Come fairies! take me out of this dull world,

For I would ride with you

Upon the wind and dance

Upon the mountains like a flame.

W.B. Yeats.

Aboriginal Understanding

Having Scots and gypsy roots, I was surrounded as a child with the magical world of Faerie – entranced by old stories of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts; the Sidhe of Irish legend, and ‘otherworld’ hierarchies.  But childhood fades; innocence is lost and for many the ugliness of physical reality smothers the glow of the Faerie realms and, as a result, many are left with a poignant sadness that overshadows their lives. Wordsworth echoed the pain some of us feel in his poem Ode to Immortality -Recollections of Early Childhood

 

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,

The earth, and every common sight                                  

To me did seem

Apparelled in celestial light,

The glory and the freshness of a dream.

It is not now as it hath been of yore;—

Turn wheresoe’er I may,

By night or day,

The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

 

The five elements

The elements of earth, water, air, and fire, and the space that surrounds them are classed as the fundamental building blocks of nature and the human body. In aboriginal thought and philosophy, elementals are referred to as spirits or energies that operate beyond our five sense world. The spirits fall into five categories as we do in the third dimension: earth, water, fire, air, and space but they inhabit the other half of our nature- the unseen world(see Crying for a Dream). These energies can be contacted through the vibration of certain sacred words and sacred tones that resonate on the five moving bands of power, the power the Lakota call Skan Skan. The tones and phonetics act like a sonic telephone number and resonate upon whatever elemental reality is needed for the ceremony.

Elementals

Elementals are formless beings, but when they appear to mankind, they can clothe themselves in any form or shape shift into anything they like. Normally it will be something we would recognise from folklore. An air elemental for instance might appear as a winged flower faerie. In the Lakota way, an inyan wasicu – a stone spirit often appears as a little wizened man dressed in red with braids.

Offering

Many indigenous peoples leave offerings for the elemental worlds: food, strips of cloth or one’s own flesh. In Scotland, the ring and cup marks in sacred rocks are used to feed the faeries. In Lakota country, a spirit dish is used to make food offerings. The shamans tell us that the spirits of earth, water, fire and air are our relatives – the energetic counterpart of our physical being, and we should honour them.

Bealtaine or Beltane

May 1st is Bealtaine or Beltane, a cross quarter fire festive celebrating the renewal of life, the greening of the Earth. It is the Faeries’ day, and this article is in honour of the elemental kingdoms. Merry meet – merry part, and merry meet again.

Introduction to elementals

My second book of the Heartstar series is called The Gates to Pandemonia and I have included a page from the text. This will serve us to better understand the elemental worlds.

Duirmuid sipped his drink and then continued. “In the days when the dark ones took Cnoc Na Dala and raised their mighty palace of Rath Mhil, their magicians made the blood offering at the Turoc stone. Spells were cast, and hordes of creatures flooded through the blood gate into our realm. Slimy monsters swam the underground courses coming from the sea, taking our people to the depths. Long we battled, and many we vanquished; but some escaped, and knockers, draves, and evil giants of living stone still linger, hidden in the secret ways. But only when the sun is dark do they roam through our tunnels. Our magic has kept them away from our city, but in the rising hate who knows – they may come forth and assail us. We must be forever watchful in these dark days.” Suddenly he smiled and a red light shined about him. “But! As long as there is stone, I will endure, for dwarfs are the shape of rock in living form. With tenderness, and care, we create great roads beneath the mountain, lined with precious gems, sparkling in the light of crystal orbs, arched open rooms, and chambers by the lakes.  Such are our halls, fashioned with brilliant gemstones shining bright and clear.   I am an elemental of the Earth.”

Kilfannan and Kilcannan rose, cloaked in the light of living green, and bowed their head respectfully to the dwarf.  “The houses of the gentry serve the element of Air,” they said in one voice.  “We are sylphs and spin the thousand shades of green to our island in the sea, for we are the grass that peeps out from the rocky pastures, and the hillsides’ mossy slopes; the luminous, throbbing green of leaves unfolding in the spring; the brooding gloom of dark forests filled with fir; the crimpled green of primrose; and the brave dark spears of lily’s in the bog. We are elementals of Air,” they said, and they then sat back down.

Fercle was the next to rise. Yellow light streamed from him like the sun. “I am the fire keeper,” he said, “the warmth within the earth. I am the scorching summer sun upon the sand dunes; cool sunlight greening on the meadows and sweet hills; the stab of lightening from a dark and stormy sky; and the dazzling magentas, reds, and oranges of sunset on the bay.  I am an elemental of the Fire.”

Duirmuid glanced at Aine.  The succubus stood up from her chair. Her flaxen hair now shined orange in the light, and proudly she spoke.

“I am the changeling, daughter of Manannan Mac Lir, the son of the sea and Erin of the dream.  I am the element of water, the misty rain, the waterfall, the starry tears on leaf and bud.  I am one element and at once the other three, forever turning the seasons at the quarters of the year.  I am spring, the time of growth and light; summer in its glory; and autumn’s slow decay to winter’s sleep.  I am Aine the half blood.” She then settled back down.

“And beautiful you are, sweet Aine, enchantress of the woodland – and so brave!”  Duirmuid exclaimed.

Revealing their true natures in such a formal way formed a bond between the elementals, and after the company had introduced themselves, the dwarf turned his stone grey eyes on the Kilfenorans.

“Your errand is so desperate for us all that you must carefully choose your road to the Crystal Mountain of Binn Breac.  I will accompany ye, if you will have me. For if the Green Radiance is lost, a storm will follow, and the darkness that it brings will never end.” He took his axe from his belt and held it before Kilfannan.  “We can shut ourselves away in our halls of stone and live under siege, but when all is brought to naught and love fails, there is no place for us in a world of hate.”

The emerald on Kilfannan’s brow shined as he rose and stood before the dwarf.  “Welcome, Duirmuid, friend of stone to the company of the key.”

A portentous silence fell upon the hall. The dwarfs ceased their chatter, and in that instant, Kilfannan felt strengthened by the stone and powered his intent to win through the darkness. Elementals had gathered round him – whether by chance or a higher design, he did not know. But earth, water, fire, and air were all represented in the company of the key.

Join the fourth dimensional rebellion…start the journey….

Goddess picture with white horse and hare by www.moondragoncards.com