Journal

May 27, 2021

Sometimes I enjoy going back to the very, very basics. The four elements—fire 🜂, earth 🜃, air 🜁, and water 🜄—are thought to be the foundation of life. In many traditions like alchemy, astrology, and the tarot, the elements are a basic concept and the very first step to understanding their teachings.

After a few months of self-study, I enrolled in the Tarot Adventure course @melissa_healing_tarot. The first topic we study is the earth 🜃 🌱 element.

I love pondering correspondences from different traditions relating to a specific topic. Collecting and displaying things associated with a certain theme is one of my favorite pastimes. So I had a look around my home for things related to the earth element.

Displayed in this picture is the Ace of Pentacles card, pentacles being the suit representing earth in the tarot. I also chose a few semi-precious stones associated with earth. Among them are hematite, green aventurine, seraphinite, onyx, and snowflake obsidian. I personally feel that red jasper is also related to the earth element, although most will associate it primarily with fire (partially because of its color). To me, red jasper feels warm which is an attribute related to fire, but it is also a very calming stone, which is one of the characteristics of earth. I think red jasper has both natures in it, earth (cold and dry) and fire (hot and dry).

For essential oils related to the element of earth, I chose patchouli, red cedar, and sandalwood. Helichrysum and cistus also feel very earthy to me. These oils are grounding and soothing in their nature. Cistus reminds me strongly of old Finnish wooden cottages, which I love. Some museums located in such cozy little houses smell a bit like this oil.

The primary colors associated with the earth element are green 🟩 and brown 🟫. Some also relate gold 🟨 and black ⬛ to earth. Gold as metal relates to fire and the Sun, but its association with wealth makes it suitable for the earth element. Black, as color of the fertile soil, as well as of Saturn, who is associated with the earth, fits also.

The earth element is of feminine (yin) energy. The astrological earth signs are Taurus ♉ (fixed earth), Virgo ♍ (mutable earth), and Capricorn ♑ (cardinal earth). The triplicity lords of the earth element are Venus (day), Moon (night), and Mars (participating). These are, besides the rulers of the earth signs, important indicators of what the earth element is about.

The element of earth is about the physical creation, the body with its five senses, matter, wealth and well-being. Pragmatism, diligence, stamina, and using one’s talents are themes related to earth. The melancholic temperament, as well as old age are a few more associations with the earth element.