Directional Correspondences
Representative gestures
Directional Correspondences
On the Northern Wheel, North is associated with the North Pole/Artic and therefore with cold, and South with the Equator and therefore with heat or the element of Fire.
In the Southern Hemisphere the Equator is North and the South Pole/Antartic is South. Therefore on the Southern Wheel and in the Southern Hemisphere, North is Fire.
In the Sydney region, the common directions assigned to the elements are:
North = Fire
South = Earth (Antartica covers the South Pole)
East = Water (From Sydney the ocean is to the east)
West = Air (The weather system drives the weather from the west coast to the east)
For a clear demonstration of the Australian weather driving from west to east across the country, see the nightly weather report on the ABC News at 7pm.
.........NORTH
............Fire
WEST...........EAST
Air................Water
.........SOUTH
...........Earth
Representative gestures
Movements of the hands may be used to represent the Elements during the Quarter Calls.
Air is represented by holding the flat hand up with the fingers spread, with the palm facing away from oneself.
Earth is represented by holding the flat hand out with the palm down and parallel to the ground as though to pat the earth.
Water is represented by turning the palm upwards and cupping the hand as though to contain water.
Fire is represented by holding the fist up with the back of the hand facing oneself, and the entire palm exposed but the fingers curled on themselves.
