The Elemental Initiation

When I was 18 I decided to become initiated by the elements.

As I was living in a chaotic household at the time, I chose Earth to be my first teacher. I dedicated myself for a year and a day to Earth. Little did I know that in beginning this process I would be opening myself in such a way that I would be changed forever. Instead of getting into an Earth mindset, Earth was the one that entered my life. I was challenged  and taught with all things that dealt with growth and stability. Through the challenges, Earth taught me about money, staying centered and grounded and being stable emotionally and physically while chaos orbited around me. I was faced with a horrendous illness and learned how to heal myself. I was learning to become independent even more than I was before. I met a group of strong women. I gained opportunities to venture into new wild wooded areas.

For my next year and a day I chose Water, because that was the one I was most afraid of. I grew up with a bipolar parent and I generally did not like to open up the floodgates of my own soul, seeing how forceful the waters could be first hand. But I soon found out the great power of emotion in magic and in living an authentic life! Once I really got in touch with my emotions I could see the blockages that I needed to face and heal in order to move on with my life. I broke up with my long-time boyfriend because I realized my love for him was more sisterly. I faced my parents and had many conversations about our past. I learned about forgiveness. I went with the flow of life. I met my husband…  I was beginning to open and expand.

The year after this I opened up to Fire. This is when I became more of the free spirit that I first knew as a wild child running through the woods. Imagine a giant flame burning away and flaking away all that is no longer needed. Fire entered my life and I felt great power, maybe even too much at the time for  what I was doing, but still I learned. I went to PSG (pagan spirit gathering) for the first time and danced in my first drum circle around the flames of the Litha bonfires. I took up fire poi. I also became greatly courageous in making big choices in my life. I knew how to be fierce when I needed to be. I stood up to a parent who had threatened me one too many times about kicking me out if I continued to be pagan. I moved in with my then fiance. I helped start a pagan group and later felt the deep burn when that went bad.I also began to do energy work and realized many abilities there.

I welcomed Air with open arms. I have always been an extreme airy person. Intellectual thought, poetry, creativity, spaceyness… this is all me. So I really didn’t know what air could bring me, but I found myself seriously taking up writing. I found myself beginning to learn astral projection. Also, my dreams became vivid. Because I was more balanced in the other elements, inviting air in was the icing on the cake, the sweetness had something to anchor in. I began to do more spirit work, too.

I was going to end with Air. I really was. But when I did my initiation with Air after a year and a day I knew it wasn’t over. A year and a day of Spirit was in store… marriage, buying a house and I swear I didn’t plan this, but  exactly after a year and a day had passed, on that very day, my daughter was born!

My initiation with the elements gave me tools and learning experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world. Inviting them in should not be taken lightly. The power is real. They will take you out of your comfort zone. While I do feel fairly balanced elementally still to this day, this in no way indicates perfection. I am continuing to learn and expand. However, the experience did give me the foundation to approach spiritual lessons honestly and courageously.

Here is the tattoo I designed after going through all of this: The moon shape is for the Goddess. It has become a little faded since then, but there is a branch for earth, seashell and starfish for water, candle for fire, feather for air and stars for spirit.

Well there you go! Lol, now you know more about me than most people in my life!    ~Cicada

 

 

 

(yellow cloaked figure from The Village movie)

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