Element of Earth

Earth is the universal archetype of the divine feminine. Our planet is fondly called Mother Earth, the Great Mother and Gaia among many others. She represents the inexhaustible spirit of creation and is associated with abundance. When we work with earth, not only are we calling the great expanse of our planet – its mountains, caves minerals, and deserts – but we are also invoking her support and massive strength. From her energies hidden treasure, and she is the proof that material things can be manifested from the divine.

The earth gives all living things the space and minerals they need to grow, so when we call earth into our circle as we stand at the north quarter, we are inviting the living essence of our planet to join us in our celebrations and our magic. We are asking that this energy lend its aid to the work we are doing. When we ask for blessings from the north, we are envisioning abundance, stability, protection and room to grow in a positive way.

Throughout the history of magic the element of earth has been associated with a variety of deities, spirits and angels. You can use what you like, as long as you remember the underlying basic: Earth is earth is earth. We can use a lot of breath with long invocation, and draw exquisite, complicated sigils and dress it up all we want but it is still dirt.

From the magical (as well as the esoteric alchemical) viewpoint, earth has the lowest vibration of the four elements because it is solidly manifest in our world. In astrology those signs symbolized by the earth element are Capricorn (motivated earth); Taurus (rooted earth); and Virgo (changing earth). As the moon moves through each sign for approximately two and a half days each moth, you will have an opportunity to work with the moon’s receptive energy in that sign. If you wanted to work on the structure of something, then you would choose a day when the moon is in Capricorn. If you wish to keep things the same or stockpile something, they moon in Taurus is perfect time for such a spell or ritual. If you need to make changes to a structure, investigate something, or find the “bugs” in a system, then the Virgo moon is the perfect time.