A Wiccan Bible - Exploring the Mysteries of the Craft from Birth to Summerland

Liber ab Quattuor (Book of Four)^81

The Four Quarters

With a standard set of directions in place, it became easy to describe not only places

to which one could travel, but also places from which one came. It became easy to state

that the winds that come from the West bring storms and bad weather or that from the

East come raiders from rival tribes. So we see the development of guardians for each

of those directions. Certainly in early cultures these guardians may have been the posi-

tion of sentries who watched over the tribe as it slept. But as religion developed, it did

so right along side the very real world need for protection. We see the development of

this principle in the four sons of Horus.

Egyptian Creation Story—Africa

Name Gender Direction Element

Tefnut Female West Water

Shu Male East Air

Geb Male North Earth

Nut Female South Fire

Four sons of Horus—Africa

Four sons of Horus the Younger were born by Isis. Each was seen as guardian of one of

the four principle directions and associated with an Element, a human organ, and a

protective goddess. During the process of mummification, the associated organs were

removed and placed in canopic jars that were carved, etched, or shaped like the god

they represent.

Direction Element Organ God Goddess

East Fire Stomach Duamutef Neith

South Water Liver Imset Isis

West Air Intestines Kebechsenef Selkhet

North Earth Lungs Hapi Nephthys

But this principle did not stop with humanity’s migration from Africa. While the

names may change with time and migration, the principles remain the same. Migrating

east along the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, we see this principle appear in the

Near East.

The Lokapalas—Near East

The Lokapalas are Hindu directional guardians. They first began with four key direc-

tions with four associated deities, but soon grew into eight.

k WB Chap 04.p65 81 7/11/2003, 5:50 PM