Nature Spirits 101: Gnomes, Sylphs, Undines, Salamanders

In this post, you will know everything about the Nature Spirits, also known as The Elemental Beings or simply as The Elementals. These beings are divided into four groups, which are: Gnomes (Earth), Undines (Water), Sylphs (Air), and Salamanders (Fire).

You will also learn how to work with the energy of the four elements and how to connect with the Nature Spirits in a simple and healthy way within Natural Witchcraft and also Wicca.

Working with the magic of the Elementals is a simple form of summoning magic. Unlike working with Dragon Magic, this form is ideal for beginners and also for more experienced witches who wish to improve magic with the four elements of nature.

You can also watch the video about the Elementals here or on the YouTube channel. Please do subscribe!

are The Nature Spirits in our lives?

Yes, they are. The Nature Spirits are everywhere, literally. I’ll start with a historical explanation, so we can understand them better.

In “occult philosophy” (Philosophia Occulta) and alchemy, philosophers tried to explain the creation of the world through analogies and through different types of studies.

How exactly?

They used the four elements of nature, the planets, and also chemical elements to explain the world.

What is perhaps most striking about these explanations is that there is a “common ground” which is the mention of the four natural elements and the attribution of “life” to these four elements.

Therefore, in a simple way, when the Four Elements took “life”, the Elemental Beings (Nature Spirits) arose.

The Elements and the Elementals are the basis of everything we know.

Thus, they are the basis of the Microcosm and consequently the basis of the Macrocosm too. I wrote about Microcosmos in the article explaining all about the Pentagram symbol. Either way, I’ll write briefly about it here too and compare it to Macrocosmos.

What are Macrocosm and Microcosm?

In a very simple and direct way, the four elements – Air, Fire, Water, and Earth – make up the basis of what is called the Microcosm. And the Microcosm is our sphere, the sphere on planet Earth, human, carnal. The Macrocosm is a larger version of all of this and it is similar to the Microcosm. But much, much bigger!

The Microcosm and the four elements are represented by the Pentagram, the five-pointed star. Therefore, the Pentagram is also called the Microcosm, because it has the four elements below the spirit (also called ether).

The spirit represents the mind, the awareness of the elements. “Over” nature.

The Macrocosm is represented by the Hexagram, the six-pointed star. The Hexagram is also called the Seal of Solomon or Star of David.

Thus, the Hexagram is nothing more than the union of the four elements in a unified way, symbolizing all creation.

Book recommendations on the Nature Spirits and more

In case you want to go deeper into this subject, I recommend two very important books full of information.

In these books, you will find explanations and studies related to alchemy, occult philosophy, and mysticism.

The two books are:

• The Kybalion;
• Alchemy and Mysticism

The Kybalion is going to express the Hermetic Philosophy as it is.

It is not a book about the Nature Spirits, but it is essential reading.

Alchemy and Mysticism is a collection of art from the Hermetic Museum.

This collection explores many different pieces of artwork that contemplate topics such as:

• The Macrocosm;
• The creation of the universe;
• The Microcosm;
• Sacred Geometry;
• And more.

The Four Elements in Witchcraft and Magick

By getting to know a little more about each of the Four Elements, we can work on each of their energies and combine them with our energy during our day-to-day practice of Witchcraft and Magick and also during spells.

But first, let’s remember the Pentagram: our mind must be elevated, “over” matter to be able to have a higher quality connection with the Elementals, to tame the Nature Spirits’ energies and use them correctly.

Therefore, we must pay attention to some things:

• It is important to realize that the element of Fire is not only the same as a flame;
• The Water element is not only the same as the liquid we drink;
• The Earth element is not just what we step on;
• And the Air element is not just what we breathe.

These elements are life, intuition, purification, and emotion.

They are energy flows with their own characteristics that meet the very aspects of life in general.

They are very much connected with our emotions, the human psyche, and with nature.

The Symbolic Representation of the Four Elements

The Four Elements are symbolized as follows:

Fire and Air are represented as triangles pointing upwards.

Fire is a triangle and Air is a triangle with a dash inside.

Water and Earth are represented as downward-pointing triangles.

Water is a triangle and Earth is a triangle with a dash inside.

By joining these 4 elements, we immediately create the macrocosm, the Hexagram!

As above, so below.

The Hermetic Law of Correspondence

In The Goodly Spellbook there is a tip for you to always remember about the symbols of the elements:

The fire is a flame, pointed upwards. So, it’s an upward triangle.

Air is the wind that blows on the top of a mountain.

Water is a bowl, ready to hold the liquid inside;

Earth is an object, stuck in the earth.

This makes it easy to remember which is on represents which element.

What do the Four Elements represent energetically?

In addition to knowing the symbology to use as pentacles or sigils, it is necessary to know what the Four Elements represent magically and energetically.

For example:

• The fire element represents energy, transformation, and strength. It is associated with the suit – or kingdom – of staves in the Tarot (or stick, clubs). Fire is the power of both creation and destruction.
• The air element represents communication, intuition, and understanding. It is associated with the suit – or kingdom – of swords in the Tarot. Air represents the intellect.
• The water element represents movement, adaptation, and emotions. It is associated with the suit – or kingdom – of hearts (or cups) in the Tarot. Water is linked to feeling, to love or lack of it.
• The earth element represents growth, development, and fortification. It is associated with the suit – kingdom – of diamonds (or pentacles, discs) in the Tarot. Earth is what is tangible, solid.

Knowing this, we can better understand which Element we should connect to for different purposes.

The Nature Spirits: The Four Elementals

We know that the elements are the basis of everything we know and that they took shape.

We immediately ask ourselves: What forms are these?

These forms are called “Elementals”, “Elemental Beings of Nature”, “Elemental Spirits” or simply “Nature Spirits”.

They are living, pulsating, energetic beings that personify the Four Elements.

Here’s a list of Elemental Spirits:

• Gnomes (Earth Elemental);
• Undines (Water Elemental);
• Sylphs (Air Elemental);
• Salamanders (Fire Elemental).

Similar to the Four Elements, the Four Elementals carry the same characteristics and symbols.

However, as they have a consolidated form, each of them has unique characteristics.

The physical appearance of the Nature Spirits

Each of the Nature Spirits has a different physical form.

So let’s see what each of them looks like below:

What do the Gnomes look like?

The Gnomes of Earth are small creatures that are very similar to portraits of goblins and traditional gnomes.

Just like the Irish ones, for example.

They live in nature directly, mainly under logs and in places where animals hide.

What do the Undines look like?

The Undines of Water are beings that resemble mermaids, generally of silver color.

They live in water, mainly on the bottom of the sea and rivers.

And they swim according to waves and currents.

What do the Sylphs look like?

The Sylphs of Air are like fairies flying in the wind.

Whenever a wind blows out of nowhere, there will be Sylphs in the air.

What do the Salamanders look like?

The Salamanders of Fire are small beings that resemble lizards and live in fire.

They can cause sparks and they can transport themselves in these sparks.

How to invoke the Nature Spirits?

Similar to the Four Elements themselves, we can work with the Nature Spirits through invocations or by creating specific environments for them to inhabit.

The first tip is a general one.

If you decide to attract the Nature Spirits to your home, remember to keep the home in balance. You can measure the energy of your house by using a Pendulum.

Elementals, like any and all energy, can manifest duality.

So, imagine that you are going to invite someone to come into your house.

If the house is messy, with people shouting, fighting, and making confusion, what kind of energy do you think the Nature Spirits will line up with?

They either go out, or they cause terror.

And they do cause terror!

So, keep order at home.

Invoking the Gnomes

The Gnomes, as Earth beings, are attracted to everything organic.

So the best way to attract and please Gnomes is to have plants and gardens.

Even if you live in an apartment, you can create an exclusive environment with (real) plants and take care of them.

Gnomes help to keep the house clean energetically and help to attract material prosperity.

So imagine that the more you take care of the garden, the more you will harvest with the help of the gnomes.

Try offering the Gnomes an apple! The apple is a great invitation for them!

On the other hand, if you neglect the environment created for them, you can start to hear strange noises, and things will start to fall “out of the blue” … like a poltergeist.

So take care of the environment!

Invoking the Undines

The best way to attract the Undines is by having clean and functioning fountains.

Nobody will have a river inside the house, will they?

So always remember to keep the fountain running and always clean because it can get dirty easily depending on where you live.

The Undines help in spells related to self-knowledge, divination, and even adapting to new places or new phases of life.

They bring peace and balance.

On the other hand, if you abandon the fountains and the Undines after inviting them, they can disrupt your thoughts.

In addition, they may bring emotional imbalance and even general discomfort.

Invoking Sylphs

For you to please the Sylphs and know when they are around, you can spread Wind Chimes around the house.

You know that nice feeling when the wind chimes ring out of nowhere?

Well then, Sylphs are passing by and getting your attention.

The Sylphs bring inspiration, and important messages and help with spells related to making difficult decisions and choices.

They are great allies for those who work with creativity!

On the other hand, if their bells and other objects that interact with the wind are dirty, blocked, or dropped, the Sylphs may feel that they are no longer welcome and diminish your intuition and create creative blocks.

Always keep everything clean and organized!

Invoking the Salamanders

The Salamanders live in the fire.

As we say “There’s no Salamander without fire” (ok, no one says that… yet).

The best way for you to invite Salamanders to your home is to have a specific place where you can set fire.

So the ideal thing is to have a well-kept hearth.

If a hearth is not something common in the region where you live, you can have a chandelier, a place with candles…

The important thing is to keep this hearth and/or candles lit frequently, as they will serve as an invitation to Salamanders.

Salamanders bring protection, help us to act when we face complicated situations, and give us strength in general.

In addition, they are great companions at the “battle time”.

However, if you invite them and then abandon the fire region, they will no longer protect the house and you will feel weak for having lost contact with them.

Conclusion: The Nature Spirits around us

The Nature Spirits, also known as the Elemental Beings, are everywhere, but not all of us can see them. They are usually visible only to those who train clairvoyance or to those who “tune in” to the same frequency as them.

It is easier to see them far from the cities, but you can be sure that some are by your side right now. They are conscious beings, with emotions and life.

To work with elemental energies it is important to open yourself to them. Pay attention to their physical manifestations.

Think about what they symbolize and what aspects of life they relate to. Only by knowing yourself and using this knowledge, it becomes possible to achieve balance.

So that’s all you need to know about the Nature Spirits, the Elementals, and the Four Elements themselves.

Working with Elementals is considered a type of Summoning Magic, and it is as “light” as possible.

Even if you are starting in Witchcraft (whether Natural or Wicca), the magical work with the Nature Spirits is great!

Don’t worry about doing “right or wrong”. With the Elementals, everything is very tranquil.

After you start your magical experience with them, tell me in the comments!