East is where most magickal rituals begin, and even when they do not, the temple or ritual space used is almost always oriented toward the East (The Rising Sun). That being said, the elemental attributions of the four directions are as follows:
East – Air
South – Fire
West – Water
North – Earth
It has been said that Hermetic magick from the Golden Dawn (the originators of the LBRP) deals mostly with the “Solar Current”, i.e. the forces or energies surrounding the Sun. When you perform the LBRP, you will note that one begins in the East, where the Sun rises, and travel “deosil” (clockwise), in the same way that the sun moves throughout the sky. Also, the God-names vibrated at each quarter specifically correspond to the orientation of the Sun, rather than the elements found at each quarter.
East – Dawn – YHVH (Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh): The name of God signifying the mystery of creation.
South – Noon – Adonai: “The Lord”, the Sun at its zenith.
West – Sunset – Eheieh: “I am that I am/will be”, the setting Sun, hinting at resurrection.
North – Night – AGLA (Ah-Gu-Lah): Short for “Ateh Gibor Le’ohlam Adonai” or “Thou art mighty forever, my Lord”. A blessing to the Sun as it “travels in darkness”.