The Witches Compass - elements

[Haugatysja]

Hi.

I have been wondering about the elemental correspondences in the book The Call of the Horned Piper for a while. I'm guessing that these correspondences are land based and for that reason changeable based on location. I also think I read somewhere some time ago that Nigel Jackson's tradition of witchcraft has it's roots in Scotland, but I'm not sure this is the case.Would these correspondences make sense for someone living in Scotland?
 Anyhow, the correspondences don't seem to be based on ceremonial magic. Jackson places fire in the east, earth in the south, water in the west and air in the north. Does anyone know more about this specific tradition and about the reasons behind these correspondences?

Thanks/Haugatysja

[RandallS]

Anyhow, the correspondences don't seem to be based on ceremonial magic. Jackson places fire in the east, earth in the south, water in the west and air in the north. Does anyone know more about this specific tradition and about the reasons behind these correspondences?

I know nothing about the specific tradition, but elemental/direction correspondences are often based on what makes sense in the area where the tradition started.  For example, one Wiccan tradition that started in Texas has earth/north, air/east, water/south, fire/west. From Texas, the most land it to the north, the nearest large amount of water is south, the hotest part of the day is when the sun is in the west (and there are a lot of hot desert areas west of Texas) -- which leaves the east for air.

[Haugatysja]

I know nothing about the specific tradition, but elemental/direction correspondences are often based on what makes sense in the area where the tradition started.  For example, one Wiccan tradition that started in Texas has earth/north, air/east, water/south, fire/west. From Texas, the most land it to the north, the nearest large amount of water is south, the hotest part of the day is when the sun is in the west (and there are a lot of hot desert areas west of Texas) -- which leaves the east for air.

Thank's for your answer! I'm a bit late checking in. I did some more research and found out that the correspondences were used by Robert Cochrane. So that's probably where Jackson got them from. You're right about the correspondences being based on what makes sense in the area.

[Fier]

 Anyhow, the correspondences don't seem to be based on ceremonial magic. Jackson places fire in the east, earth in the south, water in the west and air in the north. Does anyone know more about this specific tradition and about the reasons behind these correspondences?

Thanks/Haugatysja

 
I haven't read Call of the Horned Piper (it's on my to-read list) and I'm not sure which tradition Jackson is a part of. Currently I am reading The Forge of Tubal Cain by A. Finnin.

Water and fire oppose each other because water quenches the heat of fire. Air and earth oppose each other because the ethereal quality of air opposes the palpability of earth. Water and fire have connections to Tubal Cain, who uses fire to shape metal in his forge and water in his quench tank.

In the Roebuck Tradition, each element is ruled by a god*. Fire is ruled by Lucet, who is associated with Lucifer. Lucifer is associated with the morning star, which appears in the east before sunrise, so maybe that ties fire to east?

Water in the west makes some sense as well, if you look at the connections/myths of water/the sea and death, and death and the underworld being associated with the west.

As for earth and air, the only thing I have is that air is above earth, and so it shown on the compass.

*The Roebuck got these god associations from Joe Wilson, I believe, who may have got them from Cochrane.