Expanding on Elemental Duality - The Shadowed Elements
This is my own interpretation of a post by @herecomesthewitch specifically this post here, I felt like it was extremely valuable and wanted to share my own UPG and SVG on the subject to expand on it even more!
First: What am I talking about?
The shadowed elements, also called the darker elements, are aspects of the elements that reflect their more 'destructive' qualities, mainly in a human centric qualification. The thing about the shadow elements is that the only reason they are classified as 'negative' is because they can represent a reset of some form. Whether its a predicted hurricane that destroyed an entire state, or a volcano that ravaged through an ecosystem. We as humans want to try to understand and label tragedy with some sort of divine intervention, however I believe this is a fallacy. Our earth was formed through millions of storms (it once rained for 2 million years straight), land was terraformed and reset over and over again by volcanic eruptions, it just so happens that now we exist to experience earths slow destruction for the sake of evolution and following the laws of nature. In these times there isn't a 'divine' reason for destruction, unless we can seek out the divine in all forms of nature. The shadow elements are the aspects of elements we deem to be scary, or negative, things that are hard for us to understand. As we know, none of these things are actually negative, but rather represent that nature is not always pretty nor has our best interests in mind. The elements are not all 'love and light' because that's not what nature is at its core. This post is intended to honor and respect all forms of nature, not just some of it.
One thing about this post I cant stress enough is this is not to say we should not care for each other in times of need because 'it was a natural process' we should look out for *all* of our neighbors, for example my home was ravaged by hurricane Helene in 2024, and it was my duty to get out there and help the people around me, while also recognizing water and air had no control over the destruction. This hurricane was set up perfectly for its path, and it was our job to prepare, assist, and recover from it. We cannot bend natures will, but we can preserve the will of our communities. If you read this post and believe I am saying to disregard the lives and homes of others because its 'nature' you have missed the point entirely. Instead; we need to honor that nature is going to be destructive, its our job to prepare for the experience, and respond accordingly as a human tribe.
Additionally; I will be mentioning a lot about active vs passive work, meditation, and all of that is up to personal interpretation based off your own strengths and limitations! all of those things look different to different people, so it is not a monolith. For example; active meditation has so many forms it can take whether its from runners high, heavy drawing, getting lost in sound, there isn't one way to look at those terms. Therefore it is up to personal interpretation for what that will look like to you, and to the elemental! Setting clear expectations from both parties can help clear up any personal confusions.
This post is designed to remove some of the pretenses we have about the shadow elements, and hopefully serves as a way for us not to perceive these aspects as 'negative' or 'dark' or 'bad' but rather as warning to us, something to teach us lessons about the nature of our own hubris.
With all that said; lets get started! Today we will be discussing the 4 most common shadow elements and other epithets, associations, and ways to interact with them! I strongly recommend reading the linked post first before this one to get a basic understanding about what each shadow aspect stands for and represents because this post assumes that guiderail has been established.
Rot is an important process in the cycle of death and re-growth, it is the ending and the spawn of many things. Without rot, there can be no recycling. This elemental aspect tends to represent a form of an ending, and a keeping. Its about being "at the bottom" because it is the absolute most bottom of the food chain. This entity has a lot to do with decay, consuming something and putting something back out, and long structured processes.
Other aspects in this duality include:
How to work best with it:
Rot is best worked with if you have some physical change that is needed in your life. If you are looking for something to fast track removing everything that doesn't serve you from your life then look no further. Rot is fantastic if you are also looking to better establish yourself somewhere new, if a change already occurred, it can help stabilize you and deeply ground you. Additionally rot is best worked with if someone has a problem with self transformation and cant seem to find the directional path to do it. I do not recommend working with rot if you are not prepared to change in some way, if you are afraid of gore-y imagery being used in practice, having death be more prevalent, or if you are unwilling to devote a lot of time and energy to your cause for any reason.
The best way to reach out to rot is by quite forms of meditation (doesn't have to be traditional either!) in a darker setting. This aspect tends to be best approached in quiet, dark, settings because of the meticulous environment it has set up. Additionally the best forms of divination include cartomancy, bibliomancy, reading grave stones, casting dice and coins, and self reflection.
The most common lessons people tend to learn with rot revolve around change, and being ok with stagnation in an effort to transform. Most people tend to notice an uptick of things no longer serving them quickly leaving, and tend to develop a stronger sense of self worth and permeance. People on average remain with the elemental for extended periods of time, upwards of months to years because of its very Permanente and changing nature. Expect dynamics to change similarly to the actual process of decay being in stages, accept the stages for what they are, and understand your relationship will be different by the end of the process. Additionally people tend to learn a lot more about global warming, the processes of death, and challenge your own morals and ethics.
Offerings:
prepare a dish using fermented foods and offer up a plate
displaying ethical dead insects or taxidermy
collecting dirt from special locations
collect invasive mold and moss during a waning moon
create your own fermented products like kimchi or mead
allow something of yours to fully undergo the rot process like drawing on an egg and allowing it to rot in a burial site
donate old clothes and items that no longer serve you
write a letter to rot, then let it mold in a sealed jar
break something you have made and allow it to weather outside (keep this controlled, don't throw shards of glass outside for something to step on for example)
embrace your own rotting (ignore forms of self care for a day or two)
make a rot scrapbook of images of things you allow to decay, and the things you are shedding in your own life
Crystals: Petrified wood, ammonites, jet, bog oak, mahogany obsidian, septarian, amber, moss agate, smokey quartz, stromatolite, unakite
Herbs and plants: lungwort, ghost pipe, reishi, henbane, wormwood, nightshades, valerian, garlic, fennel, mugwort.
Colors: browns, dark neutrals, emerald green, burnt umber, deep reds.
Scents: rotting, sulfur, vetiver, oakmoss, black pepper, tobacco, dark berries, truffle, leather
Tempest is an important aspect because it has to do with whirlwinds, and understanding what it means to be perfectly out of balance, and reacting to it accordingly. All the right things had to come into place to create a perfect storm. This shadow aspect of air is a great deceiver, much as storms can be deceiving in size and magnitude, they are hard for even our best to predict at times; but at other times they are all too predictable. This is the element of dealignment, or going against normality, and there is value to that!
Other aspects in this duality include:
How to work best with it:
Tempest is best worked with when someone is actively in the middle of change, or is starting to embrace being more flexible. This element will challenge you by placing a lot of fast paced situations in ones path. This element is also best for learning lessons about coming into ones own power, and taking things by force. This element greatly helps people pleasers learn self respect and start taking what they need. This is also an element of mimicry, fantastic for energy vampires looking to better control their symptoms, Those looking to understand a trickery that happened to themselves, or those interested in tackling their own biases. I do not recommend working with tempest if you just solidified something, cannot give proper time and energy to the many things that will be thrown at you, are not ok with uprooting and fast paced adventures, or are more focused on a practice that is less "action forward". Many workings revolve around activity based experiences, something thrown your direction, not quite the same thing if your practice more revolves around quiet meditations or internal energy workings, it can be a staunch transition. (As a reminder, action looks different for all people, i'm not saying you will be forced to run in a 5k, but you will be tasked with more physical challenges like being pushed for more divination or dealing with something at work you have been putting off, etc.)
The best way to reach out to tempest is by engaging in storms and practicing magic during a storm petitioning it. additionally active forms of worship like dance, song, art, or active motion will be best for forming a relationship. The best forms of divination tend to include cloud watching, smoke readings, storm water scrying, and casting types of runes or stones.
Some lessons you will learn from the element revolve around action and being in motion, being unpredictable and ok with being an enigma, learning how to manipulate energies and vampire magic, wind and storm magic, and breaking through self deceptions like denial. Another thing to be aware of is flexibility is a virtue, if you are someone who struggles with rigid plans this element can help you get uncomfortable in a good way. While it may seem extremely fast and like a whirlwind, it is controlled and calculated from the conditions its placed in. Working with this element tends to be extremely quick, and rarely last long, usually leaving after completing some sort of goal and reverting back to air itself. Additionally people tend to learn a lot about the weather, flexibility, and storm chasing overall.
go for wind walks, and try to find breezy places like mountain or shore lines
cast sigils into the air by folding them into plane or wing shapes and letting them drift
hold a feather against your pulse to connect you to tempests energy
try forms of chaotic breathing that creates stress in the body, before undoing it with regular breathing stratagies
use sound and loud noise to embody its energy
dedicate homework or tasks you dont want to do to the element
Offer storm water to plants you keep
keep ash near door ways to invite its motion
keep scraps, shards, and broken debris on your altar; create a shake jar
Crystals: Libyan desert glass, blue kyanite, labradorite, rutilated quartz, herkimer diamond, lepidolite, K2, Rutalite
Herbs and plants: hyssop, eucalyptus, mint, thyme, datura, rue, coltsfoot, lobelia
Colors: dark yellows, grays, gray toned colors, dusty purples
Scents: ozone, ionization, camphoraceous, myrrh, pine, lotus, metal
Lava is an aspect of fire that has to do with extremely destructive erasing of things. If you notice how lava works, it is a powerful force that perfectly changes things into something almost completely unusable by anything but itself. When it claims a piece of land it becomes completely scorched, before becoming hard as stone: waiting to be recycled back to the core again. While ash itself can help till the soil, quickly soil turns to stone under enough heat. This is an element about taking up space, being a steady consistent force, and usually a long lasting effect on life, long after lava itself has gone.
Other aspects in this duality include:
How to work best with it:
Lava is best worked with someone who doesn't exactly need a heavy change in their life physically, but rather needs assistance with being taken seriously. This elemental commands pride in its own work, takes in whatever it touches, and is unstoppable just like all the rest. This element can be fantastic when we trust too easily and get hurt in the process, or have severe confidence issues. Additionally this element is great for establishing things in a very thunderous way. Be careful however; all sales are final, usually you will be casted onto one major trajectory and will spend a lot of time working on it, and if you stop you are going to get burned. I do not recommend people work with lava if they are battling a sensitivity issue, or don't appreciate extremely forceful presences. While lava isn't exactly "loud" its effects are. Others who may not benefit with lava include those who are already on a specific path, lava will absolutely bulldoze over the progress you made to focus on a more personal goal, and if you are in the process of change. Additionally because of its quick flowing and cooling nature, usually the work itself is done within a couple weeks-months, but it will have lasting life long changes to who you are.
The best way to reach out is by invoking it into a warm, dryer space with plenty of smoke or gentle sound, and using active meditation strategies while using depictions of it. That can look like meditating using hand signals that invoke a warm feeling, practicing drawing fire, listening to magma flow (yes it has a sound lol) or magma drips. The best forms of divination are going to include flame readings, smoke scrying, crystal meditations, automatic writing, and reading obsidian or glass shards/sharp objects
Some lessons you might learn from magma include learning how to take up space, handling vices, branding or soot casting, creating large bonfires, and more. On a spiritual level people tend to best learn how to be ok with a situation or a shadow aspect with themselves via working with this element, a lot of people challenge their own deep seated insecurities because that magma within you is being drawn to the surface. Additionally, you may be called to learn how to walk with fire to not extinguish your own flame, but to grow it, sometimes creating an ego in the process.
use candle rituals and allow the wax to burn wildly on a fire safe dish (controlled!)
right down limiting beliefs and allow magma to consume them in a hearth, bonfire, or ritual candle
heat endurance practices (within reason, use common sense and safety)
create your own volcanic myths
volcanic rock displays on the altar
obtain molten metal ingots or pieces
use spicy herbs in invocations and spells dedicated towards lava
Crystals: magma rock, pumas stones, obsidian, glasses and metals, carnelian, garnet, fire agate, fire opal, scoria, hematite
Herbs/plants: loofa, chili, black pepper, mustard seed, ginger, cinnamon, fireweed, sunflower seeds, rue, rooibos
Colors: electric reds, oranges, and yellows. Deep reddish blacks, burnt products, raw ocher, terracotta.
Scents: amber, galbanum, birch tar, cade, chilis and warm notes like pepper and cinnamon, sulfur, tuberose
Abyssal is best worked with if you do not mind consistent change at a slower pace in time. Often times this aspect is cryptic, hiding what you will find until you are already in the depths of it. Often times, you will be lured to a lesson you might *think* you want to learn, before your boat is rocked and the true lesson lies below it. Abyssal is all about blindness, stagnation, and confusion before a fast reveal and process of motion. The opposite to magma where your core is brought to the surface, you will be drawn deep within yourself to learn how to create power when we feel we are most powerless.
Other aspects in this duality include:
How to work best with it:
Abyss is best worked with if you want consistent change in your life at sporadic times. Really great for people who are looking to get better a mapping out signs and divine messages in more subtle ways, and are great for those who aren't seeking out an extremely active communication based relationship but rather one that uses emotion and visuals to guide someone. This elemental has a lot to teach about the deeper corners of us, and learning to accept ourselves how we come, and being allowed to succumb to isolation. Learning how to be ok with not being ok. I would not recommend people who have problems with depression and intense isolation interact with this elemental quite yet, this elemental embraces those things and could potentially cause a spiral to someone unprepared or already in those states. Additionally people who are not ready to tackle extremely deep seated issues, loose large amounts of people at once, or experience emotionally stressful situations should avoid working with this elemental. Most people tend to work with this elemental on and off, because it tends to appear more cryptically.
the best ways to reach out to abyssal are through meditations involving all 5 senses or complete sensory deprivation. this entity tends to speak the most in cryptic messages like in abstract meditations, dream work, trances, and scrying. Additionally, when you reach out you might be expected to prove you can handle some of the workings yourself so dedicating some personal shadow work or overcoming a hard situation can be a fast track way to interacting with the abyss.
Some lessons you might learn include deep upheaval of self worth and internal beauty, learning to be ok in isolation, understanding abyssal secrets about the world, aspects of hedge magic, aspects of intense spirit work. Abyssal teaches us how to listen to both ourselves and to be in tune with the world around us. Divination tends to be cryptic, because it wants you to spot how it will rock the boat next, and represent a shift in self discovery.
Create your own sensory deprivation experience
create abyssal water by leaving a jar of it under your bed for a full moon cycle
collect salt water to use in glamours
go to thresholds and cast letters or sigils of traits that no longer serve you
create space for more meditation in your life
silence and weighted rituals
brine something in kitchen magic
pack deep sea shells with herbs and then seal it with wax as a replacement for spell jars
use squid ink to write sigils or letter based offerings
Crystals: Sheen obsidian, larimar, black moonstone, chlorite phantom quartz, iolite, fluorite, jet
Herbs/Plants: kelps and seaweeds, spirulina, wormwood, lotus, poppy, black garlic, licorice root, comfrey, willow, mandrake, lichen, slippery elm
Colors: navy black, dark turquoise, muted blues, aquatic greens
Scents: driftwood incenses, civet, labdanum, cool camphoric, blue cypress
Chaos tends to be the shadow aspect for an additional 5th element like spirit, universe, and the things we deem less physical. The thing about chaos is that it truly is entropy, so no 2 people will have the same experience, nor will they have an experience that stays the same every time they interact. This divine energy is important because it can teach someone a lot about the big picture like how things are recycled, unsolved questions, and just how vast the universe really is.
other aspects of this duality include:
How to best work with it:
There is not one centralized way to call forward chaos, but my best recommendation would be to put yourself forward, and fuck up the norms in your own life. Start to challenge the things in your life, and the chaos and entropy will follow suit. Chaos is best worked with when someone is looking to completely uproot, destroy, then recycle and forge something new. This can represent some sort of goal like working on emotional states, or possibly re-routing the trajectory of your entire life. Whatever it may be, you are almost guaranteed to not get exactly what you asked for, but by the end of it you are going to learn what you needed all-along. You should avoid working with chaos if you have an active path you are already trying, if a piece of you is holding back (sort that out!! honor your bodies intuition), or if you don't feel like you are in a place to handle possibly extreme amounts of stress. Its hard work, but its hard work for a big reward. Sometimes people form life long bonds to chaos, in other situations people only interact with it in short bursts, each practice is so different and that's because each person is so different.
The best ways to reach out to chaos is really *your own way* get creative! reflect on what chaos actually means to you and materialize it in how you choose to reach out. each method you pick will be equally likely to work as long as it is well thought out.
some lessons that are most commonly learned through chaos have to be ground breaking views on how you view the universe. Its whole system will shock your moral and ethical compass, and bring things to you that can be really hard to swallow to start with like death and challenging views on spirituality itself. It can be really hard for many because this force is a lot of energy all at once and can quickly become overwhelming if one isn't preparing the proper checks and balances.
craft items that dont quite make sense with each other
tear playing cards and create sigils from the numbers
create a custom conversational deck using a deck of cards and affirmations or phrases
display blank canvases, completlet burnt candles, or things considered to be "clutter"
Create something then destroy it
create sigils with the non-dominate hand
speak in pure gibberish when doing prayers (have clear thoughts)
forget something intentionally
let go of control on a really busy day
find a wrong that feels "wrong" or "not pleasing"
Crystals: tektites, ametrine, opal, galena, hematite, nuummite, smokey quartz
Herbs/Plants: invasive plants, nettle, kudzu, hemlock, thistle, pokeweed, elder, ash tree, fennel
Colors: all colors
Scents: all scents
I hope you all enjoyed, I recognize this was a longer post than usual, but I figured if I could ramble on for a while about something close to me, I figured I would. I loved doing this and I really hope I get asked more about the elements as they become more main stream because I truly just love writing this all out for you guys! Fair winds travelers
