When you typically ask a typical Wiccan, "Why is North Earth?" they will probably answer you something along the lines of, "Because North is related to Goddess, forests, and the physical plane." When you ask a Witch this same question, they will give you a variety of answers from a different set of correspondences and the reasons for it, to not using elemental correspondences to the cardinal directions at all - depending on their tradition.

These correspondences help to align the Witch to the homeland. Most early Europeans were migratory peoples and used the North Star as a reference point in the night skies. The exact set of correspondences differed from area to area, as each region differed in its geography, climate, and cultural beliefs.

Not all Witches use an elemental correspondence to the cardinal directions. Some honor their Gods at specific locations, and others have a different set of elements and relationships to those elements. However, the reason for this is because the elemental correspondences change when within the homeland as it no longer becomes necessary to make a connection as the land is already around you.