Have you ever had a moment so beautiful it made you believe again? I just returned from Europe, and in the midst of global chaos, I got to experience something that reminded me of what's real and holy.

The nearly finished Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is this wild, towering church that’s been under construction for over a hundred years. It was designed by Gaudí, who was kind of a mystical genius who saw the divine fingerprints of nature everywhere. He once said something like, “Nature is always my teacher.” And when you’re inside that church, you feel what he meant.

The stained glass on the east side of the building is green and blue, so when morning light comes in, it mimics sunrise.

On the west side, the glass is red and orange, so the light looks like the actual sunset.

It moved me to see that kind of reverence for the natural world baked into something so permanent, and even though it’s not my religion, the spiritual beauty of it hit me hard.

It reminded me that our magic, too, is rooted in nature, the same rhythms that shape the sun, the tides, and our lives.

And then I came back from my trip, and I got a text from a friend:
​“Can you remind me which element goes with which direction?”

Which I realize to most people is a question that maybe doesn’t even make sense. But to me, it’s like asking, “Can you remind me which way is up and down, and left and right?”

The reality is that most people don’t know about the elements and the directions because we aren’t taught about this stuff. Most of us have been cut off from the Earth and its rhythms for so long that it doesn’t occur to us that the directions mean something, and the elements are elements to work with, and the associations to them are there for a reason.

If you’ve never heard of this, let me give you the tiniest glimpse, because once you see this, you’ll start to notice the pattern of everything.

I have a relationship with the 4 directions—East, South, West, North—and the elements associated with each of them: air, fire, water, earth.

And each aspect of ourselves is associated with each of the directions and elements: mind, spirit, heart, body.

And these are not random!

They are based on observation and experience of the natural world.

They’re rooted in both nature and the nature of reality itself. And once you understand them, they become wildly powerful tools for transformation.

Here’s the short version:

Across many cultures and throughout history, the sun has been honored as the source and sustainer of life. The sun rises in the East, signaling the beginning of the day. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, it reaches its highest point in the South (think south-facing windows). It sets in the West, and the North is the direction the sun never reaches, making it the darkest of all. (If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, those last two flip: the sun reaches its highest point in the North, and the South becomes the cooler, less sunlit direction.)

Now, why does this matter?

Because reality is shaped by energy patterns that we are literally living inside. And when you understand those patterns, like how the sun moves, or how elements behave, you can start to align your magic and your intentions with the actual flow of the universe. That’s when change starts to stick.

In the Liberation Magic framework, we align the directions with the four elements like this:

• East - Air - Mind
  ​The sun rises in the East. It’s the beginning of the day, just like every change begins in the mind, with a new thought, a breath of inspiration, a shift in awareness. Air is the element of ideas, clarity, and vision. It governs the mind because that’s where we first perceive possibility.
• South - Fire - Spirit
  ​In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun reaches its peak in the South, its hottest, brightest point. That’s why we associate this direction with fire, and with the energy of your spirit. Fire is what powers transformation: your will, your courage, your sacred drive. It’s the force that takes an idea and propels it into action.
• West - Water - Heart
  The sun sets in the West, the time of evening, emotion, and reflection. Water governs the heart: it flows, it heals, it carries memory. This is where change becomes integrated emotionally. You process, feel, and release, like the tide coming in and going out. The West is the realm of intuition, dreams, and emotions.
• North - Earth - Body
  ​The North is the direction the sun never reaches (in the Northern Hemisphere), making it the coolest and darkest. It’s the realm of the Earth: solid, slow, and grounded. And it corresponds to the body, what’s material, tangible, and lasting. This is where your magic becomes real in your daily life.

If this feels a little abstract right now, that’s okay. It’s just the beginning.

In Liberation Magic (my 13-week program returning this fall) we go deep into how you can use this elemental framework to transform your life. I teach you not just what these connections mean, but how to actually work with them, so you’re not just wishing for change, you’re creating it.

If you’re curious, you can sign up for the waitlist here.

For now, just know:
​You’re made of the same stuff as the stars, the wind, the flame, the ocean, and the soil.
And when you learn how to work with those elements, not against them…everything changes.

Courage, truth, and infinite love,

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PS: I run a program where over the course of 13 weeks, I teach you how to reclaim your magic, connect to Spirit, and transform your life, step by sacred step. Enrollment is about to open for the fall, so get on the waitlist to be the first to claim your spot when doors open.

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! About Me →

“El poder está en la acción.”

— Maritza Schafer

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4083 24th St #460861, San Francisco, CA 94146
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