Symbol Dictionary: Elements
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Elements: Long before the Periodic Table of the Elements was compiled, humans as early as Sumeria (the earliest literate civilization) were categorizing the four basic elements as: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. All over the world, Native American Indians, Aztec, Hindus, Chinese, Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans all recognize these four basic elements. According to The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), by Barbara Walker, “On each of the inhabited continents, the same four elements were distinguished as building-blocks of all substances living or dead, organic or inorganic: water, fire, earth, and air.”
Scientists until the 18th century (when the periodic table was compiled), believed in the four elements as the building blocks of life as temperaments: sanguine (caused by an overabundance of blood), phlegmatic (phlegm), melancholic (caused by too much bile), and Ethereal (ether) which mixed together to create the temper of a person. Indian legend says the four elements were created by the Great Mother Kali, who wrote Sanskrit, which is said to be invested with the power of creating whatever is spoken: VA for water; Ra for fire; La for earth; and Ya for air. Kali created humans out of the four elements, blood, heat, solids, and breath and is shown in Western iconography as holding the four elements symbolized as blood for water, scepter (lightning bolt) for fire, lotus wheel for earth, and sword for air. In Greece this was transferred to the Goddess Nemesis as a cup for water, an apple-bough or wand for fire, wheel for earth, and a sword for air.
The Tarot, a forerunner of the modern deck of card, was created in four suits which mirrored these four elements, cups; wands, rods, or scepters; pentacles, coins, or discs; and swords. Native Americans designed their villages and encampments so they lined up with the four directions, which also corresponded to the four elements as well as colors and qualities such as Wind: north, war, and yellow; Fire: south, summer, farming, and red; Water: west, spring, peace, and blue; Earth: east, autumn, magic, and white. The Aztec had similar categories with water and earth and are associated with the Mother Earth Goddess while fire and air are associated with the Father Sky God. In pagan, lore spirits of superhuman nature were connected with the four elements as undines (water), salamanders (fire), gnomes (earth), and sylphs (air).
There is sometimes a fifth element, Ether, added to these primary four, of ether, which is the “heavenly” stuff that Gods, Angels, star-spirits, saints, “astral bodies” and the gas that filled outer space as believed by astronomers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Why these four elements are chosen, above others, is unknown. It is speculated that these are the four ways of returning the human body back to its origins, burial (earth), burning (fire), carnal birds (air), or carried away in rivers or the ocean (water). Walker (1983) states, “In general, the lore of the elements was a prime example of what may be one of humanity’s most characteristic behavior patterns: classifying.” Below are the elements and selected examples of meanings that in no way include the significance to every culture and time.
Fire: Masculine, “Fire of life,” wand, Ra, scepter, south, blue, summer, fire, red, farming, salamanders, ruby, Mars. Alchemical fire sign to left. See Fire.
Water: Feminine, “mothering vehicle of the energies of birth, nourishment, and growth,” cups, Va, blood, west, red, spring, peace, blue, undines, honey, milk, sapphire, lapis lazuli, Venus. Alchemical water sign to left. See Water.
Earth: Feminine, “the world supporter and base,” pentacles, La, Lotus, east, white, autumn, magic, gnomes, gold, Jove. Alchemical earth symbol to left. See Earth.
Air: Masculine, “the breath of life,” swords, Ya, sword, north, black, winter, rabbit, wind, war, yellow, sylphs, silver, crystal, diamond, Saturn. Alchemical air symbol to left.