This thread consists of the individual threads on the elements that are within the coven's forums as a way of cleaning the place up without destroying any information on them.
Your Basics Elements
Posted by Britty_55 (Nov 08, 2009) :
What the elements have to do with psionics is the fact that all the psionics or at least 99% of them, are dealing with the ability to control one or even multiple elements.
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Basic 4 Elements Everyone Should Know
From highest density to lowest and their placement on a pentagram (you'll need this trust me):
Earth- Bottom Left Point (corner)
Water- Higher Right Point
Fire- Bottom Right Point
Air/Wind- Higher Left Point
Spirit (which isn't really and element)- The Very Center
And the top point is often either empty or light/dark or chaos will fill it.
But neither light, dark or chaos are truly elements so I don't suggest putting anything in the top.
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Some of Your Basic Subelements
Basic sub-elements and their compositions:
Ice- presence of air, presence of water, absence of fire
Lightening- presence of air, presence of fire
Plants- presence of water, presence of earth, absence of fire
There are many more but no time to list them...
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How to Use Psionic Abilities
If a basic element:
*Need to know the element you wish to control
*The proper precautions needed
*The type of psi needed
If a sub-element:
*Need to knwo the sub-element you wish to control
*Need to knwo it's compositions
*Able to use all the composition (recommended)
*The proper precautions needed (sub-elements are normally more powerful than the basic 4)
*The type of psi needed
In ''Chemistry. one of a class of substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical means.''
There are others that include the four main elements as such, however I think this is the most important definition.
I believe this for this reason, the elements that are commonly recognized by Westerners aren't always recognized by others. Within other cultures and/or religious and/or magickal paths different elements are used and put forward as important. Light and dark was included as a possible element, however they were rejected because they aren't truly elements. For instance wood, fire, earth, metal, and water are Chinese elements, whereas Japanese adds wind and lightning to the mix.
Also I feel differently as light and dark can't be reduced into any smaller components. Because of this it would make them elements that don't fit very well into the traditional 4 (or 5 elements in most cases).
Citation for dictionary quote:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/element
It's important to remember that everything we all post in here is going to be subject to the views of our culture. Seeing it from another perspective will help us not only understand it, but also see the connections.
Personally, I lean towards the western acceptance of the 4 elements and ignore sub-elements as I can rationalize them as falling into one of the 4 instead of separating them by multiple elements.
I generally use the four main ones when I use ''elements'', however lately I have been using light and dark energies a lot in my workings. ^_^ I just enjoy doing so more than the others. That being said, I just wanted to interject my opinion on leaving all possibilities open when looking at elements, including the sub-elements for some. Lol. ^_^ Sometimes we can work better with things that seem odd to others.
In my opinion, no matter what you call elements you are made up of all the 4 main ones, spirit (which I count as the soul), light, and dark. I feel this is so because heat keeps our blood flowing and thus keeps us alive, water makes up the majority of our bodies, air is needed for us to breathe, earth gives us shelter and food, spirit gives us our higher natures, and light and dark both reveal and hide and give us many other aspects.
Other things I have not included could be considered to be elements as well, such as chaos and order. Honestly I believe elements are upto the opinion of the individual practitioner. ^_^
My only interjection is of the use of light & dark. Unless discussing night & day, energy holds no shade. As we say Magick is of no color, other than the intent attached with it. Simple definition of Magick is manipulating the energy within in yourself and around you so that your will may manifest itself on the planes of existence.
Since Magick holds no color, then the energy holds no color since magick is used to describe what we do with energy. In different cultures mal-content has been the reasoning in over shadowing energy or Magick as being of light or dark. Which then comes down to what you consider morally good or bad.
Ex.; A person heals another of cancer using magick..since it is that of healing one might call the practitioner a light worker in using ''light'' energies. But since in order to rid the body of cancer cells (living, procreating cells) you must kill them, thus many would called this the working of ''black'' magick, since in order to heal the patient death to a living set of cells must occur.
Over the decades we as society have lost the translation and understanding of what is light and dark. A lot of what caused this here of late seems to those unwise passing the information on to their peers and the ''wow'' factor. ''Wow'' factor is something a good part of our youth use for attention, acceptance, and/or even fear... your friends are hassling you, ''What are you doing man?'', ''I practice ''Black Magick'', leave me alone.''....Wow!
Reason this screwed up method takes so much notice is the fact that black and chaos carry a mislabeled and ''bad'' rep with them. Due to the fact that what most people do not understand they fear and hate.
Some people believe Light and Dark, and Chaos and Order to be elements.
I do not agree with this. They are not of matter. It's like calling sound an element, they are created by reactions between elements (the periodic ones). Without light, you can not have dark; and without dark, you can not light. Without chaos you can not have order; and without order, you can not have chaos.
Elements of magic are independent, they are created by energy and matter. They are of a different nature than abstract concepts such as Chaos and Order.
Without one you can still have the others.
Drechen, when I talk about light and dark I don't mean white magick and black magick at all. Lol. I don't believe in their existence as an actual thing, however that being said I feel everything in existence has some sort of feel towards it energy-wise, even if its just within your own mind. >.O
The reason I use the terms light and dark is for a simple reason, I am using them to describe a state of being. Dark is stability to me, whereas light is the opposite to me. Calling them dark and light is just a way of me labeling it in some form that makes it easier to describe. Actual light and dark may have no energy, but stability versus lack of stability does. Solidity does. I classify certain energies according to this, i.e. void would fit into darkness because even though its a space of nothingness, it still is stable and unchanging.
Zea, without each of the elements, no life would exist, without each of the elements, nothing may well exist. Everything is made up of the ''5'' main elements, yet as Spirit is commonly referred to as all of the others combined, wouldn't that remove it as an element according to your definition?
I only call them elements because to me I feel they are important enough energies to recognize as such. That's all ''elements'' really are if you look at it.
Yes, never have I considered Spirit an element.
And I personally did not notice you flat out call them elements (until now), thus my post was directed at you. It was a general statement regarding the topic.
I have heard many many people within my time here ask about how they find their element.
As many know it is true that Zodiac is a good way of starting out or getting a hint. But be warned, what element is of your Zodiac is not always that of your own.
Example:
I am a Cancer and that goes for Cardinal Water.
My primary element turns out to be fire, then water and going onto my primary ''sub-element'' weather which I won't get into those right now.
Anyway here is the table I found on wikipedia to show which elements fall under which Zodiacs.
Sign
Aries
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English name
The Ram
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Element
Fire
--
Quality
Cardinal
________________________________________________________
Sign
Taurus
--
English name
The Bull
--
Element
Earth
--
Quality
Fixed
______________________________________________
Sign
Gemini
--
English name
The Twins
--
Element
Air
--
Quality
Mutable
______________________________________________________
Sign
Cancer
--
English name
The Crab
--
Element
Water
--
Quality
Cardinal
________________________________________________________ _
Sign
Leo
--
English name
The Lion
--
Element
Fire
--
Quality
Fixed
_______________________________________________________
Sign
Virgo
--
English name
The Virgin
--
Element
Earth
--
Quality
Mutable
________________________________________________________ _____
Sign
Libra
--
English name
The Scales
--
Element
Air
--
Quality
Cardinal
________________________________________________________ _
Sign
Scorpio
--
English name
The Scorpion
--
Element
Water
--
Quality
Fixed
________________________________________________________ _
Sign
Sagittarius
--
English name
The Archer
--
Element
Fire
--
Quality
Mutable
________________________________________________________ _
Sign
Capricorn
--
English name
The Sea-goat
--
Element
Earth
--
Quality
Cardinal
________________________________________________________ _
Sign
Aquarius
--
English name
The Water Carrier
--
Element
Air
--
Quality
Fixed
________________________________________________________ _
Sign
Pisces
--
English name
The Two Fish
--
Element
Water
--
Quality
Mutable
________________________________________________________ _
Cardinal signs- are associated with initiation and creativity
Fixed signs- are associated with stabilization and determination
Mutable signs- are associated with resourcefulness, holism and adaptability
