Creating an Altar of the Elements (fit for a vibey medieval sorcerer) is easier than you’d think…

Part spiritual philosophy, part science, part sorcery… Elemental Magic was studied by the Magi of the East, Ancient Greece, China, the Americas & Medieval Europe to name but a few. The elements they worked with varied a little but today EARTH, FIRE, WATER, and AIR are most familiar to us in the West. There are many reasons why one might create an altar of the elements, – magical, spiritual, or aesthetic, – and even more ways to do it….

Typically in modern traditions FIRE is represented with a candle flame, WATER, by a filled bowl or chalice, AIR with feathers and incense, and EARTH with a stone. The simplicity of this uncluttered approach is rather beautiful.

However, it doesn’t really satisfy the drunk medieval sorcerer who’s in charge of my aesthetic choices…

So here are some thoughts on a few gorgeous and deeply symbolic older pieces for an altar of the elements.  All of the pieces mentioned can be found out and about in the antiques world, and although the very best examples are always pricey,  I’ve chosen pieces that i know can (with a little legwork)  also be found on a humble budget…

 

Representing… FIRE

The Sun Symbol – whatever your roots or practice there will be an ancestral sun symbol. Often found in the UK on antique horse brasses, jewellery, tiles, and sundials, and occasionally on exquisite re-claimed antique church stained glass.

Salamander & Phoenix – Both have an ancient association with elemental fire, and for exactly this reason both can be found in the forms of antique and ancient figures of metal, stone or clay from magical cultures across the globe.

Volcanic Rock – found in many places including the Mediterranean, Pacific Islands, Japan, and Scandinavia

Clay and terracotta oil lamps – simple and occasionally ancient. Some are glazed, and a few  bare images from an earlier spiritual culture. They both ‘make fire’, and are made from it.

The flashing flame red, gold, and mirrored sequins of vintage Kutch embroidery from the deserts of Rajasthan

Antique Gunpowder Flasks and ‘Powder Horns’ – often seen from North Africa and the Near East and Mughal India, where they were commonly worn by nomadic and desert tribesmen well into the 20th century.

Bronze ‘Butter’ Lamps – perfectly useable with a soft low flame, the most lovely come from Tibet, Nepal, and India

Poker Work – the artistic transformation of fire and wood, found on Indigenous Australian carvings and on antique treen from Europe.

Antique candle holders – in wood, ceramic, metal or glass, can be wildly ornate, or elegant, or folksy, or rustic & simple, depending on your mood… Found literally everywhere.

‘Slag’ – the cooled remains of smelted metal and ore, often glassy, molten and sculptural in appearance, the transformative nature of fire embodied. Found any place that metals were once mined.

Fire Deities and Symbols – Pyramids, Lightening bolts, dragons, and a pantheon of ancient gods and goddesses are associated with the element of fire. Many can be found in the forms of antique or ancient figures, early souvenirs from the ancient mystery sites of the world,  and symbolically decorated folk-art objects.

Representing…WATER

Mermaid – Original antique mermaids are neither easy, nor impossible to find, sometimes salvaged from old Ormolu furniture mounts, early carved English Oak, or the beautiful 18thc Dutch delft tiles which may also have ships and sea serpents. Mermaid type creatures have appeared in art and folktales from allover the world.

Chalice – In Wicca the Chalice represents water, but why buy a modern version when there are antique goblets and Chalices to be found from almost everywhere? Old silver plate wine goblets are common, as are artisan-made earthenware Goblets from the British isles, Heavy Victorian handmade glass ‘Rummers’, and tiny 500 Year old clay ‘wine cups’ from Asia can also be found.

Moon – As the moon rules the tides so the moon has her place with elemental water. She comes mostly in the form of jewellery, from Viking amulets to Saharan pendants and Victorian ‘paste’. Also of course in Moonstone.

Yoni- Holy water vessel symbolizing the divine feminine principle in Tantric Hindu ritual. Often in copper, sometimes bronze, an elegant and ancient vessel for sacred water rites.

Ship Wreck Cargo – between the 1600s and 1800s Chinese ships brought great cargoes of porcelain to be traded in Europe. Some of these ships sank, and for centuries their cargo lay on the seabeds, washed by tides and encrusted in barnacles and coral. Some of these lovely things have now made it back to land.

Mirror– Water and mirrors share a long association, polished metal mirrors have been found from as far back as ancient Egypt and Greece. Small glass hand mirrors have been made in more recent centuries & can be found everywhere. Or for something more vibrant, perhaps mirror discs stitched into embroidered patchwork cloth in the rich blues and greens of the sea, – gratis of the exquisite embroiderers of Norther India.

Baptismal Shell (Scallop) – Sometimes of pure silver with gold gilt, sometimes just the previous home of a scallop.

Pearls & Shells – Many shells are now rightly protected in the wild, but people have collected them forever and real beauties turn up in antiques markets all the time. Some like the giant clam sell for a small fortune, but most for the price of a coffee. Real pearls are far lovelier than the fakes we are used to seeing, and now no longer fashionable, they sometimes pass through markets and charity shops unrecognized at a fraction of their true worth.

Water Gods and Symbols – Oshun, Calypso, Poseidon, Cancer, Scorpio, Gemini, the wise old, salmon of the Druids, – There are enough sacred water spirits to fill the seven seas.

 

Representing… AIR

Censers – The burning of incense or herbs in ritual is part of almost every mystical tradition. It’s one traditional way to represent Air. There are censers that hang on chains, some shaped as braziers, as pine-cones, as mythical creatures, or as the smoking eyes and mouths of cast bronze demons.

Birds – As the one true Sky tribe, no Air altar should be without a bird. Carved, cast, painted, or in the natural relics of feathers & pearly, wild-found bones.

Clouds – people who live at the tops of mountains seem to paint the best clouds. The loveliest for me come from Tibet and Japan. Or perhaps the textiles of Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan? Theirs is the art of making patterns on cloth look like the sound of thunder in the mountains….

Reeded Instruments– How to create form out of air? By blowing it through the tongues and reeds of whistles, flutes and pipes. Starring in the cast of fairy tales, Sea-Shanties, ghost stories, and ancient myths, there seems to be more to these instruments than meets the eye.

Bells – Beloved of witches, monks, Shaman, and dancers. Bell is well known to have the ability of ‘clearing ‘ space, and is associated with elemental Air. There are wonderful bells from every corner of the world. Sacred bells, dancer’s bells, ritual bells, reindeer bells, sleigh bells, church bells, ships bells and my particular love, the tiny silver and bronze medieval bells used by Falconers to keep a pace of their hunting birds.

Spindle whorl– The ancient spinners tool, these can be found from every continent and every age, for me these suspended weights have both something of Air and also the ancient magical associations of spinning and weaving the fates.

Feathers & Fans – They speak for themselves, used to move air or to ride upon it.

Sky and Wind Deities and Symbols – look for winged deities and creatures that fly, the great Garuda, Athena’s owl of wisdom, the witches broomstick, or a host of angels.

 

Representing… EARTH

Cauldron – A traditional symbol for the transformative womb of earth, new ‘witches’ cauldrons are sold everywhere, these tiny lidded pots on three legs with a pentacle stamped on them in the factory are not really my thing, but for lovers of the old, there are also beautiful antique hand beaten copper and cast iron or bronze cauldrons to be found, – occasionally authentic medieval bronze ritual cauldrons appear on the market, these appear to have been buried deliberately in the late medieval period, as part of some sort of ritual practice in Northern Europe, they are truly magical in the real sense of the word, (but also truly expensive).

Green Man – This ancient pagan symbol is usually found carved in antique oak, as is fitting for the wild king of the forest. Sometimes in stone too, and surprisingly often around old churches. Originals are highly prized but still turn up for sale quite often in the British isles.

Clay Jars – what could represent earth better than clay? And you will have your choice of literally thousands of clay vessels in any antiques market in the world.

 

Scarab – The dung beetle so beloved of ancient Egypt is a sun bearer, but she also digs down into the soil and feeds it with the dung she collects for her baby grubs. Genuine ancient Scarabs sometimes turn up set into Edwardian English jewellery, and are frequently found at ‘antiquities’ sales because ancient Egypt produced them in huge numbers. A most charming and revered creature of the old gods, also associated with the fire of the sun.

Phurba – These wonderful handmade ritual tools are from the magical traditions of the Himalayas. They have a strong association with earth. They are not, as many think, a type of knife, but actually more for ‘pegging’ energy down and grounding or controlling it. Some believe the three sided ‘dagger’ shape is based on the ancient tent pegs of the Himalayan nomadic clans, which makes a lot of sense if you think about it…

The Stag – Whole books could be written on the magical associations of Stag, He is a father, a king, and he represents the wild creatures of forest and heath. He is male fertility, and closely entwined with elemental earth. Antique figures, relics in the form of bones and antler, and venerated images of Stag abound.

Fossil Plants & Bones – There are many to chose from and all have spent a few million years being formed by the weight of the earth but some have even stronger earth associations to offer. The fossilized fern leaves that sometimes turn up are among the earliest plant life to appear on the shores of the planet. There are fossil bones too, of great and long extinct creatures like the Cave Bear or Giant Elk.

Earth Deities and Symbols – The wild Horned Gods and an entire Pantheon of Female Goddesses are representatives of Elemental earth. Symbols include the labyrinth or maze, and the splendid tree of life who appears in the art of mystical traditions the whole world over.