4ElemDoctrinaOpsopaus

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The Ancient Greek Esoteric Doctrine of the Elements

Introduction

1998, John Opsopaus

Introduction to the ElementsThe discovery of the Four Elements is generally credited to Empedocles, a fifth

century BCE Greek from Sicily. Although he is commonly considered one of the foundersof estern science and philosophy, !eter "ingsley has presented convincing evidence thatit is #etter to vie$ him as an ancient Greek %&ivine 'an% (Theios An)r*, that is, a+atromantis (healerseer, %shaman%* and 'agos (priestmagician*. +n his o$n time he $asvie$ed as a prophet, healer, magician and savior. -is #eliefs and practices $ere #uilt onancient mystery traditions, including the rphic mysteries, the !ythagorean philosophy,and the under$orld mysteries of -ecate, &emeter, !ersephone and &ionysos. These $ereinfluenced #y nearEastern traditions such as /oroastrianism and Chaldean theurgy.Empedocles, in his turn, $as a source for the ma0or streams of estern mysticism and

magic, including alchemy, GraecoEgyptian magic (such as found in the Greek magicalpapyri*, 1eo!latonism, -ermeticism and Gnosticism. The Tetrasomia, or &octrine of theFour Elements, provides a #asic frame$ork underlying these and other spiritual traditions.(See "ingsley2s Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and !ythagoreanTradition, cited at the end of this article, for more on the Empedoclean tradition4 a revie$ isalso availa#le.*

The Elements or oots

Empedocles did not call his four principles %elements% (stoikheia*, #ut %roots%(rhi5ai* or even %rootclumps% (rhi56mata*. This is significant #ecause Empedocles

#elonged to the tradition of 7oot Cutters (7hi5otomoi* or her#al magicians, and especially#ecause he applied his theory to develop the doctrine of occult sympathies in plants("ingsley 899*.

Empedocles used a variety of $ords for each of the 7oots, and from their range ofmeanings $e can get some idea of his conception of the Elments. (+ capitali5e $ords suchas %Earth% and %Element% to distinguish the magical or spiritual concepts from the mundaneones.* For Earth he also used $ords meaning land, soil and ground. For ater he also used$ords meaning rain, s$eat, moisture, sea $ater and open sea. For Air he also used clear

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sky, heaven, firmament, #rilliance, ray, #eam, glance, eye, splendor, mist and cloud. (Thisinconsistency #et$een #right clear sky aith)r and misty clouds a)r $ill #e e;plained$hen $e discuss Air.* For Fire he also used flame, #la5e, lightning, sun, sunlight, #eamingand East. (See right, p. 8 &"


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The !o"ers or #ualities

+f $e $ant to understand the Elements as spiritual entities, $e must go deeper thanmetaphors #ased on material su#stances4 $e must grasp their essences. This $as firstaccomplished #y Aristotle in the century follo$ing Empedocles, $ho #ased his analysis onthe four !o$ers (&unameis* or ualities, $hich $ere pro#a#ly first enumerated #y

Empedocles. This dou#le pair of opponent !o$ers, arm versus Cool and &ry versus'oist, are the key to a deeper understanding of the Elements. ike the Elements, they must#e understood as spiritual forces rather than material @ualities ($arm, cold, dry, moist*.

The !o$ers manifest in as many $ays as the Elements. The !ythagoreans identifiedone of the most important of these, a natural progression that can #e called the rganicCycle. The first phase of gro$th is 'oist3 spring rains, pliant green shoots, rapid gro$th.The second phase is arm3 summer sun, flourishing individuality, mature vigor. The thirdis &ry3 autumn leaves, infle;i#le stems, stiffening 0oints. The fourth is Cool3 $inter chills,loss of identity, death. This cycle is also the #asis for one form of the alchemical %rotationof the elements,% from Earth to ater to Air to Fire and #ack to Earth. Although therganic Cycle can #e found throughout nature, Aristotle discovered the deeper essence ofthe ualities, $hich reveals their spiritual nature, as $e2ll e;plore in detail $hen $econsider the individual Elements.

elations $et"een the Elements

The relation #et$een the !o$ers and the Elements is represented in the $ellkno$nElemental S@uare or S@uare of pposition (see figure*. (+t is most common to place theElements at the corners and the !o$ers #et$een them, #ut it is #etter to place the !o$ers atthe corners, since they are a#solute, and the Elements #et$een them, since they aremi;tures of the !o$ers.* The S@uare sho$s that Earth is &ry and Cool, ater is Cool and'oist, Air is 'oist and arm, Fire is arm and &ry.

Aristotle further e;plains that in each Element one !o$er is dominant. ThereforeEarth is predominantly &ry, ater predominantly Cool, Air predominantly 'oist, and Firepredominantly arm. The dominant !o$er is the one in a counterclock$ise direction fromthe Element in the S@uare of pposition4 thus the arro$ #y each Element points to itsdominant !o$er. The vertical a;is represents the active ualities (arm, Cool*, thehori5ontal represents the passive ('oist, &ry*. The upper Elements (Air, Fire* are active,light and ascending, the lo$er (ater, Earth* are passive, heavy and descending. TheElements on the right are pure, e;treme and a#solutely light (Fire* or heavy (Earth*4 thoseon the left are mi;ed, intermediate and relatively light (Air* or heavy (ater*. The a#soluteElements e;hi#it unidirectional motion (ascending Fire, descending Earth*, $hereas therelative Elements (Air, ater* can also e;pand hori5ontally. The rganic Cycle (the cycleof the seasons* goes sun$ise around the s@uare.

Dnlike the chemical elements, the spiritual Elements can #e transformed into eachother, #ut only in accord $ith la$s discovered #y Aristotle (see Gill*. Dnderstanding thesela$s is a prere@uisite to transforming and com#ining them in their various manifestations.+n #rief, one Element can #e transformed directly into another only if they share a commonuality (and are thus ad0acent, not opposed on the Elemental S@uare*. For e;ample, ater


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is transformed into Air $hen the ater is acted on #y a larger @uantitiy of Air, since theater2s Coolness is %overpo$ered% #y the Air2s armth4 the common 'oist @uality isretained through the transformation. This process is reversi#le, since Air can #etransformed #ack into ater #y acting upon it $ith sufficient ater.

&irect transformation #et$een opposed Elements is impossi#le. Thus ater cannot#e transformed directly into Fire, since they have no common uality to give continuity tothe process, #ut the ater can #e transformed indirectly #y changing it first into Air orEarth. This occurs $hen the ater is acted upon #y a larger @uantity of Fire. e can movearound the S@uare, #ut not across it.

7aymon lull (c.:889:


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since they have in common the contracting, uniting Cool !o$er (see #elo$ on Coolness*4the do$n$ard triangle also sho$s these elements are descending (ater and Earth fall*.Conversely Air and Fire have the phallic triangle, #ecause they are traditionally male andmore active, since they have in common the e;panding, separating arm !o$er (discussed$ith Air*4 the up$ard triangle sho$s these elements are ascending (Air and Fire rise*. Thus

the Stoics associated the analytic, masculine Elements $ith ord (ogos* and thesynthetic, feminine Elements $ith 'atter (-ul)*. Finally, in the elemental signs for Air andEarth, the cross#ar represents a denser or grosser (less su#tle* form of the Element, as Earthis of ater, and Air of Fire.

%ourcesAristotle, &e Generatione et Corruptione (n Comingto#e and !assinga$ay*,

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loving, undiscriminating, indecisive, careless, nurturing, sympathetic, cooperative andcreative. Further, $hereas the arm po$er is e;panding, the Cool po$er is contracting,a#sor#ed, and in$arddirected4 psychologically it2s associated $ith concentration and@uietude. Because of its tendency to 0oin together, Coolness is sta#le, steadfast andenduring.

The Essence of Earth

1o$ $e may apply our understanding of the !o$ers to the element Earth. The Cooland &ry po$ers represent passive mi;ture and rigid structure, so Earth is passive formimposing (like a mold into $hich clay is pressed or $a; is poured*4 $e may call itstructuring, Therefore, Earth is the root of structure (infle;i#le synthesis*, materiali5ation(sta#le synthesis*, the physical $orld, crystalli5ed energy, and the psychological @ualities ofrealism and pragmatism.

Earth represents essentially inert matter (#ecause of the dominance of &ryness*4 it isprimarily fi;ed, $hereas all the other Elements have some mo#ility. Thus Earthcorresponds to the material #ody of living things, $hich must #e animated #y the otherElements in order to #e alive. Also, elemental Earth is associated $ith the time from theAutumn E@uino; (peak of &ryness* to the inter Solstice (peak of Coolness*, i.e., ourAutumn, $hich is primarily &ry (the dominant @uality of Earth*. The foregoing analysissho$s that Earth is #etter pictured as cold, dry ash or as hard crystal than as moist, $armloam. (The latter image is more suited to the mi;ture of ater and Earth, as $ill #ee;plained $hen $e come to ater.*

&era the Earth Goddess!eter "ingsley argues persuasively that Empedocles associated Earth $ith -era.

ne reason is that Empedocles calls -era %enlivening% (pheres#ios, literally, %life#ringing%*, $hich $as a traditional epithet of Earth Goddesses (including Gaia and&emeter*. ne might e;pect Earth to #e associated $ith -ades, #ut in Greek the Earth(Gaia, "hth6n* is mythically and grammatically feminine, $hich makes it more likely to #eassociated $ith -era. (hen $e discuss ater $e2ll see $hy Earth isn2t associated $ith1)stis, the other Goddess mentioned #y Empedocles.* The later, Stoic theory of theElements associates Earth $ith -ades, #ut this has little mythological support, #ecause theGreeks associate -ades $ith the alien Dnder$orld, not the familiar Earth. Furthermore, theStoic theory is #ased on a correspondence #et$een -era and Air, $hich seems plausi#le(-era is the $ife of the Sky God*, #ut has other pro#lems that $e2ll see $hen $e discussAir. (+n contrast, &i6n), sometimes called /eus2s %first $ife,% is a Sky Goddess4 indeed -ername is a feminine form of %/eus.%*

As discussed a#ove, one of the primary characteristics of Earth is its sta#ility.Therefore, -era is the protectress of the sta#le family and home, and the family in turn isthe sta#ili5er of the social order. Furthermore, -era is a fertility Goddess since She

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provides the sta#le foundation of procreation and of the survival of the species, $hichdiffers from the less predicta#le fertility of Aphrodite or !an.

+n this $ay She is responsi#le for the fertility of people, #ut %enlivening -era% isalso responsi#le for the fertility of the earth, and therefore is connected $ith Gaia, &emeter

and other Earth 'others. Thus the marriage of /eus and -era corresponds to the union of-eaven and Earth4 they unify the opposed elements Air and Earth. (/eus and -era are theord and ady, $hich is $hat -)r6s and -)ra mean in Greek.* -era rene$s -er virginityeach year #y #athing in the spring "anathos at 1auplia4 so also, the Elemental S@uaresho$s us that ater leads Earth around the (sun$ise* cycle of the seasons.

!lutarch (n +sis and siris* says that &emeter is the same as +sis, $ho is called the7ecipient, !reserver, &istri#utor, 'aterial !rinciple, Gentle 1urse, Allreceptive, Earth and'atter4 She is the Seat and !lace of Generation, and 7eceptive of Every Form ofGeneration. Thus, +sis and siris are the !reserver and the Creator, like -era and /eus.They correspond to the soil of Egypt (+sis* and the 1ile (siris*, $hich makes the landfertile. So also the opposites &ryness and 'oisture are the dominant !o$ers of theElements governed #y -era and /eus (Earth and Air*.

Air and Fire ascend, and ater descends, #ut Earth is fi;ed at the #ottom4 it issecure, the solid foundation of #eing. Therefore the Tarot suit of !entacles (or Coins* isassociated $ith Earth, since the ground of sta#le #eing is Earth and, more generally,su#stance (as in %a man of su#stance%*. (The only offspring of -era and /eus, the Scepter#earer, $ere Ares the S$ord#earer and -e#e the Cup#earer.* +n processes of emanation,Earth is the material Effect of the Dnification (Air* of the creative +mpulse (Fire* $ith its#0ect (ater*, $hich is summari5ed in fourletter name of ove3 +DE. This emanation isrepresented in the Tarot court cards, in $hich Earth corresponds to the !ages (or!rincesses*. (This is discussed further in the !ythagorean Tarot, in the discussions of thesuits and the court cards.*

The contrast #et$een the immo#ile Earth and the mo#ile Elements ater, Air andFire e;hi#its a :J< structure typical of many spiritual and divine @uaternities. ung e;plainsthat %the fourth represents an incommensura#le other that is needed for their mutualdetermination,% $hich is precisely the role played #y Earth among the Elements.

The special status of Earth is also apparent in the myth of ho$ the three #rothers,/eus, !oseidon and -ades, divided the $orld among themselves after They defeated theTitans. !oseidon rules the sea (ater*, /eus rules the sky (Air*, and -ades rules Tartaros(Fire*, #ut the Earth is held in common #et$een them. All three recogni5e the sovereigntyof Earth.

'onclusions+n conclusion, Earth is the spiritual principle of sta#le #ut infle;i#le synthesis, the

passive imposition of form, and the foundation of physical #eing. The Element is associated

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$ith -era, as protectress of the sta#le foundation of fertility, and $ith the Earth Goddesses&emeter and Gaia.

Click here to continue on to ater

%ources

Aristotle, &e Generatione et Corruptione (n Comingto#e and !assinga$ay*,++.8


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By looking at the Elemental S@uare, $e can see that the arm and Cool @ualitiescorrespond to the summer and $inter solstices, and the 'oist and &ry ualities correspondto spring and fall e@uino;es. Therefore the season corresponding to ater is $inter. Thismay #e surprising, since $e might e;pect ater to #e associated $ith spring, the season of

fresh, green gro$th, spring rains and spring floods. The logic of the ancient arrangement#ecomes clear $hen $e remem#er that ater is primarily Cold (so it is associated $ith$inter*, and Air is primarily 'oist (so it is associated $ith spring*. +n fact, the $hole lefthalf of the diagram, comprising $inter and spring, is 'oist, $hich allo$s fluid change ofform (e.g. gro$th*, #ut there is a shift from the Cool @uality to arm. As discussed in the+ntroduction, armth #rings increased differentiation, in this case, the ne$ life of Spring.

n one hand, ater is primarily Cool, $hich is the active @uality that #inds thingstogether, and so ater allo$s formation and nourishment of composite entities, and itsevaporation and a#sence causes their decomposition. n the other hand, the 'oistness ofater permits the dissolution of structure and the loss of form. Thus the essence of ateris to mi; and cling together $hile #eing changea#le in shape4 it is characteri5ed #y passivechange of form (transformation*. Therefore ater permits the gro$th and development ofform.

+n psychological terms, ater is associated $ith nim#le relating, emotion, feeling,inner flo$, the su#conscious, relationships and the social dimension. +t is associated $ithemotional relationships, since it is Cool (connecting, relating* and 'oist (conforming,empathetic*4 therefore the tarot suite of Cups corresponds to ater. Furthermore, atercorresponds to the ueens among the court cards, for they represent the nurturing matri;,the #0ect of the creative +mpulse4 the t$o Dnite to engender the Effect. This process ofemanation is summari5ed in +DE, the fourletter name of ove3 +mpulse (Fire*, #0ect(ater*, Dnion (Air*, Effect (Earth*, $hich correspond to the court cards.

!ersephone*s Tears

!lutarch reminds us that the Elements are not Gods4 rather, the Gods are the sourceof the !o$ers of the elements. This is ho$ $e must interpret the declaration of Empedocles(fr.= > &"


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#ecause springs represent entrances to the Dnder$orld, especially in Greece, $here it iscommon for them to reenter the earth after flo$ing a#ove ground for some distance. hen!ersephone $as a#ducted, She $as taken do$n the spring called "uan), $hich $as said tohave #een created from the 'aiden2s tears, and She is virtually identical $ith "uan), thenymph of that spring. +ndeed, !ersephone is ueen of the 1ymphs, the daughters of cean

$ho are the spirits of springs and streams. Similarly, &emeter, mourning -er lost daughter,created a spring from -er tears. (The e@uation of ater and divine tears is a distinctly!ythagorean idea, $hich $ill #e considered later in connection $ith the Salt Sea.*

"uanos (#lue* is the color of divine mourning and grief and is associated $ith the'ysteries of &emeter and !ersephone, $hich are closely connected $ith !ythagoreanismand Empedoclean magic4 !ythagoreans (especially $omen* $ere often the !riests and!riestesses in the mysteries of &emeter and !ersephone. Therefore "uanos is associated$ith ater and the Dnder$orld.4 it is also the color of Cocytus, the river of mourning andtears, $hich is opposite !yriphlegethon, the river of fire in the Dnder$orld, as ater isopposite Fire on the Elemental S@uare. (According to &amscius, each of the Four 7ivers ofthe Dnder$orld has an associated Element.*

The )ater of +ifeater is also connected $ith the 'ilk of +mmortality from !ersephone2s Breasts, for

in the 'ysteries She is a Goddess of 0oyous re#irth as $ell as grievous dissolution. Fore;ample, on the BacchicLrphic gold ta#lets (/unt5 A:


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7oots the sap of life, the aters of the A#yss, conveys it up$ard to -er cro$n, from $hichthe golden Am#rosial &e$ drips do$n like honey to feed immortal souls. (+ndeed%Am#rosia% means %immortal.%* Before a soul can return to incarnation, it must approachone of these rivers and drink the ater of ife from it, for the utflo$ of the 7ivers iscalled the Semen of ife. Thus a fourth century BCE rphic Gold Ta#let (/unt5 B:* is

inscri#ed3Thou shalt find to the left of the -ouse of -ades a Spring,and #y the side thereof standing a hite Cypress.To this Spring approach not near.But thou shalt find another, from the ake of 'emory,Cold ater flo$ing forth, and there are Guardians #efore it.Say3 %+ am a child of Earth and Starry -eaven,#ut my race is of -eaven alone. This Ie kno$ Iourselves.But + am parched $ith thirst and + perish. Give me @uicklythe Cold ater flo$ing forth from the ake of 'emory.%And of Themselves They $ill give thee to drink of the -oly Spring.And thereafter among the other -eroes thou shalt have lordship.(tr. Guthrie*The spring on the left is associated $ith Forgetfulness ()th)* and dissolution, the

spring on the right $ith 'emory and immortality.The revitali5ing Tree of ife #elongs to the Goddess and is guarded #y the serpent

phioneus (or phi6n* $ho d$ells in the $aters around -er roots. (e find this sametheme in the serpent guarding the Apples of the Tree of the nymphs -esperides, $hich is inthe $est, the region of death, near the orld A;is $here Atlas supports -eaven.*

hen people die, their #reathsouls (psukhai* go to the 'oon, and during the firstt$o $eeks of the month $e see -er $a;ing on the #reathsouls of the dead. (See %Air% formore on the BreathSoul.* &uring the second t$o $eeks of the month, the Gods drinkAm#rosia from the Messel of the 'oon, and $e see -er light $ane4 during this time soulsare prepared for re#irth. Then the 'oon and Sun come together, so that the 'oon may #erene$ed. Souls pass through 'ukhoi (-idden !laces* in their passage to and from mortalincarnation4 especially they pass through the 'ukhos of -ekate on the 'oon, $here theyatone for their crimes4 She is the stern Gatekeeper. (The 'oon, of course, is intimatelyconnected $ith ater, #ut that topic is #eyond the scope of this article.*

An old !ythagorean ma;im says, %The Sun and 'oon are the +sles of the Blessed,%and those $ho kno$ the ay may go through the unar Gate and enter the +sles of theBlessed as -eroes or Gods4 those $ho do not must return to Earth for another incarnation,and their souls rain to Earth as de$. (The Dpanishads say the de$ is a#sor#ed #y plants,$hich are eaten #y animals, and the de$ #ecomes their semen4 thus are souls #rought #ackinto the $orld, $hich e;plains the importance of de$ in alchemy.*

!ersephone, corresponding to the element ater, unites the Earth and Air. +ndeed,She is the daughter of &emeter ($ho corresponds to Earth* and /eus ($ho corresponds toAir*. As $e sa$ in the +ntroduction, ater can result from the union of Earth and Air,getting its Coolness from the Earth and its 'oisture from the Air. So also !ersephone $as

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#orn of the union of the ord of the Air and the ady of the Earth, getting -er po$er tounite (Cool* from &emeter and -er po$er to transform ('oist* from /eus. !ersephone0oins $hat is a#ove $ith $hat is #elo$. Especially, in -er yearly cycle, cele#rated in theEleusinian 'ysteries, She 0oins the Dnder$orld to life a#ove the Earth and mediates#et$een them.

An Orphic #uaternit(

!ersephone and &emeter occupy a special place in an rphic 'ystery that has #eenpreserved for us. According to this story, 7hea the 'other of the Gods directed /eus tocome as a snake to -er in -er 'ukhos, the Sacred Cave of !han)s (the !rimal God* andthree Goddesses of the 1ight. %She #ecame a serpent, $hereupon -e turned into a serpent-imself, and #inding -er in the socalled -eracleot "not, copulated $ith -er. The form ofcoupling is represented in the and of -ermes% (Athenagoras*. &emeter $as #orn from theunion of 7hea $ith /eus, $ho is -imself the son of "ronos (Time* and 7hea (Flo$*. 7heaarranged for /eus and &emeter to mate like$ise as serpents in this same cave, and so!ersephone $as #orn. &emeter hid -er daughter in the cave, and caused /eus to take againthe serpent2s form and to mate $ith -er daughter, $ho then #ore &ionysos.

ung has sho$n us that Gods often form @uaternities $ith a


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Dissolution and the nder"orld

Central to the character of ater is its po$er to dissolve. &issolution occurs

#ecause the Cool (uniting* @uality allo$s the ater to attach to solid matter of all sorts, #utthe 'oist (conforming* @uality causes the result to have no fi;ed form. Further, #ecauseater is Cool, dissolution is a passive loss of form. Through dissolution all things lose theirrigid structure and identity.

&issolution is not necessarily undesira#le. For e;ample, ater allo$s thedissolution and reorgani5ation of structure necessary for gro$th and development4 itcorresponds to the nutritive faculty of life (the %vegetative soul%*. (ater ena#les passivechange of form, and meta#olism and gro$th are passive, from our conscious, mentalperspective.* Also, dissolution and dismem#erment in the Dnder$orld is a necessary stageof initiation and re#irth in the 'ysteries.

f course, preservation and dissolution are t$o sides of the cycle of 1ature, $hichare em#odied in &emeter and !ersephone, the Goddesses of ife and &eath, $ho overseere#irth in the Eleusinian 'ysteries. They correspond to Earth and ater4 although they are#oth uniting (Cool*, Earth is form preserving (&ry*, #ut ater is formdissolving ('oist*.

-.stisEmpedocles (fr. =* calls !ersephone #y the o#scure name %1)stis,% $hich is

pro#a#ly a preGreek #ut +ndoEuropean Goddess name indigenous to Sicily and southern+taly. Simplicius derived it from naein, meaning %to flo$,% #ut, according to "ingsley, inancient times divine names $ere sometimes su#tly refashioned so that they $ould havemultiple etymologies, and there#y em#ody hidden truths. For e;ample, 1)stis also means%Fasting% and the 1)steia $as a festival of fasting for !ersephone.

Fasting is also a central theme of the 'ysteries of !ersephone. For e;ample, after!ersephone $as a#ducted, the Earth $as #arren and all mortals as $ell as &emeter fasted.Further, !ersephone fasted in the Dnder$orld until She ate the fateful pomegranate seed.Fasting is the opposite of nourishing. Therefore, 1)stis, the Goddess corresponding toater, represents #oth flo$ing and fasting, #oth feast and famine. (pposites unite in the1ether$orld.*

There is perhaps no etymological connection #et$een %1)stis% and the EgyptianGoddess 1ephthys, protector of the dead, #ut !lutarch says, %1ephthys is that $hich is#eneath the Earth and invisi#le, +sis that $hich is a#ove the Earth and visi#le.% Theysym#oli5e #irth (+sis, Earth* and death (1ephthys, ater* and $ere called the eepingGoddesses. ike &emeter and !ersephone, +sis and 1ephthys represent generation anddissolution. (+ndeed &emeter and +sis are sometimes identified, for each searched for -erlost child.*

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As !ersephone is $edded to -ades, so 1ephthys is the #ride of Typh6n, $ho isidentified $ith -ades, as $e $ill see $hen $e come to the element Fire. Further, as!ersephone mated $ith /eus and #ore &ionysos, so 1ephthys mated in secret $ith sirisand #ore Anu#is, $ho, like &ionysos, rules the #orderland #et$een the Earth (+sis* and theA#yss (1ephthys*. ike &ionysos, Anu#is $as raised #y a foster mother.

Although 1ephthys is called Finality (Teleut)*, $hich associates -er $ith death,!lutarch e;plains that this name also means that She governs the lo$est ranks of matter(eskhata mer) t)s hul)s*. Because of -er marriage $ith Typh6n (-adesLFire*, thedestructive po$er (h) phthartik) dunamis*, all plants and animals, and even the earth andsea, suffer dissolution and destruction. -o$ever, $hen She mates in secret $ith siris(/eusLAir*, the productive and preserving po$er (h) gonimos kai s6terios dunmais*, Theiroffspring may survive complete dissolution if preserved and nurtured #y +sis(&emeterLEarth*. This is a hint into the &ionysian 'ysteries.

!lutarch further e@uates 1ephthys $ith Aphrodite, $ho has connections to #oth!ersephone and the element ater.

%ea/0orn Aphrodite+n later anti@uity, especially in +taly, !ersephone $as identified $ith Sea#orn

Aphrodite. The !ythagoreans say that there are t$o Aphrodites3 one in -eaven, one in theDnder$orld. Therefore She is called 'elaina (Black ne*, Epitum#idia (Dpon the Tom#s*,Tum#orukhos (Gravedigger* and !asiphaessa (Far Shining*, $hich associates -er $ith the'oon and the ueen of the Dnder$orld. The connection #et$een love and death may #epu55ling, #ut the ove&eath has #een a theme since ancient times3 $hen $e fall in love,our old life comes to an end4 $e are re#orn.

Aphrodite has many connections $ith ater, for She $as #orn in the cean, and-er name $as derived from aphros (foam*. She is also called Anaduomen) (Emerging fromthe Sea*, the Goddess rising from the salty $aters (on $hich, see #elo$*, and !elagia (Sheof the Sea*. -esiod2s tale of -er #irth from the Gonads of -eaven $hen they fell into thesea, is $ell kno$n. ther myths say that She is the daughter of keanos (cean* or of /eusand &i6n), a ater Goddess. Again, She is said to have emerged from the !rimordial Eggfloating on the salt sea. She is associated $ith ater #ecause -er gift is yielding union('oist, Cool*.

The %alt %ea

The Salt Sea represents ater in an especially important form. This is #ecause#rine, like the salt in it, #oth preserves and corrodes. As -eraclitus said, %Sea is the purestand foulest $ater3 for fish drinka#le and saving, #ut for people undrinka#le anddestroying.%

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The !ythagoreans identify the #itter Salt Sea $ith divine tears, especially the tearsof "ronos (like !ersephone, a deity of the afterlife*, and $e have seen that Empedoclesidentified ater $ith !ersephone2s tears, $hich $ere said to dissolve grief and there#y#ring a#out re#irth. Salt is associated $ith $isdom and spirit as $ell as #itterness, $hichsuggests that the #itter tears of grief and disappointment can #e transformed into salty $it

and sharp $isdom. +nstead of #eing a source of foul corruption, Salt may #e used topreserve that $hich is $orth saving.

Similarly, the Salt Sea from $hich Aphrodite $as #orn is the source of ne$ life, thesalty $om# of re#irth. But complementing lifeengendering Aphrodite (Menus Genetri;*and !ersephone ueen of the Dnder$orld, $e also have Aphrodite Dpon the Tom#s andthe revitali5ing milk from !ersephone2s #reasts. Generation and dissolution arecomplementary.

Alchemically, the Sea is the vessel of re#irth #ecause its Salt is the spark of theorld Soul (Anima 'undi*, the %Megeta#le Spirit% (Spiritus Megetativus*. This SpiritualSalt (Sal Spirituale* is a con0unction of the opposites Fire and ater, and $ill #e discussed$hen $e come to Fire, #ut it is $orth$hile to say a fe$ $ords a#out it here. n the onehand, Sea ater (A@ua !ontica* is chaotic primordial matter (see #elo$*4 on the other, itmay #e purified (#y Fire and ater* into Enduring ater (A@ua !ermanens*, $hich holdsthe Salt of isdom (Sal Sapientiae* and is the Eli;ir of 7e#irth.

!rimal ud

-esiod2s Theogony (c. =HH BCE* says, %First Chaos came to #e, #ut then #road#osomed Gaia.% ater the Stoics attri#uted to !herecydes the vie$ that Chaos ("haos* isatery, deriving it from kheisthai (to flo$*. The !rimordial Chaos is considered atery#ecause it is confused (mi;ed* and formless (i.e., Cool and 'oist*. Similarly, according tothe !ythagorean Alkman (c. ?HH BCE*, in the #eginning there $as a %trackless andfeatureless% $aste of aters. There is also an rphic theogony in $hich the first deities arekeanos and Tethys, corresponding to the A#yss (s$eet su#terranean $ater* and Tiamat(#itter salt sea*. Therefore ater (Chaos* precedes Earth (Gaia*, $hich gives matter itsform.

As remarked in the discussion of Earth, elemental Earth is Cool (connected* and&ry (form imposing*. Thus it is too rigid and infle;i#le to support life, #ut can #e given thisfle;i#ility #y ater. Therefore !rimal 'ud, the fertile loam of our 'other, is acom#ination of dry, crystalline Earth $ith moistening ater. This is $hy ater, $hichgives to inanimate Earth the a#ility to develop, transform and adapt, is associated $ith the%vegetative soul% possessed #y all living things. +t is also $hy many cosmogonies #egin$ith !rimal 'ud.

According to !herecydes2 cosmogony, the living Earth came into #eing $hen /eusand "hthoni) (She Beneath the Earth* married, and on the third day of the $edding, theDnveiling (Anakalupt)ria*, the craftsman /eus $ove an ela#orate, variegated 7o#e(pepoikilmenon !haros*, $hich -e gave to "hthoni) as a gift. +t $as adorned $ith land and

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sea, $ith rivers and trees, $ith mountains and meado$s, $ith all of Earth and keanos, the!rimal cean, and $ith the 'ansions of keanos. (These are the three great divisions ofthe $orld3 Earth, Encircling cean, and the 7ealms #eyond the 7im. A#ove the three is-eaven and #elo$ is the Dnder$orld4 all together they are the Fivefold Cosmos.*

hen "hthoni), ueen of the Dnder$orld, had $rapped it around -er, She #ecameGaia, 'other Earth. ike$ise, the rphic !oems say that the Earth is the 7o#e of!ersephone, of She Beneath the Earth. The 7o#e, after it had #een the cover of the sacredmarriage #ed, $as hung upon the Goddess2s Tree of ife. Thus the mantle of our $orldsurrounds "hthoni)2s Tree, the Tree of She Beneath the Earth.

As $as e;plained in the +ntroduction, Earth is overcome #y ater, and so the resultof com#ining the t$o is more atery than Earthy. That is, the !rimal 'ud is more likechaotic elemental ater3 formless (#ecause 'oist* and confused (#ecause Cool, andtherefore mi;ing*. 1evertheless, the !rimal 'ud is #oth &ry and et, corresponding to theelements Earth and ater, and so this %!rime 'atter,% $hich is the #asis of the Great Art,is called the %&ry ater% #y the alchemists.

!rimal 'ud is not sufficient for animate life. Thus Apollodorus (i#rary :.=.:* says,%!rometheus molded humans out of ater and Earth and gave them also Fire, $hich,unkno$n to /eus, he had hidden in a stalk of fennel.% (The Fire $as stolen from the heelof the Sun4 the narthe; or fennel stalk corresponds to Shushumna, the central spinalchannel, $hich conveys the "undalini force. The narthe; also forms the shaft of theThursos, the $and of &ionysian invocation.* Finally, Athena #reathed !sych) (BreathNAirO, Soul, !rana* into the #ody. (See Air for more on this.* Thus $e are made from allfour Elements.

From this perspective, ater and Earth constitute the %gross #ody%4 Air and Fireprovide the astral and radiant #odies, respectively. +n Empedocles2 terms, Earth and aterare the #ody (s6ma*, Air is the soul (psych)*, and Fire is source of po$er (kin)tik)*.Alchemically, the #ody is the Salt, $hich is 0oined #y the uicksilver (etheric #ody3 Air* tothe Sulfur (radiant #ody3 Fire*. So also the Stoics say that the (Cool, synthetic* %feminine%elements Earth and ater constitute -ul) ('atter or 7esource*, $hereas the (arm,analytic* %masculine% elements Air and Fire constitute ogos (ord or Thought*.

Earth and ater are the only tangi#le (toucha#le* elements4 Fire and Air areintangi#le. Since ater and Earth are #oth Cool, their tendency is to$ard greater mi;ture4this is the entropy of gross matter. They tend to the cold and dark through the dissolution ofform (#ecause the mi;ture is atery*.

The %igneous spirit% (the -eat residing in #oth Fire and Air* gives motion to inertmatter and makes it active. These Elements tend to $armth and light through the generationof energy. Thus 'enstruum, the iving 'ud, $hich com#ines the Cool feminine elementsEarth and ater (represented #y pu#ic triangles*, is animated #y Semen, $hich com#inesthe arm masculine elements Air and Fire (represented #y the phallic triangles*. Thereforearmth and 'oisture are the t$o principles of generation, $hich animate the sterile Earthand #ring it to life.

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+n conclusion, ater is the spiritual principle of fle;i#le union, $hich permits #othdissolution and transformation. ater provides the !rimordial Chaos, $hich com#ines $ithEarth to yield the !rimal 'ud from $hich life is #orn. ater is associated $ith !ersephone,the agent of re#irth in the Dnder$orld, $ho #rings the tears of mourning #ut also the

Am#rosia of immortality.

%ources"erPnyi, "., Goddesses of the Sun and 'oon, Spring, :9=9. (Aphrodite*"erPnyi, "., The Gods of the Greeks, Thames K -udson, :9:. (Gods, myths*"ingsley, !., %!oimandres3 The Etymology of the 1ame and the rigins of the

-ermetica,% ourn. ar#urg K Courtauld +nsts., Mol. ?, :99


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$as discussed in detail in our discusson of ater, $e turn no$ to Air2s other po$er,armth.

According to Aristotle ($ho gave the first systematic analysis of the Elements*,armth is the po$er of separation. 'ore specifically, it causes things of the same kind to0oin, so each seeks its o$n4 in this $ay it causes a separation of things of different kinds.

Conversely the Cool po$er unites things of different kinds. Cool and arm arefundamentally the !o$ers of ove and Strife (!hilia and 1eikos*, associated $ithAphrodite and Ares, and they are the primary agents of change in the cosmos according toEmpedocles (the fifth century BCE magicianphilosopher $ho gave us the doctrine of theFour Elements*. They are the more active po$ers (as opposed to 'oisture and &ryness,$hich are more passive*, $ith Coolness giving its po$er to the %feminine% elements Earthand ater, and armth to the %masculine% elements Air and Fire.

Since armth represents the po$er of separation, it is the cause of all processes ofdifferentiation, discrimination and development of form. +t also leads to dissociation andopposition, and the cyclic motion #et$een opposing principles. Because it is an activepo$er of separation, armth is e;pansive, out$ard directed and energetic in its effects4 itis the cause of change. hen $e put these @ualities in a psychological conte;t, $e find thatthe arm po$er is associated $ith the a#ility to discriminate, analy5e and 0udge, and so itis connected $ith 0ustice, honesty and critical thinking. !ersonalities $ith the arm @ualitytend to #e skillful, goal directed, diligent, authoritative, strong, energetic, selective,decisive, conscientious and leaders. -o$ever, the tendency to active separation can alsolead them to #e selfish, remote, intolerant, chauvinistic, 0udgmental, aloof, divisive, $illfuland domineering.

+n Air the 'oist po$er is dominant, although the arm po$er is the more active.Thus, in thinking a#out Air it is more accurate to visuali5e $arm, moist #reath rather thancool, dry #ree5es. The 'oist @uality represents fle;i#ility and the arm po$er causesdifferentiation4 therefore elemental Air represents active change of form (transformation*.+n a psychological conte;t, Air corresponds to nim#le analysis, fle;i#le discrimination, andtherefore to ideas, intellect, thinking and kno$ledge. Thus the Tarot suite of S$ordscorresponds to the element Air. (The %intellectual% @ualities of Air are discussed morelater.*

2eus, +ord of the Air +n the +ntroduction to the Elements $e sa$ that Empedocles associates the

Elements $ith four Gods (see figure*3 -era (Earth*, !ersephone (ater*, /eus (Air* and-ades (Fire*, so $e $ill e;plore the correspondence #et$een /eus and Air. f course, /eusis in origin a Storm God, and therefore associated $ith the tur#ulent air4 -is gift is thefertili5ing rain, the 'oisture from the Air. /eus is also kno$n for shapeshifting (i.e.,transformation, active change of form*, and -e e;hi#its most of the personality @ualitiesthat $e have seen to #e characteristic of Air.

+n Empedocles2 system, /eus and -era, $ho rule on lympus, correspond to theopposed elements Air and Earth4 -ades and !ersephone, $ho rule in the Dnder$orld,

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correspond to the opposed elements Fire and ater. Therefore /eus and -era represent the'arriage of -eaven and Earth (see part + on Earth for -era as an Earth Goddess*.

e find a similar mythological comple; in Egypt. For e;ample, in a letter to the&elphic !riestess Clea, !lutarch (c.Hc.:8H CE*, $ho $as -igh !riest at &elphi, e;plained

that siris and +sis correspond to the 1ile and Egypt, or more generally to 'oisture and theEarth, the 'oist and the &ry. ike$ise /eus and -era correspond to the 'oist and the &ry,for /eus2s element is Air, $hich is predominantly 'oist, and -e #rings the fertili5ing rains,#ut -era2s element is Earth, $hich is predominantly &ry. Secondarily, Air and Earth arearm and Cool, respectively, that is individuating and uniting4 life springs from thiscon0unction of opposites.

Further, according to Egyptian myth, siris united $ith 1ephthys, $ho then #oreAnu#is, $ho $as raised #y a fostermother (+sis*4 like$ise, in rphic doctrine /eus united$ith !ersephone, $ho then #ore &ionysos, $ho $as raised #y nurses. Each myth tells of aunion of the 'oist elements Air and ater (sky and the a#yss* to yield a God $ho ise@ually at home in -eaven and the Dnder$orld. (See %ater% for more a#out +sis,1ephthys and Anu#is.*

&era

ike many spiritual teachers, Empedocles appears to have given his students riddles(ainigmata* to $ork on, and the correspondence #et$een the Elements and the four Gods-era, !ersephone, /eus and -ades appears to #e one of these. From ancient times to ouro$n, many solutions have #een proposed, #ut !eter "ingsley2s seems to #e #est (see hisAncient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic, part +*, and it is the one $e use in these articles.

Although "ingsley2s solution, in $hich Air > /eus, is most likely correct, theancient Stoic solution, in $hich Air > -era, is interesting and $orth e;ploring tounderstand Air #etter. This solution is #ased on a pun4 since %-% is not $ritten as a letter inancient Greek, %-)ra% and %A)r% ($hich means Air* are anagrams of each other3 Q-7A and2A-7. f course the -era > Air e@uation is supported also #y the o#servation that She is$ife to the Sky God (although She in not in -erself a Sky Goddess*. (!art + on Earthpresents the evidence in favor of "ingsley2s -era > Earth e@uation.*

The confusion is partly a result of the evolution of ancient Greek. +n Empedocles2time aith)r seems to have #een the most general $ord for air, and a)r referred morespecifically to damp, misty air. Eventually, a)r #ecame the more general term, and aith)r$as interpreted as a special kind of air, the #right, luminous sky a#ove the clouds.Therefore aith)r came to #e thought of as more akin to Fire than to Air. Eventually, $hen!lato developed the concept of the fifth, celestial Element (commonly kno$n as theuintessence or %Spirit% no$adays*, it came to #e called aith)r, and the $ord a)r $asreserved for the 'oist #ut arm element that $e call %Air.%

Although Aristotle considered A)r to #e arm, for the Stoics it $as Cool.Therefore, A)r, the cool lo$er air could #e contrasted to Aith)r, the fiery upper air4 and

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-era could #e assigned to earthly A)r (Cool, feminine* $hile /eus $as given celestialAith)r (arm, masculine*. Therefore, /eus and -era can #e vie$ed as complementary SkyGod and Goddess, although this does not seem to #e Empedocles2 intention. (+n the Stoicsystem -ades must #e assigned to Earth4 #ut $e $ill see in %Fire% $hy that is -is element.*

Dion(sos

&ionysos, the son of /eus and in many $ays a second /eus (and destined tosucceed -im*, $as associated $ith Air #y !roclus, a !agan philosopher of the fifth centuryCE. e can understand this as follo$s. The principal Gods in the 'ysteries and in the!ythagorean Tradition are &ionysos and the Trinity of !ersephone, &emeter and -ekate.e have seen (in ater and Earth* that !ersephone and &emeter correspond to ater andEarth, respectively, and $e $ill see that -ekate corresponds to Fire, $hich leaves Air for&ionysos, as for -is father. (Compare also the rphic uaternity discussed in %ater.%*Similarly, !lutarch e@uates &ionysos (Air* $ith siris, Earth $ith +sis, ater $ith1ephthys, and Fire $ith Typhon. The assignment of Air to #oth /eus and &ionysos mayseem trou#lesome, #ut it reveals a mystery, for it $ill come to pass that &ionysos, the%-igher /eus,% is assigned to Aith)r, the %-igher Air% or Fifth Essence.

Air as a ediatin3 Element

A fundamental principle of Greek philosophy and alchemy is that a Con0unction ofpposites re@uires some mediating factor, a mean to unite the e;tremes. Air is an importantmediating Element #ecause it unites the opposites Fire and ater, the key alchemicalprocess (discussed $ith Fire*. -ere + $ill simply o#serve that Air can mediate #et$eenthem #ecause it has armth in common $ith Fire and 'oisture in common $ith ater, soit forms a #ridge #et$een them. This mediating role is also central to the process ofemanation represented #y the Tarot court cards ("ing, ueen, "night, !age*, andsym#oli5ed #y +DE, the name of ove3 Air represents the Dnion of the +mpulse (Fire* $ithits #0ect (ater*, $hich leads to the Effect (Earth*. (Earth is the other mediating element4the mediating or mi;ed elements have cross#ars in their signs.*

+n the !ythagorean tradition, a -armonia (fusion of parts* is re@uired to 0oin unlikethings together, and conversely every -armonia presupposes an opposition. (+n myth,-armonia is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, and the &erveni !apyrus, $hich is aninterpretation of rphic scriptures, e;plains that /eus, as &ivine A)r, #rought -armoniainto the cosmos.*

Since Air is predominantly 'oist, $e also need to investigate 'oisture as amediating !o$er. 'oisture is the common !o$er of Air and ater, and therefore it linksthem together. -o$ever, Air is also connected $ith Fire, for they are #oth arm, andater is also connected $ith Earth, for they are #oth Cool. Therefore, the 'oist 7adical(em#odied in Air and ater* makes an indirect connection #et$een the e;tremes Fire andEarth. +n !latonic terms, the 'oist elements unite Form (Fire* and !rimary 'atter (Earth*.Therefore, alchemists call the 'oist 7adical the Ferment of 1ature #ecause it connectse;tremes of ight and 'atter (light K shado$, heaven K earth*. Further, Sun, 'oon and

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Earth correspond to Fire, 'oisture and Earth, for the 'oon is an intermediary, reflectingthe light of the Sun to Earth.

e find the same three principles in the cosmogony of Ana;imander (?th cent.BCE*, $ho is credited $ith discovering the opposed !o$ers, arm and Cool, 'oist and

&ry. +n the #eginning the Dnlimited (the !rima 'ateria* produced the Gonimon(Generative Thing*, $hich created the opposites arm and Cool and the 'oist !o$ercapa#le of uniting them. The arm elements are Fire and Air (heaven and sky*, the Coolare ater and Earth (sea and land*. The 'oist elements Air and ater form the #ridge thatconnects the e;tremes. The resulting union of the arm and Cool gives #irth to all livingthings. +n the rphic version it is Eros (ove* that unites -eaven and Earth and gives #irthto Gods and mortals. (See #elo$ on !rimal Air.*

+n alchemical terms, the 'oist 7adical is 'ercury (uicksilver*, $hich 0oins Sulfur(the Fiery principle* and Salt (the Earthy principle*. From a psychical perspective, 'ercury(Spiritus, Spirit* 0oins Salt (Corpus, Body* and Sulfur (Anima, Soul*. (See #elo$ for moreon %Spirit.%* Thus 'ercury is a mediator, and in mythology $e find -im as the messenger#et$een -eaven and Earth. As the guide of travelers, 'ercury (-erm)s* is the +nterpreter(-erm)neus* and Boundary Crosser $ho facilitates #ridging differences4 -e is the SpiritGuide (!sychopompos* $ho leads us #et$een this $orld (Earth* and the 1ether$orld(Fire*.

Air, the %piritual Element

The connection #et$een Air and the soul is reflected in many languages4 the Greek$ords psyche (i.e. psukh)*, aura and pneuma, and the atin $ords spiritus, anima andanimus all refer primarily to #reath or $ind #ut secondarily to the soul. Also, in -e#re$ $ehave rRah and in Sanskrit, prna, $ith similar dou#le meanings. For e;ample, in the Greektradition Ana;imenes (?th cent. BCE*, $ho considered A)r the first principle of everything,said that it is the stuff of #reath and soul, and therefore the principle of life, sensation andreaction. Also, the !ythagorean &iogenes of Apollonia (th cent. BCE* identified the soul$ith arm (and therefore active, moving* Air and said, %!eople and other animals live #y#reathing air, and this is for them #oth soul and intelligence.%

Air2s po$er as a mediator means that it has an essential role as the Spirit (or'ediating Soul*, $hich unites the 'ind (or -igher Soul* $ith the #ody. (Since the English$ords %spirit,% %soul,% %psyche% etc. have a variety of meanings and are used in different$ays in different traditions, please #e$are that + may not #e using these terms in the $ayyou2re used to4 +2ll try to make my meaning clear.* For e;ample, Empedocles says theBreathSoul or Spirit (!sukh), associated $ith Air*, unites the Body (S6ma* $ith the!rinciple of 'otion ("in)tik)*. !ythagoras is credited $ith the idea that the BreathSoul isa -armonia (con0unction of opposites*. (7ecall also 'ercury as the mediator that unitesSulfur and Salt.*

hy is this mediation necessary +n %ater,% + said that ater J Earth constitutesthe !rimal 'ud, the %gross #ody,% $hich is potentially alive, #ut not animate. n the other

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hand, Fire is the principle of action, the efficient cause of all motion, #ut it cannot actdirectly on !rimal 'ud (for they are opposed, !rimal 'ud #eing predominantly atery*.-o$ever, Air can mediate #et$een Fire and !rimal 'ud, #ecause it has armth (activedifferentiation* in common $ith Fire, and 'oisture (fle;i#ility* in common $ith ater.Thus Air is the active Spirit, $hich operates on the passive structure of Earth and the

fle;i#ility of ater. e may say that Air conveys the Fiery !o$er and facilitates itsem#odiment. +n general, as mediator, Air transmits po$ers and influences, and thereforeAir is the vehicle of coordination and communication (see #elo$, %Air, the Governor%*.Thus the Stoics attri#uted to -eraclitus (?thth cent. BCE* the idea that the soul is anE;halation or arm Mapori5ation (Anathumiasis* from #odily moisture4 as $e might say,the Fiery Soul evokes the Breath Spirit from the #ody2s !rimal 'ud to #e the means #y$hich the t$o can unite. So also, as mentioned in %ater,% !rometheus molded human#odies from Earth and ater, and gave -eavenly Fire to them. But they $ere not complete#efore Athena #reathed Air into them.

The %pirited %oul

Ancient Greek sages often divided the soul into three parts, an idea credited to!ythagoras. Although there are variations in classification and terminology, they areroughly3 (:* 'ind or +ntellect (1ous*, (8* Spirited Soul (Thumos* and (


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and vice versa4 it is responsi#le for the functioning of the five senses and conveys themotions of life4 that is, it governs animate motion and active perception. Thus the spirit#ody is closely connected $ith the nervous system.

The Spirited Soul is anchored in the !hrenes (roughly, %#reast%*, $hich refers to thelungs and heart together, and so $hen our Spirits are aroused in love or anger or fear, $e

feel it in our !hrenes. The Spirit is considered the point of #alance in the soul, the %innersun% that rules the other planets in our souls. Further, the spirit #ody assimilates !neuma(Spirit, !rna, the universal life force* from the Sun and infuses it into the gross #ody, for!neuma is the source of life and of the integrity of the living form4 it is the active energy ofthe self. Since #reathing dra$s !neuma into the !hrenes, in the Ascent of the Soul ofChaldean Theurgy, #reathing e;ercises are used in the stage corresponding to the SpiritedSoul.

Air, the Go4ernor

The aerial #ody2s connection to the nervous system reminds us that #ecause Air is'oist and arm, it has the po$er of fle;i#le discrimination. Therefore Air is associated$ith information and communication (and hence $ith the Tarot suit of S$ords*4 as anactive principle, Air is associated $ith computing.

The Aerial Spirit2s role as a su#tle, invisi#le governing faculty $as recogni5ed inancient times. For e;ample, &iogenes of Apollonia says, %+t seems to me that that $hichhas intelligence is $hat people call Air (A)r*, and that all people are steered (ku#ernasthai*#y this, and that it has po$er over all things. For the very thing seems to #e a God and toreach every$here and to dispose all things and to #e in everything.% (+t is significant thatthe $ord he uses for %steered,% ku#ernasthai, is related to ku#ern)tikos, meaning %skilled insteering or guiding,% $hich is the origin of our term cy#ernetics, referring to the principlesof intelligence and governance in animals and machines. Air is the Cy#ernetic Element.*&iogenes2 statement also suggests that Air plays a role in the orld Soul (!sukh) tou!antos* as $ell as in individual souls, and that is our ne;t topic.

The )orld %oul

The !ythagoreans say that there is a divine respiration in the cosmos, and that #y itscyclic #reathing of the Dnlimited, the orld Soul infuses imit into it, and there#y creates1um#er and &eterminate Time ("hronos*. The ordered cosmos came to #e through Air, forit is the element that separates things and there#y creates divisions and distinctions4 thus itputs imit into the Dnlimited. -o$ever, although Air separates things as individuals, it alsounites them into a higher, spiritual unity.

+ have already mentioned that Ana;imenes considers Air to #e the First !rinciple(Arkh)* of the cosmos4 it is infinite, eternal, evermoving and divine4 he calls Air the Fatherof the Gods ($hich recalls /eus2s common title3 Father of Gods and -umans*. Ana;imenesalso says, %ust as our BreathSoul (!sukh)*, #eing Air (A)r*, governs us, so SpiritBreath(!neuma* and Air (A)r* encompass the $hole cosmos.% This suggests that the governance

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of the cosmos is accomplished #y the SpiritBreath of the orld Soul. +ndeed, !hilemonsays that Air, $ho is called /eus, kno$s everything done #y Gods or mortals, #ecause -e isevery$here at once. So also Empedocles points to the God2s su#tle nature3 %-e is a Spirit'ind (!hr)n*, holy and ineffa#le, and only Spirit'ind, $hich darts through the $holecosmos $ith its s$ift thoughts.% (1ote that the term translated Spirit'ind, !hr)n, is the

singular of !hrenes, Breast.* -ere again $e see Air as a medium of communication andgovernance, #ut on the cosmic scale.

-o$ever, 0ust as $e all #reathe the same Air, and the Air in my #reast is continuous$ith that in yours, so also the orld Soul is continuous $ith individual souls (an idea $ealso find in the Dpanishads, $here Brahman, the orld Soul identified $ith !rna (Breath*,is identical to Utman, the individual ife#reath*. As the nervous system integrates theactivities of individual organs to $ork for the sake of the organism, so the Air #inds ourindividual souls into one orld Soul. 'icrocosm and macrocosm unite.

!rimal Air

nce $e understand Air2s role as a orld Soul, $e are not too surprised to see ittaking a central role in cosmogony, the #irth of the universe. e looked at Ana;imander2scosmogony $hen $e considered Air as a mediating element. Also Ana;imenes (?th cent.BCE* says that Air, the first principle of everything, produced ater and Earth (the !rimal'ud* #y condensation and Fire #y rarefaction. + $ill descri#e #riefly several othere;amples, $hich $ill illustrate Air2s place in the cosmos.

!hilo of Bi#los (?:H CE* translated a %!hoenician -istory,% $hich $as supposedto have #een $ritten #y Sanchuniathon #efore the Tro0an ar ($hich is not unlikely* and to#e #ased on Egyptian scriptures attri#uted to Thoth. According to this myth, in the#eginning there $as a !rimal ind, a #reath of mist and darkness (i.e. A)r*4 also there $as'6t, the muddy chaos of Ere#us (khaos tholeron Ere#6des*, that is, the formless !rimal'ud. The !rimal ind fertili5ed itself and #ecame &esire (!othos, perhaps correspondingto Semitic 7Rah, $hich means Breath #ut also connotes &esire*. Further, '6t #ecame theCosmic Egg, and the cosmos $as #orn $hen &esire opened the Cosmic Egg (as also in therphic cosmogonies*, $hich led to a separation of the Elements.

According to Eudemus (th cent. BCE*, the !hoenicians $ho lived in Sidon also#elieved that the universe $as #orn of Air. +n the #eginning $as Time ("hronos*, &esire(!othos* and Fog (mikhl)*. &esire and Fog united, giving #irth to A)r and Aura ('ovingAir*.

e find similar ideas in the cosmogony attri#uted to '6khos of Sidon, alsosupposed to have lived #efore Tro0an ar. The universe #egan $ith Aith)r and A)r, $hounited to engender Dl6mos, $hose name means Eternity. Dl6mos fertili5ed -imself toproduce the Cosmic Egg and "hrRs6ros the pener, the &ivine Craftsman $ho cracked theCosmic Egg. -e corresponds to ove or !han)s in the rphic account and to the &emiurge(Craftsman* in !lato2s Timaeus.

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%ummar(

e have seen that Air is the element of transformation, for it is 'oist (fle;i#le* and

arm (differentiating*. +t is primarily associated $ith /eus ord of the Air, #ut secondarily$ith -era -is consort and &ionysos -is son. Air is important as a mediating Element,$hich can unite Fire and ater4 similarly the related 'oist 7adical is a mean uniting thee;tremes Fire and Earth. Air is the most spiritual element, for it corresponds to the SpiritBreath and Spirited Soul, $hich unite the mind and #ody. Air also constitutes the cosmic#reath, $hich unites our individual souls into the universal orld Soul.

Click here to continue on to Fire

!rincipal %ources

"ingsley, !., Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and!ythagorean Tradition, ;ford Dniversity !ress, :99. (principal source*

'a0ercik, 7uth. The Chaldean racles3 Te;t, Translation, and Commentary. E. .Brill, :99. (vehicles K ascent of soul*

'ead, G. 7. S., The &octrine of the Su#tle Body, "essinger reprint, n.d.!ernety, A.., An Alchemical Treatise on the Great Art, eiser, :99, !art :.

('oist 7adical*!lato, Timaeus. (tripartite soul*!lutarch, +sis and siris. (Elements K Gods*Tansley, &. M., Su#tle Body3 Essence and Shado$, Thames K -udson, :9==.est, '. ., Early Greek !hilosophy and the rient, ;ford Dniversity !ress, :9=:.

(Cosmogonies of the Sidonians and '6khos*est, '. ., -esiod Theogony3 Edited $ith !rolegomena and Commentary, ;ford

Dniversity !ress, :9??. (Sanchuniathon2s Cosmogony*est, '. ., The rphic !oems, ;ford Dniversity !ress, :9


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arm and &ry. Since the arm and &ry po$ers have #een discussed in detail already(armth in %Air,% &ryness in %Earth%*, a summary $ill do here. As e;plained #y Aristotle,armth is the po$er of separation and Coolness the po$er of union4 they are the moreactive po$ers. &ryness is the po$er to determine its o$n form, and 'oistness the po$er tofle;i#ly adapt to the forms of other things. Therefore, since Fire is arm and &ry, it is the

agent that actively creates distinctions and imposes forms. e may think of the fiery arts ofthe smithy, the kitchen and the alchemical la#oratory.+ndeed, in alchemy Fire is considered the primary agent of change (more on this

later*, and Empedocles, the th century BCE magicianphilosopher credited $ith the&octrine of the Four Elements (Tetrasomia*, distinguishes Fire as the Agent of Action("in)tik)* among the Elements. -ence the Elements have the typical


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philosophy, $hich contains the Fiery "undalini po$er.* 7ecall also that the Thursos, thesacred Bacchic $and, is made from the 1arth); and holds !romethean Fire.

As implied in the myth of our !romethean origins, the Fire in our souls is akin to theCelestial Fire (%As a#ove, so #elo$%*. -ippocrates says that the soul is an +mmortal

armth (Athanatos Thermon*, $hich sees, hears and kno$s everything4 most of thisarmth is pushed to the outermost sphere, $here it is called Aith)r, and forms a kind ofFiery orld Soul. (This is different from the Airy orld Soul descri#ed in %Air.% Also, ase;plained in %Air,% Aith)r may refer to the luminous upper Air, to Fire, or to the celestialuintessence.* ur souls are akin to this !eriekhon (Surrounding Thing*, the &ivine Aith)rthat em#races and supports the Cosmos. !lato (Cratylus :8de* calls it a penetrating po$erthat permeates the $hole $orld. +t is also called the Sun (-elios*, armth (Thermon*,ustice (&ikaion* and 'ind (1ous*. -eraclitus also says that the soul is composed of a Firethat is related to the orld Fire , and calls the soul a %spark of the essential su#stance of thestars% (scintilla stellaris essentiae*. Thus the &ivine armth (Thermon*, as the !o$er of theSoul (!sukh)s &unamis*, is analogous to the essence of the stars. This has implications forthe destiny of the soul after death, $hich $ill #e discussed later.

The 'entral 5ire -aving considered Fire in the microcosm, $e no$ turn to the macrocosm.

According to the !ythagoreans, the Enveloping Fire is #alanced #y a Central Fire. +ndeed,Empedocles says that many fires #urn #eneath the Earth, that the Solar Fire $as #orn in the#o$els of the Earth, and that Molcanic Fire shoots to the -eavens and licks the stars. ThusFire is the highest and the lo$est Element4 it is as though the Elemental S@uare has #eenunfolded into a line (see figure*. This results in a series of cosmic spheres3 Celestial Fire,Air, ater, Earth, and Central Fire4 the Celestial Fire mirrors the Central Fire as though ina higher octave.

ne might suppose that the %Fires of -ades% is a Christian notion, #ut it actually hasits roots in ancient Greek esoteric doctrine. As e;plained in the %+ntroduction% and in%Earth,% %ater% and %Air,% Empedocles2 %Enigma% associates Earth $ith -era, ater $ith!ersephone, Air $ith /eus, and Fire $ith -ades. -o$ever, there are many additionalsignposts to the Central Fire, for Empedocles teaches that the ultimate source of all Fire is-ades, and that the Central Fire is the source of all life, creation and destruction (see%-ephaistos and Alchemy,% #elo$*.

'ore precisely, the Central Fire is Tartaros, /eus2s Guard To$er (/anVs !Wrgos,!hulak) &iXs, etc.*, $hich is #elo$ -ades. According to myth, after the Sun sets, it shinesin Tartaros. Therefore the Central Fire is kno$n as the &ark Sun, the Black Sun, the+nvisi#le Sun, the Su#terranean Sun and the Molcanic Sun, and there is a parado;ical unity#et$een the Sun and the Dnder$orld. This is $hy !armenides $as led #y the &aughters ofthe Sun into the -ouse of 1ight4 it is also the path follo$ed #y the dead.

The astrological sym#ol for the Sun represents the Fire at the center4 it $as also anancient alchemical sym#ol for Sulphur, the Fiery !rinciple (on $hich, see #elo$*. The

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doctrine of the Central Fire is the original, mystical -eliocentric theory, $hich Copernicus#orro$ed, #ut has #ecome de#ased into no more than astronomy. (Copernicus himselfcalled it the %!ythagorean Theory.%*

+i3ht/0earin3 &ekateAs an Dnder$orld Goddess, -ekate has many connections $ith Fire. Therefore She

is called !urphoros (Fire#earing*, &aidoukhos (Torch#earer*, !h6sphoros (ight#earer,also ucifera*, !uripnon (Fire#reather* and 'elain) (Black*4 She is $orshipped in cavesand -er image is honored $ith torches.

As a unar Goddess -ekate has a complementary relationship to the Sun. At the1e$ 'oon She carries #la5ing torches (called selas and connected $ith Selene, the 'oon*,and on the


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&ephaistos and Alchem(

The ancient Greeks distinguished the &estructive (Aid)lon* Fire, associated $ith-ades (Aid)s*, from the Creative Fire, associated $ith -ephaistos, the &ivine Smith orCraftsman. +n rphic cosmologies, as in many others, a &ivine Craftsman is #orn from theCosmic Egg or is responsi#le for opening it (see %Air%*. Similarly, in +ndian tradition the

Craftsman "la is the Sun, the Golden Em#ryo (Fire*, $ho upholds Earth, Sea and Sky(Earth, ater, Air*. 1aturally -ephaistos, the &ivine Smith, is closely connected $ithCreative Fire, and -is name is often used as a synonym for Fire. !lato (Cratylus H=c*e;plains that -ephaistos2 name comes from !haistos, ord of ight (!haeos -istora*4 likeFire, -e is active and form imposing (arm and &ry*.

Eliade (Forge K Cruci#le* argues that alchemy had its origin in the ancient Craft ofthe Smith, $hich com#ined religion, magic and metallurgy. For e;ample, in the Greektradition, the &aktuloi (&actyls*, Telkhines (Telchines* and "a#eiroi (Ca#iri* are magic$orking divine smiths4 all come from underground to assist the Great 'other 7hea(associated $ith Fire4 see %ater%*. f the &aktuloi (%Fingers%* it is said that the 7ighthand ones are smiths and the efthand are magicians (go)tes*. The Telkhines are alsosorcerersmiths, #orn of Tartaros. The "a#eiroi of Samothrace, $ho are skilled in meteoricalchemy and instructed rpheus in Their 'ysteries, are called -ephaistoi #ecause They aresmiths and are descended from "a#eiros and "a#eiria, that is, -ephaistos and -ekate. T$oof them $ere said to stand on a firesprouting rock on emnos (-ephaistos2 island*,#randishing lightning #olts and $ith sparks streaming from Their eyes.

According to alchemy, metals are incu#ated #y Fire in the om# of the Earth4alchemists only accelerate their development. Since -ekate is the Fiery om# $hoinspires matter $ith spiritual energy, She is also called 1ature (!husis*. Alchemists connectthe Earth and Sun, #ecause the Fire that comes from the center of the Earth is the key to thealchemical transformation, the +nnate -eat of the om# of 1ature. hereas, as $e $ill see#elo$, -ades governs re#irth through the 'ysteries #y means of &eath, -ephaistosgoverns re#irth through Alchemy via the om# (Fiery initiation*.

&estia and the &armoni6ation of the 'enter

To the &estroying Fire of -ades and the Creating Fire of -ephaistos $e may addthe !reserving Fire of -estia, for %-estia% is #oth the $ord for -earth and the name of the-earth Goddess. (ike$ise %-ades% is the and of the &ead as $ell as its ord, and%-ephaistos% is the Fire of the Forge as $ell as its 'aster.* The -earth is sacred in Greektradition, and the house, temple and city each had a Sacred -earth at its center. She $as theonly one of the ld Gods not to yield -er place on lympos $hen /eus came to po$er,and She $as honored as the first among the T$elve lympians. ater, $hen &ionysosascended to lympos, She gave -er place among the T$elve to -im, #ut retained -erstation of honor in the Center of the -eavens. Even the lympian Gods honor -er #eforeall others.

1aturally, the Central Fire $as compared to the -earth in the center of the house,and as early as the th century BCE the Earth $as called the Cosmic -earth (tou "osmouh) -estia*. The central role of -estia is recogni5ed #y !lato (Crat. H:cd*, $ho e;plains

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%-estia% as meaning the Essence (Essia > usia* of things. Also, the 1eoplatonist !hilolaussays, %The first thing to #e harmoni5ed the ne in the middle of the sphere is called-estia,% and Anatolius says, %around the middle of the four Elements lies a unitary fieryCu#e.% !hilolaus also identifies the -earth in the center $ith the ne and the Cu#e $ithgeometric -armonia, $hich suggests that the Central Fire may #e thought of as a cu#e.

(See #elo$ for more on -armonia. +nterestingly, garlanded cu#es called Gulloi $erecarried in -ekate2s honor in a procession at &idyma.*

An important alchemical te;t, the Tur#a !hilosophorum (The Gathering of!hilosophers*, $hich preserves much ancient lore, compares the Earth to an Egg. The Shellcorresponds to the Earth itself4 the hite corresponds to the ater Dnder the Earth(A#yssal ater*, the Iolk to the Central Fire, and the Chick to the !oint of the Sun(!unctus Solis* at the very center. (As mentioned, this is represented in the astrological andalchemical sym#ol for the Sun, $hich $as also the original sym#ol for Sulphur, thealchemical Fiery principle.* Alchemical apparatus $as often e;plicitly patterned after #oththe Egg and the Earth as om#, and !ythagorean and rphic ideas a#out the Cosmic Egg$ere later adopted #y Egyptian and +slamic alchemists.

%acred nions of 5ire and )aterEmpedocles has -ades corresponding to Fire and !ersephone to ater4 Their sacred

marriage makes Them the "ing and ueen of the Dnder$orld, and Their union is thealchemical con0unction of the opposites, Fire and ater. -ades is ord of the Central Fireand !ersephone is ady of &issolution (see %ater%*. As /eus and -era are the Creators(responsi#le for fertility and #irth*, so -ades and !ersephone are the &estroyers (governingdeath*, $ho nevertheless #ring a#out re#irth. Concerning !ersephone, !lato (Crat. Hd*says, %-ades, $ho is $ise, consorts $ith -er, #ecause She is $ise.% -e added that althoughthe name %-ades% (Aid)s* is normally derived from Dnseen (Aeides*, it actually refers to"no$ledge (Eidenai* of All 1o#le Things.

The marriage of -ades and !ersephone is paralleled #y the union of Typh6n and1ephthys in Egyptian mythology, as e;plained #y !lutarch. Typh6n is associated $ith thescorching Sun, destruction, chaos, difference (separation* and -eracles (see #elo$*. -esiodtells us that /eus defeated Typh6n and placed -im under volcanic 'ount Etna (i.e. inTartaros*, $hich is $hy it #urns and @uakes. Typh6n is the hus#and of 1ephthys, $hocorresponds to ater, as $as e;plained in our discussion of that Element. ThereforeTyph6n forms an Elemental uaternity $ith 1ephthys, +sis (Earth* and siris (Air*. (Seethe articles %Earth,% %ater% and %Air.%* According to !lutarch, Typh6n, the destructivepo$er, e;ercises special dominion over the outermost part of matter, for earth, sea, plantsand animals all suffer dissolution, e;cept $hat is preserved #y +sis ($hich is the reason for-er 'ysteries*. Therefore siris is the Creator, +sis the !reserver, and Typh6n the&estroyer4 1ephthys holds s$ay #et$een death and re#irth (destruction and recreation*.

The union of Fire and ater appears again $ith -ephaistos, for -e is married toAphrodite, #orn of sea foam (see %ater%*. According to Empedocles, they are theprincipal creators of the $orld (see also %ove and Strife% #elo$*.


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The 'rater

The Dnder$orld is a realm of parado; and inversion, $here opposites may unite. +tis a place of &arkness #ut also of Fire (ight*4 it is simultaneously a place of &issolution(ater* and the Fiery om# of re#irth4 it is the source of the &estructive Fire of -ades andof the Creative Fire of -ephaistos. -ere especially may #e #rought a#out the union of Fireand ater, the primary Elemental pposition. -ence the alchemical arts, $hich seek tounite the opposites in the Great ork, are #orn in the Dnder$orld.

Four rivers converge in the Dnder$orld, each associated $ith an Element (seefigure*. The !yriphelegeth6n, the 7iver of Fire, is directly opposite C6cytus, the 7iver ofeeping, closely associated $ith !ersephone and ater (as e;plained in %ater%*. (!lato2s!haedo (:Hd::d* contains an informative and colorful description of Dnder$orldgeography and of the progress of the soul.*

The volcanic crater is filled $ith rivers of fire, a hint of the union of Fire and aterin the depths. +n general, any crater in the earth, $hether holding Fire or ater, isconsidered a place of po$er and magic, for it is an entry to the Dnder$orld. Therefore,incense is #urned for -ephaistos (Mulcan* at the volcanic crater2s lip and in caves.

The Greek $ord Crat)r refers to a mi;ing #o$l, especially that in $hich $ine ismi;ed $ith $ater for drinking, and hence to the #o$lshaped volcanic crater. -ellenesattach great sym#olic importance to the proper mi;ture (krasis* of $ine and $ater (Fire andater*4 it is the central image of #alance, proportion and harmony (')den agan 1othingtoo much as it said on the temple of Apollo at &elphi*.

Similarly, in -ellenic rituals, a #urning #rand from the altar fire is plunged into the#o$l of lustral $ater to consecrate it as -oly ater (Greek, -ud6r Theion* or ater+nflamed #y the Sacred Fire (atin, A@ua +gne Sacra +nflammata*. (+n ancient Greek, thesame $ord Theion means %a sacred thing% and %#rimstone,% reminding us that alchemicalSulphur is the Fiery !rinciple.*

The Crater is also an important sym#ol in the rphic 'ysteries, and a lost rphic!oem (#y /opyrus the !ythagorean* called The Crat)r dealt $ith rpheus2 descent througha atery Crater into the Fiery Dnder$orld (a common means of descent*. +n theDnder$orld, rivers of fire (ater J Fire* flo$ together in the Crater, and the Crater#ecomes a place of rdeal, $here truth and falsity are separated (#y Fire*. Also in Greektradition, one may drink from the Crater or #e immersed in it in order to #e re#orn (as'edea, granddaughter of the Sun, did in her magic of re0uvenation*. +t2s not surprising that,according to !eter "ingsley (p. :


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+o4e and %trife

The dominant ualities of Fire and ater are armth and Coolness, $hich are thepo$ers of separation and union. Therefore Empedocles taught that ove (!hilot)s* andStrife (1eikos* are the t$o primary forces in the cosmos, $hich #ring a#out alltransformation through their mi;ing and separation of the 7oots (Elements*. (Although

ove and Strife are the conventional English translations, it $ould #e more accurate to sayAffinity, i.e. friendship, and &ifference, i.e. disagreement.* Empedocles naturally identifiedthese !o$ers $ith fiery Ares and sea#orn Aphrodite.

ove is associated $ith the 'i;ture ("rasis* in the Crater, as Strife is $ith enmityor separation (Ekhthros*. +ndeed, Empedocles (fr. ater J Fire > ater J ine* in termsreminiscent of the Crater3 as they mi;ed, %countless types of mortal things poured forth%(my emphasis*, a process descri#ed as an %onrush% or %stream% (horm)* of !erfect ove.ove and Strife are each responsi#le in Their o$n $ay for a %coming to #e% and a %passinga$ay%3 Strife creates !lurality #y dividing the ne, and ove creates Dnity from the 'any.A proper #alance of #oth is necessary in an ordered cosmos.

ove and Strife are also the fundamental governing principles of magic ($here theyare kno$n as Sympathy and Antipathy*. +n the tradition of the 7ootcutters, Empedoclesand later Bolus of 'endes applied Sympathy and Antipathy especially to her#al magic. As!lotinus the 1eo!ythagorean e;plained3

And ho$ are magical operations (go)teias* carried out By Sympathy, and thanks tothe fact that there is a natural -armony #et$een things that are alike and a naturalpposition #et$een things that are unlikeY For many things are %dra$n% to each other andenchanted $ithout any third party deli#erately $orking to #ring the effect a#out. And thereal magic in everything is the ove in it, along $ith the Strife. This is the primarymagician and enchanter4 it $as $hen men o#served its magic that they started using charmsand spells on each other.

2oroastrian Dualism

Although !ythagoras is supposed to have met /oroaster, this is unlikely (/oroasterpro#a#ly lived a millennium earlier*, #ut !ythagoras did study $ith a Chaldean magus.Therefore it $ill #e $orth$hile to consider some Chaldean doctrines.

/oroaster taught there are t$o primary principles, $hich are &aimones &ivineBeings or !o$ers3 ne is Celestial (uranion*, and associated $ith the Father, Fire, ight(!h6s*, armth, &ryness, ightness (as opposed to -eaviness* and S$iftness. The other isTerrestrial (Chthonion*, and associated $ith the 'other, ater, &arkness (Skotos*,Coolness, 'oisture, -eaviness and Slo$ness. Their po$ers are primarily arm and Cold(the dominant po$ers of Fire and ater*.

!ythagoras similarly taught that the Cosmos and its -armonia result from the unionof the 'ale and the Female, the ight and the &ark, for #oth are necessary4 $e don2t haveone good the other evil (as in /oroastrianism, Gnosticism and some other traditions*. This


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is a more alchemical perspective3 spirit needs to #e em#odied4 alchemy recogni5es that #othight and &ark are divine and deserving of our respect.

According to /oroastrians, the cycle of ight and &ark takes place $ithin Time orSpace, associated $ith the God /urvan4 $e may compare -im to "ronos (> "hronos >

Time*. This transcendent Dnity differentiates into ight and &ark, $hich then alternate$ithin +t, creating -armonia and Cosmos.

The +uminous A3ent and !rimar( atter+n a similar $ay alchemy distinguishes #et$een the +nnate Fire and the 'oist

7adical in all things. The +nnate Fire is the Form of things, for Fire is &ry and arm (>formimposing*, and the 'oist 7adical, $hich represents cohesion and fle;i#ility (Cool,'oist*, is their 'atter4 it is the purest, most digested form of matter (see %ater%*, theEli;ir of 1ature, the 'ercury of ife. Thus the +nnate Fire %inha#its% the 'oist 7adical,$hich is called therefore the a#oratory of Mulcan, the -earth in $hich #urns the EternalFire4 it is the +nnate -eat of the om# of 'other Earth.

Alchemy e;plains the cosmos as the result of the uminous Agent e;ploding out ofthe !rimordial &arkness and acting on the !rimal 'ud ($hich $as discussed in %ater%*.Since Fire is separating (-ot* and infle;i#le (&ry*, the effect of -eat on the !rimal 'ud isto rarefy the atery part and to condense the Earthy part. That is, through its -eat theuminous Agent causes separation, so the part of the !rimal 'ud that retains its 'oisture#ecomes ater, and the part that retains its Coolness #ecomes Earth4 thus the t$o Elementsseparate.

So also Empedocles (fr. =


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(fr. 9?* says that %the kindly Earth received in -er $ide meltingpots% a mi;ture of!ersephone (ater* and -ephaistos (Fire* held together #y -armonia.

Air and Earth as &armoniai

Fire and ater may unite in Air, $hich has armth in common $ith Fire and'oistness in common $ith ater4 the other intermediary is Earth, $hich is &ry like Fireand Cool like ater. -o$ever, Air functions more easily as a uniting Element, #ecause it isalso intermediate in su#tlety #et$een Fire and ater.

Such a union takes place in a !yria, $hich is the ancient Greek version of a s$eatlodge (essentially the same as the Scythian version descri#ed in -erodotus .=


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The !ro3ress of the %oul

Fire plays a central role in the process of -eroi5ation #y $hich a mortal may escapethe cycle of re#irth and ascend to the +sles of the Blessed. To understand this $e must #egin$ith the normal progress of the soul after death, for similar rituals are used forimmortali5ation in this life and in the afterlife.

The !ythagorean Alcmaeon (c. HH BCE* and others related the immortality of soulto the immortal, divine stars. !lato also taught that the fiery su#stance of the stars, $hich hecalled Aith)r, is divine, and in the Cratylus (


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#efore it can come to the +sles of the Blessed, for the !ythagoreans say the Sun and 'oonare the +sles of the Blessed (hai 'akar6n 1)soi*. (This is the cosmology of Ana;imander,also kno$n to the /oroastrians, $hich places the Sun and 'oon a#ove the !lanets andother %stars.%* Generally !latonists #elieve that the !lanets aid in the ascent, #ut !lutarch2saccount suggests that some trial must #e passed, and a !ythagorean dictum says, %the

!lanets are the &ogs of !ersephone% (i.e. the Guards of the Dnder$orld, also recalling the&ogs of -ekate4 see #elo$*.-o$ever, #efore the soul can ascend through the spheres, it must #e purified #y

Fire. ne must descend into &arkness to find the source of ight4 one must die in order to#e re#orn. Thus heroi5ation occurs through an actual or sym#olic death #y Fire. This is#ecause Fire is purifying4 it #urns a$ay the transient and imperfect, there#y freeing the souland immortali5ing it. By descent through the Crater of 7e#irth, the initiate arrives at orldA;is, $hich gives simultaneous access to the -eavens and the Dnder$orld. There in theEarth2s Fiery om# he or she may #e purified #y Fire in preparation for re#irth. Thepassage through Fire is a means of uniting $ith the universe, $hich is a Cosmic Fireaccording to -eraclitus. Fire rises to the heavens, $here it #ecomes the essence of the starsand of lightning. Since lightning is Celestial Fire, the purest form of Fire, it is the mostpotent force for heroi5ation, and $e read that !ythagoras ascended to heaven after #eingstruck #y lightning. (-e had #een initiated previously in a Cretan cave #y means of a ritual"eraunios ithos or ightning Stone.*

-eat is the !o$er that Separates and Fire is its Element. Therefore, according to/oroastrian tradition, the -ero is the one $ho can make the perilous -ero2s ourney andsurvive an ordeal #y Fire and molten metal (flo$ing fire > ater J Fire*. This trial takesplace at the entry to the Bridge of the Separator under the oversight of 'a5dah, for -e iskno$n as The Separator.

Empedocles and the $ron6e %andalAccording to tradition, Empedocles ended his last earthly incarnation #y 0umping

into the Crater of Etna, the Sicilian volcano $hich the Greeks and 7omans vie$ed as apillar reaching to heaven from the under$orld. &iodorus of Sicily (.=* $rote,

%Thou, Empedocles, didst purify thy #ody $ith the iving Flame,and Fire didst thou drink out from +mmortal Craters.%&iodorus else$here $onders if in fact %he leapt into the Craters of Fire and drank of

ife.%There is considera#le evidence (discussed in detail #y "ingsley* that Empedocles

$as learned in the magic of -ekate, $ho grants ritual purification. -er mysteries are said tohave #een esta#lished #y rpheus, and She $as key to the process of re#irth in the rphic7ites on Samothrace. +n a scene $hich #orders on comedy, after Empedocles disappearedinto the volcano2s mouth, it #elched out a single #ron5e sandal. -o$ever, a single #ron5esandal is a common sign of -ekate and -er devotees, for #ron5e is closely connected $iththe Dnder$orld and is used to invoke -ekate. +t may #e $orn or held #y magicians as anem#lem of their a#ility to descend into Tartaros4 such a sign is given #y the Goddess to -erinitiates3 the %Bron5e Sandal of the -older of Tartaros.% Further, -ekate is called #y


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sounding #ron5e, and #ron5e cutting tools are under -er auspices4 #ron5e represents the fullmoon. Therefore it is significant that Empedocles $as kno$n as %Bron5e Foot,% for thatsho$s him to #e a devotee of the Goddess. (!ythagoras2 Golden Thigh has a similarmeaning.* ike$ise, -ekate -erself is sometimes said to have a single #ron5e leg.

Bron5e is also connected to the alchemy of smiths, and $e are reminded thatmagical smiths, such as -ephaistos, often have distorted feet, as do the gnomes, $ho #ringforth metals from the om# of 'other Earth. ike gnomes, the &aktuloi, Telkhines and"a#eiroi are su#terranean d$arves. The "a#eiroi are called Cra#s ("arkinoi* #ecause ofTheir cockeyed $alk, yet the grass #eneath Their feet is ignited #y Their magical dance.-ekate -erself is called &onkey Foot. Finally "erPnyi (-eroes 8* remarks that the'onosandalos ('an $ith ne Sandal* is an uncanny #eing, often $ith an Dnder$orldconnection, for he has left one sandal in the Dnder$orld as a sign of allegiance to it. (7ecallthe myth of ason arriving 'onosandalos in +olkos.*

&ekate the 7e(holder

+n the &escent to the Dnder$orld the 'agus must invoke and meet -ekate (Fire* as$ell as !ersephone (ater*. ike !ersephone, -ekate is a mediator #et$een our $orld andthe Dnder$orld4 She is the "eyholder and Gatekeeper of the sacred regions4 She is calledthe ady of Tartaros, !hulada (Guardian*, !ropulaia (Before the Gates*, "leidophoros("ey#earer* and "leidoukhos ("eyholder, !riestess*.

-ekate also holds the keys that unlock the uterus and facilitate #irth, and the keys to#oth death and re#irth, $hich takes place through the 'ukhos (-idden !lace* of -ekate onthe 'oon (see a#ove*. Thus She is called %Childnourishing% in -er role as 1urse of7e#irth. -ekate is the source of souls and their final destination, a #irth Goddess and adeath Goddess, for She oversees the transition of the soul into the #ody and #ack out of it.

-ekate is called S6teira (Savior* and has a prominent role in the Eleusinian'ysteries, for /eus sends -er to #ring the 'aiden #ack from -ades, $hich happens eachyear, according to some ancient authors. Thus She is preeminently the Goddess $ho maylead us #ack from the Dnder$orld. The principal Gods of the Eleusinian 'ysteries are&emeter (Earth*, !ersephone (ater*, &ionysos (Air* and -ekate (Fire*.

hen -ades sei5ed !ersephone -e carried -er underground in Sicily, $hich ishollo$ and has rivers of fire flo$ing under it. Therefore /eus gave Sicily to !ersephone asa $edding gift4 Their marriage $as cele#rated there ever after, and there $as a sanctuary of-ekate, &emeter and !ersephone in Sicily. -ence, Sicily, and especially 't. Etna, arehome to many Dnder$orld mysteries and the source of many !ythagorean magical ideas.f course, much more could #e said a#out -ekate and -er magic, #ut this is not the placefor it.


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Eamples of &eroi6ation

+ $ill mention several other e;amples of heroi5ation in the Greek tradition (there aremany*. According to "erPnyi (-eroes ::, :*, at least ten of -eracles2 a#orsrepresent the con@uering of &eath, the most o#vious #eing the fetching of "er#eros, the&og of -ades. By these a#ors he earned his name (-)rakl)s > -)ra2s Glory* and proved

his $orthiness to ascend to lympos and to #e adopted #y -er. hen his -eroic status $asproved, he #uilt his o$n funeral pyre and ascended it, thus continuing the fiery purificationinitiated #y the 7o#e of 1essos. The process of divini5ation $as completed #y a lightning#olt from his father /eus, $hich %#urned a$ay the parts different from /eus% and allo$edhis ascent. Although -eracles is often vie$ed as a mindless muscleman, for the!ythagoreans and many other ancient Greeks -e $as the archetype of the Spiritual -ero,and the %+mitation of -eracles% (+mitatio -erculi* $as the #asic path of spiritualdevelopment.

&ionysos is the archetypal -ero in Greek religion. + have already mentioned ho$-e $as cooked #y the Titans and later #lasted #y /eus2s ightning $hile still in Semele2s$om#. After she $as incinerated #y /eus2s Fire, her &ivine Child &ionysos (ord of 'oist1ature* descended into the Dnder$orld through the ernean S$amp to rescue -is motherand raise -er into -eaven. Thus She $as called -erois (-eroine* in certain secret rites at&elphi, and &ionysos is called the i#erator (!ater i#er Father Freedom to the7omans*.

Asklepios the -ealer $as dou#ly purified #y Fire. hen "oronis $as pregnant $ithhim #y Apollo, she took another lover, and so Apollo (corresponding to the Sun2s Fire* shother dead $ith -is arro$s4 $hile she #urned on the pyre, the God rescued the infantAsklepios from her $om#. ("oronis, %Cro$,% is a dark, Dnder$orld Goddesscorresponding to !ersephone and therefore ater. See "erPnyi, Gods of Greeks, 8=:.*ater Asklepios #rought a person #ack from the Dnder$orld, for $hich deed /eus #lastedhim $ith -is ightning and made him a God.

The $ellkno$n %'ithras iturgy% in the Greek 'agical !apyri (!G' +M.=89*is a late e;ample of an immortali5ation ritual, primarily addressed to -elios and focused onFire. +n the Ascent of the Soul (!sukh)s Anag6g)* in Chaldean Theurgy, the !urification ofthe Spirit Body is follo$ed #y the Elevation of Soul in five stages corresponding to theElements3 sym#olic #urial (Earth*, dissolution (ater*, #reathing e;ercises (Air*, ascent onthe rays of the Sun (Fire* and immortali5ation (uintessence*. The -ermetic traditions andSpiritual Alchemy teach similar methods of heroi5ation.

%ummar(e have seen that Fire is the primary agent of transformation, for it represents the

po$er to impose a selfdetermining form. This po$er has its origin in the Central Fire of-ades, $hich is associated $ith -ephaistos, the Craftsman skilled in Alchemy, and $ith-ekate, $ho holds the "eys to the om# of 7e#irth. The path to the Central Fire isthrough the Crater, $here Fire and ater are united in -armonia. For the $orthy,


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-eroi5ation #y Fire provides an escape from the cycle of reincarnation and a passage to the+sles of the Blessed.

!rincipal %ources

ohnston, S. +., -ekate Soteira, Scholars !ress, :99H. (-ekate*"ingsley, !., Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and!ythagorean Tradition, ;ford Dniversity !ress, :99. (principal source*

"irk, G. S., 7aven, . E., K Schofield, '., The !resocratic !hilosophers, 8nd ed.Cam#ridge Dniversity !ress, :9

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