hey quick question i was meditating n the elements the other day and i was getting like this strong feeling that there were more than the five we deal with in wicca. the ones i know we deal with is water,earth,air,fire, and spirit. however i was getting a strong feeling that lightning was another element in wicca as well as a yinyang scenario type deal. and i know that the elements relate to life and these relate to life as well for example he brain is full of electrical impulses and lightning is a natural force in nature not connected to anyy of the other elements as far as im aware of. and as far as the yin yang scenario thing well with out that life would have almost no meaning and i think that this is the drive that keeps every living thing goin. so is my theory correct as to where there isnt 5 elements there are actually eight with all of them combined making life?
there are alot more natural forces in the world then the 5 alchemical elements that most folks use from the western tradition. However sticking to a essential elemental set usually simplifies things for understanding. From what I've been taught and have come to understand, In eastern traditions there is fire water air metal and wood. metal having the cold and hard nature most folks associate with earth whereas wood symbolizing growth represents life or spirit. which thus again essentially boils down to the 5 elements being fire,water,earth,air, and spirit. from a more trinity like perspective in some older european traditions the realms of the world of men and thus the most profound elements are earth, sea, and sky and in this elemental model fire since it is one of the few elements rarely found existing in nature without aid symbolizes spirit and thus completes the alchemical element model.
personally i use the normal alchemical model but i also use a secondary more complex model that depicts the 4 elements and cross elements like,mud,mist, or magma and the negative or the cold/less lively forms of the elements like ice ,crystal/metal,gas, and lightning. However the concept of yin and yang is drawn from the concepts of good and evil which in truth are seperate from the powers and ideas behind light and dark. which are another thing entirely. You should study alchemy both european and eastern to get a better personal understanding.
You could say there are more elements then just earth, air, fire, water and spirit. However when you look at them from another perspective they are just a combination of two or more of the five elements. As for yin and yang, they are not necessarily elements. It is the concept of balance. Masculinity and femininity, heat and cold, alkaline and base lol. Do a bit of research if you wish to know more on that subject. Love, light and blessings :)
well yes i do realize that there are the regular five and there are more elements but my studies have been focused the combination of all elements into one and when i was meditating on just the five it felt like there was more than that to bring forth life. cause the greeks thought inorder to make life all the gods needed was earth (clay [for form and stability] ), water (to mold and and to allow movement), air (for breath), and fire (so the form may be kept). then they thought for spirit it came directly from the gods. but with time and study weve utterly now abolished this. we know there are at least 92 elements in nature. however wicca sticks to the alchemical aspect. which are the ones for life. but our brain uses electricity to send signals through the body so we may move and act. this is your crown chakra. and then also within our brain is the frontal lobe which tells us right from wrong and this aspect exists within every single living thing. from humans to ants and from acorns to oak trees. the frontal lobe is alo where another chakra zone is. we call it our third eye. and as for the other elements and where they belong well air is the chakra in your throat. fire is the one in your chest. earth is the base of your spine. water is 2 inches below the belly button (naval). and spirit is located where the chest meets. if you look at the greeks or romans (extremely similar gods sorry if i got them confused.) earth was the body, water helped give it form, spirit the gods gave and fire was its creation, and air they didnt think much of other than everyone and everything needed it.
Re: the 7 elements of life? By: AwakeTooLong / Knowledgeable
Post # 5 Feb 06, 2012
You are recreating the chakras.
If you wish to deconstruct the building blocks of life in the same manner that the period table has, please discuss the spiritual/magical qualities of the element of rhuthenium or osmium.
Re: the 7 elements of life? By: Brysing Moderator / Adept
Post # 9 Nov 17, 2015
Tym, you do try to "think" in the abstract, and that is a good thing. But you must also study! We use the term "electric impulses" in the body, but that's just to simplify the description of what actually happens; it is not really electricity.
Then you say that lightning is not connected to any other element.
Not true!
Lightning is caused by water, in the form of water-vapour, in the form of clouds. There's the "connection".
Re: the 7 elements of life? By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 10 Nov 17, 2015
Darkness is not an Element.
In the Western Mystery Traditions the five Elements are Earth, Air, Fire, Wate. These are taken from the writings of the ancient Greeks. Some later added a fifth Element of Spirit or Aether.
In the Orient the five Elements are Earth, Air, Fire, Wood, and Metal.
If one conbines the Western and the Eastern Traditions you come up with seven Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit/Aether, Wood and Metal. There is an excellent article on the subject at http://www.friesian.com/elements.htm This is where the concept of seven elements arises.
As for lightning/electricity, it is not an Element but rather a combination of Air/Fire.
Please note that the person who started this thread posted it three years ago and hasnt been back since.
