Into the Unknown(A Fairy RP) discussion
Info on Elements
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The elemental weapon of fire is the Wand or Dagger. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of fire is Michael, the angel is Aral, the ruler is Seraph, the king is Djin, and the fire elementals (following Paracelsus) are called salamanders. Fire is considered to be active; it is represented by the symbol for Leo and it is referred to the lower right point of the pentacle in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentacle.
Cardinal direction: South
Season: Summer
Time of life: Youth
Time of day: Midday
Regent Planet: Mars
Elemental being: Salamander
Colours: Red and orange
Magical tools: Athame and ceremonial dagger
Tarot reading: Wands or Swords in the Minor Arcana. Wands are traditionally associated with fire and still are in most tarot decks, however, increasingly decks are being published with Swords associated with Fire. This is still a matter of debate within the esoteric and Wiccan community.[18]
Altar tool: Candle
Masculine energy
Other: Correspondences include blood, the guitar, thunder, drum beat rubies and in writing fire is sometimes represented by a red upwards triangle.
In rituals, fire is represented in the forms of burning objects, love spells, baking and lighting candles or fires.
The manifestations of the element are found in the sun, volcanoes, lava and all forms of light. Cats of all types, especially the lion and tiger are also thought to personify the element of fire, as are all predatory creatures, such as the fox.
Other mythic and legendary creatures of fire include phoenix, dragon and occasionally the hawk.
Fire represents the creativity and passion that all intellectual and emotional beings have. It is an active force that has the passion to create and animate things. The element is also very rational and quick to flare up as is the personality of many fire-children.
Fire in many ancient cultures and myths has been known to purify the land with the flames of destruction, however, it is also capable of the renewal of life through the warmth and comfort of those very same flames.
The element of fire shows up in mythological stories all across the world, often in stories related to the sun.
In East Asia fire is represented by the Vermilion Bird, known as 朱雀 (Zhū Què) in Chinese, Suzaku in Japanese and Ju-jak (주작, Hanja:朱雀) in Korean. Fire is represented in the Aztec religion by a flint; to the Native Americans, a mouse; to the Hindu and Islamic faiths, a lightning bolt; to the Scythians, an axe, to the Greeks, an apple-bough; and in Christian iconography, a lion.
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The elemental weapon of earth is the Pentacle. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of earth is Uriel, the angel is Phorlakh, the ruler is Kerub, the king is Ghob, and the earth elementals (following Paracelsus) are called gnomes. Earth is considered to be passive; it is represented by the symbol for Taurus, and it is referred to the lower left point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram. Many of these associations have since spread throughout the occult community.
It is sometimes represented by its Tattva or by a downward pointing triangle with a horizontal line through it.
Cardinal direction: West
Season: Spring
Time of life: Aged
Time of day: Twilight
Regent Planet: Saturn
Elemental being: Gnome
Colors: Brown and green
Magical tools: Pentacle and staff
Tarot reading: Coins in the Minor Arcana
Altar tool: Pentacle
Feminine energy
Other: Correspondences include strength, stability and abundance.
In rituals earth is represented by burying objects in the ground, carving images out of wood or stone, herbalism or using animal fur and bones.
The manifestations of the earth element are found in plants, trees, mountains, forests, caves and gardens. The bear, boar, bull, sow and stag are also thought to personify the element as are all burrowing animals, such as the mole or rabbit. Other legendary and mythical creatures of earth include the Faun, Goblin, Satyr and Sylvester.
In East Asia, metal is sometimes seen as the equivalent of earth and is represented by the White Tiger (Chinese constellation), known as 白虎 (Bái Hǔ) in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese, Bạch Hổ in Vietnamese and Baekho (백호, Hanja:白虎) in Korean. Earth is represented in the Aztec religion by a house; to the Hindus, a lotus; to the Scythians, a plough; to the Greeks, a wheel; and in Christian iconography by a bull.
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The elemental weapon of air is the dagger which must be painted yellow with magical names and sigils written upon it in violet. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of air is Raphael, the angel is Chassan, the ruler is Aral, the king is Paralda, and the air elementals (following Paracelsus) are called sylphs. Air is considerable and it is referred to the upper left point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.
Cardinal direction: East
Season: Autumn
Time of life: Infancy
Time of day: Sunrise
Regent Planet: Mercury
Elemental being: Sylph
Colors: Yellow and white
Magical tools: Sword
Tarot reading: Wands or Swords in the Minor Arcana. Swords are traditionally associated with air and still are in most tarot decks, however, increasingly decks are being published with the Wands association. This is still a matter of debate within the esoteric and Wiccan community.
Altar tool: Incense
Masculine energy
Other: Correspondences include mind, intellect, study, consciousness and communications.
Enlil was the god of air in ancient Sumer. Shu was the ancient Egyptian god of air and the husband of Tefnut, goddess of moisture. He became an emblem of strength by virtue of his role in separating Nut from Geb. He played a primary role in the Coffin Texts, which were spells intended to help the deceased reach the realm of the afterlife safely. On the way to the sky, the spirit had to travel through the air as one spell indicates: "I have gone up in Shu, I have climbed on the sunbeams."
In East Asia, air is seen as the equivalent of wood. Air is represented in the Aztec religion by a snake to the Scythians, a yoke to the Hindus and for Greeks as a sword[citation needed] and in Christian iconography as mankind.
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According to ancient and medieval science aether (Greek αἰθήρ aithēr), also spelled æther or ether, is the material that fills the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere.
The word αἰθήρ (aithēr) in Homeric Greek means "pure, fresh air" or "clear sky", imagined in Greek mythology to be the pure essence where the gods lived and which they breathed, analogous to the air breathed by mortals (also personified as a deity, Aether, the son of Erebus and Nyx). It is related to αἴθω "to incinerate", also intransitive "to burn, to shine" (related is the name Aithiopes (Ethiopians)), meaning "people with a burnt (black) visage". See also Empyrean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empyrean
In Plato's Timaeus (St-55c) Plato described aether as "that which God used in the delineation of the universe." Aristotle (Plato's student at the Akademia) included aether in the system of the classical elements of Ionian philosophy as the "fifth element" (the quintessence), on the principle that the four terrestrial elements were subject to change and moved naturally in straight lines while no change had been observed in the celestial regions and the heavenly bodies moved in circles. In Aristotle's system aether had no qualities (was neither hot, cold, wet, or dry), was incapable of change (with the exception of change of place), and by its nature moved in circles, and had no contrary, or unnatural, motion. Medieval scholastic philosophers granted aether changes of density, in which the bodies of the planets were considered to be more dense than the medium which filled the rest of the universe. Robert Fludd stated that the aether was of the character that it was "subtler than light". Fludd cites the 3rd century view of Plotinus, concerning the aether as penetrative and non-material. See also Arche http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arche
Akasha:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akasha
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Air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its supposed fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as aspire, inspire, perspire and spirit, all derived from the Latin spirare.
Air is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. According to Plato, it is associated with the octahedron; air is considered to be both hot and wet. The ancient Greeks used two words for air: aer meant the dim lower atmosphere, and aether meant the bright upper atmosphere above the clouds.[1] Plato, for instance writes that "So it is with air: there is the brightest variety which we call aether, the muddiest which we call mist and darkness, and other kinds for which we have no name...."[2] Among the early Greek Pre-Socratic philosophers, Anaximenes (mid-6th century BCE) named air as the arche.[3] A similar belief was attributed by some ancient sources to Diogenes Apolloniates (late 5th century BCE), who also linked air with intelligence and soul (psyche), but other sources claim that his arche was a substance between air and fire.[4] Aristophanes parodied such teachings in his play The Clouds by putting a prayer to air in the mouth of Socrates.
Air was one of many archai proposed by the Pre-socratics, most of whom tried to reduce all things to a single substance. However, Empedocles of Acragas (c. 495-c. 435 BCE) selected four archai for his four roots: Air, fire, water, and earth. Ancient and modern opinions differ as to whether he identified air by the divine name Hera, Aidoneus or even Zeus. Empedocles’ roots became the four classical elements of Greek philosophy. Plato (427-347 BCE) took over the four elements of Empedocles. In the Timaeus, his major cosmological dialogue, the Platonic solid associated with air is the octahedron which is formed from eight equilateral triangles. This places air between fire and water which Plato regarded as appropriate because it is intermediate in its mobility, sharpness, and ability to penetrate. He also said of air that its minuscule components are so smooth that one can barely feel them.
Plato's student Aristotle (384-322 BCE) developed a different explanation for the elements based on pairs of qualities. The four elements were arranged concentrically around the center of the universe to form the sublunary sphere. According to Aristotle, air is both hot and wet and occupies a place between fire and water among the elemental spheres. Aristotle definitively separated air from aether. For him, aether was an unchanging, almost divine substance that was found only in the heavens, where it formed celestial spheres.
In ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Blood was the humor identified with air, since both were hot and wet. Other things associated with air and blood in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of spring, since it increased the qualities of heat and moisture; the sanguine temperament (of a person dominated by the blood humour); hermaphrodite (combining the masculine quality of heat with the feminine quality of moisture); and the northern point of the compass.
The alchemical symbol for air is an upward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line.
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Fire is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with the qualities of energy, assertiveness, and passion. In one Greek myth, Prometheus stole fire from the gods to protect the otherwise helpless humans, but was punished for this charity.
Fire was one of many archai proposed by the Pre-socratics, most of whom sought to reduce the cosmos, or its creation, by a single substance. Heraclitus (c. 535 BCE – c. 475 BCE) considered fire to be the most fundamental of all elements. He believed fire gave rise to the other three elements: "All things are an interchange for fire, and fire for all things, just like goods for gold and gold for goods." He had a reputation for obscure philosophical principles and for speaking in riddles. He described how fire gave rise to the other elements as the: "upward-downward path", (ὁδὸς ἄνω κάτω), a "hidden harmony" or series of transformations he called the "turnings of fire", (πυρὸς τροπαὶ), first into sea, and half that sea into earth, and half that earth into rarefied air. A concept that anticipates both the four classical elements of Empedocles and Aristotle's transmutation of the four elements into one another.
This world, which is the same for all, no one of gods or men has made. But it always was and will be: an ever-living fire, with measures of it kindling, and measures going out.
Heraclitus regarded the soul as being a mixture of fire and water, with fire being is the more noble part and water the ignoble aspect. He believed the goal of the soul is to be rid of water and become pure fire: the dry soul is the best and it is worldly pleasures make the soul "moist". He was known as the "weeping philosopher" and died of hydropsy, a swelling due to abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin.
However, Empedocles of Acragas (c. 495 - c. 435 BCE), is best known for having selected all elements as his archai and by the time of Plato (427 - 347 BCE), the four Empedoclian elements of were well established. In the Timaeus, Plato's major cosmological dialogue, the Platonic solid he associated with fire was the tetrahedron which is formed from four triangles and contains the least volume with the greatest surface area. This also makes fire the element with the smallest number of sides, and Plato regarded it as appropriate for the heat of fire, which he felt is sharp and stabbing, (like one of the points of a tetrahedra).
Plato’s student Aristotle (384 - 322 BCE) did not maintain his former teacher's geometric view of the elements, but rather preferred a somewhat more naturalistic explanation for the elements based on their traditional qualities. Fire the hot and dry element, like the other elements was an abstract principle and not identical with the normal solids, liquids and combustion phenomena we experience:
What we commonly call fire. It is not really fire, for fire is an excess of heat and a sort of ebullition; but in reality, of what we call air, the part surrounding the earth is moist and warm, because it contains both vapour and a dry exhalation from the earth.
According to Aristotle, the four elements rise or fall toward their natural place in concentric layers surrounding the center of the earth and form the terrestrial or sublunary spheres.
In ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Yellow bile was the humor identified with fire, since both were hot and dry. Other things associated with fire and yellow bile in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of summer, since it increased the qualities of heat and aridity; the choleric temperament (of a person dominated by the yellow bile humour); the masculine; and the eastern point of the compass.
Alchemical symbol for fire
In alchemy the chemical element of sulfur was often associated with fire and its alchemical symbol and its symbol was an upward-pointing triangle. In alchemic tradition, metals are incubated by fire in the womb of the Earth and alchemists only accelerate their development.
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Water is one of the elements in ancient Greek philosophy, in the Asian Indian system Panchamahabhuta, and in the Chinese cosmological and physiological system Wu Xing. In contemporary esoteric traditions, it is commonly associated with the qualities of emotion and intuition.
Water was one of many archai proposed by the Pre-socratics, most of whom tried to reduce all things to a single substance. However, Empedocles of Acragas (c. 495-c. 435 BC) selected four archai for his four roots: air, fire, water and earth. Empedocles roots became the four classical elements of Greek philosophy. Plato (427-347 BC) took over the four elements of Empedocles. In the Timaeus, his major cosmological dialogue, the Platonic solid associated with water is the icosahedron which is formed from twenty equilateral triangles. This makes water the element with the greatest number of sides, which Plato regarded as appropriate because water flows out of one's hand when picked up, as if it is made of tiny little balls.
Plato’s student Aristotle (384-322 BC) developed a different explanation for the elements based on pairs of qualities. The four elements were arranged concentrically around the center of the Universe to form the sublunary sphere. According to Aristotle, water is both cold and wet and occupies a place between air and earth among the elemental spheres.
In ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Phlegm was the humor identified with water, since both were cold and wet. Other things associated with water and phlegm in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of Winter, since it increased the qualities of cold and moisture; the phlegmatic temperament, the feminine, the brain and the western point of the compass.
In alchemy, the chemical element of mercury was often associated with water and its alchemical symbol was a downward-pointing triangle.
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Earth is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with qualities of heaviness, matter and the terrestrial world. Due to the hero cults, and chthonic underworld deities, the elemental of earth is also associated with the sensual aspects of both life and death in later occultism.
Empedocles of Acragas (c. 495 – c. 435 BCE) proposed four archai by which to understand the cosmos: fire, air, water, and earth. Plato (427 – 347 BCE) believed the elements were geometric forms (the platonic solids) and he assigned the cube to the element of earth in his dialogue Timaeus. Aristotle, (384–322 BCE), believed earth was the heaviest element, and his theory of natural place suggested that any earth–laden substances, would fall quickly, straight down, toward the center of the cosmos.
In Classical Greek and Roman myth, various goddesses represented the Earth, seasons, crops and fertility, including Demeter and Persephone; Ceres; the Horae (goddesses of the seasons), and Proserpina; and Hades (Pluto) who ruled the souls of dead in the Underworld.
In ancient Greek medicine, each of the four humours became associated with an element. Black bile was the humor identified with earth, since both were cold and dry. Other things associated with earth and black bile in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of fall, since it increased the qualities of cold and aridity; the melancholic temperament (of a person dominated by the black bile humour); the feminine; and the southern point of the compass.
In alchemy, earth was believed to be primarily cold, and secondarily dry, (as per Aristotle). Beyond those classical attributes, the chemical substance salt, was associated with earth and its alchemical symbol was a downward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line.
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It is believed by many modern Pagans that the Akasha, Spirit, is the Fifth Element. Scott Cunningham describes the Akasha as the spiritual force that Earth, Air, Fire, and Water descend from. Some also believe that the combination of the four elements make up that which is Akasha, and that Akasha exists in every living creature in existence; without Akasha, there is no spirit, no soul, no magic.
The Five Elements are worked with to create positive changes on earth. This is done through meditation to bring about beneficial changes in one’s life. Akashan spirituality is holistic.
Practitioners learn to maintain mental and physical health through meditation, exercise, ritual and diet. They are expected to have a profound commitment to their life path.
The upward point of the pentacle, the pentagram or five pointed star within a circle, represents Akasha. The others represent Fire, Earth, Air and Water. While Earth is considered "north"; Fire is "south"; air is "east"; Water is "west", while Akasha is "center".
In Buddhist phenomenology Akasha is divided into Skandha, Desa, and Pradesa.
The Vaibhashika, an early school of Buddhist philosophy, hold Akasha's existence to be real.
Ākāsa is identified as the first arūpa jhāna (arūpajhāna), but usually translates as "infinite space."
Akasha is space in the Jain conception of the cosmos. It falls into the Ajiva category, divided into two parts: Loakasa (the part occupied by the material world) and Aloakasa (the space beyond it which is absolutely void and empty). In Loakasa the universe forms only a part. Akasha is that which gives space and makes room for the existence of all extended substances.
In Hinduism Akasha means the basis and essence of all things in the material world; the first material element created from the astral world (Air, Fire, Water, Earth are the other four in sequence). It is one of the Panchamahabhuta, or "five elements"; its main characteristic is Shabda (sound). In Sanskrit the word means "space", the very first element in creation. In Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, and many other Indian languages, the meaning of Akasha has been accepted as sky.[1]
The Nyaya and Vaisheshika schools of Hindu philosophy state that Akasha or ether is the fifth physical substance, which is the substratum of the quality of sound. It is the One, Eternal, and All Pervading physical substance, which is imperceptible.[2]
According to the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, Akasha is one of the five Mahābhūtas (grand physical elements) having the specific property of sound.
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Direction- North.
Color- green.
Elemental beings are gnomes.
Earth Animals are the wolf, owl, dragon, stag, and wild cats.
Stones are onyx, jade, amethyst, and flourite.
Rules spells dealing with fertility, jobs, money, business, health, ecology and nature, and stability.
Air- A Masculine element.
Direction- East.
Color- yellow.
Elemental beings are sylphs.
Air animals are doves, the wolf, fox, deer, and turtle.
Stones are moonstone, tourquoise, and rhodochrosite.
Rules spells dealing with memory, intellect, test taking, divination and psychic ability, travel, and overcoming addictions.
Fire- A Masculine element.
Direction- South.
Color- red.
Elemental beings are salamanders.
Fire animals are the porcupine, coyote, fox, squirrel, hawk, mouse, deer, bear, and snakes.
Stones are amber, citrine, smoky crystals, gold, and copper.
Fire rules spells dealing with success, sex, illness, protection, legal matters, competitions, strength, and energy.
Water- A Feminine element.
Direction- West.
Color-blue.
Elemental beings are undines.
Animals are all sea mammals and sea birds, fish, night
creatures, and the raven. Stones are silver, river rocks, amethyst, coral, seashells, and rainbow colored crystals.
Water rules spells dealing with love, friendship, meditation, healing, dreams, childbirth, clairvoyance and purification.
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The north is the quarter of the earth, of fertility, physical strength, and stability. The pentacle may be placed here, or a bowl or earth, or even a bowl of salt. In Irish traditions, a large crystal is often used to represent the mythical La Fal talisman, the stone upon which the ancient kings of Ireland were crowned.
The east is the quarter of air, of intelligence and knowledge, communication and spirituality. A censor with smoldering incense, feathers, or sometimes flowers could be used. Irish traditions tend to use a sword, representing the Sword of Nuada.
The south is the quarter of fire, of passion and change, of health and success. Some would use an oil lamp or other representation of fire in this quarter. There are practitioners who use a staff, which is representative of the Spear of Lugh from Irish mythology.
The west is the quarter of water, of emotions and love, of psychic powers and healing. Commonly found here is a cup or bowl filled with water. Many place their cauldrons there, and if they follow an Irish tradition, this represents the Cauldron of Dagda, which, in Irish mythology, was associated with abundance and healing.
The elemental weapon of water is the cup. Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of water is Gabriel, the angel is Taliahad, the ruler is Tharsis, the king is Nichsa and the water elementals are called Undines. It is referred to the upper right point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.
Cardinal direction: North
Season: Winter
Time of life: Maturity
Time of day: Midnight
Regent Planet: Neptune
Elemental being: Ondine
Colors: Ocean blue, sea green, dusky violet, gray and black
Magical tools: Cup
Tarot reading: Cups in the Minor Arcana
Altar tool: Cup
Feminine energy
Other: Correspondences include emotion, compassion, divination, intuition, healing, dreams and psychical abilities.
The manifestations of the element of water are rivers, oceans, lakes, wells, rain, fog, ice, snow, streams and all drinks. Animals, especially the seal, dolphin, crab, turtle, frog and all types of fish are also thought to personify the element of water. Other mythic and legendary creatures of water include the Mermaid, Oread, Naiad and Sea Serpent. Water Elemental Characters are commonly described as kind, timid, shy and commonly weaker, but some of the most dangerous natural disasters are water based. Examples are hurricanes, tsunamis and tidal waves.