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How to Work with the Magical Element of Air, by Astrea Taylor

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

The element of air is all around us, but many people don't feel connected with it (as compared to the other elements). I believe this is because air is invisible, unlike earth, fire, and water. We simply can't see it most of the time. On top of that, many people only think about the physical and personal aspects of the element of air, such as the winds that blow and the breaths we take.

There's a whole other world hidden in the air around us, which is known as the magical element of air. You could think of it as its own energetic realm, with spirits, energies, psychic messages, and connections to everything else in the world. It has the same corresponding traits as the physical and personal aspects of air, such as communication, change, beginnings, spirit, travel, expansion, and so on, but it's one step beyond. It exists solely in the energetic realms, which are far more nebulous.

We live in the magical realm of air everyday, breathing it in and passing through it. It saturates our mindsets and spirits, but like fish in water, we aren't conscious of it. Without training, it's easy to ignore the subtle energies that tell us that it's there, that it's powerful, and that it wants to interact with us.

I've developed a few ways to work with the magical element of air to help other people get in touch with it. These techniques involve envisioning or imagining you can see it, but don't be fooled into thinking that envisioning is mere fantasy. It's a useful tool that helps us strengthen our minds and our magical work, especially when first dealing with things that are invisible to us. With time and practice envisioning the magical element of air, you may begin to see it for yourself.

Envisioning the Magical Element of Air
The simplest way to envision the magical element of air is as an energetic field. You could imagine that it's thicker than normal air, or you could pretend it's a vast ocean of air all around you. In your mind's eye, see this energetic field stretching up into the sky and outward, to all of the horizons. See it saturating the world around you as far as you can see. Now, envision the mass of air flowing over the earth, always moving, with little ripples here and there.

The magical realm of air interacts with you and everything else on earth and in the heavens. Everything is connected via thought and energy. You have several nodes that link you to the people with whom you're closest, your altars, your home, your pets, your neighborhood, your co-workers, and beyond. Many people perceive these connections as white or silver strands. Imagine you can see connections coming off you and traveling outward in a radial flow. The strongest connections may look thicker than the other threads.

Next, think of someone you're close to, but with whom you don't live. There's a thread linking the two of you, and there are threads that link you and this person to other people, things, and places. This person also has strands that connect with other people with whom you're not connected. Now, add a couple more people to the vision. See your connections with them and all the threads they have. If you keep doing this, you can start to see a picture of a web, in which we are all connected.

The magical realm of air is an active place. Messages and information are constantly being sent and received at lightning-fast speeds all across the world. In a way, it's like wifi. Every time a thought enters our minds, we have the potential to emit a message along this network, and people who are sensitive to the magical element of air may receive our signals. However, it's important to note that we do have some control over what's sent and what's received. Protective measures can be implemented to not broadcast your thoughts to everyone and to not receive thoughts from others.

Envisioning the Magical Element of Air in Witchcraft
The athame is a powerful tool that can cut through the air. If you cast a circle with one, envision your athame cutting through the fabric of the air to create a place between the worlds, perhaps in the magical realm of air. If you use an athame to draw pentacles in the air, as you do so, envision the athame cutting the air and leaving the marks there until you take them down. If possible, sustain the imagery of the athame cuts in your mind's eye for the duration of the working.

Athames can also be used to sever the threads that connect us with others. Although the strands may reform, they will not be as thick as they originally were.

Athames that are made of steel or another iron-rich metal also have the power to cut spirits, which is why they're used to banish them. If you use an athame to banish spirits, imagine your blade as a threatening weapon and in your mind's eye, see the offending spirit flee.

When you're raising energy for ritual or a spell, the air around you can often change. This is especially true if you're in a circle. The air can become thick, hot, dense, and even electric with magic. Try to see this change in the air—you may see wavy lines of heat or blurred, congealed shapes. You may even see a cone of power. If you use a wand to pick up the energy, envision the wand actually grasping onto the air for a moment before flicking it off at a higher energetic state. You may even be able to see the energy in the air around you as it rises higher and higher.

Wands also come in handy when you're releasing your magic into the world, as they can easily connect with the magical realm of air. When you're ready to project your magic outward, raise your wand. Allow your powerful will to shoot your intentions into the wand. In your mind's eye, see your wand either touch or zap one of the threads of the web of connections. See your intentions transfer to the air, travel along multiple strands at a lightning speed, and transmit your desires far and wide.

Envisioning Spirits
All kinds of spirits fly through the magical realm of air with ease—several ancient Pagan cultures believed that the air was full of spirits all the time. This mindset likely continued for several millennia before it was stamped out by the church and reductionist philosophies.

Try to envision the spirits in the air around you. Start by imagining your ancestors and beloved dead gazing lovingly at you. They may appear as congealed forms of air in human shapes. Next, imagine your guardian spirit as a peaceful, slightly larger entity nearby. After you've pictured that, look at the sky and try to see the spirits flying high in the air above you, perhaps on a mission somewhere.

The spirits in the magical realm of air have all kinds of forms, colors, shapes, and sizes. Some look almost human-like, and others look more like animals or a combination. Other spirits are nothing more than a shadow or a tiny point of light. When we astral project into the magical realm of air, we can see them and interact with them.

Spirits and thoughts can travel easily in the magical realm of air, and spirits are very sensitive to thoughts. They can hear the thoughts you transmit, and if their energy is similar, they may be attracted to you. Unless you have protective measures in place to keep away unwanted spirits, they can come to you as if called and mirror your energy back to you, sort of like an invisible correspondence or support system. You receive constant affirmation of whatever energy you project. This is one reason why it's important to keep your thoughts positive and supportive. It's also why it can be hard to break out of a rut or get into higher energetic modes.

If you haven't yet done so, learn how to protect yourself from spirits who may be malevolent or trickers. Learn how to banish spirits who aren't in your inner circle of ancestors, beloved dead, guardians, helpful spirits, and familiars. If you wish, you can also learn how to listen to those spirits and evaluate whether they're helpful or not before banishing them or allowing them to stay.

Negative spirits sometimes appear as shadowy figures that often prefer the corners of a room. These spirits should not be envisioned, as doing so can attract them. However, when negative thoughts and spirits arise, it's important to be conscious of them and face them, not ignore them. Often, these spirits act as sympathetic company to your shadow self, which ultimately wants you to face your issues and heal. The spirits that are attracted to negative thoughts can, in some ways, help you see the state you're in because they enhance that state. Negative thoughts happen to everyone from time to time, and they often contain valuable lessons about who you are, what you want, and what you need your boundaries to be. When you experience this, envision seeing your shadow self before you. Think of this part of your spirit as lovable, and perhaps as a protection mechanism you put in place to defer the conflict. I like to envision hugging my shadow self and merging with it. Once that happens, you'll start to heal and attract more beneficial spirits again.

Spirit work with the element of air includes automatic writing, divination, astral projection, communing with your beloved dead, receiving and relaying messages, protection, doing work for you in the world, creativity, and assisting you with your magic.

I hope these insights about the magical element of air have been helpful. Even though air is an elusive element for many people, it's definitely rewarding. My air magic practices have helped my practice evolve so much.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2021. All rights reserved.

I've been watching a new show called Paranormal State. The main paranormal researcher on the show says that we should never say the names of demons out loud unless we are prepared for head-to-head, all out battle with them. Do you think this is true? Is it dangerous to say the names of demons out loud? Is it dangerous to just think about them? (Does that attract their attention?) Thanks for your wonderful work!

- Matthew

Astrea:

I don't allow demonic energy to invade my space because I feel that negativity kills. I can't think of anything with worse energy than a demon. To answer your question, just acknowledging demons' existence is risky; demons are a subject to avoid.

Demons populate literature and the Holy Books throughout history. Scheherazade told of genis and dybbucks in her stories to the Sultan. Jesus drove demons out of people and into pigs. There are lots of stories and fairy tales that involve some kind of demonic presence. Reading about them is one thing, but talking to them is another!

Demons are dangerous, and they suck life force energy. Sometimes they're invisible, and sometimes they manifest in human or other form. Sometimes they cross over into the human realm as vampires, while sometimes they just haunt us in our dreams.

Nightmares are filled with demons and other bad energies. Daytime demons are more subtle, and are sometimes nothing more than the guy who overcharges you for mechanical work or the person who changes a twenty dollar bill for a five.

Teens are often visited by demons in disguise because demons love to feed on teens' hormonal angst. They work on the weak, and in some myths, they capture and carry souls to Satan. In fables they present themselves as sweet fairy godmothers or little old ladies with candy. They infect the pedophile and serial killer and prey on the mentally unstable.

For the most part, I agree with your TV guy that saying a demon's name will call that specific energy to you. I'm told that demons lurk around humans, just waiting for that call.

Getting rid of a demon once it's in your life can be very difficult, so don't be calling any names of demons unless you want a big fight on your hands. Of course, in magickal practices of any kind, accidents can happen if you take short-cuts or are careless, so it's wise to have St. Michael's Prayer handy just in case.

I've offered it to banish evil in this column many times, but in case you missed it, here it is again:

St. Michael the Archangel, lead us into battle. Protect us from the snares and traps of the Devil (may God rebuke him). Heavenly Archangel, protector of All, hear our prayers and banish all wickedness and fear from our lives, and send all demons back to Hell where they belong.

I usually say that three times over, and that does the trick.

*****

Susyn:

I haven't seen the show you mentioned, though I do agree that it's dangerous to call in certain spirits. However, aside from the major players, I'm wondering how we would even know their names?

It's interesting to notice all the new shows popping up that focus on metaphysical topics such as earthbound entities, possession, spirit communication and psychic powers. Much of the content of these programs is valid, as the experts involved are credible. I particularly like it when producers are responsible enough to warn viewers about the dangers of casually dabbling in these activities.

It's simply not wise to explore these realms without proper knowledge, training and guidance. There's a show I've seen a few times called Hauntings that lays out in full detail the harmful attacks demon spirits are capable of and the power they can exercise on the living.

Personally, I wouldn't want to have any direct dealings with demons, and if I found myself with one on my hands, I would call in a professional with lots of successful experience in this arena.

You ask if it's dangerous to even think about these entities. Since I believe that whatever we focus on or think about grows bigger in our lives, you'd definitely want to avoid this kind of thinking, for it can accidentally draw these entities closer. Just as you wouldn't walk down a dark alley in a bad neighborhood at night, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

There is another new danger we must deal with in this information age. Thanks to the internet, we all have access to information on spells, rituals and the like. In fact, anyone can find directions for practicing things like black magick and curses, which of course are not part of a healthy spiritual lifestyle.

When I was in high school, I came into possession of a book on witches spells from the 1800's. Because I didn't understand the power of just reading these spells aloud, it wasn't long before I started encountering all kinds of problems. Luckily in the back of the book there was a ritual to undo any spells I had performed. Once I did that, I got rid of that book as fast as I could.

I encourage you to continue learning about the world of metaphysics through various channels. I would also caution you that if you're in the middle of watching one of these shows and you start to feel uncomfortable or uneasy in any way, turn off the TV immediately and focus on something else to keep unsavory energies at bay.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.