence will make us fat and sluggish. So, to know and work with the Elementals and their Elements in an aware and receptive manner is essential to those on a magical path.

So, let us look a little more closely at each of the Elements and their Elementals, the Sylphs, Gnomes, Salamanders and Undines. In this article we shall be looking at Air. The other three Elements will be covered in the next three articles.

Air

“We are the Sylphs, the Elementals of Air. Our season is the fresh new Spring
We come out of the Dawn in the East to bring the gifts of Knowledge and Creativity
to stimulate your mind to it fullest potential is our desire. It is us; the Sylphs of the Air that help you manifest your magical intentions. Wisdom and the power of divinations we bring to those who seek our aid. We purify your rituals and take you to your higher consciousness so that you may know the true nature of your desires and who you are. The wind, the clouds and your very breath are our domain. We can whisper the secrets of the dead to those who choose to listen and we can prophesise the future. The Athame, Sword, Censor and sweet smelling Incense are our magical tools. We reside in each of them for you to reach out and connect with us within your Rites. Reach out to us through meditations and mental journeying. But be aware to keep your emotions, your Water energy, in check else the meeting be stormy!
Meet us with a strong and balanced sense of self, and beware becoming addicted to our song. For like breathing 100% oxygen our energy can be intoxicating!”

Getting to know the Sylphs and the Element of Air, as with the other Elements, is not easy and takes a certain amount of caution at all times. Like the wind that carries them, they go where they will, hither and thither granting us their gifts or turning our lives upside down. After all they are the Winds of Change that force us to look deep within to our very subconscious and be aware of the things that were previously hidden. Once we have learnt to know the Sylphs and to work with them there is no going back. Once aware of our selves, both positive and negative, we then have to accept these attributes once and for all. There can be no excuse for a thought gone astray or a word spoken out of turn. Once something is known it cannot then be unknown.

The Sylphs are creatures gossamer fine, almost untouchable, invisible unless you know what to look for or “feel”. Like the wind that carries them they are changeable. Sometimes they will caress our skin with the lightest and coolest of touches, soft and warm, relaxing you with their gentle play, running their fingers through your hair, bringing with them the scents of flowers from a distant meadow, or the soft smell of a gentle rain freshly fallen. At other times they come roaring through our lives like a hurricane, tearing down all outworn ideas and notions. At other times they are simply destructive, blowing a persons mind into complete madness. This is why working with the Sylphs, as with each of the Elementals, should be undertaken with a degree of caution. The Elementals are certainly creatures of extremes by human standards!

We can look at the Element of Air in many very seemingly basic ways. At the most basic, but equally very vital, is the Air that we breath without which we will die very quickly. It is true that without any of the Elements we would soon die. Without Earth – food, the fertile land to grow it on, shelter etc we would perish within weeks. Without Water we would die within days and without Fire – warmth and the Sun which life depends upon we would also die in time. Without Air we would die within moments. It is arguably the most immediately vital of all the Elements to our survival. So lets us begin to think about the Air that we breathe. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. This basic act of breathing connects us to all other living creatures and some cultures say that we breathe in a part of the “All” with each breath we take. The Air that we breathe fills our lungs and eventually permeates through to every molecule within our bodies, allowing us to live. The quality of the Air we breathe is of vital importance to us, and in this heavily industrialised age pure fresh Air is a rare delight.

Magically the Element of Air is:
Intellect
Thought
Imagination
Knowledge
Sword/Athame
The direction of the East
The Sylphs

These attributes are often the first things we learn about Air, the basics if you like. Air is all of the above, but it is also so much more and we need look deeper to really learn about Air and how we can connect and work with this Element.

Air is associated with the east because it is from this direction that the sun rises and the new day begins, bringing with it the first breath of Air and the scents of the new day. Illumination comes with daylight and things previously hidden by the night become revealed.

Air is also the power of thought, but how often do we pay heed to our everyday thoughts that seem to come and go at random throughout the day? A seemingly simple thought has the power of creation. As magical folk we know this and work with this when do our most basic magical work – casting a circle for instance. What we “think” we then create on a different dimension (it is worth noting the Quantum Physicists are now working on a theory that there are at least 11 other dimensions to our own perceived three!). Magic, in its most simple explanation is bringing the thought from the other dimensions into the physical dimensions we know as reality. So we must be aware of our thoughts and be guarded with them as much as we can. A careless thought can have many repercussions. The Sylphs have the power to carry that thought through to the bitter end! Thoughts have power beyond our imaginings.

Words are just as powerful and also need much care in the speaking. The old playground saying of:

Sticks and stones
May break my bones
But words can never harm me

This is quite untrue, especially on a magical level and when spoken by magical people (although all folk should be aware of the power of their words). A word spoken thoughtlessly or carelessly can wound deeply and cannot then be taken back, no matter how much we may regret the words. Speech happens because of many things, – but Air plays a major role. First we think about what it is we want to say - Air is thought as we have already discussed. This thought may happen in a microsecond and we may not even be aware of the process, our thoughts seemingly come at will. We then take a breath – Air – before speaking. This air travels to the lungs and then through the body. To power the voice we use vibrations throughout the body – Air again – and make the sounds of the word by breathing out. These sounds then carry through the Air to the listener. Without Air one could not speak and the listener could not hear. So, as the words come from thought and travel through Air we have to be very careful what we say. The Sylphs can carry that thought and word on the winds, give it power to come into being and then we have to pay the consequences if that word was harmful. Therefore to be guarded in our speech is also important. The wrong thoughts and words empowered by the Sylphs can be dangerous and have far reaching consequences, not because the Sylphs are wicked but because of their very nature – neutral – they will simply carry that which is in their own Element and empower it. The intent of the thought or word is all ours, for good or for bad.

Imagination is also the realm of thought and therefore of the Element of Air. It’s a wonderful thing to have imagination and this gift also powers our magic. A full and beautiful imagination can create amazing magic, but too much time spent in this realm can trap you and hold you. So be aware!

It is important to be aware that each ritual we develop, each spell, each meditation we devise, each and every magical intension we have are made manifest by the Element of Air and the Sylphs. It is they who stimulate our minds to its fullest potential. When the ritual etc has been developed, it is Air that purifies our working circle and takes our minds to a state of higher consciousness so that we can perform our rites, and be aware of our true nature of who we are.

To work with and get to know the Element of Air is to begin to “Know Thyself”” on a deeper level. Working with all the Elements will bring us closer to this goal and will give us a degree of knowledge, but we must remember that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Knowledge is no good without the wisdom to use it wisely and well, and this is where working with Air can help. To work with Air and the Sylphs, with integrity, love and respect is to learn to know yourself, to be master of your thoughts and words, to fuel your imagination, to learn to use knowledge wisely and to unlock yourself to the wider possibilities of the Gods and the Universe.

So spend some time thinking, meditating and getting to know the Element of Air and the beings that inhabit it, the Sylphs. Think about your thoughts and words and what effects they may have on those around you and, indeed, upon yourself. Go out into the Element on a windy day and let the wind blow away old ideas and thought forms, leaving a creative space for new ideas and imaginings. Start to keep an Elemental Diary and record your experiences. Sit by a tree, or a pond with reeds growing in it and listen to the Sylphs playing among the foliage, hear their voices talking to you and be inspired by them. Most importantly, see how the Air Element interacts with you on a personal and everyday level, and bring that through into your magical work. By getting to know this Element you will begin a journey that will bring you closer to yourself and one that will eventually take you through each Element and onto a greater magical awareness.

In the next article we will be looking at working with the Element of Fire and the beings that inhabit this Element, the Salamanders. And so the journey continues…