For months I’ve been trying to think of a name to describe my spiritual path. The name has been on the tip of my tongue, but I haven’t been able to truly describe my brand of spirituality. I’m not really a witch, even though I love so much about the craft, and I love the empowerment that comes with celebrating a female centered belief system. Wiccan or Pagan didn’t feel right because, even though I deeply respect those forms of religion, there is a small part of me that struggled to embrace the vision of Gerald Gardner, even though I respect anyone that fancies themselves an amateaur anthropologist.
My soul has always craved the divine in the feminine form. Mostly because it has been so thoroughly extracted from patriarchal expressions of religion, to the point where the divinity of the feminine has been erased, save the divine mother archetype. There is so much more to the divine feminine that that one archetype.
But today as I was doing my cards—a daily tarot and oracle draw combined with two pages of journaling—a name for what I am came to me. Elemental Mystic.
Here is how I define her:
The Elemental Mystic is the embodiment of intuitive wisdom, a soulful presence and has a balance of essential energies. She carries both power and gentleness within and seeks to explore the energies of the elements, and calls them into her spiritual being. The balance of these energies are important to her, and is at her best when all five elements—earth, air, fire water, and spirit are working together.
I am she, and she is me.
In a very condensed way, here is how I see the elements:
🔥 Fire – The Spark of Desire, Creativity and Passion
Fire is the energy of inspiration, purpose, ambition, outwardness and transformation.
The energy feels determined, driven by desire that sparks creative energy. Wild, bold, spontaneous, swift, and fierce.
- Keywords: Passion, courage, transformation, fierce love, boldly imaginative.
- Mantra: “My inner fire burns so brightly, that it ignites my soul’s purpose.”
To summon this energy in readings, creative practices, or ritual, all that needs to be done is to light a candle. But, because I have a propensity for forgetfulness and clumsiness, (I may or may not have almost burned down my apartment when a forgotten candle caught my alter on fire…) I found a gorgeous substitute for candles. Luminara candles are the most realistic flameless candles. Hence the price, but they are glorious! And run on batteries!
💧 Water – The Flow of Emotion and Intuition
Water energy is fluidity, intuition, inwardness and emotional depth.
This energy give us the ability to feel deeply, to flow with change, and to nurture and heal. This is the energy of compassion and self-acceptance, embracing what happens in life and the ability to move with it rather than against it.
- Keywords: Flow, intuition, empathy, nurturing, healing
- Mantra: “My intuition guides me to flow with life’s transfromations.”
There is one word that I think captures what is necessary to summon this energy—attunement. Aligning with the energy of what is happening in the moment, and then connecting it to your inner knowing is basically the pure essence of psychic knowing. Attune, align, connect and let the inner voice speak. And don’t forget to write stuff down in your journal or grimoire, because insights are like butterflies and they scamper away.
🌬 Air – The Clarity of Thought and Vision
Air energy is mental clarity, insight, upwardness and communication. It’s the a-ha moment.
This energy is very expansive and calls in powerful insights, expression and bold ideas. Have you ever met an ‘ideas’ person who wasn’t bothered by picky details, but instead was able to express the vision. This is air. It’s bubbles and boundaries.
- Keywords: Insight, vision, communication, clarity, truthful expression.
- Mantra: “I’m able to communicate my vision with clarity and truth.”
There are lots of ways to summon this energy, you can exercise to that fizzy point and then let the thoughts buzz around. Or you can take the opposite approach and settle in with breathwork and quiet reflection. Or both. Just get out of your own way and don’t force the energy. Invite it in, then allow it to arrive.
🌍 Earth – The Foundation of Strength, Stability and Resourcefulness
Earth energy is grounded, nurturing, downardness and resilient. I find it to be the most magic energy, but I’m a Taurus who was born on Earth Day…
When I think of earth energy, I think of gravity. I also think of rich soil in which something as small as a seed can turn into a plant, which can grow into a tree. The fruit can feed and nurture, and the cycle happens over and over. Earth energy is beautiful, sensual and abundant. It calls for us to ground into our power and trust the foundation of which our energetic bodies are built.
- Keywords: Stability, strength, grounding, abundance, presence
- Mantra: “I’m grounded, strong and ready to receive abundance.”
You can summon earth energy by connecting with nature. For example, there is a big tree outside my window, and before I do my readings, I appreciate her beauty by just looking at her and noticing her leaves, branches and the entire ecosystem of squirrels and birds that reside within her. She is magic.
🌑 Ether/Spirit – The Essence of Connection to the Unknown and Mystery of the Universe
Ether energy is the unseen force that weaves all elements and energies together—the mystical essence of being.
It is the energy of spirit, intuition, expansion and the cosmic unknown. This element calls us to honor our connection to the divine. I like to think of it as ‘She.’ Or sometimes I think of her as the liminal void. The breath before something becomes tangible. Wonder, transcendence, and synergy.
- Keywords: Spirit, intuition, mystery, unity, cosmic flow
- Mantra: “I am a vessel for divine wisdom and inner knowing.”
Ether energy is everywhere. It can be quiet peace, or deafening chaos. Think about a chunk of an iceberg right before it calves from a glacier. There is the tension from within, the energy of gravity, but it is silent until it breaks. The slow motion descent of the ice chunk into the water is a result of the ether energy. The best practice for awakening to ether energy is to sit in one place to to attune to every little thing going on around you. Notice it all as a symphony of pure life energy.
So, as I was contemplating these core energies, I realized that noticing how these energies create ‘recipes’ of different mixtures of life, was my brand of Mysticism. And that all these energies are elements.
The path of the Elemental Mystic is to be a conduit, communicator and reflector of how these energies can impact your life. It’s a path of divine purpose that hold these elemental forces and how they play together in high regard. In sacred timeless space.
If you want to know more about how the elements are working their magic in your life at the moment, you can check out my readings, or consider working with me!
Embrace your magic, honor your journey and never stop seeking!
