05-20-2016, 04:14 PM
(05-20-2016, 04:01 PM)Aion Wrote: Ah, well to that we have to look at culture. The concept of Akasha comes from Hindu Tantrism. The four elements of traditional Western magic have come from many works but I think they are most likely rooted in witchcraft and druidry or hermeticism and Pythagorean type thought. The fifth elements is sometimes seen, sometimes not. However in Chinese lore there are five elements which are Water, Earth, Fire, Wood and Metal - so interestingly they have no air element.
So maybe we need to look farther as to this inconsistency across culture?
In the chinese system of elements, as I understand it, wood is essentially analogous to spirit, and metal is analogous to the air (if you put them on pentagram). But personally, I think the chinese version makes no sense, but that's probably because that is not my culture.
It is also interesting to note that Ra never mentioned the 5th element in regards to the elements of 1st density. Again, not saying it isn't a thing, just that it is of some interesting consideration. I would consider spirit to be the combination of the other 4. It doesn't mean that it has no place in certain magical practices, because 5 is an important number in magic it would seem. It just plays a different role than the other four.