Our use in ritual of earth, air, fire and water stems from medieval European tradition, which in turns stems from the medieval Europeans' study of the ancient Greeks, particularly Plato. You can understand these inherited elements on many levels. I'd guess many pagans now don't literally believe the building blocks of the universe are tiny particles of the four; many pagans believe in the Periodic Table of Elements, though that certainly isn't required. Even if you don't understand the universe as being composed of tiny bits of earth, air, fire and water, the ancient magickal elements can still usefully divide and incorporate the perceived world.
Local pagan priest Blacksun has an interesting approach in which he connects the elements to physicists' current consensus understanding of the universe. Hermetic magickal thinkers have elaborated many different elemental systems; for one example, see Franz Bardon's Initiation into Hermetics. My own personal, intuitive understanding of the magickal elements is less complex; for me, they tie to the three states of matter, earth being solid, water liquid and air gas. The fourth element, fire, connects for me to the process of changing state -- in fire, energy stored in solid matter transubstantiates into gas, releasing the energy of heat and light in the process we see as flame.
Imbolc being candle-making time and a traditional time for initiation, a process of changing state, I'll start with a meditation on fire. Fire has traditional associations in European magick with the south, energy, noon, summer, reds and oranges, the sun, the magickal will and either swords or wands in the Tarot, depending on your approach, but my focus here isn't on learned associations but on discovering or rediscovering your own. We each have a personal connection to our tools, including to the elements, and we can all usefully remake this connection. Go deeply enough into anything, and you'll find it holds the universe.
To use this meditation, either record it on tape and play it back or have someone read it to you. It takes about 15 minutes.
Before starting, find a comfortable place where you won't be disturbed; if necessary, take the phone off the hook and exile your pets. If you're prone to falling asleep during meditation, you'll want to do this meditation sitting up; if you have problems relaxing during meditation, it's fine to stretch out on a bed, couch or the floor.
The Meditation
Relax. Deeply relax, and take a few deep breaths. In, out; in, out. Feel your body, wiggle your fingers, toes, nose, your hips and arms; roll your head; feel where your body ends and what's around you begins, the air around you, the surface below you. Be here now, present in your body, in the present moment. Begin to release the cares of your day and week, and be completely here in the present moment.
Throughout this meditation, you will have a complete, deep experience, and you will remember everything you sense and learn. If you need to return, you can always do so. Merely by moving your fingers and toes, you can recall yourself to the physical world. You will be utterly safe and protected throughout.
Continue to relax and to breathe deeply, and in your center, a little below and behind your navel, feel a spark of fire. It starts as a tiny flicker and grows, warm, gentle, just the right size, warming your body comfortably.
This comfortable, warm, personal fire fills your body, bit by bit, growing down your torso, your pelvis, your genitals, your legs and feet; growing up into your chest and shoulders, your neck and head, warming you and making you feel good. Now it sprouts below you, sends a cord of flame downward, through the floor, down through the foundation of the building you're in, down into the earth. At the same time, the fire sends a tongue of flame out above you, into the air, through the room, through the ceiling, up through the roof of the building, into the outside air.
The tongue of flame below you continues downward gently, through the earth, through the cold, thick dirt, the rock below, an underground stream of water, down through bedrock, deep into the earth, into the magma, the flowing rock within the earth, down to the center of the earth, the warm living heart of the Mother. Make your connection to the heart of the Mother and feel perfectly grounded, connected, safe.
The tongue of flame above you continues upward gently, through the chilly air, through the clouds, up to the heavens and the light of heaven, to the mingled energies of the great sky above us, the Sky-Father, the stars and sun and moon. Make your connection to this cool, cleansing, healing, sky energy. (Pause briefly.)
Release any remaining negative energy you want to let go of from your day or week into the earth, ground it out and let Mother Earth have that energy. Let go of any negative energy, gently and thoroughly, into the earth. (Pause briefly.)
Now draw upward from the earth into you the fire-energy of the earth's heart, the deep flame within the Mother. At the same time, draw downward into you the cool sky-fire, the lights of the stars, the sun and moon. Bring these energies together in your center and mingle them gently, thoroughly. Then let them spread into the whole of your body, cleansing and freeing you, cleansing away any remaining pains or troubles, smoothing out your energy, cleansing and healing, thoroughly cleansing and healing. (Pause briefly.)
Imagine yourself now in an open field. The sky is overcast, and you're a little chilly. Look around a bit; get used to where you are. Know that throughout this meditation, you will remember everything important to you.
You see before you a path, cleared from the earth, a dark red-earth path, and you begin to follow it. You go some way along it, until you come to the edge of a wood. You enter the wood.
Before and beside you rise tall trees. Hear the birds in the trees; smell the scent of pine. See wildflowers, white, yellow, blue on either side of the path. Feel below your feet the path deep with needles of pine and fir, soft, occasionally perhaps a small stone.
Ahead, you see a clearing, and after a bit you come to this clearing, a meadow full of long grass. Hear the breeze rushing through the grass. You step through the grass, wading; the grass is up to your knees. Smell the grass smell; feel the stalks swish about your knees.
You come through the grass to a cleared patch of earth and a pile of tinder, kindling and logs, the makings of a bonfire. You find beside these a dry box of matches, which you pick up.
You open the box and strike a match, set it to the tinder in one or two places, then toss the match in. The fire starts slowly, then begins to catch. Flames begin to flicker upward, higher, then higher still.
After a few moments, you have a blaze just the right size, neither too large nor too small. You feel it before you as a friendly presence. Study the fire: feel its warmth gentle on your body, smell and taste the woodsmoke, see the flickering flames, hear the crackle, perceive it with all your senses. (Pause briefly.)
As you study the fire, you notice it has associations for you. Let these associations come up for you. What emotion you have for fire? What does it feel like? (Pause briefly.)
Do any images or symbols, sounds or words come up for fire? (Pause for some time.)
You continue to study the fire, seeing and sensing it again before you, the flickering flames, the crackling and smoky smell. You sense now that the fire is trying to communicate with you. You ask the fire who it is, and what its nature is. And the fire replies. (Pause briefly.)
The fire may have something else to communicate to you, about yourself or your work or life. (Pause briefly.) It might have something to communicate about the world at large. (Pause for some time.)
Continue to study the fire. You sense that it is asking you to come closer, and you do. Strangely, as you come closer the fire does not grow hotter, but instead moderates in heat, until it's the same temperature as your body.
You come closer still, and in utter confidence and safety you enter the flames. They do not burn or overheat you; you feel fine, in fact invigorated. You become one with the fire. Be the fire; see how that feels. (Pause briefly.)
Feel each particle of the fire. Feel the whole fire. (Pause briefly.)
Dance with the fire, play with it, go deeply into it. (Pause for some time.)
Now return again out of the fire. Separate into yourself watching the fire, keeping everything you need from the experience, remembering everything. You feel cleansed and invigorated. Thank the fire for its presence and insight and for allowing you to become part of it. (Pause briefly.)
Now ask the fire to depart if it will. If it wants to stay, that's fine; you know no harm will come of it but it will leave without harm at its proper time.
Now you turn away from the firepit and take the path back through the grassy meadow to the trees. You walk among the trees for some time, passing through the tall stately firs that move gently in the wind, smelling their piney scent, feeling the breeze on your skin, the path beneath your feet. You return to the open field where you started, under the overcast sky.
You begin once more to feel your body. You are coming up from trance, remembering everything that has happened to you, retaining everything that was important that you learned from the fire, feeling warm and relaxed yet energetic. Feel your body; wiggle your fingers and toes; be present here and now. Feel the air above and the surface below you. You will remember everything you want to remember. Breathe deeply, and open your eyes.
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