Category: The Earth Witch

Earth Witch Lore – Caves

Earth Witch Lore – Caves

 

Most caves have local folklore surrounding them, with one common theme; they are inhabited by spirits or dragons and are forbidding places, desolate and dank. So many legends tell of ghosts haunting caves. These legends were perpetuated by pirates and the like to scare people away from their hiding places and thereby keep their loot hidden. They also stem from ancient days when bears and lions might be found in the caves.

 

For ages, the members of ancient tribes lived their entire lives in caves. In Sweetwater, Tennessee, there is a cavern known as “the Lost Sea,” which features an underground lake with its own variety of plant life (which only grows underground). It is said to be the home of the white jaguar. This cavern is a world within the world. The hauntingly beautiful columns of stalagmite drip healing waters upon those who stand beneath it. Not surprisingly, this cave is also thought to be haunted. It was sacred to the Cherokee tribes.

The Earth Witch knows and understands that caves actually relate to the process of birth. Spirit haunts a cave as a “pregnancy,” or a continuation of life. Therefore, a cave is sacred ground. All that it holds within relates to life and death, as it all stems from the cave. The cave is the birth canal of Mother Earth.

The Dark Side of the Earth Witch

The Dark Side of the Earth Witch

 

All beings have their strengths and weaknesses. In the case of an Earth Witch, there is one main magical problem: she has a hart time defending herself against things that are “unearthly.” Spiritual entities or adverse astral conditions are rare occurrences, but since they force the Earth Witch out of her natural realm, they can cause quite a bit of stress and wreak havoc. Because these entities have an easier tim attacking the Earth Witch, they tend to do so more often than they do the other Elemental Witches. Because of this problem, the Earth Witch is usually very practiced in warding and protection. This is also a prime argument for maintaining balance in one’s magical practice. Each element has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Where one element may have a hole, another may fill it with energy.

 

However, the enterprising Earth Witch has (and has had for centuries) the perfect tool to remedy this problem: the bridge. Crossing running water serves to release her from any hounding spirits. In order for an Earth Witch to fight unearthly forces effectively, she must call upon her sister elements. It is in this capacity that her role of being the foundation of life is of the greatest importance. Her ability to draw from her sister elements and seek their aid becomes more pronounced each time shed does it. Practice makes perfect for an Earth Witch.

 

It is important to note than an Earth Witch can have a hard time understanding her sister elements. In truth, all practitioners of specialty paths have to find their own unique ways of relating to those who follow a different elemental path. The Earth Witch is both battered and pampered by the other elements. For example, a hurricane force wind may change the surface of the Earth, but it cannot change the core of it. The Earth Witch is the same. She can adapt to the wind on the surface, but it does not change who she is or her role in the world.

Home of the Earth Witch

Home of the Earth Witch

  

The home of an Earth Witch is lived-in, comfortable, happy, and usually well organized–she runs a tight ship. At the same time, the Earth Witch is the first to let housework slide a bit. Her view is that as long as everything is in its place, a little dust is okay. She recognizes that many times there are more important things to do than mindless scrubbing. It is not unusual for an Earth Witch to incorporate magical correspondences into her décor. She usually has an abundance of house plants and tends to have a green thumb when it comes to the care of these plants.

The kitchen is by far the most popular room in the Earth Witch’s house. She considers it to be the heart of her home—and her home is her heart. The aromas drifting from the kitchen tend to make folks gravitate into the room. The Earth Witch appreciates good cooking. She is renowned for her ability to whip up a meal from scratch while visiting with others. Unfortunately, due to this love, she also may have issues with weight and carry a few extra pounds.

While taste is important to the Earth Witch, texture is even more important. The Earth Witch is sensual and loves touching and being touched. She may have a affinity to velvet, silk and more exotic fabrics, but you will most often find her dressed in comfortable cotton. She has a strong affinity to stones and crystals and often wears them as jewelry.

The Earth Witch understands the forces at work behind crystal energy. She know that crystals contain electrical charges and can be used as batteries, both personally and in electronic devices. She is usually well versed in magnetic magic as well.

The Earth’s Witch Book of Shadows is often painstakingly kept. Thorough and detailed, it can contain entire family histories with its pages. It is usually scrupulously organized and filled with any fact that could possibly be needed. The Earth Witch treasures family heirlooms and creates her personal Book of Shadows in such a way that it will stand the test of time. To her, it is not only a book of magic, it is a manual of life, and it is meant to be passed down through the family.

Meditation to Meet Your Earth Guide

Meditation to Meet Your Earth Guide

 

Set up a simple altar with a green or brown candle and herbal incense. You may wish to use a green altar cloth and your pentacle. Cast your personal circle. Take several slow, deep, cleansing breaths and relax your whole body. Close your eyes. Allow your breathing to show and become regular. Take deep, slow breaths. Visualize the gateway to earth. Make the gate as elaborate as you wish, using any material that you desire. To open, does it swing wide? Does it lift up? Does it dissolve? Keep focused on your breath, and allow the gate to open. Relax. Walk through the gateway and down the path. Take a moment to observe the world around you. The grass is a beautiful emerald green. There are flowering tees and shrubs everywhere you look. The nearby hillsides are covered with flowers and green healthy grass. As you walk, you notice a figure in the distance. Walk toward it. Stay focused on your breath. Standing in front of you is your guide for exploring the elemental realm of earth. It could be an animal, a human or a mythical creature. Greet your guide. Listen to what he has to say. When you have heard all you wish, thank him. Always respect your guide, as he will be with you a long time. Slowly walk back up the pathway to the gate. Focus on your breath. Walk through the gate and see it close. Allow yourself a few more deep breaths and then open your eyes. Write down what you learned in a journal for safekeeping. Close your circle.

The Path of the Earth Witch

The Path of the Earth Witch

 

The path of the Earth Witch most closely resembles that of a Kitchen Witch or a Green Witch. It is grounded in the home and family. Whether gardening, cooking or cleaning, the Earth Witch brings magic into her life at its simplest level. She becomes one with the Earth. The Earth Witch accepts that everything she does is a reflection of the cycle in nature, down to the cell multiplications in her body, and she considers all of it to be magical. She fully understands the mysteries of the Earth.

In almost all religions traditions and mythologies, humans sprang forth from the Earth. The Earth allows us to draw energy from it and to return that energy to it. It cleanses us by its very presence. We may purge into the Earth any negative vibrations that bother us, and we can depend on it to do a thorough job of cleansing them away.

The Witch who follows the element of earth is similar to the Kitchen Witch in her use of herbs and magic in the kitchen as well as her affinity for “home-grown” magic and simple folk magic. The Earth Witch incorporates magic into the spice additions and stirring patterns of the majority of meals she prepares in her home.

The Earth Witch relates to the path of the Green Witch in that they both often are gardeners. It is not unusual to find Earth Witches with statues and beautiful rock formations in their gardens. They decorate them in much the same manner as they do their homes. Often, they tend their edible gardens the closest, while courting the favor of the gnomes to watch over their more delicate plants.

The Earth Witch views her home as an extension of the Earth in every way; it is like her own personal slice of the Earth. The kitchen is a direct extensions of the garden and therefore of the Earth.

The Earth Witch specializes in protection magic, past-life discovery, prosperity and fertility. She trains to hold herself closely to the honors of the Earth by recycling and practicing eco-magic. She often is very frugal and prefers to make the things that she can rather than buy them. She can usually make her own cleaning products, candles, and all types of herbal remedies. From healing teas to lice treatments, the Earth Witch understand that the magic is within the Earth itself and within her. She knows exactly which herb to prescribe to cheer you up or relax you. Herbs are her special course of study.

The Earth Witch lives in a world where every knife is a potential athame and every glass a chalice. While she does perform more formal rituals, for the most part she keeps things informal and constant. She holds her path close to her heart and has no illusions about how grand magic can be. She knows that it takes work. She is grounded in reality.
The Earth Witch views spirit as a part of her and everything she does. She accepts that spirit lives within everything in existence. Because her view of spirit is so all-encompassing, she understands that not all things have rational explanations. However, she is the first to try to find a scientific explanation before chalking up an experience to something “supernatural.” While she easily accepts the existence of spiritual conjurations and the like, she does not do so blindly. She keeps her mind open.

Through the Earth Witch is often perceived as boring or a homebody, she stands on a foundation that is unshakable. If you are friends with an Earth Witch, you have a true friend. She has a very nurturing and protective quality and is loyal and dependable.

Characteristics of an Earth Witch

Characteristics of an Earth Witch

 

One of the best things about the Earth Witch is her ability to remain silent. She understand that sometimes it is best to say nothing rather than risk saying it wrong. She is very careful about what she says. Because she is not argumentative by nature, when the Earth Witch speaks her words hold weight. She also tends to be critical of others, even though she may not say it out loud. Too often, the Earth Witch represses her feelings and as a result may need to purge more often than those who follow other elemental paths. But since she holds earth so close to her, she is adept at purging anywhere and anytime.

Cautious and wary, the Earth Witch rarely takes unnecessary chances. Level-headed to the end, she helps others find suitable solutions to their problems. Her approach to life is slow and steady. She is conservative, patient, and practical.

The Earth Witch can most often be found working a job in which she can directly improve the world around her, or a job that may seem boring but is traditionally necessary within the boundaries of society. Social work, teaching, architecture, and banking are natural choices for the Earth Witch.

On the flip side, the gentle Earth Witch is not one you want to anger. She is capable of utter destruction, which she views as a natural part of the cycle of life. Rarely will she look back with regret. She may take a while before deciding that she is angry and will give you every chance to explain yourself. But once angered, she can be stubborn and hold a grudge. Because she will give you every chance in the beginning, if she decides that she doesn’t like you–well, you earned it. Most people only get to cross that line once with an Earth Witch. However, she is eternally forgiving toward those she loves and trusts.

Because the Earth Witch is so rooted in the home, she must be careful not to shut herself away from others entirely. However, she is rarely shy and can often be found at social gatherings.

The Earth Witch may have a talent for sculpting, even if she doesn’t know it yet. When holding chunks of clay in her hands, she can create some beautiful statuary.

The Earth Witch is a teacher and strives to set a good example for her students, children and friends. She practices what she preaches and believes that actions speaks louder than words. For thousands of years, the bones of the Earth (rocks) have been utilized as teaching implements. Pictographs (painted-on symbols) and petroglyphs (carved symbols) date back to the ancient Egyptians. Almost every culture has its own version of rock teachings.
Earth rules the season of spring. During the spring, the Earth and the Earth Witch come roaring back to life. As the flowers bloom, the grass grows, and the animals wake from their slumber, the Earth Witch becomes one with all of nature. She is directly influenced by the increasing life energy of all things. Her personal power is at its highest point during this season.

One of the most prevalent aspects of the path of the Earth Witch is sharing. Mother Earth shares all of herself with the other elements. She allows herself to be the foundation for all of life. She is battered by storms and ravaged by fire, but she remains unchanged yet ever evolving. The Earth Witch holds herself close to the archetype. She struggles to remain calm and steady during all of life’s storms. She has a unique talent for being able to keep her cool. She also has the minor quirk of being slow to movement. The Earth Witch knows that she has all the time in the world–she is not the sort to jump around and do things right away. “All in good time” is her motto. However, she must be extremely careful with this aspect of her personality, as it can cause her to stagnate and stop her growth. As a rule, the Earth Witch resists change.

When it comes to divination practices, the Earth Witch can read better by scrying into water or fire than by using the divination systems that fall under the rule of earth. This is because her role as the base for the other elements. The Earth as a whole contains water and fire and serves as a foundation for air. There is much more to the Earth than dirt and plant life.

Humanity belongs to the realm of earth. Any type of folk magic that utilizes footprints, hair or nail clippings, etc., is an Earth Witch’s specialty.

The Earth Witch is puzzle of Hoodoo, Voodoo, Native American beliefs, shamanistic behaviors. Wiccan ethics (or the Golden Rule), and/or ancestral lore. Yet she is a puzzle in which all of the pieces fall in place to create a beautiful picture.

Earth Magick

Earth Magick

 

 

The term “earth magick” is somewhat of a misnomer. Many of the magical techniques presented here do not utilize actual earth (dirt, etc.): however, they are typically considered to be earth specialties. Business, protection, prosperity and fertility all fall in this category.

Earth magick utilizes two main techniques: burying and transporting. We transport basically anytime we use earth in a spell that does not include the burial of the item or take place directly upon the soil. For example, if a love one tracked muddy foot prints into my home and I swept them up and saved the dirt for later use in a healing spell, this would be considered transporting.

You may bury things in the earth for the purpose of cleansing an item of negative vibrations, ridding yourself of an item (banishing), planting seeds for future growth of crops or blessing an item.

You may transport the element of earth by placing soil in a charm bag or in your home, using a mud mask, or even growing houseplants. Many magical practitioners make use of dirt by piling it on their altar and burning candles in the pile. As dirt is sacred, it is fine to do this. Although traditions vary, and many practitioners prefer to keep their altar surface spotlessly clean, the Earth Witch uses the power of dirt.

It doesn’t matter which of the techniques you use—burying and transporting both hold the full power of earth, even when the soil is used in small amounts.

Various kinds of dirt are said to perform specific functions in many magical practices. According to Hoodoo and Voodoo traditions, grave-yard dirt is thought to hold within it the vibrations of the departed soul. The ritual collection of graveyard dirt includes getting in touch with the spirit of the body in the grave and leaving a payment for the dirt (usually a coin on the gravestone). For instance, if your intention was to use the dirt to cause harm, you would find a grave that held a murder victim or some other tragic soul and use the dirt from it. Also incorporated into the ritual collection of graveyard dirt is the time of day in which the dirt is collects and the corresponding area of the body in the grave. In other words, for a love spell, you would take dirt from the are where the heart of the body lies.

Dirt from a crossroads is considered sacred in almost all magical traditions. It is believed to be loaded with supernatural powers. It is used for protection, blessings, banishing, domination–virtually any purpose. It is thought to be neutral, so one has only to direct it according to one’s wishes.

Santeria incorporates the magical qualities of dirt in the following ways:

Bank dirt: Dirt from the area around a bank is thought to hold prosperity within it.

Courthouse dirt: Dirt from the area around a courthouse is used to gain victory in legal disputes.

Dirt from the bottom of a person’s shoes: This dirt is said to allow one to dominate or cause harm to the owner of the shoes.

Dirt from the four corners: This mixture of dirt is thought to open the road to success. This particular dirt is considered a four-way crossroads.

Forest dirt: Forest dirt is considered protective.

Library dirt: Dirt from the area around a library is used in spells to increase one’s knowledge and wisdom.

Mountain dirt: Dirt from a mountain is used in cleansing practices.

Racetrack dirt: This dirt is used in gambling spells to increase luck.

Seashore dirt: This dirt is thought to be cleansing.

Which Element Are You?

Which Element Are You?

 

You can gain insight into your personal elemental affinities by asking yourself questions that cover a wide range of topics. Ask yourself many simple questions. Think of it as peeling an onion. Layer by layer you slowly reveal your core. Revealing spells have their purposes, like when it comes to remembering thing we may have chosen to forget, but when it comes to determining something as deeply ingrained as an elemental affinity, you must peel, peel, and peel. If you write your answers on single sheet of paper, one element will often appear many times. Here is a list of questions to consider.

1. What element do you feel you align with?

2. List any hobbies you have. Is there a recurrent theme?

3. Are you basically happy and content or restless and bored?

4. How are you when it comes to money matters?

5. Do you have a sharp nose for business?

6. What are your favorite food groups or preferred taste sensations? (Sweet, salty, etc.)

7. Are you an artist? Is so, what medium do your prefer? (Words, paint, sculpture, etc.)

8. What is your preferred divination method? (Tarot, scrying, pendulum, etc.)

9. Do you know your aura colors?

10. Do you have past-life memories?

11. What are your preferred textures? (Satin, cotton, etc.)

12. How would you describe your musical taste? What is your favorite type of music?

13. What is your favorite kind of mood enchancer? (Aroma, music, stones, etc.)

14. Do you have any physical impairments? (Hearing, sight, smell, etc.) Do you have asthma or any other type of health condition?

15. Do you have any phobias?

16. What is your favorite activity?

17. What is your preferred reading genre? (Fantasy, horror, nonfiction, etc.)

18. How old are you?

19. What kind of imagery do you prefer? (A waterfall, roaring fire, sky scene, luxuriant garden, etc.)

20. Do you collect anything?

21. What is your favorite color?

22. Do you have a weight problem? (Are you overweight or underweight?)

23. Tell me about your space….is it organized or cluttered?

24. Do you have any bad habits?

25. What color is your car?

26. Do you follow the Wiccan Rede or the Golden Rule?

27. Do you believe in the threefold law?

28. Do you have an altar? What is on it?

29. Are your rituals formal or informal?

30. Tell me about your book of shadows. Is it organized? Divided into sections? How many sections? Are the pages decorated or is it more of a journal? Tell me all about it.

31. How do you handle anger?

32. How do you handle love?

33. Are you methodical or more free-spirited?

34. What is your Sun sign? Moon sign? Ascendant?

35. What is your profession? What do you want it to be?

36. Do you believe in ghosts? What would you consider to be “proof” of a haunting?

37. Do you have a totem animal? If so, what is it?

38. Is there a season of the year that you feel most in tune with?

39. Do you consider yourself a day person or a night person?

40. What mythical or fantasy creatures do you love? Which ones scare you?

41. Looking in your book of shadows, what type of spells are predominant? (Candles, herbs, mojo bags, etc.)

42. What color are your eyes? Your hair?

43. Where are you most comfortable? (At home, in the forest, at the beach, etc.)

44. Do you have any specific dream memories? Describe them.