Elemental Magick

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

Besides witchcraft, or using hexagram rituals or zodiacal invocations, what exactly is it, and what does it entail to be proficient with it?

Thanks,

Fuego

 

[Scottish_Pride]

You gotta know the elements on an intimate level, with all their nuance. There are many different exercises out there to do so, generally just ways to immerse yourself in each one in turn.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

Like Modern Magick Exercises, or the Mother Theresa Spiritual Exercises? Or more like Agrippas and Barretts work?

 

[Mart]

The elements and their combinations are the microcosm within all things, so one can undertake elemental work in order to balance themselves.
Elemental meditations are a good practice to start with, then maybe attempting to summon the Elemental Kings one by one afterwards.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

Thanks for the replies Ive always been drawn to Elemental and Ceremonial Magic, before approaching Wicca or the Golden Dawn. However, when I was 14 browsing the local Borders bookstore, Barretts the Magus and Regardies Golden DAwn would always catch my eye.

 

[Mart]

Im sure you know the general archetypes that are attributed to the philocophical elements, but for anyone else new reading this, who might not know:

Earth is a representation of body, or vessel. It's the most crude element and the most "dense". It can be seen as stable, unmovable, stagnant.
Air is the mind, wit, thoughts, intellect, ideas. It also represents combination of Fire and Water as steam. It's volitile, active, turbulent change.
Water is the subconscious part of our minds, emotions, feelings. It is fluid, at times locking into a certain state. Represents contraction, shrinking (ice).
Fire is the most "subtle" element, representing one's will, passion, courage. Also anger, hate, destruction. It is an outwards expanding force, consuming everything in it's path and deserving of great respect and caution.

Every element has two transmutational qualities:
Earth - dry & cold;
Air - wet & hot;
Water - wet & cold;
Fire - dry & hot.

The fifth element, also known as the Quintessence, or Aether is even more subtle than Fire and containis the balance of the four. It's the Spirit, which is what a pentagram represents.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

I understand from shielding/warding, some elemental forces at play. A vine suit from roots from your feet mingling with the vine. A whirlwind at which you are the center; being plunged into ice cold water, and plunged into the fire; arising as a phoenix.

From Kraigs Modern Magick, Im still at Earth, so the exercise is to imagine being buried alive, or something to this effect, so you feel the heaviness of earth.

When I do my Gaelic LRP (Ogmah-DAGDA-Aquarius, Lugh-DAGDA-Leo, Danau-DAGDA-Scorpio, Brigidh-DAGDA-Taurus), I then instead of calling archangels, I call upon "Powers of the element of <element>", and try to "feel" it. A burst of wind, a warm feeling on my right side of my body, splashed with cool water from behind as a mist, and finally, with arms in a T position, my left hand and arm has to drop slightly due to the sand filtering through it.

 

[Mart]

I have once attempted elemental meditations in nature - laying covered in sand naked, standing in the cold water, on a windy hill and sitting by the fire under the summer sun. It was an interesting experience.

 

[Alfher]

I like to recommend everyone start off with awareness exercises to develop a direct gnosis of the elemental energies. Sun Bathing to connect with Fire via the heat of the sun, Forest Bathing to connect to Earth, etc. Directly experiencing nature, nude if possible for you, allows for the direct experience of natural energies. That awareness helps develop the sensitivity and gnosis necessary for other work.

Then, you can more easily practice systems like Initiation Into Hermetics by Franz Bardon, where he goes over several exercises and applications involving the accumulation, projection, and external manipulation of the elements. Other occultists like Jason Miller also go over some of this, but not with the depth that the IIH does, though the IIH is at times poorly written and difficult to deal with itself.

There are also several published books by other students of the Bardon system that help students work through it though, such as The Elemental Equilibrium by Virgil, The Four Elements by William Mistele, or the book Equipoise: Insights Into Foundational Astral Training which several people in the Bardon community (including me ) contributed to in a charity project.

My experience with the elements is that they are way more simple and easier to work with than the absurdity that Hermetic Kabbalah has made them out to be. I don’t ever use ritual to use the elements.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

Awesome, thank you all.

 

[Mart]

Forest bathing is great, especially if you can find a place where you can lay among the tree roots. I was fortunate enough to know such location where there is a sandy hillside by the river, which makes for a very nice place to lay down, just under the exposed tree roots over your head.

 

[Scottish_Pride]

Forest bathing is great, especially if you can find a place where you can lay among the tree roots. I was fortunate enough to know such location where there is a sandy hillside by the river, which makes for a very nice place to lay down, just under the exposed tree roots over your head.

The first thing I imagined when I heard you say this, was finding the wrong place to sit down and getting absolutely ambushed by fire ants. Those fuckers love to hide, better inspect the ground thoroughly beforehand. XD

 

[Scottish_Pride]

@Diluculo_DelFuego You laugh, but these things are absolutely a menace that can and will cover you in tiny inflammatory bites.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

I believe it, carpenter ants can be assholes with a nasty bite as well.