Chapter
7

The Four Elements

In This Chapter

• Four Elements in the First Matter

• Theories of the Elements

• The Four Humors

• The Square of Opposition

• The Fifth Element: the Quintessence

• The four kinds of Fire

The theory of the Four Elements arose out of early philosophers’ fascination with the concept of the First Matter. While the First Matter exists in a state of utter chaos and potential, for the universe to exist at all, the First Matter at some point has to become organized. According to the Emerald Tablet, the organizing principle is the One Mind, which projects the vibration of the Word into the chaos to bring about the creation of the world.

In order for the First Matter to take on form or manifest into space, philosophers held the general feeling that it had to take on a fourfold structure. The basic forces that create this fundamental cubic structure of space have come to be called the Four Elements. Most Western alchemists used the Greek system of Elements, which consisted of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. The Greek word for Element, stoicheion, literally means “letter of the alphabet”; the idea is that the Elements are the building blocks of the words (or thoughts) of the creator.

In studying the Four Elements, keep in mind that they are not our everyday ideas of earth, water, air, and fire, which are only the specific physical expressions of their respective archetypes. The Elements are really spiritual essences and originate in the higher realm Above, where they represent perfect images or cosmic ideals. In the Hermetic teachings, the Four Elements result from the materialization of light or imagery within the divine One Mind of the universe.

The Concept of the Elements

Contrary to popular belief, several pre-Socratic Greek philosophers proposed the classical Four Elements independently and not all together at once. Thales first proposed that Water was the root of creation; then Anaximenes added Air. Xenophanes added Earth to the list, and finally Heraclitus proposed that Fire was among the fundamental building blocks of nature. Not until Empedocles (494–434 B.C.E.) proposed that they had all existed together in fixed quantities since the beginning of time did the theory came together as we know it.

In his book Doctrine of the Four Roots, Empedocles stated that all matter emerges from the four “roots” of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. In his view, Fire and Air are expansive “outwardly reaching” constants of nature, reaching up and out, whereas Earth and Water are contractive and turn inward and downward.

To show their archetypal power, Empedocles associated each essence with a god. “Hera rules the fruitful Earth,” he wrote, “Hades rules the central Fire, Zeus the luminescent Air, and Persephone the mollifying Water.” Empedocles believed these four parts of creation were animated through the interaction of two great living energies he called Love and Strife. Love he associated with the goddess Aphrodite, and Strife with the god of war, Ares. This idea is very similar to the Eastern tradition idea of Yin and Yang, with Yin being the passive, feminine energy of Love and Yang being the aggressive, masculine energy of Strife. In alchemy, these two contrary principles became known as the King and Queen. And this simple view explained nearly every aspect of the Greek world.

Plato (427–347 B.C.E.) reiterated the archetypal nature of the Four Elements by describing them as “idea-forms” that had a separate and real existence. He also discovered that the Elements were not static, but could transform or “go over” into one another. For instance, Water freezes to ice, being like a stone or Earth, yet it evaporates to vapor or becomes Air.

Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.) first used the word Element, and the Alexandrian alchemists popularized it. And Aristotle further developed the theories of Empedocles and Plato by explaining the Four Elements as combinations of two sets of opposing qualities of hot and cold, wet and dry. Water is cold and wet; Earth is cold and dry; Air is hot and wet; and Fire is hot and dry. This concept became the foundation upon which Western alchemists based their theories and practices.

Aristotle postulated that wet and dry are the primary qualities of matter. Wet, or moistness, is the quality of fluidity or flexibility, which allows a thing to adapt to its external conditions; whereas dry, or dryness, is the quality of rigidity, which allows a thing to define its own shape and bounds. As a consequence, wet things tend to be volatile and expansive, because they can fill spaces in their surroundings. Dry things are fixed and structured, because they define their own form.

In Aristotle’s view, each of the Four Elements has its natural place. He placed the Earth Element at the center of the physical universe, and then arranged Water, Air, and Fire in increasing “subtlety” around it. When an Element is out of its natural place, it has an innate tendency to return to its level. Thus bodies sink in water; air bubbles up; rain falls; and flames rise.

Aristotle added a Fifth Element to his philosophical system to explain the actions of the planets and stars. He called it the Ether Element and said it was what the heavens were made of. The alchemists refer to this Fifth Element as the Quintessence, which comes from a Latin phrase meaning “fifth essence.” By adding the Fifth Element, Aristotle brought Western alchemy into agreement with Chinese and Indian versions of the Elements.

Aristotle also predicted that one substance could be transformed into another by altering the mix of its archetypal Elements and their qualities, and this made understanding the Elements and their qualities of primary importance to the alchemists. Aristotle’s elegant view was the accepted philosophy of matter throughout the Middle Ages.

The Four Humors

The Greek physician and “Father of Modern Medicine” Hippocrates (460–370 B.C.E.) further developed the theory of the Four Elements. He viewed the Elements as bodily fluids he called “humors”:

• He associated Fire with the Choleric humor of yellow bile, which is carried in cholesterol as a bi-product of digestion in the body. Choleric people tend to be energetic, enthusiastic, and constantly moving. In Aristotle’s view, such people are hot and dry.

• He associated Water with the Phlegmatic humor of phlegm, which represents the clear fluids of the body carried by the lymphatic system and secreted by the mucus membranes. The phlegmatic person is cold and wet in Aristotle’s terms and tends to be in touch with his feelings, yet can be moody and brooding. People in whom the Phlegmatic humor is dominant tend to be flowing and flexible, oriented toward emotional harmony, and let their feelings guide them.

• He associated Air with the Sanguine humor of the blood, which distributes oxygen throughout the tissues of the body. The word sanguine refers to a ruddy complexion in which the blood flows close to the skin. Sanguine people tend to be very changeable and even flighty, a little irritable yet basically optimistic, and full of personal integrity. According to Aristotle, such people are hot and wet in their elemental qualities, which produces a melding of intellect and emotions.

• He associated Earth with the Melancholic humor of black bile, which probably refers to waste products associated with digestion such as stool, from which useful energy has been removed leaving only the dregs of matter behind. Melancholic people tend to be apathetic, passive, stubborn, sluggish, yet practical. Because Earth is the principle of structure and materialization, the Melancholic humor is dominant in the person who focuses on physical reality and tends to exhibit the qualities of perseverance, inflexibility, realism, and pragmatism. In Aristotle’s terms, such people are cool and dry.

The Four Humors.

Hippocrates’ theory of the Four Humors survives today in psychologist Carl Jung’s theory of personality types. Jung saw the Four Elements as archetypes existing in the collective subconscious and are thus present in everyone. Like Aristotle, he considered Fire and Air the active, masculine Elements and Water and Earth the passive, feminine Elements.

THOTH’S TIPS

The Luscher Color personality profile offers a way of relating to the Elements as colors. The Fire color red invokes excitement and passion. The Water color blue encourages relaxation and tranquility. The Air color yellow brings out qualities of mind and imagination. The Earth color green elicits natural balance and practicality.

Balancing the Elements

Empedocles noted that those who had near equal expressions of the Four Elements in their personalities were more intelligent and had the truest perceptions of reality. Carl Jung noted the same thing in his patients and called the balancing of the Elements in a person “integration.”

Aristotle’s theory of the Elements implied a scheme of transformation in which one Element could be changed into another. Because the Four Elements came into being by impressing their opposing qualities of hot and cold and dry and wet on the First Matter, it follows that one Element can change into another by altering these basic qualities.

For instance, when we impose the qualities of wet and cold on the First Matter, the Water Element results. But if we change the quality of cold for that of hot, such as what happens when we boil Water, it transforms into Air (steam). By manipulating this simple relationship between a substance’s inherent qualities, we can change one thing into another.

We can visualize this scheme of transformation in Aristotle’s Square of Opposition, which depicts all the relationships between the qualities and the Elements. Opposing Elements form a cross within the square, and each Element is composed of two qualities shown in the corners of the square. Thus, Earth is dry and cold; Water is cold and wet; Air is wet and hot; and Fire is hot and dry. The qualities form a diagonal cross of opposition within the square.

Square of Opposition.

The alchemists considered the Square of Opposition a dynamic rotating machine that was in constant motion, like a video. In other words, changes in the qualities of the Elements cause movement through the square. Or we could say that the “strife between opposites” is the motor of rotation. Cold becomes hot; hot becomes cold; wet becomes dry; and dry becomes wet. We call this movement the Rotation of the Elements. “It is clear that generation of the Elements will be circular,” explained Aristotle, “and this mode of change is very easy because corresponding qualities are present in adjacent Elements.”

This natural circulation of the Elements in the Square of Opposition begins with the process of adaptation (Water) and continues through expansion (Air), production (Fire), and retraction (Earth). We can see the same pattern of movement through the Elements in many elemental rotations, including the seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall), the ages of man (childhood, youth, maturity, old age), and the cyclic rise and fall of nations and ideas.

Hot (or heat) in the upper left-hand corner of the Square of Opposition is the primary quality, and Fire at the top of the square is the most active Element. The alchemists saw Fire as the most important agent of transformation. So important was Fire to the alchemists that they often referred to themselves as Philosophers of Fire.

Water, at the bottom of the Square of Opposition, is the most passive Element and represents the agent of coagulation or materialization in the current situation. Air and Earth were considered secondary Elements made up of different qualities of Fire and Water. The Greeks believed Air was a combination of the hot quality of Fire and the wet quality of Water, and Earth was a combination of the cold quality of Water and the dry quality of Fire.

Four rules determine movement within the Square of Opposition:

1. Movement progresses in a clockwise rotation starting at Fire, which is where the work of transformation begins. As one moves through the square, each Element follows its dominant quality. Therefore, Fire is predominantly hot; Earth is predominantly dry; Water is predominantly cold; and Air predominantly wet (or humid). The qualities drive the Elemental rotation of the turning square: hot on the top, dry on the descending side, cold on the bottom, and wet on the rising side.

2. Because we can only move around and not across the Square of Opposition, direct transformation of opposing Elements into one another is not possible. Thus Water cannot be transformed directly into Fire because they have no common quality; however, Water can be transformed by first changing it into one of the secondary Elements of Air or Earth. Then, Air or Earth can be transformed into Fire.

3. The qualities are inversely proportional to each other. That means that the higher the intensity of an earlier quality in the rotation, the greater the rate of increase in the following opposite quality. Or the higher the intensity of a later quality in the rotation, the more the preceding complementary quality decreases. For instance, increasing the hot quality increases dryness and decreases wetness. To illustrate this concept, let’s work through one complete cycle starting at Earth. An increase in heat causes Earth to melt and take on the characteristics of Water. Further heating, however, decreases the cold of the Water component and increases its hot quality, which makes it boil and turn into steam or Air. When Air is heated, its moisture is reduced, and it rises higher into Fire. When Fire becomes cold, it loses its heat and becomes ashes or Earth again.

4. Whenever two Elements share a common quality, the Element in which the quality is not dominant is overcome by the one in which it is dominant. This property is known as the Cycle of Triumphs and was first noticed by Spanish alchemist Raymond Lully (1229–1315). For example, when Water combines with Earth, Earth is overcome because both are cold, but cold dominates in Water. Therefore, Water overcomes Earth, and the result will be predominantly cold. According to this scheme, Fire overcomes Air; Air overcomes Water; Water overcomes Earth; and Earth overcomes Fire.

Using the Square of Opposition to transform things is really quite simple when you work through it a few times. The archetypal relationships between the Elements are so plainly depicted in the Square of Opposition that it’s an amazingly versatile tool for all kinds of transformation. The alchemists used these same relationships and progressed through the Square of Opposition whether they were doing laboratory experiments, producing medicines, or working on their own personal transformations.

To use the Square of Opposition in your own transformation, you must first meditate on the qualities of the Elements to know how they are expressed in your personality or temperament. To balance your dominant Element, find its opposite on the cross within the square. You want to increase the presence of this neglected Element to balance your temperament; however, because they are opposite and cannot be changed directly into one another, you must work through one of the adjacent Elements.

For example, if in your personality your dominant Element is Water and you need to balance it with more Fire, begin by working with the adjacent Element (Air or Earth) with which you are the most comfortable or which is more dominant in you. If you choose the more spiritual path of Air, you need to work to increase the quality of wetness, which means becoming more flowing and allowing emotional energy to surface. If you choose the more material path of Earth, you need to do the opposite and try to become less flowing, more grounded, and more controlling of emotional energy. The choice of which path to follow obviously requires some insight about the true nature of your inner self.

One of the dark secrets about the Square of Opposition is that it’s possible to work with the reverse (counterclockwise) rotation. This is known as the Death Rotation. The Byzantine emperor and alchemist Heraclitus (600 C.E.) described the process thus: “Fire lives in the death of Earth, and Air lives the death of Fire; Water lives the death of Air, and Earth lives the death of Water.”

So the Death Rotation is a process of sacrificing one Element to give life to another, and in its applications requires the use of negative imagery and negative energies. In his book Purifications, Empedocles used this reverse rotation as a kind of personal crucifixion to cleanse the soul of broken promises, crimes against humanity, and other bad karma. This tortuous personal alchemy demanded extreme awareness and brutal honesty and required the alchemist to direct negative energies like anger and disgust inward. Empedocles warned it was so cosmic a process that it might last through numerous rebirths and go on for “thrice ten thousand years” in the soul of the alchemist.

The Quintessence

We call the mysterious Quintessence of the alchemists the Fifth Element not because it was considered one of the Elements but because it lay beyond the Elements in both form and function. The Quintessence was viewed as something new and unexpected in creation that transcended the limitations imposed by the Four Elements. As Isaac Newton put it: “The Quintessence is a thing that is spiritual, penetrating, tingeing, and incorruptible, which emerges anew from the Four Elements when they are bound together.”

The Quintessence partakes of both material and spiritual realities and is described as a luminous light that is invisible to ordinary sight. Like Pythagoras before him, the alchemical philosopher Paracelsus believed the Quintessence is what the stars are made of and that within everything there exists a hidden star that is that thing’s Quintessence.

The idea of the Quintessence is part of the Perennial Philosophy and is present in every spiritual tradition. In Chinese alchemy, the Fifth Element is Wood, which is a product of the plant kingdom and associated with the life force. In Taoist alchemy, the Quintessence is known as Chi, which is an unseen energy that flows through the body and can be accumulated and directed in moving meditations such as performed in Tai Chi and Chi Kung. In Tantric alchemy, the Quintessence is the kundalini or sexual energy coiled like a sleeping serpent at the base of the spine. In Hindu alchemy, the Quintessence is the spirit of breath known in Sanskrit as prana. This is very similar to the Western concepts of the spirit of air known as pneuma in Greek and rauch in Hebrew.

Philosophers of Fire

To the alchemists, Fire was the most important Element, and they considered it the universal agent of transformation that made alchemy possible. “Alchemy is only that which makes the impure pure by means of Fire,” said Paracelsus. “Though not all fires do burn, it is however only Fire and continues to be Fire that interests us.”

Alchemists recognize four grades or types of fire with which they perform their transformations. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Elementary Fire

The lowest grade of fire is known as the Elementary Fire, which is the common fire we are all familiar with. “The Elementary Fire, which is the fire of our stoves,” wrote the French philosopher-alchemist Antoine Joseph Pernety in 1758, “is impure, thick and burning. This fire is sharp and corrosive, often ill-smelling, and is known through the senses. It has for its abode the surface of the earth and our atmosphere and is destructive; it wounds the senses, it burns, it digests, concocts, and produces nothing other than heat. It is external to the alchemist and separating.”

Celestial Fire

The highest grade of fire is the Celestial Fire, which is the brilliant white fire that issues forth from the One Mind of God and represents the power of divine will. “The Celestial Fire is very pure, simple and not burning in itself,” said Pernety, “It has for its sphere the ethereal region, whence it makes itself known even to us. Celestial Fire shines without burning and is without color and odor. It is gentle and known only by its operations.”

Central Fire

Between the lowest and highest grades of fire are two more kinds. One is the Central Fire hidden within matter at its very center. Central Fire is the fire of creation, the embedded Word of God in all manifested objects. According to Pernety: “The Celestial Fire passes into the nature of the Central Fire; it becomes internal, engendering in matter. It is invisible and therefore known only by its qualities. The Central Fire is lodged in the center of matter; it is tenacious and innate in matter; it is digesting, maturing, neither warm nor burning to the touch.”

Secret Fire

Alchemists rarely speak of the fourth grade of fire even though they consider it the primary fire with which the true alchemist works. They refer to it only as their Secret Fire. “The fire of the sun could not be this Secret Fire,” hints Pernety. “It is unequal and does not penetrate. The fire of our stoves, which consumes the constituent parts of matter, could not be the one. The Central Fire, which is innate in matter, cannot be that Secret Fire so much praised, because this heat is very different within the three kingdoms; the animal possesses it in a much higher degree than the plant.”

The true nature of the Secret Fire has been concealed in myths and legends down through the ages. “In allegories and fables,” Pernety confirms, “the philosophers have given to this Secret Fire the names sword, lance, arrows, javelin, etc. It is the fire which Prometheus stole from heaven, which Vulcan employed to form the thunderbolts of Jupiter and the golden throne of Zeus.”

From Pernety’s clues, maybe we can figure out the truth about the Secret Fire. It seems the Secret Fire has a direction or evolution and behaves with purpose like a sword or arrow. We also know that animals possess more of it than plants and that it is an ancient secret passed down from alchemist to alchemist in myths and legends.

Let’s look for more clues. Franz Hartmann, a nineteenth-century German physician, was another alchemist who wrote openly about the Secret Fire. In his book Alchemy, he admitted: “The Secret Fire of the alchemists is sometimes described as a serpentine working power in the body of the acetic. It is an electric, fiery, hidden power, an electro-spiritual force and creative power.”

Any alchemist worth his salt knows what the code word “serpentine” means. Since the days of Thoth and Hermes, the serpent has symbolized the life force, the basic animating energy that finds expression in our sexuality and state of health. The life force is the Quintessence of matter, the hidden Fifth Element, the inner divine spark that makes all things come alive. We have just cracked one of the greatest secrets of alchemy—the Secret Fire of the alchemists is the life force itself, and it is an important ingredient in their work. It is something the alchemist tries to accumulate, control, and add to his experiments.

The Least You Need to Know

• The Four Elements are archetypes or idealized essences expressed in the manifested world as common earth, water, air, and fire.

• Aristotle was responsible for bringing earlier concepts of the Elements together into one cohesive theory that allowed for the transformation of one Element into one another.

• The Square of Opposition is a diagram of the relationships of the Elements and how they can be transformed.

• The Fifth Element (or the Quintessence) is equated with the life force in most traditions.

• The Four Grades of Fire in alchemy are Elementary Fire, Celestial Fire, Central Fire, and Secret Fire.