Spring is about to arrive and with it, abundant opportunities to expand your magick out of your hearth and home – where you have likely been stuck for months — and into the natural world. Witchcraft and paganism are, at their core, deeply connected to the natural world, the rhythms of nature, and the cycles of the seasons. As the earth is reborn with the Spring Equinox, nature calls us to leave our homes and rejoin the world once again to find our own experience of rebirth. Although the earth may just be starting to reawaken where you are, spring is the perfect time to connect with the element of Earth and work its energy into your magick.
The element of Earth holds many symbolic meanings in the craft; it symbolizes beginnings and endings, life and death, abundance, fertility, the divine feminine, and the life source. Each of these symbolic meanings can be utilized to help empower your spell work and deepen your connection to the natural world. Earth grounds us, sustains us, and nurtures us. There is a reason we call it “Mother Earth”. Working with this element can help you manifest abundance, restore balance in your life, and provide stability, strength, and comfort.
Sounds pretty good, right? But how do you do it? How do you actually connect with the element of Earth? I have a few quick and simple tips for you to begin your journey of connecting with the element of Earth in today’s post and of course, I have a new video to help as well! If this form of elemental connection and magick calls to you, my In Your Element workshop is just the thing you need. This five-week online workshop dives deep into the basics of witchcraft and builds the foundation for a deep connection with yourself and with the elements.
Five Ways to Connect to the Element of Earth
- Get Dirty – The very first step to connecting with the element of Earth is to get outside and literally, physically connect with it. Whether it’s getting your hands dirty in the soil of your garden, walking barefoot in the grass or a stream, grounding on a patch of soil, or rubbing your hands on the rough bark of a tree, touching nature is essential. For thousands of years, our ancestors were in physical contact with the natural world daily. Many of us have lost that connection and may go days, weeks, or even months without so much as smelling a flower or hearing the wind blowing through the leaves. Studies have shown that human interaction with nature is essential not only for our mental health but our physical well-being. Interacting with nature is shown to reduce anxiety and depression, as well as diversify our microbiomes. In our modern world, we have forgotten that nature is not separate from us. We are nature and to be separated from it is no different to us than being separated from each other. Reconnect with the physical Earth and feel how its energies influence your life and magick.
- Give Thanks – We all know gratitude is the gateway to well-being, but how often do you give thanks to the Earth itself? We often remember to be grateful for our family, friends, housing, health, and food, but somewhere in our ancestry, the gratitude for the Earth was taken for granted. Without the Earth, we would have none of the other things we express gratitude for. Take your gratitude practice literally down to the root and find a way to thank the Earth for its bountiful gifts each day. Start by greeting the sun with a quick incantation each morning. It can be something as quick and simple as “Thank you for the sun and the blessings that it brings,” or something cheeky and fun like humming the first line of The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun”. Whatever you choose, fill it with the gratitude you carry for our most elemental of homes.
- Meditate Outdoors – Whether it’s a walking meditation, forest bath, or a moment of you sitting still with the Earth and doing a sensory scan, outdoor meditation not only provides you with the excellent benefits of meditation, but it also connects you more deeply to the Earth. Try to find a peaceful and comforting spot outside with minimal distractions and do a guided meditation for strengthening your root chakra. The root chakra is at the base of our spines and is thought to anchor, or root, us to the Earth. Many of us spend much of our time in the digital world, living somewhere in the ether and our roots to the Earth have atrophied. Rebuild this strength with the power of nature and see how it affects your well-being and state of mind.
- Cook and Eat with Seasonal Ingredients – We’ve all grown quite used to being able to eat whatever foods we want to no matter the season. Strawberries and tomatoes are available year-round and apples are not just a thing of the fall anymore. This modern convenience not only has negative consequences for the planet, it also breaks our reliance on and relationship with the rhythms of the seasons. This can be a difficult change to make, especially if you are a picky eater, but springtime is the perfect time to make this transition as the earth is starting to give us our first taste of the abundance of the harvest. Watercress, leeks, rhubarb, artichokes, and fennel are just a few of the culinary gifts of the early spring. Test out new recipes and practice your kitchen witchery with these seasonal ingredients and absorb the fresh energy of the earth.
- Take Your Rituals Outdoors – This one may be challenging if you live in a city or are still in the broom closet, but taking your rituals out of your home and into the natural world can help to deepen your connection to the Earth and supercharge your spellwork. Whether or not you believe in the spirits of nature, the energy among the grasses, trees, and animals is definitively different from that of your bedroom or altar space. Changing the location of your rituals and honoring and invoking the energies of the Earth can help to deepen your practice, provide you with grounding, and maybe even give your rituals a little extra something.
The Earth is our only home and our connection to the life force. This spring, let’s get out into her beauty, give thanks for her blessings, and see what abundance that brings.
