Elemental Magick in Science
Elemental magick is magick based on the elements, typically Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The foundations of this form of magick lie in âanimismâ: the belief that mind and matter are inseparable, that souls are not limited to living creatures but reside in all things.
Animism is a very general term (not a religion in and of itself, but used to group them), and most animists would not describe themselves as such as this is a Western term used to describe them from the outside. Many animistic cultures view certain objects in the natural world (e.g. trees, bodies of water, various geological formations) as having individual souls, or holding especially strong spirit energy. For example, in Greek mythology, humans were often transformed into plant life, where their spirits remained. Greek and Latin mythology is full of creatures known as nymphs - female spirits who inhabit particular landforms. The Mayans prayed to spirits of weather phenomena, such as clouds and lightning. The majority of ancient religions embraced animism, and as a result itâs said to be the basis from which later religions grew.
While there is no one specific experiment or scientific explanation that supports animism, there are a number of experiments that have been conducted which, together, seem to support a larger reality: that the elements are âaliveâ.
In the late 19th century, physicists Pierre and Jaques Currie demonstrated that certain crystals, such as quartz and tourmaline, are piezoelectric: meaning that they generate an electrical charge when mechanical stress is applied (such as tapping them with a hammer). Some crystals are also pyroelectric, and release an electrical charge when exposed to a change in temperature.
Intelligence in Plant Life
The Secret Life of Plants (1970s) by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird described various experiments involving plants that were connected to polygraph machines. The machines registered the plantsâ apparent responses to the thoughts of nearby people, as well as to destructive behaviour (e.g. stomping on a plant - an event that was apparently remembered by the witnessing plant afterwards). The book was widely discredited as âpseudo-scienceâ, but it has helped promote the idea that plants are influenced by external stimuli that would seem to have no logical effect on their behaviour.
In the 21st century, researchers are debating that plants exhibit intelligence in various ways. In one recent experiment, a plant which was shown a video of a caterpillar chewing on a leaf produced chemicals used to defend against attack. In another, plant roots grew towards a buried pipe that was externally dry, but contained flowing water. Plants have at least 3x the number of distinct sense as human beings, which enable them to sense and respond a wider range of variables, including chemicals in the air, light wavelengths, and other plant life nearby.
Scientists have also been able to track the flow of nutrients and chemical signals exchanged through pathways of a âwebâ of fungi living underground. These studies have demonstrated that older trees will share nutrients with younger trees under shade, and that trees of one species will âcooperateâ with other species by trading nutrients back and forth at different points in the growing season.
Some researchers dispute the use of the word âintelligenceâ in reference to plant life, preferring phrases like âelectrical signallingâ (despite neurotransmitter chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin having been found in plants). However, this is an argument of the scientific classification of living organisms, and the observed behaviour of the plants themselves is not in dispute.
In recent years, there has been much interest in the work/publications of Dr. Masaro Emoto, a Japanese social scientist who began studying water in the 1990s. Emoto first attempted to find a way to view the molecular structure of snowflakes by freezing small samples of water from various sources under a microscope. He was eventually successful, observing hexagonal crystals, and began to experiment with different stimuli on the water pre-freezing to observe whether the crystalâs appearance would be affected. He exposed the water to visual images, verbal and written messages in a variety of languages, as well as music and prayer.
The water which had been subjected to positive messages formed more complete, aesthetically pleasing crystals, while water that had been exposed to negative messaging produced less complete and misshapen crystals. Emoto documented these experiments with photographs which were published in a series of books titled Messages From Water; concluding that water responds to the energetic charge of words, thoughts, emotions and even art. He described this phenomena as being related to the Japanese idea of âHadoâ (comprised of the ideograms for âmoveâ and âwaveâ), which centres on the relationship between human consciousness and the external world. This theory recognises that thoughts and feelings are physical matter and can change the material world.
Under this idea, Emoto and a few hundred supporters performed a prayer healing on a large, polluted lake in West Japan that resulted in a significant reduction of the algae and odor that had plagued the lake every summer for decades. The scientific community has dismissed Emotoâs work due to its lack of adherence to scientific method. Emoto didnât claim that his work meets these standards, but the results have been astounding enough that they seem to defy any explanation the scientific model can currently offer.
Source: My personal grimoire, informed by Wicca Elemental Magic by Lisa Chamberlain.
