In the Occuli Primer by David Conway” he says: North=Earth, South=Fire, East=Water, West=Air. Other Wiccan practitioners say: North=Earth, East=Air, South=Fire, West=Water. As an author of several books… sometimes you just get fed wrong information and it then goes to print! (I had this happen on an architectural tour book once – the wrong architect got credited and the spurned architect wouldn’t talk to me for 5 years!)
There has been some discrepancy about the major elements and what is their proper directions to address those elements. In many ways – this is immaterial, because everything is a holographic projection, but since we are all playing on this same ‘earth plane,’ we may as well have some continuity. Also – it is similar to the way that the so-called “name of G&D” has been scrambled. It is almost like playful demonic entities are scrambling our understanding of the elements so that we cannot call on them in the most meaningful and powerful ways!! How about that idea?
So here is what the Good Wiccan has to say about this:
1) First and Foremost, the sun always rises in the east. FIRE is always EAST. If you begin your hypothesis with that assumption and the rest fall into play.
Now some might take issue with using words like “always” and “never” and strict constraints like that, but in this case, the word “always” only pertains to the particular set of rules and confinements within this particular so-call ‘earth’ field that we have collectively and virtually joined to play within in this now moment. But in the spirit of that understanding – the sun “always” arrives via one direction: the east (no matter what continent or hemisphere you are on or in OR how much sun you feel depending on which way you are facing!). And the sun “always” departs another direction – the west. So it stands to reason that you if you wish to call upon someone – you invite them in the front door. you do not call out the back door and say – hey come back here for a second – i’m gonna do a ritual here… (and while you’re at it, sun, can you please reverse the rules and conventions that we have collectively created in our mental construct of earth) for a moment – to appease me. It’s uncalled for and a bit rude to the element!
2) South is usually always conceived in a downward direction on a compass, whether or not you are Southern or Northern hemisphere. what is below our feet? EARTH is SOUTH.
3) The AIR is up, above and surrounds us, which places it loosely in association with NORTH.
4) This leaves the WEST=WATER which actually makes sense for anyone with roots from great Britain or continental Europe, because the “Great Water” was beyond to the West. It becomes more problematic for Native american cultures and those from the orient. But the other three elemental locations still stand. Plus in Asian cultures, there are often five (5) elements! But that’s for another blog post…
