The Four Elements And Four Directions, seems a little off to me Options

I am hoping someone can shed some light on this for me.

In Wicca, they have the four elements combined with the four directions. You have North and Earth, West and Water, South and Fire, and East and Air. The four directions makes perfect sense, but the four elements doesn't.
The way it would make more sense to me is if Fire was opposite Air, and Water opposite Earth.

In our world, the fire is at the bottom and the air is on top, the water and earth are both in the middle and are opposite to each other.

Does anybody know a Wiccan tradition that had it this way?

Thanks

Thanks for the responses, it took a little bit too digest it all.

I have come to a conclusion based on observations and especially based on the ancient symbols.

Fire and Air are opposite, they mix well when balanced to create something new, something sustained.
Earth and water are opposite, they mix well when balanced to create something new, something sustained.
Spirit and body are opposite, they mix well when balanced to create something new, something sustained.

The pentagram is incomplete unless you look at it as our bodies make up the last point, the point opposite the spirit.

So what do we have here?

Plasma (fire) and gas (air) can combine to form something explosive, transformative.
Liquid (water) and solid (earth) can combine to form something in between, a moving solid, mud.
Aether (spirit) and physical (body) can combine to form something in between, energy in structure, life.

If you mix the other elements it doesn't work, fire and water don't mix, earth and fire don't mix, earth and air don't mix, you can have the elements interact with each other, like water and air can make fog, but it isn't really transformative, they don't make something new so much, more like there is some water in the air. earth in air, is like a dust storm, it doesn't transform the air or the earth. But water and earth, the water transforms the earth into a mud, water breaks earth down to it's components, it washes it and absorbs some of it. Both are transformed afterwards.

The directions are similar:
North and South,
East and west,
Up and down.

They are polarities of the same plane. Horizontal, Vertical and Diagonal.

But this is only half the picture.

Mm. Perhaps the elements cycle through their opposition in the four worlds - astral, psychic, etheric, physical - such that in one air is opposite fire, in the next air is opposite water, in the next air is opposite earth. Depending in the interpretation of the activity of the elements, which is different in each world, they will combine differently.

Think of the act of creation spiraling down through the worlds, things shifting relative to one another and to the end point of manifestation along the way.

Then consider during ritual, on what level the magic is to operate, and what elemental mode is appropriate...

peace

This post has been edited by Vagrant Dreamer: Mar 27 2010, 08:12 AM