The element of water is associated with the subconscious mind, intuition, and emotions.  Water governs emotions, feelings, love, the unconscious mind, intuition, the womb, marriage, friendship, happiness, dreams, sleep, healing, menstruation, fertility, cleansing, vision quests, self-healing, sorrow and reflection.  Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are all Water signs. Soaps that are attuned to the element of Water can be used before rituals that require healing, or to connect with the water's aspects of emotions, love, intuition and reflection. Water is also intrinsically linked to the Moon, the ebb and flow of the tides are directly linked to the phases of the Moon.

Water is what we feel, it is our water side that wants us to express our emotions. In a balanced healthy state, water is the joy that makes you smile when you say hello to a neighbor, it is the feeling that we get when we hear a child laugh gleefully, it’s the tears that we shed when a friend moves interstate, or when we watch a sad movie. In an unbalanced state, water causes the emotions that makes us cry at the smallest thing, makes it feel like everyone is picking on us, or spend too much time daydreaming and wishing things could be different, and causes erratic mood swings.

Water is passive and receptive. It is associated with the universal womb, the Great Mother, birth and fertility. It is life giving and life destroying. It is used to cleanse or purify physically and psychically. It is the emotional response to a situation. It is sensitivity, inspiring intuition and part of the Goddess within us all. It is remembering the past and foreseeing the future.

Water people sense the feelings of others and are aware of their surroundings on an emotional level. Living in a spiritual world, everything can become sacred. They are protective and nurturing. Sometimes they find it difficult drawing a line between what they should care about and what they should leave alone. The major problem of a Water person is their sensitivity. They tend to break under stress and sometimes will seek escape through drugs, alcohol, or other addictions, if they cannot control their sensitivity. They also hold grudges due to their lack of control.

The Element of Earth is associated with stability, dependability and endings.  It is given the direction of Night, and is our shelter, our resting place.  It is stable and steady, ever changing but in a slow, receptive manner.  Earth is the basis of all life, it gives nourishment and is associated with fertility and abundance.   Earth is that upon which we build everything else, it is our support system and that which we stand firmly upon without feet, and as such has a strong grounding energy.

Although we all carry Earth energy, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are all known as Earth signs in the Zodiac.  Those that fall under the sign of Earth are sensual and practical by nature.  They love to plan, build, plant and harvest, and they have a passion for nice surroundings and belongings.  They have the qualities of strength, dependability and loyalty.  They are practical and organized types and are focused on their surroundings, with a constant focus of working toward a good home and abundant lifestyle for themselves and their family.  Often conservative, they can be slow to try new endeavors, but once on the path they are steady paced through to completion.

Earth is what we touch, it is our earth side that builds our homes and feeds our bodies. In a balanced healthy state, Earth energy is what makes us choose the comfy sofa, loves to receive a backrub, wants the cheesecake rather than the piece of fruit and puts money in a bank account for a rainy day.  Our Earthy side shows itself when we maintain faithful relationships, when we stay at the same job to achieve tenure, and when we stick by our friends through thick and thin.

The negative aspects of Earth are greediness and power.  Often those with strong Earth energy are attracted to power, which can in turn lead to power struggles and games.  Because Earth types are slow movers, in it's most extreme state it can become utter stubbornness!  Once arrived at a position they may never wish to move from it, which leaves no room for new growth or potential.  Earth types can often be judgemental, and it is not unknown for them to hold a grudge for years!  In an unbalanced state, earth can make us greedy and give us the misguided belief that money can buy love.  It can give us the sense that physical gratification is all that is important, leading to dysfunctional behavior like over-eating, spending beyond our means, overworking, and having meaningless relationships just for the physical pleasure.

Soaps that are attuned to the element of Earth can be used before rituals of prosperity and fertility, and for connecting with the earth's energies of stability and growth. They can also be a useful tool for grounding yourself if you find yourself lacking focus or "off in the clouds".

The element of spirit is associated with the divine, and is a balance of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.  The Spirit energy is pure and governs enlightenment, blessings, unity, harmony, centering and protection.  The God and Goddess are spirit, ever present in all things.  Soaps that are attuned to the Spirit element can be used before any ritual to connect with the divine and to clear your thoughts of outside clutter in preparation for working in a circle.  Choose the element of Spirit when you want to create a sacred and tranquil aura.  Whenever you do a banishing ritual the element of spirit can be used to fill the void created by the cleansing. The spirit element needs to be treated differently than the other four elements, because it is a combination of all things.  Technically, none of the objects in the physical realm fall into the element of spirit, they all fall into the categories of earth, air, fire or water.  We also don’t call upon spirit energy for working magic, rather we call upon spirit energy to connect our spiritual selves with our chosen form of divinity. The recipes in this category all use Frankincense, Myrrh and Sandalwood, because I feel that although they have their own elemental correspondences, when used together they energy changes and it becomes one of tranquility and spirituality.

So now we know a little more about the elements I can talk about how this energy is used to make soap.  Every herb, fruit, nut and oil falls into one of the elemental categories.  Chilli peppers are a good example.  Would it surprise you to know that chilli's are ruled by the element of fire?  Of course not, they are the embodiment of fire!  Naturally I would never consider putting chilli peppers into a fire soap, but there are many other ingredients that I have to choose from.  In each soap I have chosen as many ingredients as possible to align with the element intended, not the least of which is the scent and essential oils.  It is now a commonly accepted belief that certain scents and smells affect the way we feel and behave, and co-incidentally many of these feelings and behaviors correspond with the element of the scent.  For example Eucalyptus oil has been used for years to clear the nasal pages and relieve the effects of a head cold - would it then surprise you to know that Eucalyptus oil falls into the Air element?

So that's briefly what happens at my end....I examine the element and get an idea for what type of soap most embodies the characteristics of that element.  I then choose the ingredients for both its skin care qualities and elemental vibrations so that I can present you with a soap that most reflects what each of the elements represent.

What happens now at your end?  Well much of that is up to you.  If you wish to do nothing more than lather up with some water you are still getting a beautiful product that smells great and is kind to your skin.  If you wish to do more, then I am offering you a tool, and like any other tool, you are the power behind it.  It probably wouldn't surprise you to learn that I have a whole bowl full of soaps in my shower - and often I will choose a soap depending on the mood I got out of bed in.  If all I want to do is just crawl back into bed, then I will choose a fire soap to get me going.  If I have a lot of work ahead of me I will use an earth soap to keep me grounded and focused on the day ahead.  When I get home from work and I have brought all my work home with me, then I will choose an air soap to help clear my head.  If I have had one of those days where I just want to lock myself in my room, I lock myself in the bathroom instead and have a long bath with a water soap, to help release it all and balance out. Using elemental soaps can be an every day way of altering your moods, perceptions and outlook.  Although each of the elemental soaps are perfectly suitable for use before any ritual, I like to think of them as magic you use every day, and stepping stones to learning to create more intentional magic.