Akasha: The Fifth Element

Akasha: The Fifth Element

                      What is Akasha and where does it come from? This simple question lays out for me a vast ocean of information that is available at the very tip of my fingers. From the basic elements to the history of the word, Akasha is something that is misunderstood and yet so easy to find. With just a bit of research I have discovered the meaning of the word, its history, meanings, and misinformation; answering for myself and others what this term really means. Beginning at the meanings we’ll work our way through the questions that need answering and get to know the central most element – the element of Spirit.

             The word Akasha is a noun meaning, in the philosophies of India, the ether including materials and non-materials in a common medium. That would mean the body and the spirit. This word in Sanskrit also means ether in both Elemental and physical senses. Therefore it can be determined that this element is one of the most flexible and powerful because it’s as unique as we are. In the religious practices of Hinduism Akasha is the basis and essence of all things in the material world. The eldest of the elements, Akasha, is followed by Earth, Fire, Water and Air and resides as the catalyst that binds the other four elements together.

In Paganism Akasha is deemed as the fifth element - the top of the Pentacle star representing Spirit when the quarters are called. It became a part of Paganism sometime in the 1960s after the creation of the Wicca religion by Gerald Gardner. That being said, Akasha can be traced all the way back to 1300 BC where it was written in the Rigveda, an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns where it speaks of the root work Kas meaning: “to be visible”, “sky”, “atmosphere”, or “open space”.

The term as it is used in western Paganism today is oftentimes confused with the Akashic Records, an ancient text located within the astral plane and having existed since the dawn of time. These records can only be accessed by immortals and psychics; written within them is every thought, action, and event in the history of time. It is known as the tome where all memories and events in universal history are rediscovered. Edward Cayce once referred to the Akashic Records as the “Book of Life” and used these records to predict future events and resolve past events. It is said that Thoth, god of wisdom, is the one that wrote the Akashic Records.

Why did I miss this word? Simply put, I’d never looked it up before. Due to the tie of the word to Anne Rice’s character Akasha in Queen of the Damned, I inherently assumed that Akasha was a goddess of some pantheon I’d never looked into. The assumption came easily and, even in my reading, the only time Akasha is considered a deity is when it is considered a god type – not a goddess. So, even if it were a deity I’d have been wrong in that guess as well. Although I prefer not to use the term in my own practices due to past practices, I can respect where the word comes from and have a new understanding of the element of Spirit when called forth as Akasha from other practicing witches. I have been practicing for fourteen years and have found myself always calling the fifth element “Spirit.” Old habits die hard even while I understand the official term for the element as it has become known in modern practices today.

In conclusion: Akasha is the fifth and most powerful element. First born element, the spirit of the universe, this element is valuable to Hindus, Buddhists, and Pagans and, while it’s a name of the Element, it’s not the name I’ve chosen to utilize in my practices. Akasha is a proud and noble element full of life, energy, and swirling through the universe and, while it reminds me of a regal Goddess with her head held high that was a misconception on my part, a word that led to the new knowledge in a completely different spectrum. Akasha reminds me of a warm, guiding silver light encompassing those around her with the most beautiful of embraces.

           

A - Definitions Unknown Author http://www.eastern-spirituality.com/glossary/spirituality-terms/a-definitions/akasha

The Magical Circle School Resource Library Basick Information > Encyclopedia of Terms and Information > S Spirit Colleen Criswell http://themagicalcircle.net/resourcelibrary/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=2130&p=13818&hilit=akasha#p13818

Pagan Terminology written by Hearthkeeper http://paganpages.org/content/tag/terminology/

Akasha Author Unknown http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/a/akasha/

The Witches' Almanac, Issue 35, Spring 2016-2017: Air: The Breath of Life Edited By Andrew Theitic (Llewyn, 2015)

younger self

Image credit goes to: Katerina Plotnikova

In all my years of practice the hardest part of being a witch is knowing that you need to connect with yourself on a spiritual basis. What does that mean? It means that you have to delve deep into yourself and find the piece of you that IS magick, that does sometimes make you feel weird and uncomfortable. That is where meditation and a deep, passionate respect for the world will help you. I'm not against spirit animals. I believe that they belong to the Native Tribes, the people that my grandfather belonged to, those with the strength to live! But at the same time when I work with magic I have learned that my inner self comes to me in the form of an animal - a very shy, timid animal that has taken years to glean respect - and I am still, 7 years later, still working on a relationship with that creature: the Younger Self.

In witchcraft a pagan will come to believe that the strength they harbor from books, from their learning or lessons, or their natural talent is the base of their strength but this is wrong! In fact, there's a deep well of strength lying just outside that conscious mind that you can find with a little time, practice and patience. That means you have to put time in  - it's not something that just comes to you. And most of the time your "spirit animal" or, Younger Self as you should call it, isn't something that you like or that you think is cool. In reality that creature is a reflection of you. Not all of us are wolves, not all of us are owls. In fact, I have a prey animal as my Younger Self, but we'll get to her in a moment.

When working to know your Younger Self your mind must be calm, settled. If you are in turmoil your Younger Self will avoid you (which is why it's taken my Bipolar ass 7 years to really get to know her). A mental tornado is not something that Younger Self wants to be involved in and, when push comes to shove, I'm sure all of you would understand as well. That being said: Let me tell you a story about my Younger Self.

courtesy of Wikipedia for providing a pic

My Younger Self is a rabbit. Timid, quick, intelligent, Rabbits say a lot about a person. We're spontaneous and nurturing, quick witted and have reflexes. We typically don't like confrontation much.

My Younger Self has always had a knack for appearing when you aren't looking for her. In some meditations I find her in the most obvious places - in an empty field or beside a log. Then there are the times when I stand in an empty field and cannot find her at all. But I know she's there. She always sends strength and comfort. Unfortunately I find it hard to connect to her when I'm having a mental crisis (which happens a bit). Younger Self always finds me afterward, however, and sits near enough to me for me to know she's there.

In 7 years I've never touched Younger Self. She's not quite ready for that yet. The point of this little rant isn't so you can see I'm a Rabbit Heart. It's because I want you to know that life takes time. Learning can take months or even years to come into full swing. As a Rabbit Heart I want you to know it's ok. It's ok if, during your first meditation, you don't find Younger Self. It's ok if you find yourself wandering and it's perfectly fine if you find your Younger Self and have to take a moment to reflect upon yourself why you have this beautiful creature as your Younger Self. I've known people terrified of spiders have a spider Younger Self. It's what defines them as people at a subconscious level! Do not fear your Younger Self and, if you have the patience, you'll find infinite possibilities when you've earned their trust.

Be Blessed

A Witch With Kids

I am not the first mother on the face of the planet to have a little slice of the Internet to call my own, nor am I the first Pagan to do so, either. That being said we alllll know that I'm far from the first pagan mother on a page. But what I do have is maybe a unique perspective that may or may not help others as they come. Because not only am I a Pagan Mama of 3 but I'm also a diagnosed Bipolar 2 patient that manages her life and tries to keep from slipping further down the Crazy Train than I dared to want to go. So here we go:

If you ever wanted to know my name is Amanda Wells and I am 27 years old and while I've been married for almost 4 years (in December) it's not been a walk in the park. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the only real reason I got up some times was to feed my daughter who was, at the time, the only child I had. So with that said I'm going to introduce my little Sprites in a hope of understanding when I say that my family is absolutely teeming with the wonderfully insane children that I seem to have come into my life.

AIRIN

 This is my beautiful eldest child, Air. She's a spit fire and not afraid to show it. Intelligent for her age she's always saying or doing something to make us wonder if she just may rule the world one day. She's already said that it was too much work to conquer. My little Leo is a fire baby and it shows! She's a leader, passionate, and not afraid to put her food down for what she believes in. That, in itself is quite the feat for a four year old to have accomplished. Airin has a unique gift that makes me think she'd be a great nurse or midwife one day: she can accurately predict if you're pregnant or not and is currently 8 for 8 in predicting the sex of children (including her siblings.)

SAGE

This is our little dude. Only 4 months old his hobbies include screaming at all hours and eating. The boy is sweet as can be and loves his mama. More often than not I'm writing to you guys with him sleeping on me.

Ember

 This here is Ember. My middle child is, at this moment 18 months old and the feistiest child you'll ever meet in your life. Standing at a mere 2.5 feet tall she's not afraid to knock you down to get to her level. She's head strong, she's confident, and the girl has a passion for food I've seen only a few times in my life. I know she'll do awesome in her life and teach the world something new just by being herself. This little Capricorn/Aquarius cusp is one of the sweetest kids when she's not wanting to brawl. She has keen Empathy (more than I've seen an 18 month old have before).