The Four Powers of the Sphinx–to Know, to Will, to Dare and to Keep Silent

[Audiolog Edu]

Eliphas Levi wrote about it and Crowley did as well, the Sphinx has a human face because it can speak, it has eagle wings so it can scale the hights, it has bulls flanks to forrow de depths, lions talons to make a way on the right and the left, before and behind. Levi says that the Sphynx represent the 4 elements and that Man should be as the Sphinx because the Sphinx is balanced in its 4 elements while Man has to work itself to become the Magus and then be like the Sphynx, the combination of this 4 elements represents the Created Universe, a complete and eternal entity, Man, the Microcosmos. This spiritual energies are what we know as Elementals, Gnomes, Salamanders, Sylphs and Undines.

 

[HoldAll]

John R. King IV has an interesting take on the Four Powers of the Sphinx in his "The Faculty of Abrac" (p. 455, too long to copypasta here; in fact, I’d recommend reading the entire book, he provides some unique explanations regarding subjects where their meaning has been so long established that seasoned readers don’t even think about them anymore).

I’m somewhat opposed to jamming all conceivable phenomena into various systems of mystical correspondences no matter what. Granted, attributing the Four Powers to the four classical elements (directions, archangels, etc.) can help you discover new qualities hidden in them but I think in this case it’s best to avoid such classification and think about them on their own terms. They’re each unique, belong to different categories of human attitudes and behaviour (internal, external), and you can argue all day long which Power is the most important of them although they can’t really be compared with each other.