A Glimpse of Elementalism
To change things up a bit I’d like to talk about the Hellenic elements and what they represent.
The concept of element in an mystical sense is different from what is usually thought of and often portrayed as in the media. To use fire as an example, fire as flames is a very limited and incomplete view of elemental fire, even though it is the direct physical manifestation of elemental fire. Obviously to fully appreciate elementalism requires a departure from materialism to allow several different spheres of manifestation, the physical being one, but Hermeticism in particular also describes the elements as they emanate from “The All” through the celestial and mental spheres.
Celestial fire is elemental fire in its most pure form. Modern occult literature describes this fire as having the quality of being electric, along with the qualities of expansion, motion and brightness. It is something that would penetrate through all things.
The mental sphere is where fire obtains its mental associations, such as heat, passion, any emotion that could be considered ‘fiery’ in nature.
Physical fire in its most obvious form is the fire we know and respect, but this is not purely a manifestation of elemental fire. In the physical sphere any element does not exist on its own, but interplays with the others.
Infernal fire is the fire that only consumes and parches and gives no light nor heat.
There are also compounds of the elements that create more specific and complex qualities. For example, the fire of earth brings about the qualities of fuel or nourishment.
This has been an extremely brief overview of a small part of elementalism, but I hope it has at least been interesting.
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animaobscura posted this
