Chinese Zodic Vs Witchcraft – The Elements
If you have ever felt a little spark of confusion when Chinese astrology starts talking about five elements instead of the four you know and love from witchcraft, you are not alone. The good news is that these systems are not at odds, they are simply telling the same story from different angles. Once you understand how they speak to each other, your magic gets richer, more nuanced, and far more alive.
Chinese astrology works with Wu Xing, five dynamic phases of energy, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Rather than static elements, these are movements, cycles, and moods of change. Wood is the green surge of spring, creativity pushing upward, ideas stretching toward light. Fire is summer heat and visibility, passion, courage, and the moment something ignites. Earth sits at the centre, holding, stabilising, and nourishing, especially at seasonal transitions. Metal arrives with autumn, sharp and discerning, cutting away what is no longer needed, refining and harvesting. Water closes the cycle in winter, deep, quiet, intuitive, storing wisdom for what comes next.
At first glance, this can feel different from Western witchcraft, but there are clear bridges. Fire, Water, and Earth line up beautifully across both systems. The real intrigue lies with Wood and Metal. Wood can be felt as a blend of Earth’s life force, Air’s planning and ideas, and Fire’s drive to grow. It is the energy of wands, seeds, and brave beginnings. Metal, on the other hand, echoes Air’s clarity and intellect, paired with the cutting, boundary-making work witches do with blades, cords, and harvest magic.
When you weave these systems together, your spellcraft becomes cyclical rather than rigid. A working might begin in Water with vision and intuition, move into Wood for planning and growth, ignite in Fire as you launch, settle into Earth to stabilise, then complete in Metal as you review, refine, and release. Nothing is rushed, nothing is wasted.
If you are drawn to both Chinese astrology and witchcraft, let yourself translate rather than choose. The elements are speaking to each other already. Your role is simply to listen, layer, and let your magic move the way it wants to move.
