Elements and Directions?

Question

For those of you who use elements as part of a magical system, which elements do you associate with which directions? The most popular system has North as Earth, East as Air, South as Fire, and West as Water. There is another system (which some have said is actually the original) that is less common that places Air in the North, Earth in the East, Fire in the South, and Water in the West.

Though it's not the popular placement, the latter is more logical to me. I live in the UK. To the North we have the cold North wind. To the East there's the continent Europe. To the South there's the equator. And to the West there's the Atlantic. There are other reasons, but it would take too long to list them all.

Which placement do you favour (it could be something entirely different) and why?

ɹɐǝɟsuɐs Consiglieri - Obviously if you live in the Southern hemisphere, my reasoning for MY personal elemental placement (as based on UK geography) won't apply, and it shouldn't.

I said '(it could be something entirely different)', because I don't believe there is one set way that everyone should follow.

xtheurgata - It's nice to see a logically thought out alternative. The idea of basing the directions on locality was one of the main points I was thinking of.

Answer 1

Janet and Stewart Farrar say in one of their books that they recommend each group choosing corresponding directions based on their particular locality. If I were to do that here, water would probably be in the north because that's the direction of the Susquehanna River. Air would be in the west because that's where the wind comes from and where the trees are which make it most visible. South is still Fire as the warmest/brightest direction and that leaves Earth for the east, although there's nothing particular about the east that suggests this on its own. (Alternately, I could have Earth in the south due to the presence of a hill so the sun would rise as Fire in the east.)

The point of all this is to show that it's really quite arbitrary and/or based on local conditions. People who use what tends to be the "standard" in the United States (the first system you mention above) have the advantage of being able to go to almost any ritual group in the U.S. and following along easily. I suppose that's one advantage.

BTW, yes, it's true that it's different in the Southern Hemisphere.

Also, I've noticed that color correspondences are also different from group to group.

Answer 2

I originally learned North/Earth, East/Air, South/Fire, West/Water but after reading an article by Mike Nichols and thinking about it, I now have Air in the North and Earth in the East, and that works much better for me.

RE-THINKING THE WATCHTOWERS or "13 Reasons Air should be in the North"

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/bos089.htm

Answer 3

there is no immediately-forward answer. it relies upon on the trad; some place extra emphasis on components than others. In my trad: Air is interior the North Earth is interior the East hearth is interior the South Water is interior the West. besides the undeniable fact that, my trad is interior the minority. In maximum books you will discover: Earth interior the North Air interior the East hearth interior the South Water interior the West besides the undeniable fact that, somebody who lives the place there's a river to their east could desire to place water interior the East. The direction in my trad we initiate with relies upon on the time of 12 months: wintry climate the altar faces North & we initiate interior the north Spring the altar faces East & we initiate interior the East summer time the altar faces South & we star interior the South And Fall the altar faces West & we initiate interior the West some trads continuously face East & initiate interior the East; some continuously face North & initiate interior the North. For some it relies upon on the objective of the definitely ritual. there is no conventional solutions to those styles of questions. that is like asking Christians how their church opens centers-- some could desire to open with a blessing, or a hymn, or a prayer.... issues will count not basically on the denomination, yet on the particular church. this sort of factor is versatile. ETA: the "Watchtowers" at the instant are not possibly from Wicca; they are from Enochian magic, that could be a heavily Judeo-Christian gadget. some Wiccans artwork with Watchtowers, some do not. i don't; hardly have been in a circle wherein Watchtowers have been invoked.

Answer 4

My Magic the Gathering cards tell a different story.

Living in the souther Hemisphere changes your theory.

Edit ....

Point well taken.

Answer 5

I actually just answered your first post of this question. So you can look there if you want to see my answer.

)O(