Qabalistically, Earth is the energy through which the three previous Elements come into manifestation to be expressed in the physical world. In Earth are the qualities of objectivity, solidity, gravity, weight, mass, incarnation, and definition. However, by itself Elemental Earth is cold and sterile, only acting as a kind of reservoir for the forces of which condense into it. It holds within itself all life preceding it, and all the life that will come forth from it. Again, Qabalistically, Fire, Air or Water cannot manifest except by means of this Element, because Earth makes manifestation possible between individual units of existence. It has the property of conformability服從and resistance, offering the necessary inertia保有本質 to other energies for the interrelationship in the act of manifestation. Inertia is very much a power which keeps everything in proportion with everything else, and this is a magical value of Elemental Earth. In its perfect form,
Elemental Earth is symbolic of the body about to receive the influx of Divine Light, and it is also the
manifest expression of a complete thought and an act of the will.
If we combine these ideas, we encounter the concept of force embodied in form, and form ensouled by force. And here, we are dealing with the Principle of Polarity, the subtle interaction of the life force between two parts, the flow and return, the stimulus and the reaction. The Principle of Polarity runs through the whole of creation and is the basis for manifestation: hence the statement at the start of this section, that the Elements are the building blocks for all rituals designed to manifest an effect here in the physical world.
Temple Arrangement
The Elemental Temple has the Altar in the center, with the extra cup of water and incense (for
purifications and consecrations) in the East. Place a convenient seat just West of the Altar (or set it
aside until it is needed), and arrange the surface of the Altar as described below.
In the Elemental rituals (and temporarily, in some others), the Elements themselves and their
consecrated供俸 objects (the Fire Candle, etc) are associated with the cardinal 基礎 directions in the
following way:
Elemental Pentagrams 五星塔
That is to say, whenever we focus on a particular Element, we will focus upon that cardinal
direction: thus when working with Earth, we will be especially interested in the North. Please note:
this does not mean that the consecrated objects themselves should be distributed into these parts of
the room as you perform the Elemental rituals—the diagram only illustrates the Elemental
associations with the quarters. In the Feast of Spirit ritual, they will indeed be placed there, but in
later rituals they will be given Zodiacal attributions, which will put them in different places.
The sign of the Pentagram represents the Four Elements (the triangles) crowned with Spirit (the wheel). You will notice that the triangles with lines in their middles indicate an Element that is a
mixture or culmination of the others. The upward triangles indicate a projective energy. The downward triangles indicate a receptive energy. Therefore, the Pentagram is an illustration of the
Hermetic Principle of Polarity. As you will see from the instructions in the rituals, the movement from point to point is related to the Element involved: for example, the Invoking Earth Pentagram
begins from the Spirit point, and moves towards the Earth point. The other Pentagrams work in much the same way.
You may perform the four rituals in whatever order you choose. Nevertheless, we recommend that you start with Earth and then work through Water, Air, and Fire, as this is a standard ascending order of the Elements, and imitates a vertical ascension from lower types of reality to higher ones. Perform the Spirit working only after completing the first four, since the Spirit ritual requires the consecrated objects of the Elemental workings for a Feast of Spirit: a meal ritually eaten so as to take the consecrated供俸 Elements into the physical body.
You may perform the four rituals in whatever order you choose. Nevertheless, we recommend that you start with Earth and then work through Water, Air, and Fire, as this is a standard ascending order of the Elements, and imitates a vertical ascension from lower types of reality to higher ones. Perform the Spirit working only after completing the first four, since the Spirit ritual requires the consecrated
objects of the Elemental workings for a Feast of Spirit: a meal ritually eaten so as to take the consecrated Elements into the physical body. Remember, if you find it hard to carry this book around during a ritual, then photocopy the relevant pages and use those instead.
