138 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
138 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
Copyright (c) 1988 by Phil Hansford. This article is
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is licenced for free non-commercial distribution only.
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** MAGICK 4 -- ELEMENTS AND FORCES **
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The Ancients divided the world into four basic
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principles or *elements* -- earth, water, fire, and air.
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That viewpoint has mostly changed with advances of science,
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but the four elements are still accepted in magick, for they
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are more closely linked with emotions, the human psyche, and
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with nature than are modern explanations of the world. These
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*magical elements* are also of some importance in astrology.
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Many occultists think of the magical elements as forces, or
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as *qualities* of energy; especially within the astral world.
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Each element has a symbol and color. (Common symbols are --
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fire: a triangle pointing up; air: a triangle pointing up
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and with a horizontal line through the middle of it;
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water: a triangle pointing down; earth: a triangle pointing
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down and with a horizontal line through the middle of it.)
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Colors of the elements are -- earth: brown and green;
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water: blue; fire: red; air: yellow...The Eastern tattvic
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system uses different symbols and colors. (The tattvic
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symbols are briefly described later on in this course.)
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The elements are often used in magick ritual.
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Magick sees relationships between things. These
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relationships are called 'correspondences'. Although magical
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correspondences are not literally equal to one another, you can
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think of them that way (such as gold equals sun). Tables of
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these relationships, called 'Correspondence Tables', are
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available (an important one is Crowley's '777'). Thus one thing
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or symbol can be used to suggest another. This is important in
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magick, for the magician may surround himself with as many
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appropriate correspondences as he can to vividly affect the
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senses; thus making his magical contact with the inner planes
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more lucid.
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The magical elements have correspondences with the
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tarrot cards as the four suits. The four quarters (directions
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of the universe as used in magick ritual) and the Archangels
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also correspond with these same elements --
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Element Suit Quarter Archangel
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======= ==== ======= =========
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earth pentacles north Uriel
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water cups west Gabriel
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fire wands south Michael
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air swords east Raphael
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Astrological signs also correspond with the elements.
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Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are earth signs. Cancer, Scorpio,
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and Pisces are water signs. Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are
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fire signs. Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are air signs.
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ELEMENTALS
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The magical elements are said to be peopled by spirits
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and mythological entities called elementals or nature spirits.
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These are grouped into four main categories --
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Gnome (earth) Undine (water) Salamander (fire) Sylph (air)
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============= ============== ================= ===========
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dwarfs nymphs jin (genies) fairies
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elves tritons storm angels
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brownies mermaids
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hobgoblins mermen
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lepricauns sirens
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harpies
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Elementals are usually only visible to those with
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clairvoyant sight and are more likely to be seen at night in
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the mountains or country away from cities -- especially if you
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are tired or sleepy. Although elementals exist naturally, it is
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also possible to create one which will exist for a limited time
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-- no elemental has immortality. A created elemental is called
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an 'artificial elemental'.
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To the Ancients, elementals were the physical
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explanation of the universe. However, some contemporary
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occultists see them only as symbols for forces and otherwise
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not 'real' at all. Another word sometimes used for elemental is
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'familiar' (usually in medieval witchcraft); the term is
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ambiguous, as it might merely be an ordinary household pet such
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as a dog or cat.
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YIN YANG
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Chinese philosophy and acupuncture talk of yin yang.
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This is the idea of polarity, or opposite pairs, as shown --
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YIN YANG
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=== ====
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water fire
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contraction expansion
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cold hot
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feminine masculine
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moon sun
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negative positive
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passive active
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ebb flow
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wane wax
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The list could go on. In Chinese literature it is quite long.
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Some occultists suggest everything can be similarly arranged
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into related opposite pairs.
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SIMPLE MAGICK
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Here is a simple magical technique you may wish to
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try. It is a variation of affirmation, which was discussed
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in an earlier lesson...To help you to achieve your goal
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(magical or otherwise), find a word or short phase which sums
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up what it is that you want to accomplish. Write the word (or
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phrase) down 10 times each day until you achieve success.
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REVIEW QUESTIONS
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1) List the four elements.
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2) What is an elemental?
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3) What are correspondences?
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BOOK LIST
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William Britten, Art Magic (long out of print, but in some
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libraries).
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Pete Carrol, Liber Null.
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Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy.
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Manly Hall, Unseen Forces.
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========
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Phil Hansford, 4/88
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Mysteria
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(818) 353-8891 (modem)
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P.O. Box 83
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Tujunga, CA 91042
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