Quarters, Elements, Elementals & Watchers :: Elementals
Elementals are the essence of the element they represent. They are real beings though they are invisible to the untrained
eye and do not reside in our physical reality. The belief in their existence was almost universal in the ancient era of
religions which embodied animism and is still present in modern religions that believe that all natural things possess life.
In the third century CE, the Greeks grouped the elementals, which they conceived of as nature spirits, according to the four
elements of life.
Air = Sylphs (from Greek silphe meaning a butterfly)
Fire = Salamanders (from Greek salambe meaning a fireplace)
Water = Undines (from Latin unda meaning a wave)*
Porclus, in the fifth century, added a fifth group of elementals that dwelt beneath the ground and in the eleventh century Psellus added a sixth group, the lucifugum which means "fly-the-light".
Interest in the elementals increased during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance when alchemists and magicians sought to acquire the secrets of nature by controlling its forces. Some writers described the elementals as evil creatures, others said they were merely mischievous while still more assert that there are both good and bad elementals. It has been said that they are creatures existing somewhere between angels and mortals and that they have the ability to appear in animal or human form. Others contend that they exist as the life force behind all living things and are present in every tree, meadow, rock, pool of water, etc.
An Encounter with a Salamander
The following is from the “Life of Benvenuto Cellini”, an Italian artist of the sixteenth century, written by himself:
“When I was about five years of age, my father, happening to be in a little room I which they had been washing, and where there was a good fire of oak burning, looked into the flames and saw a little animal resembling a lizard, which could live in the hottest part of that element. Instantly perceiving what it was, he called for my sister and me, and after he had shown us the creature, he gave me a box in the ear. I fell a-crying, while he, soothing me with caresses, spoke these words: ‘My dear child, I do not give you that blow for and fault you have committed, but that you may recollect that the little creature you see in the fire is a salamander; such a one as never was beheld before to my knowledge.’ So saying he embraced me and gave me some money.”
Debate continues about the true nature of elementals. Many people attribute a thinking process to elementals, though others assert that they can not think but are simply the pure essence of the element and represent that element on a higher plane of existence, such as the astral plane. Some feel that they are unruly creatures that must be governed by a higher authority such as a Watcher, angel, king or Deity. All of this is for you to decide, should you choose to work with elementals on a regular basis you will come to understand their nature as they appear to you. Before you begin invoking and calling, spend time in meditation or out in natural places associated with each elemental so that you come to understand their nature.
Four Main Groupings
Elementals or nature spirits are grouped into four main categories, but each has it's own legends and personality afforded to them through cultural beliefs.
Gnomes - dwarfs, brownies, elves, hobgoblins, lepricauns, wood nymphs
Sylph - fairies, storm angels
Salamanders - jin
Undines - nymphs, titons, mermaid and mermen, sirens, harpies
To summon an elemental, stand at the gateway of each cardinal point, form an image in your mind of what exactly it is that you are calling. Speak loudly and clearly, directly to the elemental. Know that what you are calling is real, they are actual beings that have inhabited this universe long before mankind. Treat them with respect and have confidence in what you are doing.
An example:
Keepers of hidden treasure,
Solid ones, constant ones
Bring your stability to our sacred place
In the names of the Lord and Lady of the Greenwood,
I call you forth on this night
To bring energy and balance to our sacred rite
Greetings Gnomes of earth!
Again, this example can be enhanced. Draw an invoking pentagram or elemental triangle to open the gateway. Give an offering of coins or herbs to the elemental in exchange for their presence and aid. Strike a deep, base gong at certain intervals while speaking. Tailor the enhancements and the words to each individual elemental.
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