The Coming of the Element

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The Coming of the Element
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Post # 1
If we journey a little back in time, more specific to the Archaic period (800 BC - 480 BC), and perhaps the founding of the Elements as we know it today. A period of time which were governed by the search for the one, true element (the Arche). The pre-archaic believed that everything could be divided into the categories water, earth, fire and air.
Thales of Miletus argued against this. He believed that the princip of everyting was water.
("Water constituted the principle of all things.", as Diogenes Laertius quoted Thales)
Anaximenes of Miletus (the student of Anaximander - a collegue of Thales) believed that anything were compressed of air. A little abstract - perhaps - but he believed that when air condenses it becomes visible, and the condensed air would supposedly shape into earth, and in its final stage; stone.

This brings me to the end of my thread, and thereby my question. a little philosophical exercise:

Is there one true element?
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 2
Love.
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 3
But how would you define "Element"?
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 4
Akylos, you will have to be a little more specific. How can love be the one "true" element? Now, I will give a little example. Imagine you're visiting a bakery, and you see fifty similar gingerbreads. Of course, you can clearly see that these gingerbreads are not identical; some of them are misshaped, some of them is missing a corner, but they all look alike.
So you come to the result that they're ought to have one thing in common: the form. You haven't seen this form, but you know that it must exist.
This is what we are looking for. The element above them all; the form.

And to you, Akoura; Magic is commonly referred to as the art of manipulating your surroundings, and therefor the art of manipulating the elements.
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 5
Form is young,the higher forces are formless,ultimate,not binded via mundane existance.
Universe is there for love of exitance,and all you,from body to soul for love of two,two same,yet two split apart.
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 6
So once again we return to the love. How can love be of an higher existance? Or at least, how can love be the "true" element?
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 7
It's not. Love is too unstable and unreliable, and too abstract. It's just a concept, and a word meaning affection and care.

I personally think if there was a one true element, it'd have to be something very broad that the 4 main elements stand for in some way... like "creation" or "being".
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 8
Spirit.
It is the one true element that all the others are born from. Its stands within you and represents what makes you you and the power to do many things.
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 9
But can Spirit stand alone then, NeuKat? If spirit is our element, everything is born from this and eventually will become this again. Or so suggested Plato (not that he believed spirit to be the ultimate element, but that - based on Socrates ideals - everyting eventually will return to its former state).
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Re: The Coming of the Element
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Post # 10
Lady Snow, I agree with you on that particular part. Love is far too unstable.
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