“Earth darkens all illuminative natures, and produces shadow.”
- Fragments, Proclus, C5th CE.
TERRA Trium Elementorum Receptaculum Recondo Aurifodinam “I Conceal the Gold-bearing Refuge of Three Elements.”
Axiom Colour (Modern) Astrological Signs Planets Direction Time of Day Season Sense Gender Tools Deities Tetragrammaton Archangel Demon King Enochian King Enochian Divine Name Elemental Governor Elemental King Elementals Kerub Gem Metal Tarot Platonic Solid
To Keep Silent Green, Black Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo Saturn, Venus (Pluto) North Midnight Winter Touch Feminine Pentacle Hera, Gaia Heh (final) Uriel Amaimon Izhikal Emor Dial Hectega Ariel Ghob Gnomes Bull Emerald Metal Tarot Platonic Solid Lead, Copper Disks Cube
Earth is a feminine element associated with matter (hulê). In the macrocosm it is most obvious as the ground beneath our feet, giving us the solidity of physicality and form. With form come qualities like endurance, patience, tolerance and steadfastness. Earth is further associated with sensuality and the sense of touch. The magickal axiom of earth is To Be Silent. This describes the enduring stillness of earth, which can be felt when standing alone on a mountain or in a field, and which is reflected in the inner silence of meditation and contemplation. The silence of Earth also reflects its non-judgmental nature, which by its very selflessness encourages us to be the same, to be responsible in our actions, to try and make our world something of beauty, and leave it better than we found it. The silence of a winter’s day, when the world is blanketed with snow, when even water has been given the solidity of earth as ice and snow, emphasises the elemental tide of earth at its peak. Earth is a nurturing element, providing the food we eat, and making up the materials used to build houses, and indeed being the ground beneath our feet. Earth teaches us that through dedication, patience and toil, all things are possible. Earth is nature as well as nurture, and all we do impacts on the people we are and the environment we live in. Earth is the element that is most often taken for granted, yet it is our home, supplying all our needs. As the giver of form, earth also represents manifestation. Manifestation can represent several levels of activity. On a physical level it can be the manifestation of a conclusion or result, the end goal of a process. On an emotional level it can be the realisation of a desire or dream. The same is true on a magickal level, or it can be the physical appearance of a spiritual creature in a tangible form. The practicality of earth is emphasised in the importance of being grounded, one which is frequently absent or ignored by people who get wrapped up in the glamour of magick, and forget that at the end of the day, earth provides the test of solidity. An alchemical acronym for earth, or Terra is Trium Elementorum Receptaculum Recondo Aurifodinam, meaning “I Conceal the Gold-bearing Refuge of Three Elements.” This emphasises the form-giving qualities of earth as the source not only of gold (and by implication the other metals and minerals) but also the solidified forms of the other elements such as ice and lava. In the Corpus Hermeticum, Hermes says of earth, “Tis earth alone, in that it resteth on itself, that is the Receiver of all things, and also the Restorer of all genera that it receives.”xvii Working with the element of Earth helps you develop both the physical and emotional-social side of your being. On the physical side you can enhance qualities such as endurance, practicality and strength. On the emotional and social side, patience, tolerance, selflessness, humility and pragmatism can all help you not waste energy and actually benefit from your social life and emotional interactions. The negative earthy qualities are ones which need to be transformed whenever they appear, and they tend to recur like deep-rooted weeds, you cannot just bury them and hope they will go away. Vigilance will help you spot the signs of negative Earth behaviour, which you can then transform into positive Earth contributing to your progress forwards.
Qualities (Positive) Endurance, Humility, Patience, Practicality, Pragmatism, Realism, Responsibility, Selflessness, Sensuality, Stability, Stillness, Strength, Tolerance
Qualities (Negative) Attention-seeking, Depression, Domineering, Greed, Inertia, Laziness, Melancholy, Stubbornness
associated with qualities of heaviness, matter and the terrestrial world
Platonic solid: The Cube
Symbol: Upside down triangle with line
Humour: Black Bile
Other traditions/languages
- Prithvi
- Aztec religion by a house;
- to the Hindus, a lotus;
- to the Scythians, a plough;
- to the Greeks, a wheel;
- Christian iconography; bulls and birds.
Elemental Grade: Zelator Sephirot of Malkuth.
elemental weapon of earth is the Pentacle
The archangel of earth is Uriel, the angel is Phorlakh, the ruler is Kerub, the king is Ghob,
the earth elementals (following Paracelsus) are called gnomes.
Earth is considered to be passive
represented by the symbol for Tauru
referred to the lower left point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.
Awakening the Earth Element
“Meditate on the symbol of the earth element. Invoke the archangel Uriel – the Light of God. Feel how you pull your roots into the Earth and anchor yourself in the Earth’s heart point. Feel how the Earth feeds you with its energy. Which of the Earth’s gifts do you fill your body with as nourishment? Is it adapted to make you feel good in both body and soul? Consider how you relate to your body as your earth temple. This is the element of sensation and the perception of the sense organs. Practice some form of physical activity or discipline on a daily basis. Spend a lot of time in nature and learn to “breathe with the earth”. Consider how you view money, your home and ability to complete projects. The earth element is attributed to the state of melancholy due to earth’s inertia and lack of enthusiasm. What does your melancholy look like? Seek to bring awareness to the causes and effects of melancholy in your life. Strive to manifest the quality “to will” – to will what it takes. Be diligent and patient like the gnomes, but avoid simplicity and greed.”
- Alchemy – the divine work