A few days ago, a thoughtful reader sent me this question, that came up when she read last week’s Liberation Letter:
“I was born and raised in the Southern Hemisphere, where the sun rises in the east and peaks in the north—so to me, north has always been fire.
But now I live in Portugal, in the Northern Hemisphere, where the sun moves through the south instead.
So is fire still in the north because that’s what I’ve always known?
Or does it switch to the south now that I’m here?
In other words: do the elements follow me, or do they belong to the land?”
First of all, what a great question!
Here’s the core teaching:
Magic is relational and local.
When we work with elemental correspondences (like Fire = South), we’re not assigning them arbitrarily. We’re tuning into the actual, physical, observable rhythms of Earth.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun rises in the east, peaks in the south, and sets in the west. That’s why South = Fire in most Northern Hemisphere traditions — because it’s the direction of peak sunlight, warmth, and action.
But in the Southern Hemisphere, the sun behaves differently. It rises in the east, peaks in the north, and sets in the west.
So if you're in Chile or Australia or South Africa, North = Fire makes total sense. That’s where the sun blazes from.
When you cross hemispheres, your map changes—because the land is different. The sun behaves differently. And your body is in a new relationship with the rhythms of Earth.
But here’s the nuance:
Magic is also personal.
If you’re working a spell for someone who lives elsewhere, it may make sense to use their elemental map.
If your inner compass still resonates with north = fire, and it brings power and clarity to your practice, you get to honor that.
Spirit is not rigid, and is not judging.
The elements respond to intention, attention, and relationship.
So while the “default” map is based on the land, your experience also matters.
Magic doesn’t punish you for knowing who you are.
Another reader asked:
“Do the seasons correspond to the directions too?”
Yes! And the reasons why are deeply tied to the physical world.
Here’s how the seasons correspond to direction and element:
- East / Air / Spring: The sun rises in the east, just as the day begins. Spring is the dawn of the year, when new life emerges after winter’s stillness. Air, like spring, is the element of breath, ideas, inspiration, and beginnings. Just as morning brings a new day, spring brings new possibilities.
- South / Fire / Summer: The sun is at its highest and most direct in the south, blazing overhead at midday. Summer is when life is in full bloom: hot, fertile, expansive, expressive. Fire is the element of passion, will, energy, and transformation. This is the season of doing, creating, building, radiating.
- West / Water / Autumn: The sun sets in the west, and autumn is the sunset of the year. It’s the time of release, harvest, letting go. Water governs emotion, intuition, and the mysteries of the heart. Fall asks us to feel deeply and surrender what’s ready to die.
- North / Earth / Winter: In the Northern Hemisphere, north is the direction the sun never reaches. It’s cold, dark, still, and winter matches this perfectly. Earth is the element of rest, bones, and integration. This is the season of silence, deep roots, and invisible growth.
So yes, these associations are rooted in the actual cycles of nature, not just poetic symbolism. And they don’t stop with seasons. The same logic applies to:
- Times of day (morning, noon, sunset, midnight)
- Stages of life (birth, growth, release, death)
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And the powers of magic:
- To know.
- To will.
- To dare.
- To be silent.
This interconnected pattern is part of what magical traditions call the Table of Correspondences — a matrix that helps us align with reality, rhythm, and symbol all at once.
It’s deep, and it’s beautiful, and it’s honestly too layered to unpack fully in one letter.
(Which is exactly why I created Liberation Magic.)
But let me leave you with this:
Your curiosity is magic.
The questions you're asking show that you're already in conversation with the living world.
That you're listening.
That you’re waking up to the ways reality speaks.
And that’s the first step in becoming powerful.
So keep asking.
I’m always listening.
Courage, truth, and infinite love,
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I don’t believe in magic, but I know that it works!
Magic is not a belief system, it’s a practice that works. Don’t believe me? Come try it out. If it doesn’t work, you lose nothing. But if it does… your dream life is about to begin!
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“El poder está en la acción.”
— Maritza Schafer