Nyx in the House of Night

stewards of the earth means we should recycle, replant felled trees, reduce pollution, and minimize our use of fossil fuels whenever possible. The belief is that the earth is a self-healing entity, and if we don’t maintain a proper symbiotic relationship with the earth, she will eventually decide we are far too harmful and rid herself of us.
    In a Wiccan Circle earth may be represented by the color green or brown, leaves, rocks, or minerals, and salt is often sprinkled around the Circle when asking earth to join the ritual. The astrological signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, with their practical and responsible natures, are associated with the earth.
    The traits of earth are, well . . . down to earth. The archetype of the cowboy who rides the range, sleeps under the stars, and herds cattle is a perfect image for earth, as they are seen to be patient, consistent, and unmovable. Stevie Rae, from her cowboy hat to the boots, and from her small-town upbringing to the natural way she accepts and cares for people, epitomizes the element earth.
    The earth is our mother, and when you feel worried or stressed, feel yourself moving down into her. See roots growing from your feet and pulling nourishment and energy into your body. Wiccans refer to this as “grounding,” and it will help you find calm, peaceful security when you need it most. Like calls to like, and if you will let it the earth will nurture and protect you. All you have to do is reach out to her, and the earth, your mother, will be there to comfort and protect you, taking away the anxiety and pain so that you can feel calm, secure, and safe in her arms.
Lord and Lady essence of spirit, we ask that you bring to our Circle the Spirit of love and compassion. Spirit that is our compass for wrong and right lead us through our darkest night.
    The four elements are amazing when you think about them. Air flowing around us infusing not only the sky but also the depths of the sea and the underground hollows with just the proper mix of nitrogen and oxygen to sustain life. Fire from the sun warming this planet to just the right temperature; not so hot that we go all flambé but not so chilly that we shatter. Water covering 75 percent of this planet and hiding mysteries so deep that even we vampyres have yet to discover its secrets. Earth, both the planet and the soil beneath us, the mountains and deserts, all providing homes to the children of this world.
    Look again at our bodies, human and vampyre: Air flows through our lungs and fuels the cells of our bodies. Fire manifests in the warmth of our skin. Water makes up 60 percent of our weight and constantly flows both into and out of us, providing the environment for all our bodily functions. Earth makes up our skin, hair, and bone. The four elements combine to form an amazingly intricate machine. But that’s all we would be, a squishy golem, an extremely articulate automaton, without one thing—spirit.
    The final element, spirit, is the thing that makes us all individuals. Spirit animates us to move beyond a nicely formed but inanimate collection of elements and places us in a position of power and responsibility. Spirit is what brings us joy and sorrow, gives us the ability to love and hate, lets us become enraptured by beauty and makes us despair in depravity. Spirit is our conscience and our compassion, but it is also our anger and pain. Spirit is that tiny fragment of the Divine within us, that piece linking us to the creator. As Shakespeare, who as you know was himself a vampyre, said, “What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god.” Zoey, having an affinity for all elements, has to be overwhelmed at times. I imagine that there are times she feels like she is standing in a hurricane while contemplating a rose, all of life swirling around her but still clinging to a bit of beauty that is the Divine.
    Spirit gives us the power to think and act, to be caring and compassionate or petty and cruel. Do we feel the exaltation of spirit well within us and marvel at how every person can have their own individual experience of spirit, or do we attempt to force everyone to conform to our own vision of spirit? Zoey chooses to use her gift to help all who are in need to seek understanding and peace, while others use their gift to seek dominance over others. The entire range of vampyre