General Oracles Study Group Week 2

[DragonFae]

magpie9 I like what you said about water always moving. That makes sense to me but most of what I have read about the elements focus on water not moving or being passive. For example here is additional information from another source...(numbered below)

So maybe thinking of water as passive rather than "not moving" would make more sense? On the other hand...I can think of water as emotions (which are fluid and always changing) but the situation as at a stand still. So water has both charateristics... it moves as emotion but doen't move (is stuck) as an over all issue. Not sure if that makes sense....
Or perhaps think of it this way...fire moves while water does move but usually at the whim of something else...wind, the current etc. So water is passive ...being moved by other forces.

I'm not an expert at elements so I started with the simpliest defintions. There are lots of different ones...and some don't make sense....for example in the one below...Wouldn't you think AIR and FIRE strengthen each other sense fire needs air to burn? I'm not so sure the elements are based on the natural aspects....

1.Fire and Air are friendly and active
2.Water and Earth are friendly and passive
3.Fire and Water are enemies; they weaken each other
4.Air and Earth are enemies; they weaken each other
5.Fire and Earth strengthen each other but are neutral
6.Water and Air strengthen each other but are neutral

I think for now I'll use the simpler first ones I presented because it makes learning easier...

Fire and water are enemies
Air and earth are enemies
all others are neutral.

Fire is moving while water is not moving or passive.
I also think it is easier to remember if you think of air as problems and earth as no problems or (stable)

[krystalkitty]

Magpie I know what you are saying I felt similar with my deck have already moved round twice attempted a couple of practise readings looking at my original list of dignities however felt a couple of the cards needed to shift as in use where there meaning was a bit more evident to me.. I still think have a way too go to get the hang of appliance though but it is very interesting for sure..

[DragonFae]

The more I think about the fire-water thing the more it seems to make sense....or maybe I'm twisting my thinking to make it fit..LOL

Fire is active...it uses fuel etc to move and grow...but it is a force...

Water is more passive....water does move but usually as the result of the "force" of other things....gravity, the moon (tide) currents etc...Emotions can sort of be like that...our moods, feelings, emotions are influenced (often created) by other forces or things that happen to us. etc.

I wouldn't get too bogged down in technicalities....pick the definitions etc that make sense to you and use them consistently with your deck and I think all will be fine.

[DragonFae]

I am planning an element exercise each month...using the different groups (fire, water, air, earth)....if our group members find them useful or are interested in continuing this work...let me know.

If people are not I will substitute a different activity because I want this to be a group with a "group voice" and it allows all of us to determine the direction we go.

[kmartin60]

Ilike the idea of working with the elements more..so Im in for the once a month idea. i cant help but feel that they can have very impressive actions to anything they touch when they want to.....

[steamwings]

I tried to make this exercise with my Heart of Faerie Oracle but hadn't complete yet. Never imagined it would be this difficult Some cards are easy to identify but some are so complicated!

For example, but Earth pile was the biggest one from the beginning but I have there Lady of Sorrows who's a crystal for me, cold and sharp, biting though the skin mercilessly. She's an Earth one but also I can add her to Water pile (as ice).

Another one is Queen of the Day, faerie full of compassion. I can feel her gentle and armless nature which leads me to the Water pile but she's a Light faerie connected with Fire...

The Juggler from Water pile doesn't have form, he can be everything and fit in every creak, he consist of water but his attitude looks more like a Air pile's member.

Air pile is the easiest one to deal with. I add there mostly abstract and dealing with mental issues faeries like Prick Up Your Years, Paradox, Speaker of Truth, Song etc.

At the end my first try we have:

Fire: 17.
Water: 14.
Earth: 18.
Air: 19.

[DragonFae]

steamwings....i did the exercise with Faeries Oracle and there were a few that were hard....but I bet Heart of Faery is even harder. When I get some time I'll try a sort with mine and see.

[DragonFae]

I decided to have a go of it with just the Queens...

Water: Queen of the Day and Queen of Laughter and Queen of Shadows (3)


Fire: Queen of the Night and the Queen of Passage (2)


Earth: Queen of Hearth and Home and Queen of Owls (2)


Air: The Queen of Bedlam and The Queen of the Golden Bough (2)

This is just a quick sort....I'll ponder this some and see if any need shifting and then try to reflect on my thoughts of placing them as I did.

[steamwings]

Originally Posted by DragonFae

I decided to have a go of it with just the Queens...

Water: Queen of the Day and Queen of Laughter and Queen of Shadows (3)


Fire: Queen of the Night and the Queen of Passage (2)


Earth: Queen of Hearth and Home and Queen of Owls (2)


Air: The Queen of Bedlam and The Queen of the Golden Bough (2)

This is just a quick sort....I'll ponder this some and see if any need shifting and then try to reflect on my thoughts of placing them as I did.

Added poor Queen of Day to the Fire section but still unsure. Queen of Night in Water section, too. She's under the still and dark water for me, waiting for people to slip into. Queen of Passage in Water, also.

Queen of the Owls in Fire section because she's shining in the dark and flying through the dreams. Queen of the Golder Bough in the Fire pile, too, but I don't know why. It was impulsive decision. Queen of the Laughter also in Fire section because she's bright and active.

Queen of Heath and Home, of course, in Earth pile.

Queen of Shadows and Queen of Bedlam are in Air pile.

[GryffinSong]

I did this quickly, to get a general feel for the elements in the Good Witch, Bad Witch deck. I'm going to re-visit my stacks later on to see if I still get the same impressions. My stacks are very, very even ...

fire: 12
water: 14
air: 13
earth: 13