The Tools Of The Mystics: A brief look at the concept of the classical element
- Ludvick Vanleinbock
- Jun 9, 2017
- 4 min read
What is mysticism? Derived from the root word of mystery, it was originally viewed as a branch of philosophy that covered spiritual insight and granted practitioners the ability to transcend ordinary sensory experiences and understanding. Mysticism was built on the foundation that a personal connection with the divine internal energy source could be established and that one may be able to commune with this energy in a trance-like state of consciousness. Today it can be seen that there are many mysticism like concepts in various amounts of both traditional religions and pagan belief systems. In a previous article “The new age spirituality ” the idea was proposed that new age as a whole was simply a synthesis of metaphysical topics redefined in a manner to connect to an individual personally. However there is one particular mystical understanding that had accomplished this feat long before the New Age Spiritual Revival began. The classical elements.
The elements try to explain the reasoning behind the occurrences in our reality, they have resurfaced and all different parts of the world throughout history in various schools of study. The elements have been used in order to make sense of human personality and is even used in order to understand astrology and tarot cards. The elements do provide some basis of understanding but like many theories it is not 100 % conclusive and should not be taken as if they were written in stone, to be followed to the letter.
Fire
Some believe that every individual is made up of four separate aspects : the mind, the heart, the body and the soul. Every aspect is represented by one of the four classical elements. Fire is associated with the aspect of the soul, which is most likely the origin for the term of one’s ” inner fire”. One of the common characteristics of fire is that it contains energy, which when humanized can be viewed in acts of bravery, valiant behavior and high levels of enthusiasm. Those whom are dominant in the element of fire have an affinity for intuition, as well as tremendous amounts of passion and often times viewed as being very assertive. These individuals have a natural gift with creativity and tend to be very extroverted. Influenced primarily by a strong sense of will fiery people contain many of effective qualities of leadership. Fires is characterized as an element that is both hot and dry, which can attest to much of the understanding of this element in many different ways. Typically someone dominant in the element of fire formulates their own perspective for themselves and lives their life in a way that many must adhere to their particular way of being, for to fire their way is the right and just way. Astrological signs associated with the element of fire are Leo, Sagittarius and Aries.
Air
Air is associated with the aspect of the mind. Those whom are dominant in the elements of tend to be highly intelligent individuals that are that are driven that are driven by pure logic and reason. These individuals have true mental depth and thrive on high levels of communication. Conceptualization is common practice and oftentimes leads them to be figures of authority. Air is characterized as being both hot and wet giving it a strong sense of balance between fire and water. This balance, along with high levels of intelligence, allow these individuals to become very sharp, able to see many sides of an issue and grasp many different concepts despite the level of difficulty. In addition to those traits individuals that are dominant in the air element all the concept of virtue with the up most value and therefore have a song strengths of justice. Astrological signs the associated with the element of air are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.
Water
Water is associated with the aspect of the heart. Those dominant in the element of water are very much in tune with emotional energy and feelings. The spiritual connection is often times defined as something one feels more then sees, which inadvertently makes those of the water element very spiritual beings. These individuals have a high sense of empathy, which allows them to be very compassionate and forgiving people. The power of imagination is strong with the water element, making dreams just as important as life itself. Instinctive actions are words are but common practice among those of the water, ultimately making some very nurturing. Oftentimes finding connection between people, ideas or actions grants these people a tremendous amount of insight. Water is seen as having both cold and wet characteristics, which helps to identify the depth these two features represent. Water is ever-flowing, ever-changing as such spontaneity it's just another day in the life of water. The astrological signs for the element of water are Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio.
Earth
Earth is associated with the aspect of the body. Focus is of the external kind, which often times is recognized as materialistic but can also be interpreted as what is needed for the self physically before all other needs. The element of Earth is very keen to the senses, giving many dominant of the earth element an edge on all forms of the arts. Since Earth is typically associated with structure, those strong in the element of the earth tend to prefer consistency and stability to the point of predictability. Earth's draw two nearsighted and single-minded ideals increase the likelihood of stubbornness and possessiveness. Considered as one of the heaviest of the elements, earth has this tendency the fall quicker and easier than any other of the elements, which often times leads to overindulgence. Ironically enough Earth is considered to be the most calming and grounding of all the elements, which is expressed in the term “down to earth”. The characteristics of Earth if you does cold and dry, which just further explain many of its personality traits. The astrological signs associated with the element Earth are Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo.
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