On Paths

[sdi]

For any given complete symbolic system, there is a spiritual path corresponding to each symbol. So we might classify different spiritual paths by which symbols they correspond to in that system. (Naturally, since there are many symbolic systems, there are many such methods of classification.)

Let's take an example and look at the classical elements.

• The path of fire is a masculine path involving drive, will, and transmutation. I imagine many of those who found their way to this diary from Ecosophia would easily recognize this as where magical paths belong.
• The path of air is a masculine path of interaction, communication, and dispersion. This is perhaps the path most foreign to me—my natal chart contains no air at all, and so I find airy things bewildering—but I imagine it's what the Bhagavad Gita refers to when it's talking about the karma yoga: a path of service to others.
• The path of water is a feminine path of purity, reflection, and dissolution. This is the path I would tend to associate with the image of an anchorite or monk: one who separates themselves from the world, studies wisdom traditions, meditates, etc.
• The path of earth is a feminine path of embodiment, effort, and acceptance. I would associate this path with mystical traditions that emphasize good works, and also with what's been called "The Path of the Hearthfire" or of "lay monkdom:" doing your mundane work to the fullest.

(I'm certainly being a bit sloppy here; these are very large bins and we have few widespread spiritual images to draw from in the West; I'm also mostly typing it out as a reminder to myself for something to circle back to later, so I'm writing quickly rather than deeply.)

One can do a similar exercise with any other complete system: the astrological planets or signs of the zodiac (or both together, if you want a year or two of meditation themes), the geomantic figures, the ba gua or I Ching hexagrams, the Tarot, etc. I think the exercise is worthwhile, since it helps one recognize and identify what kinds of spiritual teachings or methods—and there are a lot to draw from, many of which are marketed as The One True Way™—are likely to be of benefit to one's own path.

Comments

[temporaryreality]

Thanks for this. I've been mulling along similar lines, what with my elemental focus and looking at the elements in a similar way, asking the question "how does an elementally-balanced life look?" ...

Fruitful questioning and line of thought, in my opinion.

[sdi]

Your question is an interesting one! Perhaps embarrassingly, I never really considered "elemental balance" as something to strive for, but of course it is and it makes the system of symbols one selects to work with quite important!

As an example, in geomancy, the two elementally-balanced symbols—Populus (passivity) and Via (transformative, focused activity)—are situationally useful, but they're also kinda extreme and don't stand out to me as any more or less desirable than the others. So if that system is framing how one thinks about their path, then "elementally-balanced" is something that only even makes sense ⅛ of the time.

On the other hand, if you're using a different set of symbols, it could look very differently!

[temporaryreality]

I wonder if it expands the frame somewhat to consider the balance in terms of "appropriate" - so, appropriate passivity and appropriate activity. If one is focused and active all the time (yang) and doesn't make room for reflection or a way of being that accepts what is given (yin) (or the converse as another form of imbalance), one can observe that in those cases, it's balance toward a center that allows for both facets to coexist.

Or have I misunderstood your comment about "balanced" in this case being "something that only even makes sense 1/8 of the time"?

[sdi]

I think you have it precisely. Sometimes it's useful to frame the discussion as a moderate kind of balance, other times it's useful to frame the discussion as a dynamic kind of balance. But what's key is to use the correct model for the situation at hand!

It's important to study broadly, if we can, to get lots of models to draw from; just like it's useful to a poet to learn many languages, or a painter to work in lots of media. But how hard it is to overcome our natural tendencies! I'll never be an extrovert; but I still need to practice communicating. I'll never be especially driven, but I still need to practice seizing the moment.

[deketemoisont]

Some other possible fourfold paths: William Gray spoke of Hermetic, Orphic [I'll say "think Wicca for the modern version"], and Mystic paths, and Frater Barrabbas ( fraterbarrabbas.blogspot.com ) distinguishes "ritual magic" (as meaning roughly "witchcraft") from "ceremonial magic", also mentioning a distinct mysticism; yes, I noticed they're threefold (and identical?), and suggest the obvious 4th one would be the Hearthfire Path, with Hermetism corresponding to Air, Orphism to Fire (which I do notice may not be true for the original Orphism?), Mysticism to Water, and Hearthfire to Earth.

JMG distinguishes magic, occultism, and mysticism (yes, also threefold); I could imagine adding one of Hearthfire, "Orphic" (in the modern sense) magic as distinct, or natural magic - in any such case, the addition could be seen as corresponding to Earth, and ("Hermetic") magic to Fire, occultism to Air, and mysticism to Water.

Emil Stejnar, in his (IMO excellent, but I'm unqualified to judge; you can read reviews of his work by someone who can at https://theomagica.com/blog/book-review-emil-stejnars-the-four-elements-the-secret-key-to-spiritual-power and https://theomagica.com/blog/book-review-emil-stejnars-magic-with-astrology ; those are the 2 I have, and I intend to acquire more) The Four Elements, defines 4 methods of self-transformation: Hermetic (Fire - building willpower and dropping bad habits), alchemical (Air - purifying each of one's elements by balancing its basic qualities - cold/hot/dry/wet - a more thorough self-development work), mystical (Water), and magical (Earth - Stejnar, after Bardon (and other Central Europeans?) tends to describe Earth as the sum of the other 3 elements, so this is described as using the other 3 methods together, but also involves attention to one's life outside magic); there's also a Kabbalistic transformation, at times grouped with magical. (Note that with Stejnar, attaining elemental balance is *the entire point*.)

How does one become a successful programmer without Air? Also, let us ask jprussell what *he* thinks an Air path is like, since I think he's pretty familiar with that by now.

[sdi]

How does one become a successful programmer without Air?

I really like the art of geomancy for this kind of analysis, as it contains a comprehensive map of what every combination of elements is like. There are sixteen cases: no elements, just fire, just air, fire and air, just water, fire and water, etc., all the way up to fire and air and water and earth. Consequently, there are eight kinds of ways one can be a successful programmer without air! ;) Indeed, air is very double-edged: it's presence lends a discriminatory quality that can be helpful in analysis; but it's also very scattered, which can prevent depth.

As it happens, I tend towards a purely-watery mode, which in geomancy is called "Albus", meaning "white" and representing "purity". It's perhaps the most beneficial for theoretical understanding as it's the most deeply reflective and contemplative of the combinations; it's also pretty awful for putting that theory into practice since it only cares about learning. So while I have a tremendous strength, I needed to shore up that weakness with the help of others for my business to be successful.

[deketemoisont]

Geomancy (about which I've read some) seems to me as having a lot to offer, but this hits literally the *one* thing I've been puzzled about: it seems to me that, for a lot of stuff, the 4 elements mean roughly the same as they mean in wider Western elemental attributions, but Albus and Rubeus look reversed to me. Of course you sound Albus-y to me, but I have no idea about why that'd be purely-watery instead of purely-airy - and I mean that for other figures, air and water *do* fit my expectations from other reading. As for "eight kinds of ways" - who says every figure represents some kind of capable programmer? :)

[sdi]

Aha! Good eye. So as far as I can tell, that's because Aristotle assigned air and water one way, and the Stoics assigned air and water the other way. Hellenistic astrology followed the Stoics, and geomancy followed Hellenistic astrology. But when astrology was revived in the West during the Renaissance, it kept the Stoic symbolism (in both astrology and geomancy!) but used the Aristotelian elemental assignments, thus making a big old mess of it. Modern astrology, of course, follows Renaissance astrology (and is, if anything, an even bigger mess).

This is a large part of the reason I took up studying Hellenistic astrology rather than Renaissance astrology or modern astrology: for me, it's very important that a system has very pure and consistent first principles, since I'm the kind of person who, if given bad theory, produces bad practice. (That's surely a water thing; I imagine airy people can do much better working with whatever they have to hand.)

(Also my veneration for Porphyry is very difficult to overstate, and he's one of our sources on Hellenistic astrology. :) )

[deketemoisont]

I think I'd read the linked article (and the previous) - but it seems to me that the associations I'm (relatively!) more familiar with fit 14/16 figures perfectly well, and thus nothing comes to my mind as to why I shouldn't just think the actual figures that mean "White" and "Red" were reversed (and un-reverse them?).

"if given bad theory, produces bad practice. (That's surely a water thing;" - you see, that doesn't sound obvious to me at all - I don't think watery people even pay attention to theory! (By that criterion, I'd think air>earth>fire>water.)

The (more properly, *my*) problem is that I seem to be arguing against your natal chart and career matching, so I must be wrong.

[sdi]

the associations I'm (relatively!) more familiar with fit 14/16 figures perfectly well

I would say this is a sign that what you're familiar with is inconsistent! Either it should fit all of the figures well or none of them well, and if it's in the middle, then you haven't gotten all the kinks worked out, yet. This happened to me a lot when I was picking up geomancy and trying to figure out why was one of the main ways I got better at the system.

For example, I can't see how you can have Albus be confusing but Puer make sense, since they're defined as opposites to each other. Albus is water, it flows downward, it turns inward into itself—hence it's a hermit who ignores the world and spends its time in contemplation. Puer is everything *but* water: it does everything *except* reflect, hence it's the man of action who does what its told. But the boy's going to just shoot off like a rocket wherever he's pointed, and that's probably going to land him into trouble without a voice of wisdom. That's why every Luke Skywalker gets paired up with his Obi Wan Kenobi in every story, right?


I don't think watery people even pay attention to theory! (By that criterion, I'd think air>earth>fire>water.)

And yeah, I'd say you're working with very different symbolism, as I'd have reversed what you have! Fire and water deal with theory: fire creates ideas, water contemplates them. Air and earth deal with practice: air does things, earth embodies the results. As further evidence of this, Laetitia and Albus, while generally positive, don't really do anything: Laetitia (fire) gets lost in la-la land, while Albus (water) is just too detached to care.