Base Elements: Earth

To the alchemist, earth represents base matter and the ability to stand firm in one’s understanding and belief. Earth also represents the physical body and the processing of the material world around us. The word “alchemy” finds its origins in the ancient name of Egypt, Kemet, which translates to “the black land.”

Kemet was called “the black land” because of the color of its people and the black fertile soil that gave birth to its advanced civilization. It is from this ancient name of Egypt that we are able to begin to grasp the origin of the spiritual practice we now call alchemy.

To the Hindus, earth is symbolized by the lotus flower and the goddess Prithvi Mata, who is considered mother earth.

To the Aztecs, the earth was symbolized as a house, signifying a strong foundation in a forever changing universe.

In modern magic, the archangel Uriel is the angel of earth in the ritual of the pentacle.

Plato symbolized the earth as a cube, perfect on all sides. In Freemasonry, the cube is considered the perfect ashlar, the perfected state of man, who is balanced both spiritually and mentally.

Earth as an alchemical element is feminine and passive, moving in perfect harmony through the seasons as a personification of life and death. Earth reveals to the alchemist that spiritual work often happens in the unseen realms, manifesting itself through the material world.