Sacred elements
The five elements are one of the ultimate models of existence, they are on of the most universal insights of the worlds ancient philosophies. In Sanskrit they are known as the pancha-maha-buthas, the five great states of existence. In Greece the Pythagorean school linked the elements with the five Platonic solids and made them a centrepiece of their geometric model of the universe. The Chinese based their system of science and medicine on the cycles of energy through the five elements.
Often if a tradition presents itself as having four elements, it is because the fifth element is being kept secret. The fifth element is the unifying vertical axis to the 'four directions'. All phenomena are contained within space, so space is the unifying factor. In Greece the dodecahedron was a secret shared only with initiates. Five is the smallest number that has the instability and chaos that can allow living processes to thrive. Five embodies the self-referencing relationship of the 'Golden Mean'. This is why the DNA, the patterns that encodes all life on earth is structured upon the five sided symmetry of the dodecahedron.
Everything can be embraced within the scheme of the five elements. It connects things. For instance it connects sound to spaciousness.
It connects a behavior of non-harm and commitment to the qualities of consolidation,solidity and stability.
It connects a behavior of non-harm and commitment to the qualities of consolidation,solidity and stability.
The five Elements have a unifying quality.
First you get oneness then duality, then you get the five, then as the Chinese say - the 10,000 things.
The five elements make the intangible tangible.
It's the 'viscosity of omnipotence'. Omnipotence is very slippery, whereas the five elements gives viscosity to omnipotence.
First you get oneness then duality, then you get the five, then as the Chinese say - the 10,000 things.
The five elements make the intangible tangible.
It's the 'viscosity of omnipotence'. Omnipotence is very slippery, whereas the five elements gives viscosity to omnipotence.
Mandala of the five elements
Five Sacred Elements Mandala
EARTH
abundance
wealth
caves, canyons, groves, gardens, gemstones, rocks, mines, snakes
Winter
place of greatest darkness
abundance
wealth
caves, canyons, groves, gardens, gemstones, rocks, mines, snakes
Winter
place of greatest darkness
AIR
intellect
thought
sky, wind, breezes, clouds, high places, breath, vibrations, birds
Spring
place of greatest light
intellect
thought
sky, wind, breezes, clouds, high places, breath, vibrations, birds
Spring
place of greatest light
FIRE
change, passion
deserts, volcanoes, hot springs, lightning, sun and stars, dragons
Summer
place of greatest heat
change, passion
deserts, volcanoes, hot springs, lightning, sun and stars, dragons
Summer
place of greatest heat
WATER
purification, emotions
lakes, wells, rivers, springs, ocean, rain, mist, fog, fish
Autumn
place of setting sun
purification, emotions
lakes, wells, rivers, springs, ocean, rain, mist, fog, fish
Autumn
place of setting sun
SPIRIT
within and all around
within and all around