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 Paracelsus, Swiss alchemist, first named the Elementals. He said they were the “invisible counterparts of visible nature…inhabiting worlds of their own.” Each Elemental is engaged in the harmonies and functioning of the world. Sylphs (Air Elementals) are the presence of motion in the Cosmos, since they both advance and recede, expand and contract. According to Manly P. Hall, the noted occultist, Sylphs are the Mind Born, Storm Angels, Wind Born and Riders of the Night. Various occultists have said that the Muses are Air Elementals, since They gather around the mind of the dreamer and inspire them.
 
Air Elementals are involved with communication, creativity, and thought. At best, they are mercurial, since they are changeable, eccentric and mirthful. Light and playful, Sylphs can inspire wild but practical fantasies in people. Moreover, they will make the unknown known to those who wonder
 
Inhabiting mountain tops, Sylphs are the breezes that rustle the tree leaves and the gales that scour the land. Air Spirits such as Wind Knots control the weather. In China, the Chi Spirits will aid a family provided they live in an uncluttered home. (These Air Elementals need to move freely about.) Meanwhile, the Tengu of Japan are master sword fighters.
 
In the Twentieth Century, Gremlins (Sky Bogies) were sighted on airplane wings. Gremlins like to destroy planes, and will often chew through the metal. These Air Elementals can be a pilot’s worst nightmare. A noted Australian ace, Mark Sheldon observed that they were not figments of the imagination. He cautioned, “if you fly good, they (Gremlins) will treat you so.” Charles Lindberg wrote in his autobiography that his plane’s fuselage was filled with ghostly presences. He found them to be friendly. Famed aviator Ernest Gann believed that these Air Elementals were to balance the Ying and Yang in human life.
 
Some Air Elementals live around trees. Dryads appear as wispy lights flickering in older trees. Since they like to play among the leaves, the Greeks asked the Dryads to communicate with the Gods. Meanwhile Lesidhe live on tree branches as leaves to protect the trees from harm. They will mislead people since these Elementals dislike humans for chopping trees down. Furthermore, the Lunantisidhe will protect the blackthorn trees from people.
 
The Cardinal Winds have the authority of holding up the four quarters of the sky. Consistent engagement with them will provide the person with daily guidance. The Wind of the East governs the mind and mediates between the physical and spiritual worlds. Heading into the East Wind is a call to adventure. The Wind of the South is the wind of the emotions. While it is the wind of hope and harmony, the South Wind is the most difficult to navigate. The Wind of the West governs the body, and is a harbinger of death. It serves as the catalyst of the dark night of the soul. The Wind of the North is the wind of the spirit, acting as a gateway to the deeper spiritual realms. When the North Wind blows, it is a call for courage and patience.
 
Manly P. Hall said that Sylphs had much to do with the “Oracle of the Ancients.” In Dodona (Greece), the Oracle there would relay messages from Zeus. Priests revealed the will of the God from the whisperings of the leaves from a sacred oak. (Later, the oracles came from the sound of a gong.) Remaining active from the Fifth Century BCE to the Fourth Century CE, Dodona was a destination for oracle seekers.
 
Other forms of Air Divination (aeromancy) are many. Austromancy is listening to the wind or examining the direction of the wind for information. Chaomancy concerns seeing visions in the air. Nephomancy is divining by the clouds. Ask the Air Elementals a question and wait for an answer. The Sylphs will speak with winds or clouds to those who wonder.
 
It is difficult to pin down an Air Elemental. It is best to let them whisper in your ear. Wind chimes will entice them to come and sing to you. Taking a wind bath will help you feel them around you. Let the Air Elementals be free to roam and play.
 
Suggested Reading:
Renee Baribeau, “Winds of Spirit”
Alexandria Chauran, “Faeries and Elementals for Beginners”
Taylor Ellwood, “Walking with Elemental Spirits”
Manly P. Hall, “The Elements and Their Inhabitants”
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When I first thought about gnomes, I pictured those garden statues of small bearded men with red pointed hats. Moreover, I regarded gnomes to be some sort of dwarf. Digging deeper, I discovered that Gnomes (Note 1) are Earth Elementals. Meanwhile, the statues of garden gnomes have two traditions – the hermit in the garden and the folklore about gnomes (in which they are be considered a sub-race of dwarfs).
 
In “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard,” Oberon Zell-Ravenheart defined an Elemental as “a localized focus or manifestation of the collective spirit of any of the four material Elements.” He stresses that the Elementals are not “Nature Spirits” as They are only associated with their particular Element. Gnomes are Earth Elementals “personifying the Earth.” Zell-Ravenheart further adds that They are guardians of the hidden treasures in the Earth.
 
According to Manly Palmer Hall in “The Elements and Their Inhabitants,” the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus said that the “invisible, spiritual counterpart of visible Nature” was inhabited by “peculiar beings (Elementals) of the Elements” that seem human. Each Element had two parts – the lower which is visible and fixed and the higher which is indiscernible and rarefied. Hall explained these parts as “a subtle vaporous principle and a gross corporeal substance.” According to both, “the Elementals live between humans and spirits.” These Elementals are the Undines (water), Gnomes (earth), Sylphs (air), and Salamanders (fire).
 
Paracelsus called Gnomes, “Pigmies.” Since he saw Them as earth dwellers, who had powers over minerals, Paracelsus labeled Gnomes “the Guardians of Hidden Treasures.” He said that since Gnomes lived in stones, plants, and trees, therefore tree and forest sprites were also Earth Elementals. The Beings that modern people regard to be Gnomes are the ones who built houses of stones or lived in caves.
 
Other people wrote about Gnomes as well. Churchman and mystic, Abbe de Villars said “The earth is filled well nigh to its center with Gnomes, people of slight stature, who are the guardians of treasures, minerals and precious stones. They are ingenious.” The Norse believed that Gnomes lived in caves and had immense power over minerals, stones, and metals. Meanwhile, Shakespeare in “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” said that the Gnomes were ruled by Gob, and were also called “Goblins.”
 
Because they lived in the Earth, Gnomes became assigned to the position of North. In ceremonial magick, Watchtowers of the Four Cardinal Directions are invoked for protection. When calling the Watchtowers, Gob, the King of the Gnomes is invoked as the Guardian of the North.
 
The gnome statue that people see in gardens was first an ornamental hermit. A person who wanted solitude would seek residence in a hermitage, a formal garden. The notion of a hermit in the garden originated in France and spread to Italy and Spain. It was a form of lay spirituality for the owner of the hermitage since the hermit also acted as a monk. However the hermits were expected to entertain at picnics and put on performances.
 
The custom of garden gnomes came from Northern Europe, noticeably Germany and the Netherlands. To them, the gnomes were mythical little people who worked underground. Gnomes would protect and bless their gardens. Placing statues of the gnomes themselves started in Germany in the 1800s. Today’s garden gnomes is a combination of the ornamental hermit and the folkloric gnome.
 
Digging into the lore of gnomes, I found that people believed them to “embody the desire to work with physical matter.” Gnomes could be considered the heart of the home transforming it into a thing of beauty. They not only blessed the land but the home as well.
 
Gnomes have various magical qualities. They offer wisdom and protection of the earth. Also, they bring good luck through productivity. They reward people who care for the earth with arcane knowledge of plants. It is said that gnomes will come out at night and help the plants of the garden grow.
 
Since they are tied to the earth, Gnomes are stable. I consider myself stolid like a Gnome. Because of my injury, I live in the “Brain Cave” much like a Gnome. Since I am close to the Earth, I can readily ground myself.
 
Like gnomes, I am attuned to the plants and animals of nature. My neighbors see me talking to trees and squirrels. I believe that these Beings have something to say to me. As I go on my flower walks, I try to teach my neighbors about these plants. (I suppose I could also be considered an ornamental hermit since I wander about.) Since I want to extend nature’s beauty wherever I am, I like to make things of beauty. Furthermore, I bless my home and make it a cozy place to live.
 
Notes:
 
Note 1: I capitalize the Elemental.
 
Works Used:
 
Campbell, Gordon, “The Hermit in the Garden.” Oxford University Press: Oxford. 2013.
 
Hall, Manly P., “The Elements and Their Inhabitants. (1928).” E-book. Edizioni Aurora Boreale. 2002.
—, “Unseen Forces: Nature Spirits, Thought Forms, Ghosts and Spectors, the Dweller on the Threshold. (1924).” E-book. Borodino Books. 2018.
 
“Elementals and the Guardians of the Watchtowers.” Otherworldly Oracle. 1 December 2020. Web. https://otherworldlyoracle.com/elementals-guardians-of-the-watchtowers/.
 
Parks, Shoshi, “Ornamental Hermits Were 18th-Century England’s Must-Have Garden Accessory,” Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July, 2023. Web. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ornamental-hermits-were-18th-century-englands-must-have-garden-accessory-180982469/.
 
Silva, Jorge, “What Does a Gnome Represent and Symbolize? 7 Meanings,” Angelical Balance. December 2021. Web. https://www.angelicalbalance.com/spirituality/what-does-a-gnome-represent/.
 
Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” New Page Books: Franklin Lakes (NJ). 2004.
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 In scientific classification, organizing species into groups gives scientists a framework to learn about them. For most people, the easiest basis for classifying Dragons is by where they live, since European Dragons seem different from Asian ones. After studying the lore, I realized that Dragons could be better classified by the elements they governed. Moreover, I learned that each Dragon Family governs a cardinal direction.
 
I sorted Dragons into families, with each governing a common element and direction. When I pondered these families, I saw that each maintained an aspect of the Cosmos. Also, I went beyond what people think of what a “classic” dragon is to include Lake Monsters such as Ogopogo (of Canada), Fire Beings such as Salamander, and Cosmic Beings such as Leviathan. The details of each Dragon Family are listed in the tables.
 
Water Dragons maintain an aspect of the Cosmos – the Cauldron of Plenty. Encountered in storms, Air Dragons can be fierce like the Huracan of the Atlantic. Most people have heard of the Earth Dragons of European lore. To many, Earth Dragons are the “classic dragon.” Keepers of the Inner Flame, Fire Dragons include Salamander, who lives in the fire itself.
 
The Dragon Families of the Two Axes and the Center oversee places rather than elements. I met my first Ice Dragon on a freezing January night, circling a gibbous moon. Ethereal silver and white, Ice Dragons govern the North-South Axis. The small Dragons who dance with butterflies and delight in flowers are the Field Dragons of the East-West Axis. Chaos Dragons, on whose bones that the Cosmos is formed, are in the Center. They are equal of the Gods in their power and being.
 
Water and Air Dragons are both benign and destructive. But They can be approached for soft breezes and gentle rains. Guarding the earth’s treasures, Earth Dragons kill first and ask questions later. Nonetheless their greatest treasure is their profound wisdom. (The Forest Dragons are a sub-group of Earth Dragons. (Note.)) Rarely encountered by humans, Ice Dragons prefer the silence and stillness of the Polar Regions. Their intense life force warms the coldest heart. On the other hand, the noisy Field Dragons love being the Guardian Dragons of humans.
 
Fire and Chaos Dragons are dangerous for different reasons. Traditionally hostile to humans, Fire Dragons must be approached with great care. Meanwhile, Chaos Dragons who are part of the Universe’s fabric have intense unbounded energy. They can annihilate a careless person.
 
Note: Forest Dragons are the protectors of the wild places.
 
DRAGON FAMILIES
 
AIR: The Breath of Life
Wisdom: Insight, respect
Direction: East
Oversees: Winds (with Water and Ice Dragons)
Where Encountered: Storms, thunder and lightning, whirlwinds
Communicates by: Clouds, gongs, windsocks, flags
Gifts: Creativity
 
WATER: Cauldron of Plenty
Wisdom: Passion, depth, compassion
Direction: West
Oversees: Seas and fresh water
Where Encountered: Fjords, rapids, waterfalls (Dragon Gates)
Communicates by: Water spouts, rising steam, mist, fog
Gifts: Help with emotions
 
FIRE: The Inner Flame
Wisdom: Leadership, vitality
Direction: South
Oversees: Fire, sunbeams, volcanoes
Where Encountered: Fire, lava, hot arid air
Communicates by: Fire, sunbeams
Gifts: Purification
(Note: Unpredictable and difficult to work with.)
 
EARTH: Heart of Life
Wisdom: Grounding, acquiring riches
Direction: North
Oversees: Mountains, caves, forests
Where Encountered: Towns, boulders, groves, mountains
Communicates by: Tree leaves, rolling rocks
Gifts: Stability, foundations of life
 
CHAOS: Timeless Cosmos
Wisdom: Divine knowledge
Direction: Center
Oversees: Earth and sky
Where Encountered: In ritual, since they live in the Cosmos
Communicates by: Lighting, strong energy current
Gifts: Recreates life
(Note: Contact with forethought and caution.)
 
ICE: Eternal Darkness
Wisdom: Silence and listening
Direction: North-South Axis
Oversees: Ice deserts, Polar regions
Where Encountered: Icebergs, Midwinter freezes
Communicates by: Crashing icebergs, breaking ice, falling icicles
Gifts: Serenity
 
FIELDS: Dancing Light
Wisdom: Wonder at small things
Direction: East-West Axis
Oversees: Fields, meadows, grasslands
Where Encountered: Gardening, flowers, ploughed earth
Communicates by: Billowing grass, dancing flowers
Gifts: Play, joy

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