To 'Fire North, or not to 'Fire North'?

There has been some talk around me lately about the directions for the elements while in ritual or any kind of working. I have done a fair bit of research myself about this, and have come to my own conclusions about it.

For me, it depends heavily on what you are surrounded by, either as a country or local area. As I live in Australia, everything is backwards (or truly forwards depending on your perception!!); the Sabbats are all opposite, so why not the elements?

So I (as usual) gave it a lot of thought and this is what I came up with:

Fire - North, because the equator is the hottest part of the world and the Summer sun arcs closer to it during the day.

Earth - West, because to the west of me there is a mountain range, then hundreds of kilometres of desert.

Water - East, because the Pacific Ocean laps at the shores on the east coast of Australia where I live.

Air - South. This one was a little difficult to reconcile. I placed it here initially because of the process of elimination, but then I was talking to a friend about the breezes I get running through the front of my house to the back (very strong, almost like I am sitting in front of a pedestal fan!). These were apparently the southerlies, bringing cold winds up from Antarctica to cool our hot summers!

The penny dropped with the last one really. If I could arrange it this way and the final quarter fits even thought I had not expected it to, then the rest should be right too, right?

The other thing is, if I decided to move to Western Australia the east/west would change, because the position of the water and earth has changed geographically. If I moved to Canada for example, the south/north would change for a similar reason (and possibly the east/west, or all of it, depending on where exactly I lived). My current arrangement feels right to me. I get it. It is meaningful. And if it is meaningful, then my rituals will also be meaningful; I wouldn't want to do something just because someone else said it was right then spend the rest of my ritual freaking out because it feels wrong. That would have a negative effect on the ritual, and no one wants to go to all the trouble of creating a ritual, only to force some aspect of it and ruin it!!!

Chakra Fundamentals: The Crown Chakra

I know this will be blogged out of order, but I have been inspired by The Pagan Blog Project and, since this week’s letter was C, I thought it fitting to write this now. I have not submitted this to the project yet, however, follow the link for more exciting information about paganism and other associated topics. I will also refrain from explaining again what Chakras are all about as I have done it in Chakra Fundamentals: The Base Chakra, so if you are unsure please visit this page also! But now, down to business!

The Crown chakra, or Sahasrara (also Sahasrana), is located at  the top of the head, either resting upon the very top or just above your physical body. Its symbol is the thousand petalled lotus (pictured below) and its colour is traditionally purple, however, as much as I might try mine is always white! Either way you see it, it is the fastest spinning chakra, and these two colours reflect this. Generally the crown chakra is the centre of spirituality and connection with the divine, if it is open and active you will have strong faith in something, whether ‘new age’, pagan, or monotheistic etc. It is also the centre for connection to the higher self, understanding and knowledge of the self, spiritual wisdom and claircognizance (clear knowing) and for ‘living in the now’. It is associated with the element of thought and the planet Uranus.

In the physical body, Sahasrara governs the brain, skull, cerebellum central nervous system and the pituitary gland. If you are experiencing any issues in this area, such as migraines or headaches, it may be the manifestation of a crown chakra block or imbalance. Emotional issues connected to this chakra may be depression, alienation, confusion, inability to trust life and see the big picture, lack of inspiration, worry or living too much in the past or future.

So again, how can we fix these issues? Again, like all the other chakras, a good cleanse may be necessary, or perhaps a meditation with an associated crystal, such as amethyst, fluorite, diamond or clear quartz. Also, breathing in the colour purple or white (depending on what you see) into this area with the intention of clearing it will be of benefit. There are some other, simple, every day ways to balance and open you crown chakra:

Ø  Meditate

Ø  Bless food before eating

Ø  Recycle and avoid polluting mother earth

Ø  Send healing thoughts to people and situations

Ø  Ask for guidance from your higher self and spirit

Ø  Forgive

Ø  Spiritual practise and prayer that supports your religious beliefs

Ø  Wear purple or white material on top of the head

Ø  Drink violet infused water and visualise it flowing to the crown chakra

It is interesting that I have recently started to bless the food I eat, not regularly but when I feel necessary and I am also feeling more connected to the world and the people in it; I am sure the two are not exclusive!

(Most information is gathered from personal experience and discussions with teachers and like minded people, however, a good book to read to get an overall idea of the chakras is Janet Boyer’s ‘The Chakras’.Also, the following website is also of great use - http://www.healing-journeys-energy.com/Chakra.html)