An important belief in Neopaganism, especially Wicca, is the Elements of Nature. Most hold to the classical Greek conception of the four classical elements (air, fire, water, earth), while others recognize five elements: earth, air, water, fire, and spirit (akasha).
Some see the points of the pentagram symbol as representing the five elements. The elements are commonly invoked at the beginning of rituals or used in their physical forms to symbolically purify the ritual circle. Each element has associated symbols, rituals and meanings, which are outlined in the chart below.
Element |
air |
fire |
water |
earth |
spirit/ether |
| Celtic Name | airt | deas | iar | tuath | aethyr |
Direction |
East |
South |
West |
North |
Center |
Color |
yellow |
red |
blue |
green |
violet, white or black |
Tool |
wand |
athame |
chalice |
pentacle |
circle, cauldron |
Time |
mornings |
noon |
twilight |
midnight |
all times |
| Season | spring | summer | autumn | winter | all seasons |
| Goddess | Maiden | Mother | Crone | Dark | all deities |
Symbolizes |
mind, intellect, reason, sciences, travel, youth |
strength, passion, energy, transformation, will, sex, energy |
emotions, intuition, daring, wisdom, clarity, healing |
stability, order, grounding, silence, birth, death, beginnings, endings, fertility |
immanence and transcendence, everything and nothing |
| Ritual Representations | incense | incense, candles | water | salt, soil | fulfilled by presence of practitioners and deities |