(Fire). All of these associations have been neatly or-
ganized into tables of correspondence. See Course 3,
Class VI: “Correspondences.”
In working magick, magicians, Witches, and Wiz-
ards summon the subtle forces of the Elements and
their guardian spirits, the Elementals. We consecrate
our tools and ritual objects with the Elements by touch-
ing or passing them through each substance—such
as salt, dirt, or crystals for Earth, a cup of Water, the
smoke of burning incense for Air, and a candle flame
for Fire. When a Magick Circle is cast, each Element or
its symbol is placed at the corresponding Quarter, and
its guardian spirit is invoked.Lesson 3. Elementals
Elementals are spirit beings, which personify each of
the four Elements. They are similar enough to the
devas and other Nature spirits I described in the pre-
vious Class that some people just refer to all Nature
spirits as “Elementals.” However, properly speaking,
the Elementals are specifically associated only with
their particular Element, not with places or species.
While some magicians believe in the literal mani-
festations of Elementals described below, others be-
lieve that these descriptions are just the way that
Elementals manifest in our minds’ eye as we interact
with them while in deep states of trance or meditation.
Shamanic practitioners from native cultures through-
out the world use drumming, dancing, and other means
of going into trance to enter an alternate reality within
themselves, where they encounter figures such as
these. Others have had experiences where they are
really quite certain they have seen figures just as de-
scribed here in the outer, waking world. The main point
here is that Spirit is everywhere and the spirits in
rocks and mountains, for example, have different char-
acter and qualities than do the spirits in rivers and
oceans.
Paracelsus (1493-1541) classified the
four families of Elementals as follows:Earth Elementals— Gnomes.
These are usually depicted as squat
little men with big boots, long
beards, and tall pointy hats—
looking exactly like those “gar-
den gnome” statues. Female
gnomes are called gnomides.
They are often confused in the
popular imagination with
dwarves, who are really quite
different. Gnomes live in tunnels
underground and in caves, and
they are the guardians of gems, min-
erals, and other hidden treasures in
the Earth. The word gnome derivesfrom the Greek genomus (earth-dweller). The king of
the gnomes is Gob, and so his subjects are also called
goblins.Water Elementals— Undines. These appear very much
like our popular images of mermaids, graceful and
lovely, with fishy tails and webbed fingers, and living
in all waterways—oceans, rivers, streams, waterfalls,
lakes, ponds, springs, and fountains. Unlike mermaids,
however, undines can readily morph into or out of an
entirely liquid form. They may rise from the water draped
in mist, but cannot exist long apart from it. For they
don’t just live in water; they are made of water—es-
pecially splashing waves. Undine comes from the Latin
unda (wave). The ruler of the undines is Neksa.Air Elementals—
Sylphs. These are
slender and delicate
little flying creatures,
often confused with
faeries. They ride the
winds, gather clouds,
and shape snow-
flakes. Female sylphs
are called sylphids.
Silphe is Greek for
“butterfly,” and
sylphs may often be
camouflaged amid
flocks of flying in-
sects. The wings of
sylphs are usually
shown as transparent,
like dragonfly wings.
The leader of the sylphs is Paralda.Fire Elementals— Salamanders. Elemental sala-
manders are not the same things as the little colorful
amphibians (which are actually named after the
Elementals, not the other way around, because the
amphibians are sometimes seen crawling out of burn-
ing logs where they have been hibernating in the Win-
ter), but they are often similarly depicted. ElementalHoward Wookey (1928)Kathryn White68 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
Corrected pages 3rd printing.1.p65 28 6/10/2004, 2:59 PM