You’re powerful as hell, so feel empowered
As the political climate continues to intensify, many of us are turning back to ritual, to self, to witchcraft, so we can move through this world with intention, purpose, and a semblance of peace. We’re looking to find empowerment through connection to something more powerful than ourselves so we can then pay this forward. We’re asking the earth to guide us in living holistically. Through the elements, you learn about yourself, your needs, and your own spirit and energy. Through the elements, you gain tools and practices that you can use to reclaim the way in which you experience life because the elements are life.
Nature has the potential to cultivate and propagate as much as cleanse and kill. But to call nature “evil” or “negative” or “harmful” is dismissive of all her facets. When you see your multidimensional self with compassion and love and not with anger or judgment, you can work with the scarier, harder‑to‑accept aspects of yourself as guides for growth and cultivating an open heart, a compassionate spirit, and resilience.
Nature belongs to no one, but her beauty belongs to everyone. And by working with the elements you’ll be guided into a spiritual practice that doesn’t cost you anything.
The elements as embodiment
Both Eastern and Western traditions of magick and spirituality work with nature. In fact, nearly every form of high and low magick works with the elements in some respect. Earth, air, fire, water, and spirit make up the world around you, and they make up you. These same elements are seen in Hermetic or Western occultism, Chinese medicine, paganism, Tantra, and other spiritual practices around the world. In Hindu traditions, they’re known as tattvas or tattwas, meaning “reality” or “truth.” They’re in the tarot, and astrology, too. Earth represents the material world, your relationships, your connection to Mother Nature. Earth grants you boundaries and a sense of purpose and grounding. Earth is the physical, your home, your relationships, where and who you come back to for food, love, and nurturing. Air is your thoughts, your presence, your ability to make decisions, create things from scratch, and manifest. Air is your breath, your guide in connecting to your body. Air is expansion and freedom. It’s being present in your stillness, cleansing what no longer serves you, and working with your mind as an ally and not an enemy. Fire is your sexuality, your passion, your ability to alchemize your erotic energy into creativity, self- expression, and manifestation. Fire is action, the spark that creates new ideas, that which burns away what doesn’t serve you and purifies what does. It’s your ability to explore your erotic self without shame. Water is your emotional self, your connection to the heart and your ability to feel deeply. Water is your intuition, your relationship to the divine feminine, your chance to embody love as something you can give to both yourself and others. Spirit is the thread that weaves them all together. Spirit is the act of embodying the elements through ceremony and ritual. Spirit is the divine that is reflected within you and an opportunity for you to see the divine all around. Spirit is the essence of connection that calls us to give back to the collective.
So what does it mean for you to find empowerment and embodiment through Mother Earth? It means you carry her message and essence with you, that you honor her. Through magickal practices, movement, intentional ritual, and energy work, you’ll be able to learn the language of the elements, working in tune with nature to really live with her messages as a guiding force. You’re not just honoring the elements but embodying them by bringing them into your life.
Empowerment as activism
Spiritual activism is when you’re filling your own reserves, honoring your spirit so you maintain a well of inner strength that allows you to foment change all around. It’s when you light up your own soul and then help others do the same (like an energetic or conscious version of Put on your own oxygen mask first). The saying Be the change you want to see in the world? That’s pretty much it. You have to change your inner world to effectively change the world around you.
For most of us, spiritual practice outside of the framework of our capitalist society isn’t 100 percent possible. But the practices in these pages doesn’t rely on anything except you: your dedication, your commitment to connect with nature and self. Yes, I offer suggestions for crystals, cards, candles, and herbs, but these are tools and not necessities. Print your own tarot cards, grab rocks from outside (making sure to ask and say thank you!), go to Goodwill—expensive doesn’t mean better. If you’re called to this work, then nothing should stop you from pursuing it.
When you dedicate yourself to learning and leveling up your magick, you’re inviting the universe in to help you evolve. And when you practice this outside of the idea that you need to buy a million things to be a modern mystic or witch, you’re going back into the ancient days when humans and nature had a more intimate relationship. When the earth was it. She was where you found what you needed. I hope you find practices here that help you remember how delicious it feels to be human. May these pages serve as a guide in getting you back home in yourself and your body.
You’re powerful as hell, so feel empowered
As the political climate continues to intensify, many of us are turning back to ritual, to self, to witchcraft, so we can move through this world with intention, purpose, and a semblance of peace. We’re looking to find empowerment through connection to something more powerful than ourselves so we can then pay this forward. We’re asking the earth to guide us in living holistically. Through the elements, you learn about yourself, your needs, and your own spirit and energy. Through the elements, you gain tools and practices that you can use to reclaim the way in which you experience life because the elements are life.
Nature has the potential to cultivate and propagate as much as cleanse and kill. But to call nature “evil” or “negative” or “harmful” is dismissive of all her facets. When you see your multidimensional self with compassion and love and not with anger or judgment, you can work with the scarier, harder‑to‑accept aspects of yourself as guides for growth and cultivating an open heart, a compassionate spirit, and resilience.
Nature belongs to no one, but her beauty belongs to everyone. And by working with the elements you’ll be guided into a spiritual practice that doesn’t cost you anything.
The elements as embodiment
Both Eastern and Western traditions of magick and spirituality work with nature. In fact, nearly every form of high and low magick works with the elements in some respect. Earth, air, fire, water, and spirit make up the world around you, and they make up you. These same elements are seen in Hermetic or Western occultism, Chinese medicine, paganism, Tantra, and other spiritual practices around the world. In Hindu traditions, they’re known as tattvas or tattwas, meaning “reality” or “truth.” They’re in the tarot, and astrology, too. Earth represents the material world, your relationships, your connection to Mother Nature. Earth grants you boundaries and a sense of purpose and grounding. Earth is the physical, your home, your relationships, where and who you come back to for food, love, and nurturing. Air is your thoughts, your presence, your ability to make decisions, create things from scratch, and manifest. Air is your breath, your guide in connecting to your body. Air is expansion and freedom. It’s being present in your stillness, cleansing what no longer serves you, and working with your mind as an ally and not an enemy. Fire is your sexuality, your passion, your ability to alchemize your erotic energy into creativity, self- expression, and manifestation. Fire is action, the spark that creates new ideas, that which burns away what doesn’t serve you and purifies what does. It’s your ability to explore your erotic self without shame. Water is your emotional self, your connection to the heart and your ability to feel deeply. Water is your intuition, your relationship to the divine feminine, your chance to embody love as something you can give to both yourself and others. Spirit is the thread that weaves them all together. Spirit is the act of embodying the elements through ceremony and ritual. Spirit is the divine that is reflected within you and an opportunity for you to see the divine all around. Spirit is the essence of connection that calls us to give back to the collective.
So what does it mean for you to find empowerment and embodiment through Mother Earth? It means you carry her message and essence with you, that you honor her. Through magickal practices, movement, intentional ritual, and energy work, you’ll be able to learn the language of the elements, working in tune with nature to really live with her messages as a guiding force. You’re not just honoring the elements but embodying them by bringing them into your life.
Empowerment as activism
Spiritual activism is when you’re filling your own reserves, honoring your spirit so you maintain a well of inner strength that allows you to foment change all around. It’s when you light up your own soul and then help others do the same (like an energetic or conscious version of Put on your own oxygen mask first). The saying Be the change you want to see in the world? That’s pretty much it. You have to change your inner world to effectively change the world around you.
For most of us, spiritual practice outside of the framework of our capitalist society isn’t 100 percent possible. But the practices in these pages doesn’t rely on anything except you: your dedication, your commitment to connect with nature and self. Yes, I offer suggestions for crystals, cards, candles, and herbs, but these are tools and not necessities. Print your own tarot cards, grab rocks from outside (making sure to ask and say thank you!), go to Goodwill—expensive doesn’t mean better. If you’re called to this work, then nothing should stop you from pursuing it.
When you dedicate yourself to learning and leveling up your magick, you’re inviting the universe in to help you evolve. And when you practice this outside of the idea that you need to buy a million things to be a modern mystic or witch, you’re going back into the ancient days when humans and nature had a more intimate relationship. When the earth was it. She was where you found what you needed. I hope you find practices here that help you remember how delicious it feels to be human. May these pages serve as a guide in getting you back home in yourself and your body.
