Elementary Education

Last month, I finished reading Practical Elemental Magick by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine. There were some interesting facts in there, and this is a topic that I love to explore because when you look into the different beliefs that were held in the past you find a great amount of variety. I can't stand shallow books that tell you rather dogmatically "this is how it is" without suggesting that there may be other ways of looking at things. I drew the following diagram to show how I see the classical elements.

To me, the elements represent the four fundamental states of matter. At the top of the scale, we have fire, which represents the plasma state of matter. Other examples of matter in a plasma state are lightning, electric sparks, fluorescent lights, neon lights, plasma televisions, and the Sun. When a plasma is deionised, it becomes gas, which is represented by the element of air. The air we breathe is formed of several types of gases, such as nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. When gas condenses it becomes liquid, which is represented by water. Other examples of liquids include bodily fluids, juice, alcohol and oil. When a liquid solidifies, it becomes a solid, represented by the firm ground beneath our feet, earth. Other examples of solids include bones, trees, rocks, pots, and books. Each state of matter is simply a categorisation of how much the physical particles move around. The more freely the particles move around, the higher up the scale they are. Further down the scale, the particles are packed in together and less able to move around. The thing which generates movement in the particles is energy, often referred to as the fifth element, or quintessence.



We begin in the centre of the circle which represents the unseen Energy of the cosmos. To the left is Water, to the right is Fire. Before us is Earth and behind us is Air. We move clockwise around the circle, beginning with Fire, the most subtle of the seen elements. As the energy stabilizes it turns to Air. Condensing into liquid, it becomes Water. Solidifying, it becomes Earth. We walk back around the circle, anticlockwise. Earth is dissolved into Water. Evaporation turns Water into Air. Heat turns Air into Fire. Consuming itself, Fire is transformed into unseen Energy. Each element signifies Energy moving at different vibrational frequencies.

Energy is the life force of the cosmos. The concept of energy emerged out of the idea of vis viva meaning "living force". In the words of Richard Feynman, "It is important to realize that in physics today, we have no knowledge what energy is. We do not have a picture that energy comes in little blobs of a definite amount." Any form of energy may be transformed into another form. During a 1961 lecture, Feynman explained; "There is a fact, or if you wish, a law, governing all natural phenomena that are known to date. There is no known exception to this law—it is exact so far as we know. The law is called the conservation of energy. It states that there is a certain quantity, which we call energy, that does not change in manifold changes which nature undergoes." According to this law, energy can neither be created (produced) nor destroyed by itself. It can only be transformed. This law is a fundamental principle of physics. Aristotle called this element Aether, the quintessence which he believed stars were made of. The Sanskrit word for Aether is Akasha.

Aristotle identified Fire as an abstract principle which is hot and dry. Today we may think of it as representing a high-energy state of matter known as ionized gas or plasma. Plasma is a state of matter that does not have definite shape or volume. Unlike gases, plasmas may self-generate magnetic fields and electric currents, and respond strongly and collectively to electromagnetic forces. The particles that make up plasmas have electric charges, so plasma can conduct electricity. Two examples of plasma are the charged air produced by lightning, and a star such as our own sun. Medieval magicians associated this element with the eastern point of the compass. In the Tarot, Fire is associated with the suit of Wands.

Aristotle described Air as a moist and warm element, inbetween fire and water. Today we may think of it as gas, a compressible fluid with no definite shape or volume. At temperatures below its critical temperature, a gas is also called a vapor. The most common gas in our atmosphere is nitrogen, which makes up 78% of our air, whereas oxygen makes up about 20%. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night (the diurnal temperature variation). In ancient Greek medicine, Air was associated with breath and blood. In Hinduism, Vayu is the god of air and wind, also identified as Prana, the breath of life. In the Tarot, Air is associated with the suit of Swords.

According to Aristotle, water is both cold and wet and occupies a place between air and earth. We may think of it as signifying liquid. The molecules in a liquid have enough energy to move relative to each other and the structure is mobile. This means that the shape of a liquid is not definite but is determined by its container. Water is, by far, the most common liquid on Earth. Medieval medicine associated Water with phlegm, femininity, the brain, winter and the western point of the compass. The Hindu personification of this element is the deva Ap. Water is also associated with Chandra, the moon, and Shukra, who represent feelings, intuition and imagination. In ceremonial magic, the elemental weapon of Water is the Cup.

In ancient Greek philosophy and science, Earth was commonly associated with qualities of heaviness, matter and the terrestrial world. We may think of Earth as representing solid matter. The particles of solids are packed closely together so that they cannot move freely but can only vibrate. As a result, a solid has a stable, definite shape, and a definite volume. Solids can only change their shape by force, as when broken or cut. Solids can be transformed into liquids by melting, and liquids can be transformed into solids by freezing. Ancient Greek medicine associated Earth with black bile, femininity, autumn and the southern point of the compass. In Hinduism, Earth represents communication, business, mathematics and other practical matters. In ceremonial magic, the elemental weapon of Earth is the Pentacle.

Standing at the centre of the circle, we may witness the sun rising somewhere toward the east. The sky is ignited by fire as the sun appears to travel up into the air. We see the sun move around the southern side of the circle as it slices through the air. Slowly the sun descends toward the west, being extinguished by water. We imagine it travelling under the earth, around the northern side of the circle, before emerging again.