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| Here is the thread to enter all about the Sacred East Guardian Element of Air... | |
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AIR Element of the EAST The breath of inspiration, serenity and logic, creativity and the wonder that fills us as we look to the skies and see shapes and dreams within the clouds. Air is also the raw power of a cyclone and the precision of a lightning strike, it is the violence and turbulence of the thunderstorm that also mimics the creative process. Air is traditionally a masculine element. It is thought and action, inspiration and wonder. It is youthfulness and it is boundless energy. In astrology it is represented by Libra (Charming, Tasteful, Easygoing, Indulgent), Aquarius (Progressive, Inventive, Eccentric and Rebellious) and Gemini (Lively, Talkative, Flirtatious and Crafty). It is the dawn of a new day, it is Spring time, new beginnings and the directions of the sunrise - The East. It is the color Yellow. Air is the element of the East and brings the gift of the Sword of Nuada that was said to embody the power and knowledge of the Celtic people. It is agreed upon that Air is vital to human survival. Without air, we could not survive. Air is the power of movement; of freshening and of intelligence. It's the invisible and yet quite real mixture of gases that we breathe in every day. Air is also the power of the mind: the force of Intellect. Go to a place with clean air and breathe deeply. Touch a feather. Inhale the fragrance of a heavily scented flower. Study an intricately patterned leaf. Experience the wonders of the manifestations of this element. With every breath we take we bring Air into ourselves, we must remember this as we think of the nature of this element, whatever is in the Air, is also, at some point, in us. Choose what you want to put into the Air with care and thought. Air corresponds with the east, sits facing emotion, representing the mind, thought, intelligence. The power to convey thought across time and space, mental capacity, imagination. The never-ending learning process, knowledge, wisdom.
The power of knowing, reflecting, debating. Ability to communicate thought with or without delusion, transformation or corruption. To soar within unlimited skies. It is bordered by Earth and Fire, where as it sustains the needs of both, it is also the result of their combination. As fire burns, Air fuels it, consumed by it, and then altered and released. As with Earth requires Air, it also consumes it, alters it and releases it back. It is also torrid, hurricanes, tornados, ripping apart and terrorizing. It is the paranoid mind, sweating in its own delusion, panic attacks, the voices you hear in your head. Nervous breakdowns, depression, your own thoughts turning against you - it is the epitamy of self-delusion, and the mind deceiving the body. |
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| The Essence of Air As has been explained in the articles on the other Elements, the characters of the Elements can be understood in terms of four spiritual Powers: Earth is Dry and Cool, Water Cool and Moist, Air Moist and Warm, Fire Warm and Dry (see the Elemental Square). In each of the Elements the first Power dominates the second, and so in Air the dominant power is the Moistness, the power to conform to external circumstances. Since Moistness was discussed in detail in our discusson of Water, we turn now to Air's other power, Warmth. According to Aristotle (who gave the first systematic analysis of the Elements), Warmth is the power of separation. More specifically, it causes things of the same kind to join, so each seeks its own; in this way it causes a separation of things of different kinds. Conversely the Cool power unites things of different kinds. Cool and Warm are fundamentally the Powers of Love and Strife (Philia and Neikos), associated with Aphrodite and Ares, and they are the primary agents of change in the cosmos according to Empedocles (the fifth century BCE magician-philosopher who gave us the doctrine of the Four Elements). They are the more active powers (as opposed to Moisture and Dryness, which are more passive), with Coolness giving its power to the "feminine" elements Earth and Water, and Warmth to the "masculine" elements Air and Fire. Since Warmth represents the power of separation, it is the cause of all processes of differentiation, discrimination and development of form. It also leads to dissociation and opposition, and the cyclic motion between opposing principles. Because it is an active power of separation, Warmth is expansive, outward directed and energetic in its effects; it is the cause of change. When we put these qualities in a psychological context, we find that the Warm power is associated with the ability to discriminate, analyze and judge, and so it is connected with justice, honesty and critical thinking. Personalities with the Warm quality tend to be skillful, goal directed, diligent, authoritative, strong, energetic, selective, decisive, conscientious and leaders. However, the tendency to active separation can also lead them to be selfish, remote, intolerant, chauvinistic, judgmental, aloof, divisive, willful and domineering. In Air the Moist power is dominant, although the Warm power is the more active. Thus, in thinking about Air it is more accurate to visualize warm, moist breath rather than cool, dry breezes. The Moist quality represents flexibility and the Warm power causes differentiation; therefore elemental Air represents active change of form (transformation). In a psychological context, Air corresponds to nimble analysis, flexible discrimination, and therefore to ideas, intellect, thinking and knowledge. Thus the Tarot suite of Swords corresponds to the element Air. (The "intellectual" qualities of Air are discussed more later.) |
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| Zeus, Lord of the Air In the Introduction to the Elements we saw that Empedocles associates the Elements with four Gods: Hera (Earth), Persephone (Water), Zeus (Air) and Hades (Fire), so we will explore the correspondence between Zeus and Air. Of course, Zeus is in origin a Storm God, and therefore associated with the turbulent air; His gift is the fertilizing rain, the Moisture from the Air. Zeus is also known for shape-shifting (i.e., transformation, active change of form), and He exhibits most of the personality qualities that we have seen to be characteristic of Air. In Empedocles' system, Zeus and Hera, who rule on Olympus, correspond to the opposed elements Air and Earth; Hades and Persephone, who rule in the Underworld, correspond to the opposed elements Fire and Water. Therefore Zeus and Hera represent the Marriage of Heaven and Earth (see part I on Earth for Hera as an Earth Goddess). We find a similar mythological complex in Egypt. For example, in a letter to the Delphic Priestess Clea, Plutarch (c.50-c.120 CE), who was High Priest at Delphi, explained that Osiris and Isis correspond to the Nile and Egypt, or more generally to Moisture and the Earth, the Moist and the Dry. Likewise Zeus and Hera correspond to the Moist and the Dry, for Zeus's element is Air, which is predominantly Moist, and He brings the fertilizing rains, but Hera's element is Earth, which is predominantly Dry. Secondarily, Air and Earth are Warm and Cool, respectively, that is individuating and uniting; life springs from this conjunction of opposites. Further, according to Egyptian myth, Osiris united with Nephthys, who then bore Anubis, who was raised by a foster-mother (Isis); likewise, in Orphic doctrine Zeus united with Persephone, who then bore Dionysos, who was raised by nurses. Each myth tells of a union of the Moist elements Air and Water (sky and the abyss) to yield a God who is equally at home in Heaven and the Underworld. (See "Water" for more about Isis, Nephthys and Anubis.) from Biblioteca Arcana |
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DionysosDionysos, the son of Zeus and in many ways a second Zeus (and destined to succeed Him), was associated with Air by Proclus, a Pagan philosopher of the fifth century CE. We can understand this as follows. The principal Gods in the Mysteries and in the Pythagorean Tradition are Dionysos and the Trinity of Persephone, Demeter and Hekate. We have seen (in Water and Earth) that Persephone and Demeter correspond to Water and Earth, respectively, and we will see that Hekate corresponds to Fire, which leaves Air for Dionysos, as for His father. (Compare also the Orphic Quaternity discussed in "Water.") Similarly, Plutarch equates Dionysos (Air) with Osiris, Earth with Isis, Water with Nephthys, and Fire with Typhon. The assignment of Air to both Zeus and Dionysos may seem troublesome, but it reveals a mystery, for it will come to pass that Dionysos, the "Higher Zeus," is assigned to Aithêr, the "Higher Air" or Fifth Essence. |
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Air as a Mediating ElementA fundamental principle of Greek philosophy and alchemy is that a Conjunction of Opposites requires some mediating factor, a mean to unite the extremes. Air is an important mediating Element because it unites the opposites Fire and Water, the key alchemical process (discussed with Fire). Here I will simply observe that Air can mediate between them because it has Warmth in common with Fire and Moisture in common with Water, so it forms a bridge between them. This mediating role is also central to the process of emanation represented by the Tarot court cards (King, Queen, Knight, Page), and symbolized by IOUE, the name of Jove: Air represents the Union of the Impulse (Fire) with its Object (Water), which leads to the Effect (Earth). (Earth is the other mediating element; the mediating or mixed elements have crossbars in their signs.) In the Pythagorean tradition, a Harmonia (fusion of parts) is required to join unlike things together, and conversely every Harmonia presupposes an opposition. (In myth, Harmonia is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, and the Derveni Papyrus, which is an interpretation of Orphic scriptures, explains that Zeus, as Divine Aêr, brought Harmonia into the cosmos.) Since Air is predominantly Moist, we also need to investigate Moisture as a mediating Power. Moisture is the common Power of Air and Water, and therefore it links them together. However, Air is also connected with Fire, for they are both Warm, and Water is also connected with Earth, for they are both Cool. Therefore, the Moist Radical (embodied in Air and Water) makes an indirect connection between the extremes Fire and Earth. In Platonic terms, the Moist elements unite Form (Fire) and Primary Matter (Earth). Therefore, alchemists call the Moist Radical the Ferment of Nature because it connects extremes of Light and Matter (light & shadow, heaven & earth). Further, Sun, Moon and Earth correspond to Fire, Moisture and Earth, for the Moon is an intermediary, reflecting the light of the Sun to Earth. We find the same three principles in the cosmogony of Anaximander (6th cent. BCE), who is credited with discovering the opposed Powers, Warm and Cool, Moist and Dry. In the beginning the Unlimited (the Prima Materia) produced the Gonimon (Generative Thing), which created the opposites Warm and Cool and the Moist Power capable of uniting them. The Warm elements are Fire and Air (heaven and sky), the Cool are Water and Earth (sea and land). The Moist elements Air and Water form the bridge that connects the extremes. The resulting union of the Warm and Cool gives birth to all living things. In the Orphic version it is Eros (Love) that unites Heaven and Earth and gives birth to Gods and mortals. (See below on Primal Air.) In alchemical terms, the Moist Radical is Mercury (Quicksilver), which joins Sulfur (the Fiery principle) and Salt (the Earthy principle). From a psychical perspective, Mercury (Spiritus, Spirit) joins Salt (Corpus, Body) and Sulfur (Anima, Soul). (See below for more on "Spirit.") Thus Mercury is a mediator, and in mythology we find Him as the messenger between Heaven and Earth. As the guide of travelers, Mercury (Hermês) is the Interpreter (Hermêneus) and Boundary Crosser who facilitates bridging differences; He is the Spirit Guide (Psychopompos) who leads us between this world (Earth) and the Netherworld (Fire). |
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Air, the Spiritual ElementThe connection between Air and the soul is reflected in many languages; the Greek words psyche (i.e. psukhê), aura and pneuma, and the Latin words spiritus, anima and animus all refer primarily to breath or wind but secondarily to the soul. Also, in Hebrew we have rûah and in Sanskrit, prâna, with similar double meanings. For example, in the Greek tradition Anaximenes (6th cent. BCE), who considered Aêr the first principle of everything, said that it is the stuff of breath and soul, and therefore the principle of life, sensation and reaction. Also, the Pythagorean Diogenes of Apollonia (5th cent. BCE) identified the soul with Warm (and therefore active, moving) Air and said, "People and other animals live by breathing air, and this is for them both soul and intelligence." Air's power as a mediator means that it has an essential role as the Spirit (or Mediating Soul), which unites the Mind (or Higher Soul) with the body. (Since the English words "spirit," "soul," "psyche" etc. have a variety of meanings and are used in different ways in different traditions, please beware that I may not be using these terms in the way you're used to; I'll try to make my meaning clear.) For example, Empedocles says the Breath-Soul or Spirit (Psukhê, associated with Air), unites the Body (Sôma) with the Principle of Motion (Kinêtikê). Pythagoras is credited with the idea that the Breath-Soul is a Harmonia (conjunction of opposites). (Recall also Mercury as the mediator that unites Sulfur and Salt.) Why is this mediation necessary? In "Water," I said that Water + Earth constitutes the Primal Mud, the "gross body," which is potentially alive, but not animate. On the other hand, Fire is the principle of action, the efficient cause of all motion, but it cannot act directly on Primal Mud (for they are opposed, Primal Mud being predominantly Watery). However, Air can mediate between Fire and Primal Mud, because it has Warmth (active differentiation) in common with Fire, and Moisture (flexibility) in common with Water. Thus Air is the active Spirit, which operates on the passive structure of Earth and the flexibility of Water. We may say that Air conveys the Fiery Power and facilitates its embodiment. In general, as mediator, Air transmits powers and influences, and therefore Air is the vehicle of coordination and communication (see below, "Air, the Governor"). Thus the Stoics attributed to Heraclitus (6th-5th cent. BCE) the idea that the soul is an Exhalation or Warm Vaporization (Anathumiasis) from bodily moisture; as we might say, the Fiery Soul evokes the Breath Spirit from the body's Primal Mud to be the means by which the two can unite. So also, as mentioned in "Water," Prometheus molded human bodies from Earth and Water, and gave Heavenly Fire to them. But they were not complete before Athena breathed Air into them. |
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The Spirited SoulAncient Greek sages often divided the soul into three parts, an idea credited to Pythagoras. Although there are variations in classification and terminology, they are roughly: (1) Mind or Intellect (Nous), (2) Spirited Soul (Thumos) and (3) Nutritive Soul (Epithumia), which reside in the head, breast and belly, respectively. (There is a more systematic correspondence with the seven chakras, which is beyond the scope of this article.) I have already discussed the Nutritive (or Vegetative) Soul in the discussion of Water, for Water gives the power of growth and development to lifeless matter (Earth), and I will discuss the Mind with Fire; here our concern is the Spirited Soul and its vehicle, the aerial or spirit body. The Spirited Soul is responsible for feeling and sensation (both of which are actively discriminating yet conformable to outer circumstances, that is, Warm and Moist). Because of its expansive Warmth, the Spirited Soul reacts to feeling and sensation and is therefore also the source of fortitude, courage, the emotions and opinion. It includes the "irrational will" or "animal will" (for we share the Spirited Soul with all the animals, but not with plants; however we share the Nutritive Soul with all living things). In the Greek tradition, the Spirited Soul is often believed to be mortal (subject to dissolution) like the body (whereas the Mind is considered immortal).
The Spirit BodyIn the Neoplatonic doctrine of the Vehicles (Okhêmata) of the Soul, each part of the soul has a corresponding "vehicle" (okhêma) or body; in addition to the easily perceivable gross body (corresponding to Earth + Water), there are two subtle bodies: the aerial body (Air) and the radiant body (Fire). The Spirit (Pneuma) is carried by the spirit body (soma pneumatikon, okhêma pneuma) or aerial body (sometimes incorrectly called the aetheric or astral body). Therefore the aerial body transmits the powers of the higher soul to the body and vice versa; it is responsible for the functioning of the five senses and conveys the motions of life; that is, it governs animate motion and active perception. Thus the spirit body is closely connected with the nervous system. The Spirited Soul is anchored in the Phrenes (roughly, "breast"), which refers to the lungs and heart together, and so when our Spirits are aroused in love or anger or fear, we feel it in our Phrenes. The Spirit is considered the point of balance in the soul, the "inner sun" that rules the other planets in our souls. Further, the spirit body assimilates Pneuma (Spirit, Prâna, the universal life force) from the Sun and infuses it into the gross body, for Pneuma is the source of life and of the integrity of the living form; it is the active energy of the self. Since breathing draws Pneuma into the Phrenes, in the Ascent of the Soul of Chaldean Theurgy, breathing exercises are used in the stage corresponding to the Spirited Soul. |
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Air, the GovernorThe aerial body's connection to the nervous system reminds us that because Air is Moist and Warm, it has the power of flexible discrimination. Therefore Air is associated with information and communication (and hence with the Tarot suit of Swords); as an active principle, Air is associated with computing. The Aerial Spirit's role as a subtle, invisible governing faculty was recognized in ancient times. For example, Diogenes of Apollonia says, "It seems to me that that which has intelligence is what people call Air (Aêr), and that all people are steered (kubernasthai) by this, and that it has power over all things. For the very thing seems to be a God and to reach everywhere and to dispose all things and to be in everything." (It is significant that the word he uses for "steered," kubernasthai, is related to kubernêtikos, meaning "skilled in steering or guiding," which is the origin of our term cybernetics, referring to the principles of intelligence and governance in animals and machines. Air is the Cybernetic Element.) Diogenes' statement also suggests that Air plays a role in the World Soul (Psukhê tou Pantos) as well as in individual souls, and that is our next topic. |
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The World SoulThe Pythagoreans say that there is a divine respiration in the cosmos, and that by its cyclic breathing of the Unlimited, the World Soul infuses Limit into it, and thereby creates Number and Determinate Time (Khronos). The ordered cosmos came to be through Air, for it is the element that separates things and thereby creates divisions and distinctions; thus it puts Limit into the Unlimited. However, although Air separates things as individuals, it also unites them into a higher, spiritual unity. I have already mentioned that Anaximenes considers Air to be the First Principle (Arkhê) of the cosmos; it is infinite, eternal, ever-moving and divine; he calls Air the Father of the Gods (which recalls Zeus's common title: Father of Gods and Humans). Anaximenes also says, "Just as our Breath-Soul (Psukhê), being Air (Aêr), governs us, so Spirit-Breath (Pneuma) and Air (Aêr) encompass the whole cosmos." This suggests that the governance of the cosmos is accomplished by the Spirit-Breath of the World Soul. Indeed, Philemon says that Air, who is called Zeus, knows everything done by Gods or mortals, because He is everywhere at once. So also Empedocles points to the God's subtle nature: "He is a Spirit-Mind (Phrên), holy and ineffable, and only Spirit-Mind, which darts through the whole cosmos with its swift thoughts." (Note that the term translated Spirit-Mind, Phrên, is the singular of Phrenes, Breast.) Here again we see Air as a medium of communication and governance, but on the cosmic scale. However, just as we all breathe the same Air, and the Air in my breast is continuous with that in yours, so also the World Soul is continuous with individual souls (an idea we also find in the Upanishads, where Brahman, the World Soul identified with Prâna (Breath), is identical to Âtman, the individual Life-breath). As the nervous system integrates the activities of individual organs to work for the sake of the organism, so the Air binds our individual souls into one World Soul. Microcosm and macrocosm unite. |
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Primal AirOnce we understand Air's role as a World Soul, we are not too surprised to see it taking a central role in cosmogony, the birth of the universe. We looked at Anaximander's cosmogony when we considered Air as a mediating element. Also Anaximenes (6th cent. BCE) says that Air, the first principle of everything, produced Water and Earth (the Primal Mud) by condensation and Fire by rarefaction. I will describe briefly several other examples, which will illustrate Air's place in the cosmos. Philo of Biblos (64-140 CE) translated a "Phoenician History," which was supposed to have been written by Sanchuniathon before the Trojan War (which is not unlikely) and to be based on Egyptian scriptures attributed to Thoth. According to this myth, in the beginning there was a Primal Wind, a breath of mist and darkness (i.e. Aêr); also there was Môt, the muddy chaos of Erebus (khaos tholeron Erebôdes), that is, the formless Primal Mud. The Primal Wind fertilized itself and became Desire (Pothos, perhaps corresponding to Semitic Rûah, which means Breath but also connotes Desire). Further, Môt became the Cosmic Egg, and the cosmos was born when Desire opened the Cosmic Egg (as also in the Orphic cosmogonies), which led to a separation of the Elements. According to Eudemus (4th cent. BCE), the Phoenicians who lived in Sidon also believed that the universe was born of Air. In the beginning was Time (Khronos), Desire (Pothos) and Fog (Omikhlê). Desire and Fog united, giving birth to Aêr and Aura (Moving Air). We find similar ideas in the cosmogony attributed to Môkhos of Sidon, also supposed to have lived before Trojan War. The universe began with Aithêr and Aêr, who united to engender Ulômos, whose name means Eternity. Ulômos fertilized Himself to produce the Cosmic Egg and Khrûsôros the Opener, the Divine Craftsman who cracked the Cosmic Egg. He corresponds to Love or Phanês in the Orphic account and to the Demiurge (Craftsman) in Plato's Timaeus. |
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We have seen that Air is the element of transformation, for it is Moist (flexible) and Warm (differentiating). It is primarily associated with Zeus Lord of the Air, but secondarily with Hera His consort and Dionysos His son. Air is important as a mediating Element, which can unite Fire and Water; similarly the related Moist Radical is a mean uniting the extremes Fire and Earth. Air is the most spiritual element, for it corresponds to the Spirit Breath and Spirited Soul, which unite the mind and body. Air also constitutes the cosmic breath, which unites our individual souls into the universal World Soul. Air Elementals
Air Elementals are elemental creatures that are made of air and wind in living form.When an Air Elemental is Created, it is just a gust of wind, made of living air, always moving. This is the shape that the Elemental will have till it Unites. After it Unites, the United pair will think of a certain animal shape. The animal shape for a air Elemental is usually an animal that lives in the air and flies (quite often a bird), such as an eagle or falcon. That will be the Elemental's chief form. The Elemental will then morph into that shape and be bonded into it so that it is its true form. The Elemental will look like that certain animal made of living, always moving air and wind. The Elemental can then shapeshift. Air Elementals also have a colored stone set into their forehead, which is there no matter what their form is.
Air Elementals have powers derived from air and wind. They are able to do many things, such as create tornadoes, create windstorms, create clouds, etc. They are made of air/wind (obviously), and feel like ever-moving tiny gusts of wind. They are the colors of clouds, like pure white and stormy gray.
Air Elementals have the power to shapeshift. They can shapeshift into any animal, but always shift back to their true form sooner or later. They can also shift into clouds, gusts of wind, tornadoes, windstorms, and other things. If their rider/Partner wants to, he/she can shift with the Elemental.
Air Elementals are organized into ranks by the color of stone set into their forehead. The females have a silver stripe in the center of the stone, and the males have a gold stripe. From highest to lowest, the colors/ranks are:
- Diamond (clear glassy white)
- Moonstone (pale blue/white)
- Pearl (shimmery white)
- Crystal (clear gray/white)
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Air
Description:  Air is the element of birds on their wings ... the element of freedom and spaciousness. Air is light and expanding, therefore difficult to be measured and contained. It represents the world of thoughts, and it is often said of someone who is very thoughtful that he has "his head in the clouds". The ability to reason and synthesize is what raises man above pains and pleasures as it shows him what part these experiences have in the whole process and makes them acceptable. Through air you can have an idea of the direction you want your life to take, and when fire combines with it, there is nothing that can stop you. But a poor air functioning will see you stranded in your own particular world without the breath of vision to carry yourself ahead.
Basic Nature: Scientists and magicians may have different views concerning this element, but all agree that it's vital to human survival. Without air, we would perish. Air is the power of movement; of freshening and of intelligence. It's the invisible and yet quite real mixture of gases that we breathe in every day. In magical terms, Air is also the power of the mind: the force of Intellect. Go to a place with clean air and breathe deeply. Touch a feather. Inhale the fragrance of a heavily scented flower. Study an intricately patterned leaf. Experience the wonders of the manifestations of this element. Remember, too, that we possess Air energy within ourselves. Flying, moving, fresh, intelligent, suspending. Sound is a manifestation of this element
Attributes: Air is the element of the mind. It is intellect, inspiration, imagination. It is ideas, knowledge, dreams and wishes. Air is the element of new life and new possibilities and is essential to spells and rituals of travel, instruction, finding lost items, some types of divination, and freedom. Air aids us in visualization, a vital technique in magick. Mental powers, visions, physic powers, wisdom, theory, breath, peaks, governs the magick of the four winds, towers, abstract learning, theory, windswept hills, plains, high mountain peaks, wind and breath, creativity of the mind, ideas and ideologies
Rituals: Travel, Instructions, Study, Freedom, Knowledge, Recovering Lost Items
Ritual Forms: Tossing Objects into the Air, Suspending Tools in High Places, Fanning Light Objects, Visualization, Positive Thinking
Ritual Tools: Athame, sword or wand, censer (thurible), censor, bells (also harps), feather, incense smoke, fragrant flowers
Type Magic: Divination, concentration, visualization, wind magic
Type of Energy: Projective
Colors: Sky blue, white, black, bright yellow, gold, crimson, blue-white, pink, pastels
Direction:East
Sense:Smell
Season:Spring
Signs of Zodiac:Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Time of Day:Dawn
Wind:Eurus
Places:Mountaintops, wind swept plains, cloudy skies, high towers, airports, schools, libraries, offices, travel agencies, psychiatrist's offices.
Animals:Birds, especially eagles and hawks, spider, winged insects
Plants:Vervain, yarrow, primrose, violet, myrhh, frankincense
Herbs:Fragrant, as many flowers; pungent, as in culinary herbs such as dill; airy, finely veined, or windswept; generally leaves
Tree:Aspen
Stones or Jewels:Topaz, sapphire, lapis lazuli, yellow topaz, amber, clear or smoky quarts, flourite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz
Metals:Tin, Copper Musical instrument Flute, all wind instruments
Incense:Galbanum
Point in Life:Infancy
Elemental spirits:Sylphs
Gods:Mercury, Thoth, Zeus, Khonsu
Goddesses:Aradia, Arianrhod, Nuit, Urania, Kwan Yin
Angel:Michael |
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Air ...Take a deep breath into your heart, and let it out. As you breathe in, take a moment to ponder the mystery of this ocean of air we live in. We and all the other animals breathe in the air and remove the oxygen so that we can live...we use it to extract energy from our food. The waste product is Carbon Dioxide, which we breathe out. Our cousins the plants take in the Carbon Dioxide and use it to trap the energy of the sunlight, so that when we eat them we extract this energy. The plants give off oxygen, which they breathe out...and the cycle of life continues...giving and receiving so that we all live...like your breath...in...and out...
The element of Air is associated with the East in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the where the Sun rises, so this thinnest and most etherial of the elements is associated with Sunrise...and new beginnings. It is associated with Springtime and the wonder and curiosity of childhood.
Think of the joy you feel as the sky lightens in the East. Think of the sense of potential you feel as you see the clouds take on the glorious colours of the beginning of a new day. Of course, we feel the same sense of potential, of awe at the beauty of a life beginning when we hear the cry of a newborn babe, or when the winds of Spring blow the scents of the thaw and the bursting blossoms our way...
The element of Air is, of course, associated with the sense of smell. While there are scents we associate with each of the elements , the scents of Spring flowers come to mind. And the scents we use for cleaning the air...lavender, lemongrass, and pine. Incense is the magical tool of the East and the Air.
Think for a moment about how scent can effect your mood... your state of mind. How does the memory of cinnamon make you feel? ...perhaps you remember apple pies your mother used to make...it can make you feel loved and nurtured. And roses...late summer evenings...romantic interludes. And lavender...your grandmother's house...a sense of age and cleanliness. Frankincense and Myrrh...churches...sacred spaces...
The element of Air is also associated with music. Of course, sound is transmitted through airwaves. But Air provides the songs of the wind rustling in the trees. Of all the songbirds. Of flutes and whistles. Of our own voices raised in song. Certainly, one can associate certain types of instruments with each of the elements, and we will, but Air is the element of that first creative urge to create beautiful sounds...
Some morning when you are awake early enough to greet the dawn, make a point of really listening to the birds as they sing their joy at the coming light of a new day. In fact, get up out of bed and go outside...before coffee or anything else. Listen to the riot of song around you, and take part if you wish. Call back to the birds. Maybe offer them some seed. Really feel the joy of interacting with these creatures of Air at the time when Air's energy is highest...
Creatures Associated with Air Birds
Eagles, Hawks, Nightingales, Larks, Hummingbirds,
Wrens, Chickadees, Sparrows, etc.
Insects
Butterflies, Dragonflies, Bees, Ladybugs
Flying Creatures from Myth
Air Dragons, Fairies, flying horses
Angels are also associated with Air, although there are angels specifically associated with each of the elements. The Archangel often called as Guardian of the Air is Raphael.
Raphael's name means "Healer of God." He is robed in gold, yellow, and blue. He carries a caduceus, the wand entwined by two serpents used as a symbol of healing. He rules science, knowledge, compassion, and healing. Another Being who carries a caduceus, of course, is Mercury, messenger of the Gods, who rules intellect, verbal expression, science, synthesis, and research. Mercury is another Guardian of the Air.
The realm of Air is the mind and mental activity. Air rules the ideas that come "out of the blue." It offers the gift of clarity...the ability to perceive what is relevent and useful in a given situation. It rules the process of sythesising ideas and concepts from many different sources or disciplines into something that is cohesive and comprehensive. It rules the communication of these ideas... writing and verbal expression. It rules teaching. And it rules poetry.
Some sunny morning, perhaps in the Spring...get up early and go to some point, perhaps a hilltop somewhere where you are near the sky. Sit for a moment and enjoy the view. Feel the wind on your skin and in your hair. And take out a large notebook. Ask for the guidance and help of Raphael or Mercury if you wish. Start with a word, any word, maybe "beauty." And let the wind blow ideas, images, and associations into your mind. Write them all down...just jot them down, maybe in little clouds like in the comics...bursting out from the original word. For now just make as many connections and associations as you can. Fill up a few pages. Then take a few deep breaths, read what you have, and use the ideas and images to construct either a story, paragraph, word picture, or poem, whatever is easiest to you. Then stand and read it aloud to the wind...and know that you have received the gift of inspiration from the element of Air...and returned the gift of your own creativity.
The elementals associated with Air are called Sylphs. These are among the easiest elementals to see, especially as a flash from the corner of your eye. They look like small winged creatures in pastel colours who ride the airwaves..often they are called fairies. They tend to be attracted to those who are quick thinking and quick moving. They can be mischevious...blowing things about...rustling through your hair...making sounds that distract you.
They can also help you with all of the following:
Magical Goals Aided By Air:
Communications
Educations
Group Work
Intellectual Skills
Organisation
Overcoming Addictions
Speaking
Teaching
Tests and Examinations
Theorising
Travel
Writing...Prose, Poetry, or Music
All of the exercises offered above will help you attune to the Element of Air and its elementals, the Sylphs. Focussing on breathing, timing magic for dawn and/or Springime, attuning to and befriending birds and/or flying creatures, writing, singing, making music, reading anything that makes you think, burning incense or otherwise offering lovely smells to the air (perhaps as essential oils). When you chose to meet the Sylphs, try to find a hilltop where the breazes fly around you. At first, just meet them and share joy in their gifts and beauty. Offer them a present...of a song, poem, or scent. Befriend them.
You might wish to make an altar in the eastern part of your house to honour the Element of Air and the Sylphs. Drape it and decorate it in pale blue, yellow, and white. Offer feathers, dragonfly wings, pipes, pale blue stones, incense, herbs sacred to air. Welcome the Element and the Sylphs to make this their home. Then light the candles and incense on this altar when you read or write or study.
It may help when invoking the Element or elementals of Air to use the symbols offered in the background of this page. An Air Invoking Pentagram Starts in the upper right, moves to the upper left, and continues around to repeat this line. Air can also be invoked using the circle with a dot in the middle, or a plain blue circle. To release the element, draw the Air Releasing Pentagram shown in the bottom left corner, which is a reversal of the Invoking Pentagram. If you use the blue circle or circle with dot, see the winds blowing out through it, then see it folding in upon itself and disappearing.
Psychological Qualities Associated with Air Balanced Air
Clarity
Creativity
Diligence
Discernment
Flexibility
Independence
Joy
Optimism
Teaching Ability | Imbalanced Air
Arrogance
Boastfullness
Contempt
Dishonesty
Emotional Coldness
Frivolity
Gossip
Paranoia
Slyness |
You can ask the Element of Air, or its Guardians or the Sylphs to help you develop any of the postive traits listed above. To balance any of the negative traits, you may need to appeal to the other three elements to help balance an overabundance of Air.
You can also call upon the Air elementals when you wish to work on healing for the air or the atmosphere...ask them to help remove pollutants, to repair the ozone layer, etc.
Herbs Associated with the Element of Air | Acacia | Agaric | Agrimony | Almond | | Anise | Aspen | Bean | Benzoin | | Bergamot | Bistort | Bittersweet | Borage | | Bracken | Broom | Caraway | Celery | | Chicory | Clover | Dandelion | Dill | | Dock | Elecampagne | Eyebright | Fennel | | Goldenrod | Hops | Lavender | Lemongrass | | Lemon Verbena | Lily of the Valley | Linden | Mace | | Male Fern | Maple | Marjoram | Mastic | | Meadowsweet | Mint | Mistletoe | Mulberry | | Parsley | Pecan | Pimpernel | Pine | | Pistachio | Rice | Summer Savory | Senna | | Slippery Elm | Southernwood | Star Anise | |
Gems and Stones Associated with the Element of Air | Aventurine | Angelite | Azurite | Celestite | | Kyanite | Mica | Pumice | Sphene |
Air Incense
(from Cunningham)
4 parts Benzoin
2 parts Gum Mastic
1 part Lavender
1 part Wormwood
1 pinch Mistletoe
(mistletoe is toxic, if used, burn outdoors) | Air Oil
5 drops Lavender
1 drop Lemongrass
1 ounce carrier oil |
Other correspondences include the astrological signs of Libra, Gemini, and Aquarius, and the Planets Mercury and Uranus.
Air rules the suit of Swords and is associated with the Magician, Justice, the Wheel of Fortune, Temperance, and the Star in the Tarot.
A Sample Invocation to the East and the Air Element
Guardian of the East, wise and gentle Raphael:
Hold this corner of our circle and let the Air blow into it.
Send to us the beautiful Sylphs to help in our healing work.
Bless us with the music and strength of the winds,
The inspiration of the Sunrise,
The clarity and perception of the soaring eagle,
And the clear communicating power of language.
We feel you and welcome you.
Blessed Be.
Blessings of the Air to you...
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