The Ancient Greek Esoteric Doctrine of the Elements

Introduction
1998, John Opsopaus

Introduction to the Elements The 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 founders of estern science and philosophy, !eter "ingsley has presented convincing evidence that it is #etter to vie$ him as an ancient Greek %&ivine 'an% (Theios An)r*, that is, a +atromantis (healer,seer, %shaman%* and 'agos (priest,magician*. +n his o$n time he $as vie$ed as a prophet, healer, magician and savior. -is #eliefs and practices $ere #uilt on ancient mystery traditions, including the .rphic mysteries, the !ythagorean philosophy, and the under$orld mysteries of -ecate, &emeter, !ersephone and &ionysos. These $ere influenced #y near,Eastern traditions such as /oroastrianism and Chaldean theurgy. Empedocles, in his turn, $as a source for the ma0or streams of estern mysticism and magic, including alchemy, Graeco,Egyptian magic (such as found in the Greek magical papyri*, 1eo,!latonism, -ermeticism and Gnosticism. The Tetrasomia, or &octrine of the Four Elements, provides a #asic frame$ork underlying these and other spiritual traditions. (See "ingsley2s Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and !ythagorean Tradition, cited at the end of this article, for more on the Empedoclean tradition4 a revie$ is also availa#le.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The Elements or oots Empedocles did not call his four principles %elements% (stoikheia*, #ut %roots% (rhi5ai* or even %root,clumps% (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 of meanings $e can get some idea of his conception of the Elments. (+ capitali5e $ords such as %Earth% and %Element% to distinguish the magical or spiritual concepts from the mundane ones.* 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 :

sky, heaven, firmament, #rilliance, ray, #eam, glance, eye, splendor, mist and cloud. (This inconsistency #et$een #right clear sky , aith)r , and misty clouds , a)r , $ill #e e;plained $hen $e discuss Air.* For Fire he also used flame, #la5e, lightning, sun, sunlight, #eaming and East. (See right, p. 8<, for a ta#le of the Greek terms.* -o$ever, Empedocles makes clear that the Elements are more than 0ust material su#stances. -e introduces them as Gods (fragment = right > &"<:B?, my translation*3 1o$ hear the fourfold 7oots of everything3 Enlivening -era, -ades, shining /eus, And 1estis, moistening mortal springs $ith tears. As $as common practice $ith &ivine 'en, Empedocles gave his students kno$ledge in riddles to help develop their a#ilities, and this seems to #e one of those riddles (ainigmata*. Even in ancient times there $as de#ate and differing theories a#out the correspondence #et$een the Gods and Elements, #ut "ingsley (!art +* seems to have solved the riddle, as $ill #e e;plained later. To avoid undue suspense + $ill reveal the solution here3 /eus is Air, -era is Earth, -ades is Fire and 1estis (!ersephone* is ater. Empedocles2 e@uation of the 7oots $ith deities sho$ that he conceived of the Elements as more than material su#stances (or states of matter*. +t is #etter to think of them as spiritual essences (modes of spiritual #eing*, $hich can manifest themselves in many $ays in the material and spiritual $orlds (they are form rather than content, structure rather than image*. Some of these manifestations $ill #e e;plored $hen $e consider the individual Elements4 here + $ill mention a fe$ to indicate the possi#ilities. 'ost o#viously there are the macrocosmic manifestations of the Elements, for e;ample, the land, the sea, the sky and the sun. They are also connected $ith the su#lunary spheres3 -eaven, Earth, A#yss (the su#terranean $ater* and Tartaros (the su#terranean fire*. There are also microcosmic manifestations, for e;ample, as components of the human psyche (mental, astral, etheric and physical #odies*, $hich $ill #e discussed later. The Elements also represent the stages in various processes of gro$th and transformation (em#odied, for e;ample, in the alchemical 7otation of the Elements*, such as the stages in the Ascent of the Soul in Chaldean Theurgy (&ivine +nvocation*, also discussed later. Finally, from the standpoint of Aung2s psychology, the Elements (like the Gods* are archetypes4 #ecause they are structures in the collective unconscious, they are universal (present in all people*. As archetypes, they are #eyond complete analysis4 they can #e %circumscri#ed #ut not descri#ed%4 ultimately they must #e e;perienced to #e understood. 1evertheless Empedocles and his successors (especially Aristotle* did much to illuminate the nature of the Elements and their interrelationships (and + $ill #e leaning on their discoveries*. Since much of the meaning of the Elements inheres in their interrelationships, +2ll #egin $ith the Elements in general #efore turning to Earth specifically. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The !o"ers or #ualities +f $e $ant to understand the Elements as spiritual entities, $e must go deeper than metaphors #ased on material su#stances4 $e must grasp their essences. This $as first accomplished #y Aristotle in the century follo$ing Empedocles, $ho #ased his analysis on the four !o$ers (&unameis* or Bualities, $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. Cike the Elements, they must #e understood as spiritual forces rather than material @ualities ($arm, cold, dry, moist*. The !o$ers manifest in as many $ays as the Elements. The !ythagoreans identified one of the most important of these, a natural progression that can #e called the .rganic Cycle. The first phase of gro$th is 'oist3 spring rains, pliant green shoots, rapid gro$th. The second phase is arm3 summer sun, flourishing individuality, mature vigor. The third is &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 %rotation of the elements,% from Earth to ater to Air to Fire and #ack to Earth. Although the .rganic Cycle can #e found throughout nature, Aristotle discovered the deeper essence of the Bualities, $hich reveals their spiritual nature, as $e2ll e;plore in detail $hen $e consider the individual Elements. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, elations $et"een the Elements The relation #et$een the !o$ers and the Elements is represented in the $ell,kno$n Elemental S@uare or S@uare of .pposition (see figure*. (+t is most common to place the Elements at the corners and the !o$ers #et$een them, #ut it is #etter to place the !o$ers at the corners, since they are a#solute, and the Elements #et$een them, since they are mi;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$er is dominant. Therefore Earth is predominantly &ry, ater predominantly Cool, Air predominantly 'oist, and Fire predominantly arm. The dominant !o$er is the one in a counterclock$ise direction from the Element in the S@uare of .pposition4 thus the arro$ #y each Element points to its dominant !o$er. The vertical a;is represents the active Bualities ( arm, Cool*, the hori5ontal represents the passive ('oist, &ry*. The upper Elements (Air, Fire* are active, light and ascending, the lo$er ( ater, Earth* are passive, heavy and descending. The Elements on the right are pure, e;treme and a#solutely light (Fire* or heavy (Earth*4 those on the left are mi;ed, intermediate and relatively light (Air* or heavy ( ater*. The a#solute Elements e;hi#it unidirectional motion (ascending Fire, descending Earth*, $hereas the relative Elements (Air, ater* can also e;pand hori5ontally. The .rganic Cycle (the cycle of the seasons* goes sun$ise around the s@uare. Dnlike the chemical elements, the spiritual Elements can #e transformed into each other, #ut only in accord $ith la$s discovered #y Aristotle (see Gill*. Dnderstanding these la$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 common Buality (and are thus ad0acent, not opposed on the Elemental S@uare*. For e;ample, ater <

is transformed into Air $hen the ater is acted on #y a larger @uantitiy of Air, since the ater2s Coolness is %overpo$ered% #y the Air2s armth4 the common 'oist @uality is retained through the transformation. This process is reversi#le, since Air can #e transformed #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 Buality to give continuity to the process, #ut the ater can #e transformed indirectly #y changing it first into Air or Earth. This occurs $hen the ater is acted upon #y a larger @uantity of Fire. e can move around the S@uare, #ut not across it. 7aymon Clull (c.:889,:<:E*, kno$n as %&octor +lluminatus,% e;tended the Aristotelian analysis #y e;plaining ho$ t$o Elements can act upon each other. henever $e have similar @uantities of t$o Elements $ith a common Buality, the Element in $hich it2s not dominant is %overcome% or %con@uered% #y the one in $hich it is. For e;ample, $hen ater com#ines $ith Earth, the Earth is overcome, #ecause they are #oth Cool, #ut Coolness dominates in ater. Therefore, the result $ill #e predominantly Cool, $ith an additional Buality of 'oistness, $hich makes it atery. Clull2s analysis leads to a Cycle of Triumphs, $hich is sho$n #y the arro$s on the Elemental S@uare. Thus Fire overcomes Air, Air overcomes ater, ater overcomes Earth, and Earth overcomes Fire. 1otice that in each triumph (e;cept the last*, the more su#tle Element overcomes the grosser Element. Aristotle (see Gill* also e;plained a process #y $hich t$o opposed Elements can #e irreversi#ly transformed into a third. For e;ample, if Fire acts on a mi;ture of Earth and Air, these t$o opposed Elements $ill #e transformed into Fire, $hich takes its &ryness from the Earth and its armth from the Air. The transformation is irreversi#le, although some of the Fire could #e transformed #ack into Earth and, separately, some of the Fire #ack into Air. This process cannot #e used to transform t$o ad0acent Elements into a third, for e;ample Fire and Air into ater or Earth. +f $e kept the Fire2s &ryness and the Air2s etness, $e $ould have contradictory Bualities4 if $e kept the Fire2s armth and the Air2s armth, the result $ould #e neither et nor &ry. +n #oth cases the result is impossi#le (either #y the la$ of noncontradiction or #y the la$ of the e;cluded middle*. (The other t$o possi#le com#inations of Bualities yield Air and Fire, in $hich case there is no transformation.* Finally, $henever $e have t$o opposed Elements acting upon each other, they tend to neutrali5e, leading to a result that is $eakly one or the other. -o$ever, the essence of the alchemical Great ork is a proper unification of opposed Elements (especially Fire and ater*, a Coniunctio .ppositorum (Con0unction of .pposites* in $hich they form a higher unity, rather than annihilating each other4 this $ill #e discussed $hen $e come to ater and Fire. Before proceeding to a detailed consideration of the individual Elements, it $ill #e $orth$hile to consider some of the meaning em#odied in the familiar Elemental Signs (as sho$n in the figure of the Elemental S@uare*. The triangles represent the active !o$er ( arm or Cool* in each Element. The elemental signs of Earth and ater have in common the pu#ic triangle, #ecause these Elements are traditionally feminine and more passive, F

since they have in common the contracting, uniting Cool !o$er (see #elo$ on Coolness*4 the do$n$ard triangle also sho$s these elements are descending ( ater and Earth fall*. Conversely Air and Fire have the phallic triangle, #ecause they are traditionally male and more active, since they have in common the e;panding, separating arm !o$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 (Cogos* and the synthetic, feminine Elements $ith 'atter (-ul)*. Finally, in the elemental signs for Air and Earth, the cross#ar represents a denser or grosser (less su#tle* form of the Element, as Earth is of ater, and Air of Fire.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, %ources Aristotle, &e Generatione et Corruptione (.n Coming,to,#e and !assing,a$ay*, ++.8,<, especially lines <89#=,<<:a?. (the Elements and !o$ers or Bualities* "ingsley, !eter, Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and !ythagorean Tradition, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :99E. (principle source* Gill, 'ary Couise, Aristotle on Su#stance3 The !arado; of Dnity, !rinceton Dniversity !ress, :9G9. (com#ination and transformation of Elements* Clull, 7aymon, Tractatus 1ovus de Astronomia, :8H=. (com#ination of elements* right, '. 7., Empedocles3 The E;tant Fragments, Iale Dniversity !ress, :9G:. (fragments of Empedocles, $ith interpretations*

EA T& The 'ool and Dr( !o"ers e have seen (in the +ntroduction* that Earth is &ry and Cool, $ith &ryness dominating, therefore + $ill #egin the discussion of Earth $ith a more detailed e;planation of its !o$ers. (+t $ill #ecome apparent that they have a much #roader meaning than implied #y the names %dry% and %cool.%* Aristotle e;plains that the &ry po$er gives things their shape, their rigid structure. Thus $e may identify the &ry po$er $ith form and say that it is formative, determining and solid. +n a psychological conte;t &ryness is associated $ith stu##ornness, purpose, dependa#ility, practicality and authority. Because of its rigidity, the &ry !o$er is unreceptive, infle;i#le, manipulative, commanding, arguing, domineering, strict, and tends to oppose circumstances. +n general, &ryness is concrete and grounded. The arm po$er, according to Aristotle, separates things (e.g. #y evaporation or distillation*, and therefore its opposite, the Cool po$er has the effect of uniting them. +n essence, Coolness is mi;ing, 0oining, synthetic, and relating4 in a psychological conte;t it is E

loving, undiscriminating, indecisive, careless, nurturing, sympathetic, cooperative and creative. Further, $hereas the arm po$er is e;panding, the Cool po$er is contracting, a#sor#ed, and in$ard,directed4 psychologically it2s associated $ith concentration and @uietude. Because of its tendency to 0oin together, Coolness is sta#le, steadfast and enduring. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The Essence of Earth 1o$ $e may apply our understanding of the !o$ers to the element Earth. The Cool and &ry po$ers represent passive mi;ture and rigid structure, so Earth is passive form, imposing (like a mold into $hich clay is pressed or $a; is poured*4 $e may call it structuring, Therefore, Earth is the root of structure (infle;i#le synthesis*, materiali5ation (sta#le synthesis*, the physical $orld, crystalli5ed energy, and the psychological @ualities of realism and pragmatism. Earth represents essentially inert matter (#ecause of the dominance of &ryness*4 it is primarily fi;ed, $hereas all the other Elements have some mo#ility. Thus Earth corresponds to the material #ody of living things, $hich must #e animated #y the other Elements in order to #e alive. Also, elemental Earth is associated $ith the time from the Autumn E@uino; (peak of &ryness* to the inter Solstice (peak of Coolness*, i.e., our Autumn, $hich is primarily &ry (the dominant @uality of Earth*. The foregoing analysis sho$s that Earth is #etter pictured as cold, dry ash or as hard crystal than as moist, $arm loam. (The latter image is more suited to the mi;ture of ater and Earth, as $ill #e e;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 #e associated $ith -era. ( hen $e discuss ater $e2ll see $hy Earth isn2t associated $ith 1)stis, the other Goddess mentioned #y Empedocles.* The later, Stoic theory of the Elements associates Earth $ith -ades, #ut this has little mythological support, #ecause the Greeks associate -ades $ith the alien Dnder$orld, not the familiar Earth. Furthermore, the Stoic 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 discuss Air. (+n contrast, &i6n), sometimes called /eus2s %first $ife,% is a Sky Goddess4 indeed -er name 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 is the sta#ili5er of the social order. Furthermore, -era is a fertility Goddess since She ?

provides the sta#le foundation of procreation and of the survival of the species, $hich differs 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% is also 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 the Cord and Cady, $hich is $hat -)r6s and -)ra mean in Greek.* -era rene$s -er virginity each year #y #athing in the spring "anathos at 1auplia4 so also, the Elemental S@uare sho$s us that ater leads Earth around the (sun$ise* cycle of the seasons. !lutarch (.n +sis and .siris* says that &emeter is the same as +sis, $ho is called the 7ecipient, !reserver, &istri#utor, 'aterial !rinciple, Gentle 1urse, All,receptive, Earth and 'atter4 She is the Seat and !lace of Generation, and 7eceptive of Every Form of Generation. 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*, $hich makes the land fertile. So also the opposites &ryness and 'oisture are the dominant !o$ers of the Elements governed #y -era and /eus (Earth and Air*. Air and Fire ascend, and ater descends, #ut Earth is fi;ed at the #ottom4 it is secure, the solid foundation of #eing. Therefore the Tarot suit of !entacles (or Coins* is associated $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 four,letter name of Aove3 +.DE. This emanation is represented in the Tarot court cards, in $hich Earth corresponds to the !ages (or !rincesses*. (This is discussed further in the !ythagorean Tarot, in the discussions of the suits and the court cards.* The contrast #et$een the immo#ile Earth and the mo#ile Elements ater, Air and Fire e;hi#its a :J< structure typical of many spiritual and divine @uaternities. Aung e;plains that %the fourth represents an incommensura#le other that is needed for their mutual determination,% $hich is precisely the role played #y Earth among the Elements. The special status of Earth is also apparent in the myth of ho$ the three #rothers, /eus, !oseidon and -ades, divided the $orld among themselves after They defeated the Titans. !oseidon rules the sea ( ater*, /eus rules the sky (Air*, and -ades rules Tartaros (Fire*, #ut the Earth is held in common #et$een them. All three recogni5e the sovereignty of 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 =

$ith -era, as protectress of the sta#le foundation of fertility, and $ith the Earth Goddesses &emeter and Gaia. Click here to continue on to ater ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, %ources Aristotle, &e Generatione et Corruptione (.n Coming,to,#e and !assing,a$ay*, ++.8,<, especially lines <89#=,<<:a?. (the Elements and !o$ers or Bualities* "ingsley, !eter, Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and !ythagorean Tradition, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :99E. (principle source* !lutarch, +sis and .siris. (+sis K &emeter* right, '. 7., Empedocles3 The E;tant Fragments, Iale Dniversity !ress, :9G:. (fragments of Empedocles, $ith interpretations*

)ATE The Essence of )ater As e;plained in the +ntroduction, the Elements are spiritual essences that get their character from four Bualities or !o$ers3 the &ry, the Cool, the 'oist and the arm. +n simplest terms, the &ry and 'oist @ualities represent form versus fle;i#ility4 the arm and Cool @ualities represent separation versus union. Earth is &ry and Cool, ater is Cool and 'oist, Air is 'oist and arm, Fire is arm and &ry4 in each case the first of the t$o listed @ualities is dominant in the Element. -o$ever, each of the !o$ers and the Elements is a spiritual essence, a constellation of eternal characteristics that cannot #e captured in simple definitions. These essences can manifest in the mundane and spiritual $orlds in a variety of $ays, $hich yet retain their essential character, and #y e;ploring these manifestations $e can deepen our understanding. +n this article + $ill try to circumscri#e and illuminate the character of the element ater and the 'oist @uality. (Coolness is discussed in connection $ith Earth.* According to Aristotle (as e;plained in the discussion of Earth*, the &ry po$er causes things to fi; their o$n form or structure. +ts opposite, the 'oist @uality, represents a lack of self,determination4 a 'oist thing conforms to its surroundings and may take on any form. (Buicksilver is a good sym#ol of the 'oist @uality.* Therefore, $e may say that the 'oist @uality is receptive, adaptive, form receiving, fle;i#le, and pragmatic (#ecause it conforms to circumstances*. !sychologically, the 'oist @uality represents a personality that is fle;i#le, fluid, mercurial, unrelia#le, indefinite and lacking self,control. The 'oist person tends to #e agile, gentle, o#edient, conforming, passive, yielding, accommodating, $eak, sensitive, understanding and kind, and to e;hi#it empathy, compassion, and a tendency to conformity. The 'oist (like the &ry* is a passive po$er, $hich is dominated in ater #y an active po$er, Coolness. G

By looking at the Elemental S@uare, $e can see that the arm and Cool @ualities correspond to the summer and $inter solstices, and the 'oist and &ry Bualities correspond to spring and fall e@uino;es. Therefore the season corresponding to ater is $inter. This may #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 left half of the diagram, comprising $inter and spring, is 'oist, $hich allo$s fluid change of form (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, $hich is the active @uality that #inds things together, and so ater allo$s formation and nourishment of composite entities, and its evaporation and a#sence causes their decomposition. .n the other hand, the 'oistness of ater permits the dissolution of structure and the loss of form. Thus the essence of ater is to mi; and cling together $hile #eing changea#le in shape4 it is characteri5ed #y passive change of form (transformation*. Therefore ater permits the gro$th and development of form. +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 $ith emotional relationships, since it is Cool (connecting, relating* and 'oist (conforming, empathetic*4 therefore the tarot suite of Cups corresponds to ater. Furthermore, ater corresponds to the Bueens among the court cards, for they represent the nurturing matri;, the .#0ect of the creative +mpulse4 the t$o Dnite to engender the Effect. This process of emanation is summari5ed in +.DE, the four,letter name of Aove3 +mpulse (Fire*, .#0ect ( ater*, Dnion (Air*, Effect (Earth*, $hich correspond to the court cards. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, !ersephone*s Tears !lutarch reminds us that the Elements are not Gods4 rather, the Gods are the source of the !o$ers of the elements. This is ho$ $e must interpret the declaration of Empedocles (fr.= > &"<:B?*, the fifth century BCE Greek magician,philosopher $ho gave us the &octrine of the Four Elements3 1o$ hear the fourfold 7oots of everything3 Enlivening -era, -ades, shining /eus, And 1)stis, moistening mortal springs $ith tears. Although, these verses seem to have #een intended as an instructional riddle (ainigma*, it has #een clear since ancient times that 1)stis corresponds to ater. (-ades, -era and /eus are Fire, Earth and Air.* Since %1)stis% $as the name #y $hich !ersephone $as kno$n in Sicily (the #irthplace of Empedocles2 !ythagorean Craft*, + $ill #egin $ith a discussion of !ersephone2s connection $ith ater. Springs, $ells and other sources of $ater from the earth $ere central to the 'ysteries of !ersephone, and the Eleusinian 'ysteries gre$ up around a spring. This is 9

#ecause springs represent entrances to the Dnder$orld, especially in Greece, $here it is common for them to reenter the earth after flo$ing a#ove ground for some distance. hen !ersephone $as a#ducted, She $as taken do$n the spring called "uan), $hich $as said to have #een created from the 'aiden2s tears, and She is virtually identical $ith "uan), the nymph of that spring. +ndeed, !ersephone is Bueen 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 !ythagoreanism and 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 and tears, $hich is opposite !yriphlegethon, the river of fire in the Dnder$orld, as ater is opposite Fire on the Elemental S@uare. (According to &amscius, each of the Four 7ivers of the Dnder$orld has an associated Element.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The )ater of +ife ater is also connected $ith the 'ilk of +mmortality from !ersephone2s Breasts, for in the 'ysteries She is a Goddess of 0oyous re#irth as $ell as grievous dissolution. For e;ample, on the BacchicL.rphic gold ta#lets (/unt5 A:,<* from Thessaly (a region kno$n for itchcraft*, $hich date #ack to the fifth century BCE, $e read3 + have flo$n out of the Circle of -eavy Grief and stepped s$ift,footed on the Circle of Aoy. + have made straight for the Breast of the 'istress, the Bueen of the Dnder$orld. And no$ + come a suppliant to -oly !ersephoneia, that of -er Grace She send me to the Seats of the -allo$ed. -appy and Blessed .ne, thou shalt #e God instead of mortal. A "id + have fallen into 'ilk. (tr. after Guthrie $ith emendations #y /unt5, est K "ingsley* This alludes to Thrice,Born &ionysos (the %"id%*, $ho is the horned son of !ersephone, according to the .rphics. Therefore the Bacchic initiate emulates the re#irth of &ionysos #y sucking the 'ilk of +mmortality from !ersephone2s #reasts. An a#undance of milk is a standard sym#ol in the Bacchic 'ysteries, and milk is often involved in immortali5ation rites. Further, many enlightened individuals are descri#ed as consuming only milk. The ater of Cife is found near !ersephone2s Tree. !herecydes (?th. cent. BCE*, a mentor of !ythagoras, told ho$ "hthoni) (She Beneath the Earth , one of !ersephone2s names* stretches up$ard as a self,supporting inged .ak (-upopteros &rus*, $ith -er 7oots in the Dnder$orld, -er trunk clim#ing through the middle elements, -er cro$n in -eaven. At the #ase of the Tree, #et$een -er 7oots, is the .utflo$ (Ekro)*, the Springs of Am#rosia ("r)nai Am#rosiai*, for the aters of the Dnder$orld flo$ out from -er 7oots. The inged .ak, round $hich the 7o#e of Earth is $rapped (see #elo$*, dra$s into -er :H

7oots the sap of life, the aters of the A#yss, conveys it up$ard to -er cro$n, from $hich the golden Am#rosial &e$ drips do$n like honey to feed immortal souls. (+ndeed %Am#rosia% means %immortal.%* Before a soul can return to incarnation, it must approach one of these rivers and drink the ater of Cife from it, for the .utflo$ of the 7ivers is called the Semen of Cife. Thus a fourth century BCE .rphic Gold Ta#let (/unt5 B:* is inscri#ed3 Thou 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 Cake 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 $ith thirst and + perish. Give me @uickly the Cold ater flo$ing forth from the Cake 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 (C)th)* and dissolution, the spring on the right $ith 'emory and immortality. The revitali5ing Tree of Cife #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 same theme in the serpent guarding the Apples of the Tree of the nymphs -esperides, $hich is in the $est, the region of death, near the orld A;is $here Atlas supports -eaven.* hen people die, their #reath,souls (psukhai* go to the 'oon, and during the first t$o $eeks of the month $e see -er $a;ing on the #reath,souls of the dead. (See %Air% for more on the Breath,Soul.* &uring the second t$o $eeks of the month, the Gods drink Am#rosia from the Messel of the 'oon, and $e see -er light $ane4 during this time souls are prepared for re#irth. Then the 'oon and Sun come together, so that the 'oon may #e rene$ed. Souls pass through 'ukhoi (-idden !laces* in their passage to and from mortal incarnation4 especially they pass through the 'ukhos of -ekate on the 'oon, $here they atone for their crimes4 She is the stern Gate,keeper. (The 'oon, of course, is intimately connected $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 Cunar Gate and enter the +sles of the Blessed 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 #ack into 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 to Air*. 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 ::

#orn of the union of the Cord of the Air and the Cady of the Earth, getting -er po$er to unite (Cool* from &emeter and -er po$er to transform ('oist* from /eus. !ersephone 0oins $hat is a#ove $ith $hat is #elo$. Especially, in -er yearly cycle, cele#rated in the Eleusinian '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 #een preserved for us. According to this story, 7hea the 'other of the Gods directed /eus to come as a snake to -er in -er 'ukhos, the Sacred Cave of !han)s (the !rimal God* and three Goddesses of the 1ight. %She #ecame a serpent, $hereupon -e turned into a serpent -imself, and #inding -er in the so,called -eracleot "not, copulated $ith -er. The form of coupling is represented in the and of -ermes% (Athenagoras*. &emeter $as #orn from the union of 7hea $ith /eus, $ho is -imself the son of "ronos (Time* and 7hea (Flo$*. 7hea arranged 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 again the serpent2s form and to mate $ith -er daughter, $ho then #ore &ionysos. Aung has sho$n us that Gods often form @uaternities $ith a <J: structure, such as $e see here. /eus2s three $ives are the 'aiden, 'other and Crone. -e is the fourth, $ho differs from the three. According to Empedocles, /eus, !ersephone and &emeter correspond to Air, ater and Earth, respectively. This suggests that 7hea corresponds to Fire in this structure, $hich makes some sense. 7hea, as Goddess of 1ature, is the agent of change (indeed She arranged the threefold mating of /eus*, and philosophers, magicians and alchemists, from -eraclitus in the fifth century BCE to those in our o$n time, have identified Fire as the primary agent of change. (See our discussion of Fire.* Therefore the @uaternity has the Sky Father /eus a#ove and the Earth 'other &emeter #elo$4 !ersephone the 'aiden of the A#yss is on one side, and 7hea the Celestial Crone is on the other. The great triad of !ersephone, &emeter and 7hea is honored in the Cesser 'ysteries, $hich take place in Anthest)ri6n (the %'onth of Flo$ers%*, the month preceding the spring e@uino; (and thus corresponding to the element ater*. e may also note that !ersephone, &emeter and -ekate are the important triad of Goddesses of the (Greater* Eleusinian 'ysteries (for it $as -ekate $ho negotiated the return of the 'aiden*. -ekate is an Dnder$orld Goddess, and thus associated $ith Fire (as $ill #e e;plained $hen $e discuss that element*, #ut $as also identified $ith 7hea, for -ekate $as understood as a Goddess of 1ature, like 7hea. They are #oth glittering crones (and $e $ill see that Their Fire can #e located either in -eaven or the Dnder$orld*. From -er union $ith /eus, !ersephone #ore &ionysos, destined to #e the successor of /eus and the fifth ruler of .lympus, $ho $as especially honored in the .rphic 'ysteries. Therefore -e corresponds to the Buintessence, the Fifth Element, for #oth define ne$ realms outside the fours@uare completeness of the Earth, ater, Air and Fire.

:8

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 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, #ut the 'oist (conforming* @uality causes the result to have no fi;ed form. Further, #ecause ater is Cool, dissolution is a passive loss of form. Through dissolution all things lose their rigid structure and identity. &issolution is not necessarily undesira#le. For e;ample, ater allo$s the dissolution and reorgani5ation of structure necessary for gro$th and development4 it corresponds to the nutritive faculty of life (the %vegetative soul%*. ( ater ena#les passive change of form, and meta#olism and gro$th are passive, from our conscious, mental perspective.* Also, dissolution and dismem#erment in the Dnder$orld is a necessary stage of initiation and re#irth in the 'ysteries. .f course, preservation and dissolution are t$o sides of the cycle of 1ature, $hich are em#odied in &emeter and !ersephone, the Goddesses of Cife and &eath, $ho oversee re#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 form,dissolving ('oist*. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, -.stis Empedocles (fr. =* calls !ersephone #y the o#scure name %1)stis,% $hich is pro#a#ly a pre,Greek #ut +ndo,European Goddess name indigenous to Sicily and southern +taly. Simplicius derived it from naein, meaning %to flo$,% #ut, according to "ingsley, in ancient times divine names $ere sometimes su#tly refashioned so that they $ould have multiple 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 to ater, represents #oth flo$ing and fasting, #oth feast and famine. (.pposites unite in the 1ether$orld.* There is perhaps no etymological connection #et$een %1)stis% and the Egyptian Goddess 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.% They sym#oli5e #irth (+sis, Earth* and death (1ephthys, ater* and $ere called the eeping Goddesses. Cike &emeter and !ersephone, +sis and 1ephthys represent generation and dissolution. (+ndeed &emeter and +sis are sometimes identified, for each searched for -er lost child.*

:<

As !ersephone is $edded to -ades, so 1ephthys is the #ride of Typh6n, $ho is identified $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 .siris and #ore Anu#is, $ho, like &ionysos, rules the #orderland #et$een the Earth (+sis* and the A#yss (1ephthys*. Cike &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 $ith Typh6n (-adesLFire*, the destructive po$er (h) phthartik) dunamis*, all plants and animals, and even the earth and sea, 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*, Their offspring 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 the Dnder$orld. Therefore She is called 'elaina (Black .ne*, Epitum#idia (Dpon the Tom#s*, Tum#orukhos (Gravedigger* and !asiphaessa (Far Shining*, $hich associates -er $ith the 'oon and the Bueen of the Dnder$orld. The connection #et$een love and death may #e pu55ling, #ut the Cove,&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 from the Sea*, the Goddess rising from the salty $aters (on $hich, see #elo$*, and !elagia (She of the Sea*. -esiod2s tale of -er #irth from the Gonads of -eaven $hen they fell into the sea, is $ell kno$n. .ther myths say that She is the daughter of .keanos (.cean* or of /eus and &i6n), a ater Goddess. Again, She is said to have emerged from the !rimordial Egg floating 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 purest and foulest $ater3 for fish drinka#le and saving, #ut for people undrinka#le and destroying.%

:F

The !ythagoreans identify the #itter Salt Sea $ith divine tears, especially the tears of "ronos (like !ersephone, a deity of the afterlife*, and $e have seen that Empedocles identified 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, $hich suggests 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 to preserve that $hich is $orth saving. Similarly, the Salt Sea from $hich Aphrodite $as #orn is the source of ne$ life, the salty $om# of re#irth. But complementing life,engendering Aphrodite (Menus Genetri;* and !ersephone Bueen of the Dnder$orld, $e also have Aphrodite Dpon the Tom#s and the revitali5ing milk from !ersephone2s #reasts. Generation and dissolution are complementary. Alchemically, the Sea is the vessel of re#irth #ecause its Salt is the spark of the orld Soul (Anima 'undi*, the %Megeta#le Spirit% (Spiritus Megetativus*. This Spiritual Salt (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$ $ords a#out it here. .n the one hand, Sea ater (A@ua !ontica* is chaotic primordial matter (see #elo$*4 on the other, it may #e purified (#y Fire and ater* into Enduring ater (A@ua !ermanens*, $hich holds the Salt of isdom (Sal Sapientiae* and is the Eli;ir of 7e#irth. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, !rimal 1ud -esiod2s Theogony (c. =HH BCE* says, %First Chaos came to #e, #ut then #road, #osomed Gaia.% Cater the Stoics attri#uted to !herecydes the vie$ that Chaos ("haos* is atery, 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 to the !ythagorean Alkman (c. ?HH BCE*, in the #eginning there $as a %trackless and featureless% $aste of aters. There is also an .rphic theogony in $hich the first deities are .keanos and Tethys, corresponding to the A#yss (s$eet su#terranean $ater* and Tiamat (#itter salt sea*. Therefore ater (Chaos* precedes Earth (Gaia*, $hich gives matter its form. 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 this fle;i#ility #y ater. Therefore !rimal 'ud, the fertile loam of our 'other, is a com#ination of dry, crystalline Earth $ith moistening ater. This is $hy ater, $hich gives 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 /eus and "hthoni) (She Beneath the Earth* married, and on the third day of the $edding, the Dnveiling (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 :E

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 of the $orld3 Earth, Encircling .cean, and the 7ealms #eyond the 7im. A#ove the three is -eaven and #elo$ is the Dnder$orld4 all together they are the Fivefold Cosmos.* hen "hthoni), Bueen of the Dnder$orld, had $rapped it around -er, She #ecame Gaia, 'other Earth. Cike$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 sacred marriage #ed, $as hung upon the Goddess2s Tree of Cife. Thus the mantle of our $orld surrounds "hthoni)2s Tree, the Tree of She Beneath the Earth. As $as e;plained in the +ntroduction, Earth is overcome #y ater, and so the result of com#ining the t$o is more atery than Earthy. That is, the !rimal 'ud is more like chaotic elemental ater3 formless (#ecause 'oist* and confused (#ecause Cool, and therefore mi;ing*. 1evertheless, the !rimal 'ud is #oth &ry and et, corresponding to the elements 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 (Ci#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 heel of the Sun4 the narthe; or fennel stalk corresponds to Shushumna, the central spinal channel, $hich conveys the "undalini force. The narthe; also forms the shaft of the Thursos, the $and of &ionysian invocation.* Finally, Athena #reathed !sych) (Breath NAirO, Soul, !rana* into the #ody. (See Air for more on this.* Thus $e are made from all four Elements. From this perspective, ater and Earth constitute the %gross #ody%4 Air and Fire provide the astral and radiant #odies, respectively. +n Empedocles2 terms, Earth and ater are the #ody (s6ma*, Air is the soul (psych)*, and Fire is source of po$er (kin)tik)*. Alchemically, the #ody is the Salt, $hich is 0oined #y the Buicksilver (etheric #ody3 Air* to the Sulfur (radiant #ody3 Fire*. So also the Stoics say that the (Cool, synthetic* %feminine% elements Earth and ater constitute -ul) ('atter or 7esource*, $hereas the ( arm, analytic* %masculine% elements Air and Fire constitute Cogos ( ord or Thought*. Earth and ater are the only tangi#le (toucha#le* elements4 Fire and Air are intangi#le. Since ater and Earth are #oth Cool, their tendency is to$ard greater mi;ture4 this is the entropy of gross matter. They tend to the cold and dark through the dissolution of form (#ecause the mi;ture is atery*. The %igneous spirit% (the -eat residing in #oth Fire and Air* gives motion to inert matter and makes it active. These Elements tend to $armth and light through the generation of energy. Thus 'enstruum, the Civing 'ud, $hich com#ines the Cool feminine elements Earth and ater (represented #y pu#ic triangles*, is animated #y Semen, $hich com#ines the arm masculine elements Air and Fire (represented #y the phallic triangles*. Therefore armth and 'oisture are the t$o principles of generation, $hich animate the sterile Earth and #ring it to life. :?

+n conclusion, ater is the spiritual principle of fle;i#le union, $hich permits #oth dissolution and transformation. ater provides the !rimordial Chaos, $hich com#ines $ith Earth 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, :9E:. (Gods, myths* "ingsley, !., %!oimandres3 The Etymology of the 1ame and the .rigins of the -ermetica,% Aourn. ar#urg K Courtauld +nsts., Mol. E?, :99<, pp. :,8F. (etymologies* "ingsley, !., Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and !ythagorean Tradition, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :99E. (principal source* 'ead, G. 7. S., The &octrine of the Su#tle Body, "essinger reprint, n.d. (su#tle #ody* !ernety, A.,A., An Alchemical Treatise on the Great Art, eiser, :99E, !art :. (!rimal 'ud, alchemy* !lutarch, +sis and .siris. (Elements K Gods, +sis K 1ephthys* Sykes, E., ho2s ho in 1on,Classical 'ythology, s.v. 1ephthys. est, '. C., Early Greek !hilosophy and the .rient, .;ford, :9=:, pp. :H,=E, 8H<, 8<F. (!herecydes2 cosmology* right, '. 7., Empedocles3 The E;tant Fragments, Iale Dniversity !ress, :9G:. (Empedocles* /unt5, G., !ersephone3 Three Essays on 7eligion and Thought in 'agna Graecia, .;ford, :9=:. (BacchicL.rphic ta#lets*

AI
The Essence of Air As has #een e;plained in the articles on the other Elements, the characters of the Elements can #e understood in terms of four spiritual !o$ers3 Earth is &ry and Cool, ater Cool and 'oist, Air 'oist and arm, Fire arm and &ry (see the Elemental S@uare*. +n each of the Elements the first !o$er dominates the second, and so in Air the dominant po$er is the 'oistness, the po$er to conform to e;ternal circumstances. Since 'oistness

:=

$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$er of separation. 'ore specifically, it causes things of the same kind to 0oin, so each seeks its o$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 are fundamentally the !o$ers of Cove and Strife (!hilia and 1eikos*, associated $ith Aphrodite and Ares, and they are the primary agents of change in the cosmos according to Empedocles (the fifth century BCE magician,philosopher $ho gave us the doctrine of the Four Elements*. They are the more active po$ers (as opposed to 'oisture and &ryness, $hich are more passive*, $ith Coolness giving its po$er to the %feminine% elements Earth and ater, and armth to the %masculine% elements Air and Fire. Since armth represents the po$er of separation, it is the cause of all processes of differentiation, discrimination and development of form. +t also leads to dissociation and opposition, and the cyclic motion #et$een opposing principles. Because it is an active po$er of separation, armth is e;pansive, out$ard directed and energetic in its effects4 it is the cause of change. hen $e put these @ualities in a psychological conte;t, $e find that the arm po$er is associated $ith the a#ility to discriminate, analy5e and 0udge, and so it is connected $ith 0ustice, honesty and critical thinking. !ersonalities $ith the arm @uality tend to #e skillful, goal directed, diligent, authoritative, strong, energetic, selective, decisive, conscientious and leaders. -o$ever, the tendency to active separation can also lead them to #e selfish, remote, intolerant, chauvinistic, 0udgmental, aloof, divisive, $illful and domineering. +n Air the 'oist po$er is dominant, although the arm po$er is the more active. Thus, in thinking a#out Air it is more accurate to visuali5e $arm, moist #reath rather than cool, dry #ree5es. The 'oist @uality represents fle;i#ility and the arm po$er causes differentiation4 therefore elemental Air represents active change of form (transformation*. +n a psychological conte;t, Air corresponds to nim#le analysis, fle;i#le discrimination, and therefore to ideas, intellect, thinking and kno$ledge. Thus the Tarot suite of S$ords corresponds to the element Air. (The %intellectual% @ualities of Air are discussed more later.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 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, /eus is in origin a Storm God, and therefore associated $ith the tur#ulent air4 -is gift is the fertili5ing rain, the 'oisture from the Air. /eus is also kno$n for shape,shifting (i.e., transformation, active change of form*, and -e e;hi#its most of the personality @ualities that $e have seen to #e characteristic of Air. +n Empedocles2 system, /eus and -era, $ho rule on .lympus, correspond to the opposed elements Air and Earth4 -ades and !ersephone, $ho rule in the Dnder$orld, :G

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.EH,c.:8H CE*, $ho $as -igh !riest at &elphi, e;plained that .siris and +sis correspond to the 1ile and Egypt, or more generally to 'oisture and the Earth, the 'oist and the &ry. Cike$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 are arm and Cool, respectively, that is individuating and uniting4 life springs from this con0unction of opposites. Further, according to Egyptian myth, .siris united $ith 1ephthys, $ho then #ore Anu#is, $ho $as raised #y a foster,mother (+sis*4 like$ise, in .rphic doctrine /eus united $ith !ersephone, $ho then #ore &ionysos, $ho $as raised #y nurses. Each myth tells of a union of the 'oist elements Air and ater (sky and the a#yss* to yield a God $ho is e@ually at home in -eaven and the Dnder$orld. (See % ater% for more a#out +sis, 1ephthys and Anu#is.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, &era Cike 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 our o$n, many solutions have #een proposed, #ut !eter "ingsley2s seems to #e #est (see his Ancient !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, the ancient Stoic solution, in $hich Air > -era, is interesting and $orth e;ploring to understand Air #etter. This solution is #ased on a pun4 since %-% is not $ritten as a letter in ancient Greek, %-)ra% and %A)r% ($hich means Air* are anagrams of each other3 Q-7A and 2A-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 Earth presents the evidence in favor of "ingsley2s -era > Earth e@uation.* The confusion is partly a result of the evolution of ancient Greek. +n Empedocles2 time aith)r seems to have #een the most general $ord for air, and a)r referred more specifically 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 the Buintessence or %Spirit% no$adays*, it came to #e called aith)r, and the $ord a)r $as reserved 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 :9

-era could #e assigned to earthly A)r (Cool, feminine* $hile /eus $as given celestial Aith)r ( arm, masculine*. Therefore, /eus and -era can #e vie$ed as complementary Sky God and Goddess, although this does not seem to #e Empedocles2 intention. (+n the Stoic system -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 to succeed -im*, $as associated $ith Air #y !roclus, a !agan philosopher of the fifth century CE. e can understand this as follo$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 and Earth, respectively, and $e $ill see that -ekate corresponds to Fire, $hich leaves Air for &ionysos, as for -is father. (Compare also the .rphic Buaternity discussed in % ater.%* Similarly, !lutarch e@uates &ionysos (Air* $ith .siris, Earth $ith +sis, ater $ith 1ephthys, and Fire $ith Typhon. The assignment of Air to #oth /eus and &ionysos may seem 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 1ediatin3 Element A fundamental principle of Greek philosophy and alchemy is that a Con0unction of .pposites re@uires some mediating factor, a mean to unite the e;tremes. Air is an important mediating Element #ecause it unites the opposites Fire and ater, the key alchemical process (discussed $ith Fire*. -ere + $ill simply o#serve that Air can mediate #et$een them #ecause it has armth in common $ith Fire and 'oisture in common $ith ater, so it forms a #ridge #et$een them. This mediating role is also central to the process of emanation represented #y the Tarot court cards ("ing, Bueen, "night, !age*, and sym#oli5ed #y +.DE, the name of Aove3 Air represents the Dnion of the +mpulse (Fire* $ith its .#0ect ( ater*, $hich leads to the Effect (Earth*. (Earth is the other mediating element4 the 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 unlike things together, and conversely every -armonia presupposes an opposition. (+n myth, -armonia is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, and the &erveni !apyrus, $hich is an interpretation of .rphic scriptures, e;plains that /eus, as &ivine A)r, #rought -armonia into the cosmos.* Since Air is predominantly 'oist, $e also need to investigate 'oisture as a mediating !o$er. 'oisture is the common !o$er of Air and ater, and therefore it links them together. -o$ever, Air is also connected $ith Fire, for they are #oth arm, and ater 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 and Earth. +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 connects e;tremes of Cight and 'atter (light K shado$, heaven K earth*. Further, Sun, 'oon and 8H

Earth correspond to Fire, 'oisture and Earth, for the 'oon is an intermediary, reflecting the 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*, $hich created the opposites arm and Cool and the 'oist !o$er capa#le of uniting them. The arm elements are Fire and Air (heaven and sky*, the Cool are ater and Earth (sea and land*. The 'oist elements Air and ater form the #ridge that connects the e;tremes. The resulting union of the arm and Cool gives #irth to all living things. +n the .rphic version it is Eros (Cove* that unites -eaven and Earth and gives #irth to Gods and mortals. (See #elo$ on !rimal Air.* +n alchemical terms, the 'oist 7adical is 'ercury (Buicksilver*, $hich 0oins Sulfur (the Fiery principle* and Salt (the Earthy principle*. From a psychical perspective, 'ercury (Spiritus, Spirit* 0oins Salt (Corpus, Body* and Sulfur (Anima, Soul*. (See #elo$ for more on %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 Spirit Guide (!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 Catin $ords spiritus, anima and animus all refer primarily to #reath or $ind #ut secondarily to the soul. Also, in -e#re$ $e have rRah and in Sanskrit, prSna, $ith similar dou#le meanings. For e;ample, in the Greek tradition 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 and reaction. Also, the !ythagorean &iogenes of Apollonia (Eth 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 $ay you2re used to4 +2ll try to make my meaning clear.* For e;ample, Empedocles says the Breath,Soul 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 Breath,Soul is a -armonia (con0unction of opposites*. (7ecall also 'ercury as the mediator that unites Sulfur and Salt.* hy is this mediation necessaryT +n % ater,% + said that ater J Earth constitutes the !rimal 'ud, the %gross #ody,% $hich is potentially alive, #ut not animate. .n the other 8:

hand, Fire is the principle of action, the efficient cause of all motion, #ut it cannot act directly 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 (active differentiation* 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 its em#odiment. +n general, as mediator, Air transmits po$ers and influences, and therefore Air is the vehicle of coordination and communication (see #elo$, %Air, the Governor%*. Thus the Stoics attri#uted to -eraclitus (?th,Eth cent. BCE* the idea that the soul is an E;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 are roughly3 (:* 'ind or +ntellect (1ous*, (8* Spirited Soul (Thumos* and (<* 1utritive Soul (Epithumia*, $hich reside in the head, #reast and #elly, respectively. (There is a more systematic correspondence $ith the seven chakras, $hich is #eyond the scope of this article.* + have already discussed the 1utritive (or Megetative* Soul in the discussion of ater, for ater gives the po$er of gro$th and development to lifeless matter (Earth*, and + $ill discuss the 'ind $ith Fire4 here our concern is the Spirited Soul and its vehicle, the aerial or spirit #ody. The Spirited Soul is responsi#le for feeling and sensation (#oth of $hich are actively discriminating yet conforma#le to outer circumstances, that is, arm and 'oist*. Because of its e;pansive armth, the Spirited Soul reacts to feeling and sensation and is therefore also the source of fortitude, courage, the emotions and opinion. +t includes the %irrational $ill% or %animal $ill% (for $e share the Spirited Soul $ith all the animals, #ut not $ith plants4 ho$ever $e share the 1utritive Soul $ith all living things*. +n the Greek tradition, the Spirited Soul is often #elieved to #e mortal (su#0ect to dissolution* like the #ody ($hereas the 'ind is considered immortal*. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The %pirit $od( +n the 1eoplatonic doctrine of the Mehicles (.kh)mata* of the Soul, each part of the soul has a corresponding %vehicle% (okh)ma* or #ody4 in addition to the easily perceiva#le gross #ody (corresponding to Earth J ater*, there are t$o su#tle #odies3 the aerial #ody (Air* and the radiant #ody (Fire*. The Spirit (!neuma* is carried #y the spirit #ody (soma pneumatikon, okh)ma pneuma* or aerial #ody (sometimes incorrectly called the aetheric or astral #ody*. Therefore the aerial #ody transmits the po$ers of the higher soul to the #ody 88

and vice versa4 it is responsi#le for the functioning of the five senses and conveys the motions 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 the lungs and heart together, and so $hen our Spirits are aroused in love or anger or fear, $e feel it in our !hrenes. The Spirit is considered the point of #alance in the soul, the %inner sun% that rules the other planets in our souls. Further, the spirit #ody assimilates !neuma (Spirit, !rSna, the universal life force* from the Sun and infuses it into the gross #ody, for !neuma is the source of life and of the integrity of the living form4 it is the active energy of the self. Since #reathing dra$s !neuma into the !hrenes, in the Ascent of the Soul of Chaldean Theurgy, #reathing e;ercises are used in the stage corresponding to the Spirited Soul. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 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 an active principle, Air is associated $ith computing. The Aerial Spirit2s role as a su#tle, invisi#le governing faculty $as recogni5ed in ancient times. For e;ample, &iogenes of Apollonia says, %+t seems to me that that $hich has 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 to reach every$here and to dispose all things and to #e in everything.% (+t is significant that the $ord he uses for %steered,% ku#ernasthai, is related to ku#ern)tikos, meaning %skilled in steering or guiding,% $hich is the origin of our term cy#ernetics, referring to the principles of 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 $ell as in individual souls, and that is our ne;t topic. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The )orld %oul The !ythagoreans say that there is a divine respiration in the cosmos, and that #y its cyclic #reathing of the Dnlimited, the orld Soul infuses Cimit into it, and there#y creates 1um#er and &eterminate Time ("hronos*. The ordered cosmos came to #e through Air, for it is the element that separates things and there#y creates divisions and distinctions4 thus it puts Cimit into the Dnlimited. -o$ever, although Air separates things as individuals, it also unites 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, ever,moving and divine4 he calls Air the Father of the Gods ($hich recalls /eus2s common title3 Father of Gods and -umans*. Ana;imenes also says, %Aust as our Breath,Soul (!sukh)*, #eing Air (A)r*, governs us, so Spirit,Breath (!neuma* and Air (A)r* encompass the $hole cosmos.% This suggests that the governance 8<

of the cosmos is accomplished #y the Spirit,Breath of the orld Soul. +ndeed, !hilemon says that Air, $ho is called /eus, kno$s everything done #y Gods or mortals, #ecause -e is every$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 $hole cosmos $ith its s$ift thoughts.% (1ote that the term translated Spirit,'ind, !hr)n, is the singular of !hrenes, Breast.* -ere again $e see Air as a medium of communication and governance, #ut on the cosmic scale. -o$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 $e also find in the Dpanishads, $here Brahman, the orld Soul identified $ith !rSna (Breath*, is identical to Utman, the individual Cife,#reath*. As the nervous system integrates the activities of individual organs to $ork for the sake of the organism, so the Air #inds our individual 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 it taking a central role in cosmogony, the #irth of the universe. e looked at Ana;imander2s cosmogony $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 other e;amples, $hich $ill illustrate Air2s place in the cosmos. !hilo of Bi#los (?F,:FH CE* translated a %!hoenician -istory,% $hich $as supposed to 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 corresponding to Semitic 7Rah, $hich means Breath #ut also connotes &esire*. Further, '6t #ecame the Cosmic Egg, and the cosmos $as #orn $hen &esire opened the Cosmic Egg (as also in the .rphic cosmogonies*, $hich led to a separation of the Elements. According to Eudemus (Fth 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 ('oving Air*. e find similar ideas in the cosmogony attri#uted to '6khos of Sidon, also supposed to have lived #efore Tro0an ar. The universe #egan $ith Aith)r and A)r, $ho united to engender Dl6mos, $hose name means Eternity. Dl6mos fertili5ed -imself to produce the Cosmic Egg and "hrRs6ros the .pener, the &ivine Craftsman $ho cracked the Cosmic Egg. -e corresponds to Cove or !han)s in the .rphic account and to the &emiurge (Craftsman* in !lato2s Timaeus.

8F

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, %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 Cord 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 the e;tremes Fire and Earth. Air is the most spiritual element, for it corresponds to the Spirit Breath and Spirited Soul, $hich unite the mind and #ody. Air also constitutes the cosmic #reath, $hich unites our individual souls into the universal orld Soul. Click here to continue on to Fire ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, !rincipal %ources "ingsley, !., Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and !ythagorean Tradition, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :99E. (principal source* 'a0ercik, 7uth. The Chaldean .racles3 Te;t, Translation, and Commentary. E. A. Brill, :9G9. (vehicles K ascent of soul* 'ead, G. 7. S., The &octrine of the Su#tle Body, "essinger reprint, n.d. !ernety, A.,A., An Alchemical Treatise on the Great Art, eiser, :99E, !art :. ('oist 7adical* !lato, Timaeus. (tripartite soul* !lutarch, +sis and .siris. (Elements K Gods* Tansley, &. M., Su#tle Body3 Essence and Shado$, Thames K -udson, :9==. est, '. C., Early Greek !hilosophy and the .rient, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :9=:. (Cosmogonies of the Sidonians and '6khos* est, '. C., -esiod Theogony3 Edited $ith !rolegomena and Commentary, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :9??. (Sanchuniathon2s Cosmogony* est, '. C., The .rphic !oems, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :9G<. (Cosmogonies of the Sidonians and '6khos* right, '. 7., Empedocles3 The E;tant Fragments, Iale Dniversity !ress, :9G:.

5I E
The Essence of 5ire Each of the Elements is characteri5ed #y a dominant and a secondary !o$er or Buality3 Earth is &ry and Cool, ater is Cool and 'oist, Air is 'oist and arm, Fire is

8E

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$er of union4 they are the more active po$ers. &ryness is the po$er to determine its o$n form, and 'oistness the po$er to fle;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 of the 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 Eth century BCE magician,philosopher 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 <J: structure in $hich, as e;plained #y Aung, the Fourth is the principle of determination for the Three. +n physics, Fire corresponds to energy, $hereas the other three Elements correspond to states of matter (although $e must keep in mind that these are 0ust physical manifestations of the Four Elements, $hich are spiritual archetypes*. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 5ire in the 1icrocosm + $ill #egin #y outlining #riefly some of the manifestations of Fire in human psychology. First, armth is the po$er of discrimination, and therefore decision, #ut in Fire the decision is infle;i#le #ecause of the &ry po$er. Therefore Fire is most closely connected to ill, $hich sees its purpose and cannot #e s$ayed from it. Further, $e may say that Fire #rings a decision, distinction or conclusion that is self,determining, not conditioned #y e;ternal circumstances4 therefore it corresponds to the #right flash of intuition, the %#olt from the #lue.% Finally, as already mentioned, Fire strives to actively impose a determinate form on things, and therefore represents the creative impulse in all its varieties. ill, inspiration and creativity together associate Fire $ith the Tarot suit of ands. +n the discussion of Air + e;plained ho$ the Elements correspond to the Mehicles of the Soul descri#ed in 1eoplatonic lore and Chaldean Theurgy3 Earth and ater correspond to the gross #ody, Air to the spirit #ody and Fire to the radiant #ody. The radiant #ody (augoeides*, also kno$n as the astral #ody (astroeides* or aitherial #ody, is the vehicle of the -igher Soul, $hich is responsi#le for the intellect, including discursive reason, #ut also for the 7ational ill. Thus it is the efficient cause of mental activity (corresponding to the "in)tik), or Agent of Action, of Empedocles*. The higher soul and its vehicle mediate #et$een the Gnostic Soul, $hich is the highest form of the soul (associated $ith the Buintessence or Fifth Element*, and the lo$er vehicles of the soul (the spirit #ody and gross #ody*. (+ e;plained in %Air% ho$ the Breath Spirit 0oins the Fiery -igher Soul to the !rimal 'ud (Earth J ater* of the #ody4 see % ater% on the !rimal 'ud.* As has #een mentioned in % ater% and %Air,% there is a myth that !rometheus created humans #y mi;ing Earth and ater to create the gross #ody4 Athena #reathed Air into it, im#uing it $ith a Spirit,Soul. !rometheus added the -igher Soul, $hich is the Fire that -e took from the heel of the Sun and #rought to humanity in a 1arth); (giant fennel* stalk. (The 1arth); corresponds to Shushumna, the esoteric spinal column of yoga 8?

philosophy, $hich contains the Fiery "undalini po$er.* 7ecall also that the Thursos, the sacred Bacchic $and, is made from the 1arth); and holds !romethean Fire. As implied in the myth of our !romethean origins, the Fire in our souls is akin to the Celestial Fire (%As a#ove, so #elo$%*. -ippocrates says that the soul is an +mmortal armth (Athanatos Thermon*, $hich sees, hears and kno$s everything4 most of this armth is pushed to the outermost sphere, $here it is called Aith)r, and forms a kind of Fiery orld Soul. (This is different from the Airy orld Soul descri#ed in %Air.% Also, as e;plained in %Air,% Aith)r may refer to the luminous upper Air, to Fire, or to the celestial Buintessence.* .ur souls are akin to this !eriekhon (Surrounding Thing*, the &ivine Aith)r that em#races and supports the Cosmos. !lato (Cratylus F:8de* calls it a penetrating po$er that permeates the $hole $orld. +t is also called the Sun (-elios*, armth (Thermon*, Austice (&ikaion* and 'ind (1ous*. -eraclitus also says that the soul is composed of a Fire that is related to the orld Fire , and calls the soul a %spark of the essential su#stance of the stars% (scintilla stellaris essentiae*. Thus the &ivine armth (Thermon*, as the !o$er of the Soul (!sukh)s &unamis*, is analogous to the essence of the stars. This has implications for the 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. Thus Fire is the highest and the lo$est Element4 it is as though the Elemental S@uare has #een unfolded 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 in a higher octave. .ne might suppose that the %Fires of -ades% is a Christian notion, #ut it actually has its 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 additional signposts 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 shines in 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 $as led #y the &aughters of the Sun into the -ouse of 1ight4 it is also the path follo$ed #y the dead. The astrological sym#ol for the Sun represents the Fire at the center4 it $as also an ancient alchemical sym#ol for Sulphur, the Fiery !rinciple (on $hich, see #elo$*. The 8=

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 himself called it the %!ythagorean Theory.%* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, +i3ht/0earin3 &ekate As an Dnder$orld Goddess, -ekate has many connections $ith Fire. Therefore She is called !urphoros (Fire,#earing*, &aidoukhos (Torch,#earer*, !h6sphoros (Cight,#earer, also Cucifera*, !uripnon (Fire,#reather* and 'elain) (Black*4 She is $orshipped in caves and -er image is honored $ith torches. As a Cunar Goddess -ekate has a complementary relationship to the Sun. At the 1e$ 'oon She carries #la5ing torches (called selas and connected $ith Selene, the 'oon*, and on the <Hth of month, $hen the 'oon is overtaken #y the Sun and #oth rise together, $e offer -er the Amphiph6n (Shining,All,Around*, a flat cake $ith a circle of candles on it. Both -ekate Enodia (.n the 7oad* and Apollo Aguieus (Street Guardian* are Gods of the Aourney, $ho illuminate the ay3 Apollo #y -is Sun during the day, -ekate #y -er Torch at night. Apollo $as also called -ekatos (&istant .ne*, the masculine form of -ekat) (also an epithet of Artemis*. Similarly -elios and -ekate often appear together in magical te;ts, and They $ere the only $itnesses to the a#duction of !ersephone. They are the Sun and 'oon, the Camps of &ay and 1ight, the Cight Sun and the &ark Sun, Celestial and Chthonic Fire. +n Sophocles2 7oot,cutters $e read, %. Cord -elios and -oly Fire, the spear of -ekate Enodia, $hich She #ears fre@uenting .lympos and d$elling in the Three ays of the -oly Cand.% According to the Chaldean .racles and 1eoplatonic philosophers, -ers is the om# of 1ature, $hich is fertili5ed #y the lightning and thunder#olts of Father /eus, and #y $hich She gives #irth to the natural $orld (cf. Semele and "oronis, #elo$*. For the lightning #olts correspond to the !latonic +deas or Forms, $hich can #e em#odied only #y the mediation of -ekate2s om#, the Coils ("oil6mata* of the Cosmos. +n the .racles the Goddess -erself says, %These are the Thoughts of the Father, after $hich is 'y en$rapping Fire% (fr. <G*. This Fire, $hich envelops the $orld, $as called the 'em#rane (-ym)n*, and, according to the .racles, -er 'em#rane separates the First Fire of the Celestial Father from the Second Fire, $hich is the &emiurge (Craftsman*, -ephaistos. Both are intellectual Fires, one celestial, the other chthonic and proceeding from the first. -ekate nurtures the +deas so that the &emiurge may use them to organi5e the Elements into our $orld. (-ekate is primarily associated $ith Fire, #ut as Cosmic om# She also has connections $ith ater. +ndeed, She unites the opposites, -eaven and the Dnder$orld. Dnder the name +phimedeia (> +phigeneia*, She is also a consort to !oseidon. hen -ekate is called %Bueen% She is #eing identified $ith !ersephone, Bueen of the Dnder$orld, and some call !ersephone the lo$er manifestation of -ekate.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

8G

&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 or Craftsman. +n .rphic cosmologies, as in many others, a &ivine Craftsman is #orn from the Cosmic Egg or is responsi#le for opening it (see %Air%*. Similarly, in +ndian tradition the Craftsman "Sla 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 $ith Creative Fire, and -is name is often used as a synonym for Fire. !lato (Cratylus FH=c* e;plains that -ephaistos2 name comes from !haistos, Cord of Cight (!haeos -istora*4 like Fire, -e is active and form imposing ( arm and &ry*. Eliade (Forge K Cruci#le* argues that alchemy had its origin in the ancient Craft of the Smith, $hich com#ined religion, magic and metallurgy. For e;ample, in the Greek tradition, 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 7ight, hand ones are smiths and the Ceft,hand are magicians (go)tes*. The Telkhines are also sorcerer,smiths, #orn of Tartaros. The "a#eiroi of Samothrace, $ho are skilled in meteoric alchemy and instructed .rpheus in Their 'ysteries, are called -ephaistoi #ecause They are smiths and are descended from "a#eiros and "a#eiria, that is, -ephaistos and -ekate. T$o of them $ere said to stand on a fire,sprouting rock on Cemnos (-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 Earth4 alchemists only accelerate their development. Since -ekate is the Fiery om# $ho inspires matter $ith spiritual energy, She is also called 1ature (!husis*. Alchemists connect the Earth and Sun, #ecause the Fire that comes from the center of the Earth is the key to the alchemical 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, -ephaistos governs 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 add the !reserving Fire of -estia, for %-estia% is #oth the $ord for -earth and the name of the -earth Goddess. (Cike$ise %-ades% is the Cand of the &ead as $ell as its Cord, and %-ephaistos% is the Fire of the Forge as $ell as its 'aster.* The -earth is sacred in Greek tradition, and the house, temple and city each had a Sacred -earth at its center. She $as the only 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. Cater, $hen &ionysos ascended to .lympos, She gave -er place among the T$elve to -im, #ut retained -er station of honor in the Center of the -eavens. Even the .lympian Gods honor -er #efore all others. 1aturally, the Central Fire $as compared to the -earth in the center of the house, and as early as the Eth century BCE the Earth $as called the Cosmic -earth (tou "osmou h) -estia*. The central role of -estia is recogni5ed #y !lato (Crat. FH:cd*, $ho e;plains 89

%-estia% as meaning the Essence (Essia > .usia* of things. Also, the 1eoplatonist !hilolaus says, %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 fiery Cu#e.% !hilolaus also identifies the -earth in the center $ith the .ne and the Cu#e $ith geometric -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 $ere carried 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 Shell corresponds 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 and alchemical sym#ol for the Sun, $hich $as also the original sym#ol for Sulphur, the alchemical Fiery principle.* Alchemical apparatus $as often e;plicitly patterned after #oth the Egg and the Earth as om#, and !ythagorean and .rphic ideas a#out the Cosmic Egg $ere later adopted #y Egyptian and +slamic alchemists. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, %acred ,nions of 5ire and )ater Empedocles has -ades corresponding to Fire and !ersephone to ater4 Their sacred marriage makes Them the "ing and Bueen of the Dnder$orld, and Their union is the alchemical con0unction of the opposites, Fire and ater. -ades is Cord of the Central Fire and !ersephone is Cady of &issolution (see % ater%*. As /eus and -era are the Creators (responsi#le for fertility and #irth*, so -ades and !ersephone are the &estroyers (governing death*, $ho nevertheless #ring a#out re#irth. Concerning !ersephone, !lato (Crat. FHFd* says, %-ades, $ho is $ise, consorts $ith -er, #ecause She is $ise.% -e added that although the name %-ades% (Aid)s* is normally derived from Dnseen (Aeides*, it actually refers to "no$ledge (Eidenai* of All 1o#le Things. The marriage of -ades and !ersephone is paralleled #y the union of Typh6n and 1ephthys in Egyptian mythology, as e;plained #y !lutarch. Typh6n is associated $ith the scorching Sun, destruction, chaos, difference (separation* and -eracles (see #elo$*. -esiod tells us that /eus defeated Typh6n and placed -im under volcanic 'ount Etna (i.e. in Tartaros*, $hich is $hy it #urns and @uakes. Typh6n is the hus#and of 1ephthys, $ho corresponds to ater, as $as e;plained in our discussion of that Element. Therefore Typh6n forms an Elemental Buaternity $ith 1ephthys, +sis (Earth* and .siris (Air*. (See the articles %Earth,% % ater% and %Air.%* According to !lutarch, Typh6n, the destructive po$er, e;ercises special dominion over the outermost part of matter, for earth, sea, plants and 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 to Aphrodite, #orn of sea foam (see % ater%*. According to Empedocles, they are the principal creators of the $orld (see also %Cove and Strife% #elo$*. <H

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The 'rater The Dnder$orld is a realm of parado; and inversion, $here opposites may unite. +t is a place of &arkness #ut also of Fire (Cight*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 and of the Creative Fire of -ephaistos. -ere especially may #e #rought a#out the union of Fire and ater, the primary Elemental .pposition. -ence the alchemical arts, $hich seek to unite the opposites in the Great ork, are #orn in the Dnder$orld. Four rivers converge in the Dnder$orld, each associated $ith an Element (see figure*. The !yriphelegeth6n, the 7iver of Fire, is directly opposite C6cytus, the 7iver of eeping, closely associated $ith !ersephone and ater (as e;plained in % ater%*. (!lato2s !haedo (:HGd,::Fd* contains an informative and colorful description of Dnder$orld geography and of the progress of the soul.* The volcanic crater is filled $ith rivers of fire, a hint of the union of Fire and ater in the depths. +n general, any crater in the earth, $hether holding Fire or ater, is considered a place of po$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 is mi;ed $ith $ater for drinking, and hence to the #o$l,shaped volcanic crater. -ellenes attach great sym#olic importance to the proper mi;ture (krasis* of $ine and $ater (Fire and ater*4 it is the central image of #alance, proportion and harmony (')den agan , 1othing too much , as it said on the temple of Apollo at &elphi*. Similarly, in -ellenic rituals, a #urning #rand from the altar fire is plunged into the #o$l of lustral $ater to consecrate it as -oly ater (Greek, -ud6r Theion* or ater +nflamed #y the Sacred Fire (Catin, A@ua +gne Sacra +nflammata*. (+n ancient Greek, the same $ord Theion means %a sacred thing% and %#rimstone,% reminding us that alchemical Sulphur 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 $ith .rpheus2 descent through a atery Crater into the Fiery Dnder$orld (a common means of descent*. +n the Dnder$orld, rivers of fire ( ater J Fire* flo$ together in the Crater, and the Crater #ecomes a place of .rdeal, $here truth and falsity are separated (#y Fire*. Also in Greek tradition, 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. :<E*, the Crater influenced the Grail legends. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

<:

+o4e and %trife The dominant Bualities of Fire and ater are armth and Coolness, $hich are the po$ers of separation and union. Therefore Empedocles taught that Cove (!hilot)s* and Strife (1eikos* are the t$o primary forces in the cosmos, $hich #ring a#out all transformation through their mi;ing and separation of the 7oots (Elements*. (Although Cove and Strife are the conventional English translations, it $ould #e more accurate to say Affinity, i.e. friendship, and &ifference, i.e. disagreement.* Empedocles naturally identified these !o$ers $ith fiery Ares and sea,#orn Aphrodite. Cove is associated $ith the 'i;ture ("rasis* in the Crater, as Strife is $ith enmity or separation (Ekhthros*. +ndeed, Empedocles (fr. <E* descri#es the mi;ing of the immortal 7oots #y Cove and Strife (Cool J arm > ater J Fire > ater J ine* in terms reminiscent of the Crater3 as they mi;ed, %countless types of mortal things poured forth% (my emphasis*, a process descri#ed as an %onrush% or %stream% (horm)* of !erfect Cove. Cove and Strife are each responsi#le in Their o$n $ay for a %coming to #e% and a %passing a$ay%3 Strife creates !lurality #y dividing the .ne, and Cove creates Dnity from the 'any. A proper #alance of #oth is necessary in an ordered cosmos. Cove and Strife are also the fundamental governing principles of magic ($here they are kno$n as Sympathy and Antipathy*. +n the tradition of the 7oot,cutters, Empedocles and 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 outT By Sympathy, and thanks to the fact that there is a natural -armony #et$een things that are alike and a natural .pposition #et$een things that are unlikeY For many things are %dra$n% to each other and enchanted $ithout any third party deli#erately $orking to #ring the effect a#out. And the real magic in everything is the Cove in it, along $ith the Strife. This is the primary magician and enchanter4 it $as $hen men o#served its magic that they started using charms and spells on each other. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 2oroastrian Dualism Although !ythagoras is supposed to have met /oroaster, this is unlikely (/oroaster pro#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, $hich are &aimones , &ivine Beings or !o$ers3 .ne is Celestial (.uranion*, and associated $ith the Father, Fire, Cight (!h6s*, armth, &ryness, Cightness (as opposed to -eaviness* and S$iftness. The other is Terrestrial (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 union of the 'ale and the Female, the Cight and the &ark, for #oth are necessary4 $e don2t have one good the other evil (as in /oroastrianism, Gnosticism and some other traditions*. This

<8

is a more alchemical perspective3 spirit needs to #e em#odied4 alchemy recogni5es that #oth Cight and &ark are divine and deserving of our respect. According to /oroastrians, the cycle of Cight and &ark takes place $ithin Time or Space, associated $ith the God /urvan4 $e may compare -im to "ronos (> "hronos > Time*. This transcendent Dnity differentiates into Cight and &ark, $hich then alternate $ithin +t, creating -armonia and Cosmos. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The +uminous A3ent and !rimar( 1atter +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 (> form,imposing*, 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%*, the Eli;ir of 1ature, the 'ercury of Cife. Thus the +nnate Fire %inha#its% the 'oist 7adical, $hich is called therefore the Ca#oratory of Mulcan, the -earth in $hich #urns the Eternal Fire4 it is the +nnate -eat of the om# of 'other Earth. Alchemy e;plains the cosmos as the result of the Cuminous Agent e;ploding out of the !rimordial &arkness and acting on the !rimal 'ud ($hich $as discussed in % ater%*. Since Fire is separating (-ot* and infle;i#le (&ry*, the effect of -eat on the !rimal 'ud is to rarefy the atery part and to condense the Earthy part. That is, through its -eat the Cuminous Agent causes separation, so the part of the !rimal 'ud that retains its 'oisture #ecomes ater, and the part that retains its Coolness #ecomes Earth4 thus the t$o Elements separate. So also Empedocles (fr. =<* says, %$hen Cypris NAphroditeO $as #usily producing forms, She moistened Earth in ater and gave it to s$ift Fire N-ephaistosO to harden.% And Ana;imander (?th c. BCE* said that living things $ere generated from the arming of Earth and ater, and like$ise -eraclitus (Eth c. BCE* said people are made of Fire, ater and Earth (for in this case Fire means the arm elements, Air and Fire*. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The &armonia of 5ire and )ater armth and Coolness are the more active po$ers, according to Aristotle. Since armth is the dominant po$er of Fire and Coolness is the dominant po$er of ater, these are the most active Elements, and the primary opposition is #et$een them (as represented in their signs4 the signs for Air and Earth each contain a part of the sign of their opposite*. Therefore, Fire and ater cannot #e united directly, for they have nothing in common. The T$o must #e 0oined #y a Third, $hich constitutes a mean linking the e;tremes, that is, a -armonia, $hich is often translated -armony, #ut more accurately means a seamless union in $hich the parts form a $hole and yet retain their separate identities. +n the Greek tradition, -armonia is a Goddess, the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares (Cove and Strife*. She may unite any opposites, including the opposed Elements, Fire and ater. Empedocles <<

(fr. 9?* says that %the kindly Earth received in -er $ide melting,pots% 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, $hich is &ry like Fire and Cool like ater. -o$ever, Air functions more easily as a uniting Element, #ecause it is also intermediate in su#tlety #et$een Fire and ater. Such a union takes place in a !yria, $hich is the ancient Greek version of a s$eat lodge (essentially the same as the Scythian version descri#ed in -erodotus F.=<*. oolen #lankets are spread over a $ooden frame, in the center of $hich is a cauldron in $hich red, hot stones are placed. The !yria is a microcosm in $hich the Elements unite. hen ater is thro$n on the Fire, it creates steam, $hich is the -ot, et Air that unites the opposites. This all takes place in contact $ith, or even $ithin, the (Cool, &ry* Earth. +n alchemy the essences of Fire and ater are called Sulphur (the Fiery !rinciple* and Buicksilver (the atery !rinciple*, the alchemical Sun and 'oon. Their union is a ma0or task in the alchemical Great ork, $hich may #e accomplished #y means of alchemical Salt (!rime 'atter*, corresponding to Earth. +n this case Salt is the -armonia uniting the opposites Sulphur and Buicksilver. (See #elo$ for Buicksilver as an intermediate.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Dion(sos and the ,nion of 5ire and )ater As e;plained in %Air,% &ionysos is a second /eus and, like -im, associated $ith Air. e can see %Thrice,#orn &ionysos% as a result of the union of Fire and ater in each of -is three #irths. +n the .rphic 'ysteries it is said that /eus and !ersephone mated as snakes and conceived &ionysos4 this is a union of !ersephone, associated $ith ater, and the Chthonic (Dnder$orld* /eus, corresponding to -ades and Fire. (As e;plained in % ater,% 7hea, &emeter, !ersephone and &ionysos are four consecutive generations in the .rphic 'ysteries4 see figure.* Second, it is also told in the .rphic 'ysteries that the Titans cut &ionysos into seven parts, $hich they #oiled and roasted ( ater J Fire*. After They had eaten si; parts (a function of Their atery, nutritive soul*, /eus #lasted Them $ith -is Fiery Cightning, vapori5ing Them (converting Them to Air*. Finally, there is the $ell, kno$n story of ho$ Semele drank a potion made from the seventh part and #ecame pregnant $ith &ionysos. hen she $as tricked into seeing /eus in -is full glory, she $as incinerated #y -is Fire, #ut the infant &ionysos $as protected #y her Girdle of +vy ($hich is considered Cool and atery*. Semele -erself is in origin a !hrygian Dnder$orld Goddess, corresponding to !ersephone, and thus to ater. ( e may also compare the Cightning,receiving om# of -ekate, a#ove, and "oronis, #elo$4 see #elo$ for more on Semele.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

<F

The !ro3ress of the %oul Fire plays a central role in the process of -eroi5ation #y $hich a mortal may escape the 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 for immortali5ation in this life and in the afterlife. The !ythagorean Alcmaeon (c. EHH BCE* and others related the immortality of soul to the immortal, divine stars. !lato also taught that the fiery su#stance of the stars, $hich he called Aith)r, is divine, and in the Cratylus (<9=c* he connected the term %Aith)r% to the Gods (Theoi* and to %run, move% (thein*, #ecause the Gods, like the stars, move eternally. This &ivine Fire is found #oth outside surrounding us and inside us at the center of our #eing. Therefore, %man is made of portions of the cosmos, and in death like returns to like% (Burkert, Core K Sci. in Anc. !ythag. <?8*3 the soul goes to heavenly Aith)r, and the #ody goes to Earth, each returning to its o$n element. Thus, according to the .rphic golden ta#lets, $hen the soul reaches its destination, it should say, %+ am a child of Earth and Starry -eaven, #ut my race is of -eaven alone4 this Ie kno$ Iourselves.% (See the te;t in % ater.%* As !lutarch (The Face in the 'oon, 9F<,F* e;plains in detail, at death the soul is separated from the #ody in the realm of &emeter, and the #ody returns to the Earth. The mind is separated from the soul in the realm of !ersephone, and the soul returns to the 'oon. This occurs in the -idden !lace of -ekate (-ekat)s 'ukhos*, $ho lives in a cave that is a mouth of the Dnder$orld (see #elo$ for more on -er*. This is the place of 0udgment, the +nfernal Coils (Bath) "oil6mata* or !assages, the (uterus,shaped* !ythagorean I, the meeting of Three ays. Those $ho are not ready pass through the Gate on the dark side of the 'oon facing Earth and there a$ait reincarnation. Those $ho are sufficiently enlightened pass through the Gate on the light side of the 'oon and arrive in the Elysian Fields in the realm of the Sun, and there#y escape the cycle of reincarnation. Some say that the higher mind can #e mortal or immortal, depending on ho$ it directs itself, up$ard or do$n$ard. According to the !ythagoreans, you can harmoni5e your mind $ith the orld 'ind #y thinking the right thoughts and there#y keep it from dissolution at death. The process of returning to the Earth, 'oon and Sun at death corresponds to the alchemical dissolution into Salt, Buicksilver and Sulphur, for Sulphur, the Fiery !rinciple, corresponds to the higher mind, $hich is 0oined to the #ody, corresponding to Salt, #y the soul or #reath,spirit, corresponding to Buicksilver ('oist like Air*. +n this case Buicksilver is the intermediate -armonia that connects the e;tremes of mind and matter. ( e have already seen that the primary opposites Sulphur and Buicksilver may unite in Salt.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, !urification 0( 5ire There is a very old idea, predating even the /oroastrians, $hich is that the soul of the deceased goes first to the nearest Fire, and from there to the stars, 'oon, Sun, and finally to Beginningless Cight. This path is mimicked in the sym#olic death of initiation, $hich suggests (as in alchemy* that the soul must ascend through the !lanetary Spheres <E

#efore it can come to the +sles of the Blessed, for the !ythagoreans say the Sun and 'oon are the +sles of the Blessed (hai 'akar6n 1)soi*. (This is the cosmology of Ana;imander, also kno$n to the /oroastrians, $hich places the Sun and 'oon a#ove the !lanets and other %stars.%* Generally !latonists #elieve that the !lanets aid in the ascent, #ut !lutarch2s account suggests that some trial must #e passed, and a !ythagorean dictum says, %the !lanets are the &ogs of !ersephone% (i.e. the Guards of the Dnder$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 Cight4 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 soul and immortali5ing it. By descent through the Crater of 7e#irth, the initiate arrives at orld A;is, $hich gives simultaneous access to the -eavens and the Dnder$orld. There in the Earth2s Fiery om# he or she may #e purified #y Fire in preparation for re#irth. The passage through Fire is a means of uniting $ith the universe, $hich is a Cosmic Fire according to -eraclitus. Fire rises to the heavens, $here it #ecomes the essence of the stars and of lightning. Since lightning is Celestial Fire, the purest form of Fire, it is the most potent force for heroi5ation, and $e read that !ythagoras ascended to heaven after #eing struck #y lightning. (-e had #een initiated previously in a Cretan cave #y means of a ritual "eraunios Cithos or Cightning Stone.* -eat is the !o$er that Separates and Fire is its Element. Therefore, according to /oroastrian tradition, the -ero is the one $ho can make the perilous -ero2s Aourney and survive an ordeal #y Fire and molten metal (flo$ing fire > ater J Fire*. This trial takes place at the entry to the Bridge of the Separator under the oversight of 'a5dah, for -e is kno$n as The Separator. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Empedocles and the $ron6e %andal According 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 a pillar reaching to heaven from the under$orld. &iodorus of Sicily (G.=E* $rote, %Thou, Empedocles, didst purify thy #ody $ith the Civing Flame, and Fire didst thou drink out from +mmortal Craters.% &iodorus else$here $onders if in fact %he leapt into the Craters of Fire and drank of Cife.% 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 to have #een esta#lished #y .rpheus, and She $as key to the process of re#irth in the .rphic 7ites on Samothrace. +n a scene $hich #orders on comedy, after Empedocles disappeared into the volcano2s mouth, it #elched out a single #ron5e sandal. -o$ever, a single #ron5e sandal is a common sign of -ekate and -er devotees, for #ron5e is closely connected $ith the Dnder$orld and is used to invoke -ekate. +t may #e $orn or held #y magicians as an em#lem of their a#ility to descend into Tartaros4 such a sign is given #y the Goddess to -er initiates3 the %Bron5e Sandal of the -older of Tartaros.% Further, -ekate is called #y <?

sounding #ron5e, and #ron5e cutting tools are under -er auspices4 #ron5e represents the full moon. Therefore it is significant that Empedocles $as kno$n as %Bron5e Foot,% for that sho$s him to #e a devotee of the Goddess. (!ythagoras2 Golden Thigh has a similar meaning.* Cike$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 that magical smiths, such as -ephaistos, often have distorted feet, as do the gnomes, $ho #ring forth metals from the om# of 'other Earth. Cike gnomes, the &aktuloi, Telkhines and "a#eiroi are su#terranean d$arves. The "a#eiroi are called Cra#s ("arkinoi* #ecause of Their cockeyed $alk, yet the grass #eneath Their feet is ignited #y Their magical dance. -ekate -erself is called &onkey Foot. Finally "erPnyi (-eroes 8FG* remarks that the 'onosandalos ('an $ith .ne Sandal* is an uncanny #eing, often $ith an Dnder$orld connection, for he has left one sandal in the Dnder$orld as a sign of allegiance to it. (7ecall the myth of Aason arriving 'onosandalos in +olkos.* ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, &ekate the 7e(holder +n the &escent to the Dnder$orld the 'agus must invoke and meet -ekate (Fire* as $ell as !ersephone ( ater*. Cike !ersephone, -ekate is a mediator #et$een our $orld and the Dnder$orld4 She is the "eyholder and Gatekeeper of the sacred regions4 She is called the Cady of Tartaros, !hulada (Guardian*, !ropulaia (Before the Gates*, "leidophoros ("ey,#earer* and "leidoukhos ("ey,holder, !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 on the 'oon (see a#ove*. Thus She is called %Child,nourishing% in -er role as 1urse of 7e#irth. -ekate is the source of souls and their final destination, a #irth Goddess and a death 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 each year, according to some ancient authors. Thus She is preeminently the Goddess $ho may lead us #ack from the Dnder$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, $hich is hollo$ and has rivers of fire flo$ing under it. Therefore /eus gave Sicily to !ersephone as a $edding gift4 Their marriage $as cele#rated there ever after, and there $as a sanctuary of -ekate, &emeter and !ersephone in Sicily. -ence, Sicily, and especially 't. Etna, are home to many Dnder$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 place for it. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

<=

E8amples of &eroi6ation + $ill mention several other e;amples of heroi5ation in the Greek tradition (there are many*. According to "erPnyi (-eroes :F:, :FF,E*, at least ten of -eracles2 Ca#ors represent the con@uering of &eath, the most o#vious #eing the fetching of "er#eros, the &og of -ades. By these Ca#ors he earned his name (-)ra,kl)s > -)ra2s Glory* and proved his $orthiness to ascend to .lympos and to #e adopted #y -er. hen his -eroic status $as proved, he #uilt his o$n funeral pyre and ascended it, thus continuing the fiery purification initiated #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$ed his ascent. Although -eracles is often vie$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* $as the #asic path of spiritual development. &ionysos is the archetypal -ero in Greek religion. + have already mentioned ho$ -e $as cooked #y the Titans and later #lasted #y /eus2s Cightning $hile still in Semele2s $om#. After she $as incinerated #y /eus2s Fire, her &ivine Child &ionysos (Cord of 'oist 1ature* descended into the Dnder$orld through the Cernean S$amp to rescue -is mother and raise -er into -eaven. Thus She $as called -erois (-eroine* in certain secret rites at &elphi, and &ionysos is called the Ci#erator (!ater Ci#er , Father Freedom , to the 7omans*. Asklepios the -ealer $as dou#ly purified #y Fire. hen "oronis $as pregnant $ith him #y Apollo, she took another lover, and so Apollo (corresponding to the Sun2s Fire* shot her dead $ith -is arro$s4 $hile she #urned on the pyre, the God rescued the infant Asklepios from her $om#. ("oronis, %Cro$,% is a dark, Dnder$orld Goddess corresponding to !ersephone and therefore ater. See "erPnyi, Gods of Greeks, 8=:.* Cater Asklepios #rought a person #ack from the Dnder$orld, for $hich deed /eus #lasted him $ith -is Cightning and made him a God. The $ell,kno$n %'ithras Citurgy% in the Greek 'agical !apyri (!G' +M.F=E,G89* is a late e;ample of an immortali5ation ritual, primarily addressed to -elios and focused on Fire. +n the Ascent of the Soul (!sukh)s Anag6g)* in Chaldean Theurgy, the !urification of the Spirit Body is follo$ed #y the Elevation of Soul in five stages corresponding to the Elements3 sym#olic #urial (Earth*, dissolution ( ater*, #reathing e;ercises (Air*, ascent on the rays of the Sun (Fire* and immortali5ation (Buintessence*. The -ermetic traditions and Spiritual Alchemy teach similar methods of heroi5ation. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, %ummar( e have seen that Fire is the primary agent of transformation, for it represents the po$er to impose a self,determining 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 is through the Crater, $here Fire and ater are united in -armonia. For the $orthy,

<G

-eroi5ation #y Fire provides an escape from the cycle of reincarnation and a passage to the +sles of the Blessed. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, !rincipal %ources Aohnston, S. +., -ekate Soteira, Scholars !ress, :99H. (-ekate* "ingsley, !., Ancient !hilosophy, 'ystery and 'agic3 Empedocles and !ythagorean Tradition, .;ford Dniversity !ress, :99E. (principal source* "irk, G. S., 7aven, A. E., K Schofield, '., The !resocratic !hilosophers, 8nd ed. Cam#ridge Dniversity !ress, :9G<. (pre,Socratic philosophers* 'a0ercik, 7uth. The Chaldean .racles3 Te;t, Translation, and Commentary. E. A. Brill, :9G9. (vehicles K ascent of soul* !ernety, A.,A., An Alchemical Treatise on the Great Art, eiser, :99E, !art :. (Cuminous Agent K 7adical 'oisture* !lutarch, +sis and .siris. (Elements K Gods*. !lutarch, .n the Face in the 'oon. (progress of the soul*. est, '. C., Early Greek !hilosophy and the .rient. .;ford Dniversity !ress, :9=:. (ancient philosophy, especially !ythagorean* right, '. 7., Empedocles3 The E;tant Fragments, Iale Dniversity !ress, :9G:.

<9