zinaelemental

[zinaelemental]

Hello Pagan tumblr,

My name is Zina. I’ve been a practicing Elemental Pagan for the last 6 months and here is a little tid bit about my beliefs and practices. I’m writing as I go and when I can’t write anymore I stop and come back so please bear with me.

What is an Elemental Pagan?

An Elemental Paganism is what I call my personal beliefs that the elements are in control of this Earth and all things that dwell on it. They can be angry, happy, gentle, rough, sad, etc.

With each element comes a link to our inner and external environment. When I say environment I don’t just mean the physical realm that surrounds us, I mean the spirit and emotional realm as well.

Essentially, an Elemental Pagan believes that the elements (Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Spirit) are the higher power and control what happens to humanity.

Can you pray as an Elemental Pagan?

Absolutely! In elemental paganism, it is vital to talk to the elements and seek guidance. They will more than likely listen to your request or help you understand why it’s important to the growth of either the world, humanity, or an individual themselves. Unfortunately, like all prayer, it’s hard to really know if you’ve been heard. But if you’re praying and you feel a change in temperature or you get goosebumps or you suddenly feel a gust of wind, that means they’re listening. Sometimes these signs are so subtle that you might not notice them, it takes practice to feel the slightest changes in atmosphere. Grounding meditations can really help for that! (I’ll touch on this in the next segment).

Communication is key to shaping your relationship with the elements. Tell them when you’re mad, tell them what makes you angry and they’ll tell you why they are, too. If you think something isn’t beneficial to you, yell at them about it, get your anger out. The elements know that emotional expression is necessary for human sanity and improvement and they won’t hold that against you.

The elements are always listening, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to fulfill your request if the struggle/problem is meant to happen for individual or global growth.

How do I practice?

Anyone knows that practice is important for any structured belief, it helps us get closer to our higher powers and guides. It’s important to mention that practice can be anything you want it to be.

Thinking in the shower/bath and seeking guiding? That’s practice.

Going outside and meditating? Practice.

As long as the purpose of your thought process is to seek guidance or listen to your guides, that’s practice in my book. You don’t have to have an entire ritual set out for every day, that isn’t necessary.

For the sake of this argument, I will share some of my rituals I do to help get myself closer to the elements.

Grounding and meditation tips

Feel free to skip this part if you don’t plan on doing rituals!

I’ll make a future post about how exactly I do this as an Elemental Pagan, but for now I’m just going to mention that this is a stationary ritual; you must remain in the same position and spot during meditation and grounding to experience it to the fullest. You find a spot and a position that’s very comfortable for you; sitting, lying down, standing, a yoga position if you want.

For meditation, you let your mind kind of wander and let your spirit talk to itself and the elements.

For grounding, it’s important you think of a place, like a forest or a lake, and attach yourself to the Earth. Typically this is done by imagining yourself growing roots into Earth’s soil where this imaginary place is (or if you’re lucky enough then you can meditate at a very earthy place and imagine it happening right where you are!). I won’t go into too much detail, so here are a few helpful links.

Guided grounding: https://youtu.be/b5LkXFPngX8

Can I work with Deities?

Yes! I follow three deities and use them as guides. I don’t believe the deities have any immense power, like the elements do, but they can definitely help you understand what might be happening and help you grow and gain knowledge. Personally, I have Odin (Norse pantheon), Medusa (Greek pantheon), and Gaia (Greek pantheon) as my spirit guides.

Odin teaches me wisdom and understanding. If there is a disagreement he tells me how to see both sides and reminds me my perspective is different, not the right or wrong one.

Medusa teaches me the sacredness of nature and physical and internal beauty of those around me. She tells me to stop looking at people as if they aren’t human; don’t hold them accountable for everything they say and do. Forgive those who have wronged you, see beauty in everything and everyone, and remember your worth.

Gaia teaches me the importance of life and human birth. As people we are taught that death is inevitable, yes very much so, but Gaia shows me that life is more than our physical form and takes place deeper than that. Our life is different than everyone else’s. She teaches me empathy, pain, healing, and inner growth. Life also doesn’t mean strictly human life, it means all forms. So animals are not less or more important than humans. All life is equal.

Yes but understand they aren’t higher powers, they are guides. They can’t change the outcome or situation but they can help you learn from it or help you decide what to do and where to go.

What are Spirit Guides?

Spirit guides are spirits, deities, depictions, etc. who help bring guidance to you. The elements can refuse to help you with your problem if it is meant to improve you, but sometimes they aren’t exactly clear as to how that might be. As mentioned previously, I have three deity guides. All of whom have an animal depiction instead of the more commonly known human form. For example, Odin is a wolf or raven depending on what’s being shown (raven for understanding, wolf for emotional expression/nihilism [death is inevitable and nothing we do matters so live your life how you want]). These guides are here to, well, guide you. Each guide has its own purpose or calling, they typically won’t go outside of that unless they see fit. Odin won’t help me with seeing the inner beauty in someone unless it helps me understand their point in the argument, etc.

Guides can be anything you want so long as they help you and teach you the importance of a situation. They aren’t higher powers, they can’t change the situation or outcome. They’re only there to advise you, they’re your council.