the reason i ask this is to me, south would be water as the sea is just at the end of my road to the south, north would be air as i think of north being highest therefore the sky, east would be earth and west would be fire!
can i do this when casting circles etc or is there a reason why the elements are associated with the points of a compass this way?
Think a little more globally. Wicca originated in the Scandinavian regions. In the Northern Hemisphere, the farther south you go (until you get to the equator) the hotter it gets.
Even though I dislike the way Wicca assigns its elements, I thought it should be pointed out.
@coliseum: Regardless, the main point was that it's the Northern Hemisphere. I was confusing Wicca with Asatru.
The explanations I was given is that the directions and elements correspond with seasons and the position of the sun. East would be "air" because it is the sunrise and the spring, a time of new birth. Air is the "concept" or the mind, from which all ideas are born into manifestation as you move through the elements. South is fire is noon is summer because, of course, the sun is high at noon and is hot in the summer and fire, our will, is what drives the mind, or air. West is water is dusk is autumn because it is the fading time, when things come to maturity and our emotions refine our will and thoughts. North is earth is night is winter since it has both passed into manifestation and is in a state of fallow rest or grounding.
That said, if there is a feature in your world that seems to beg for the elements to be honored in a different order and you feel that it is more appropriate that way, go ahead!! Where I live, Lake Michigan is in the east and all my senses are attune to Her waters east of me. While I still see water in the west, I honor that Her material presence is in the east and know several pagans in my area that switch the water to that direction to fit with the geography of the area. For me, however, I still see "air" there since great winds sweep across Her surface and Her horizon is a perfect vantage to view the sunrise.
Since calling the quarters creates sacred space, you must remember that directions are relative. That if I went over to the State of Michigan, our Lady Lake would be to my west. Still, great oceans dwell far to my south, far to my west and far to my east... and even an ocean to my north, if I trek far enough. Water is everywhere and our Earth is round. Sacred space is in between all these things... it is the center of the universe and all elements reside on all sides, even the sun itself. The directional assignations are a map or symbols that we use to orient our sacred space so that it can be within us and we can use it.
-Scarlet
Wicca is based on Northern European Pagan religions... if you headed South, it got warmer. If you headed West, you got wet.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the closer to summer you get, the Sun rises closer to the South.
Most groups put Earth- North, Air- East, Fire- South and Water- West. But not everyone adheres to this model.
My tradition puts Air in the North and and Earth in the East.
There are no fixed beliefs... do your research and decide what is best for you. Just be sure you know why you are putting the elements in the directions you are.
In Wicca, the Elements are associated with everything. That's why they are associated with directions. We draw heavily upon the energies of the natural elements that we see as both literally and symbolically comprising all things in life.
The earliest circle rites in Wicca don't use the elements or directions at all, so even though some people greatly exaggerate the role of the elements and directions in Wicca, there is no evidence to back up the idea that they are that important...with so many rites that don't use them AT ALL, including rites written by Gardner, people claiming they are oh so important are just whistling in the wind.
If you really feel a need to focus on those elemental/directional rites (and, again, there are other choices) you can do a little research and quickly realize there are two sets of elemental directions used in Wicca, especially early on, before the mass market Derick came to be... and one of those sets of correspondences *IS* air in the north.
The common association of elements to direction is Wicca is borrowed from the association of elements to directions in the Golden Dawn. The arrangement is logical for Europe in general and England specifically: water to the west (Atlantic Ocean), fire to the south, where it's warmer, earth (cold and dark) to the north.
Personally, while I live in the US, I find that arrangement still works for me. I base it less on geographic correspondences and more on how it fits into a correspondence system in general. But if you have a system that works better for you, by all means use it. Wicca involved awareness and connection with the world. If a published arrangement just doesn't fit with how you relate to the world, make changes.
While that's not license to just make stuff up in lieu of actual learning, you clearly *have* already thought this through from a personal perspective, *and* you had the forethought to investigate why the "standard" arrangement is what it is. More points to you!
why is south associated with fire in wicca?
