Fractals
I sometimes use the term “elemental fractals” when discussing nested elements. Both terms refer to the idea of “elements within elements”.
I’ll begin my explanation of nested elements by briefly covering fractals.
Then we’ll look at nested hierarchies and how they are inherent to many magical principles.
Finally I’ll explain how you can apply nested elements to improve your magic.
Fractals are shapes that repeat at different scales, with each scale retaining detail and a complete structure. That is a horrible explanation for a geometry classroom, but it should suffice for a blog about magic and other woo.
I’ll render some examples from nature to help get my point across. Fractals are found within:
- snowflakes
- broccoli
- clouds
- mountains
- seashells
Find the Fractals in this Broccoli Breakdown.
I assume you can see, on the left, how the shape of the whole is reflected by the smaller components, some of which I have circled in blue. Same thing on the right, where I have circled in black florets that resemble the overall head of broccoli.
In either case, looking closely within the circled area will reveal that still smaller replicas within each floret appear as miniature florets, which we’ve already established is a small copy of the head to which it belongs.
Elemental Fractals
The elemental codex describes the qualities of energy available for magical work, which of course are spirit, air, fire, water, and earth. Each of these units that make up the system is in turn composed of five elemental subdivisions.
In other words every element contains or is made up of all five elements. Note we aren’t talking about the archaic physical science that claimed all things are composed of the five substances of spirit, air, fire, water, and earth.
That misunderstanding of the physical world, to the extent that it ever truly existed, was a perversion of the esoteric doctrine of elements, which seeks only to describe the qualities of energies using elemental headings. It is imperative to remember that when I write about elemental earth I am not referring to the ground beneath you!
It’s a Quality Thang
Rather, I am discussing a quality of energy we call elemental earth, which may variously mean solid, stable, hard, stubborn, old, fertile, cold, dark, or many other things considered to have the same essential quality. Similarly, water is a qualitative assessment of energy that may be fluid, shifting, soft, flexible, mature, nourishing, wet, muted, etc.
Notice some of the terms for earth and water are opposites, some are complimentary, and others still take on a different direction but are connected to the same category. This reflects the relationship between the elemental qualities, which is nuanced and complicated enough for a book unto itself.
Fortunately magic is the realm of paradox and this complicated issue can also be very simple. Check out the simplified elemental codex for more elemental correspondences.
Back on Track with those Elemental Fractals
I have stated that each category of elemental energy is comprised of all five elements in some ratio. We don’t need to fret over the exact quantitative mixtures of the sub-elements. It is enough to know that “earth” energy contains the frequencies, charges, et al of earth, water, fire, air, and spirit.
Put another way, elemental earth can be accessed or discussed through five distinct fractals:
- earth of earth
- water of earth
- fire of earth
- air of earth
- spirt of earth
Each element has within it a representation of the entire five-elemental system. Furthermore, each subdivision within earth (and all other elements) continues this sequence with its own nested elements. So within earth of earth you would find earth of earth of earth, water of earth of earth and so on, ad infinitum.
FYI, we are talking in part about the magical principle of reflection. which states that every part contains the whole, the microcosm is the macrocosm, as above, so below, and so forth.
Note that all hierarchies below the first layer of elemental fractals are generally the realm of esoteric philosophy and are not applicable to practical magic. In some rare cases a magician might choose to go beyond the level of element of element, but this is almost never a necessity so don’t freeze up on me and think we’re going down the rabbit hole here.
What’s the point of these elemental fractals? Nuance, my friend, greater specificity; that is the point.
Nested Elements and Nested Hierarchies
We need to be specific about our magic in terms of what we want and we need to be precise in our technical application of each step in our processes. Magic is not for the impatient or undisciplined.
I get that our world, especially in the west, is full of young people who think they are naturally great sorcerers who don’t need to study and learn. A few of them may be right, but most are just high and lazy.
For those of us who must follow a method to make magic, the details matter. Elemental fractals, or as I will call them henceforth, nested elements, give a greater degree of control over the specific nuances of the energy conjured and used.
How do Nested Elements Apply to Our Magic?
You already know that we use the elemental system to:
- Identify the energies active or missing within the issue we seek to address.
- Choose the kind of energy to apply to our magic and obtain desired results.
A stubborn partner is an earthy problem, perhaps calling for the influence of flexible, changeable water.
Fear of a coming event might call for the courage of fire.
The need to acquire information quickly can be met with the quality of air.
An overemotional or indecisive client is expressing excess water and might benefit from the certainty of earth or the vigor of fire.
How the Nested Elements Bring Greater Precision to Our Work
A naturally earthy and stubborn personality might be negatively impacted by an influx of water energy but would likely require significant exposure, as in potent magic, to sway from stubborn to adaptable. So we have a scenario where your efforts could fail if you don’t apply them strongly enough and you could do harm if you overwhelm the target.
Consider the possibility of injecting the suggestion of flexibility without forcing a change of character in the moment. What if you could preserve and protect your partner’s natural inclination of being set in their ways (rather than assaulting that part of their character) and subtly influencing them towards a modest shift, perhaps the idea of just trying a different way to see if it has merit.
This could be manifested as water of earth.
Where there is fear, there is also an underlying reason. Two examples could be low self-confidence or a lack of information about a future event.
These are very different circumstances. Simply conjuring the spirit of fire for courage might not be the ideal solution. For the person with low confidence the result could be self-destructive anger, while the individual who fears the unknown might be pushed to recklessness. Nuanced issues respond better to articulate solutions.
Earth of fire could provide courage based on a feeling of solidness and capability.
Fire of air could bring a courage framed from a new understanding of what was previously feared.
Catch my drift? Ya feel me? Are you picking up what I’m laying down?
Interpreting the Nested Elements
A nested element is stated as nested element of parent element. The parent element is the primary quality of the energy being identified and the nested element is the secondary energy which influences the parent.
Elemental Earth (Parent or Unnested Frequency)
Let’s consider elemental earth in general. This energy is still or slow, it is heavy and dense, unmoving/sturdy/stable/stubborn, also abundant/fertile/generous to name but a few earthy qualities.
Now let’s apply our nested elements to see how the parent energy of earth is influenced.
Earth of Earth
The ultimate expression of what earth energy is all about, this frequency is absolutely fixed and immovable, unthinkably heavy and the densest of the dense. It could also be wealthy beyond compare or greedy or perfect generosity and philanthropism. It could represent a place utterly teeming with life or a garden of astonishing yield.
Water of Earth
This expression of the earth current is a little more fluid and mobile; still heavy and resolved but gradually moving from here to there. This energy exhibits a small degree of willingness and changeability. It may also signify a mild tolerance to financial risk or inclination towards financial diversity. This may represent one who shares loosely or even “gives until it hurts”.
Water of earth translates to heavy but not impossible with the right leverage. It is solid and dense but there is give when pushed, the surface can be compressed a little without bursting.
Fire of Earth
Fire of earth moves more quickly and decisively than the previous nesting and can even appear to act or react impulsively. We are still in the zone of elemental earth, however, so terms like quickly and impulsive must remain relative.
This energy could mean a long, steady march with the slightest snap in the step. There is motion, not a fast pace but no dragging the feet, that goes on and on without wavering.
The general possessed of fire of earth might quickly decide to move a brigade to a new position, but have his troops move methodically, crushing everything between the starting point and the arrival position. A person in this mode of energy could dig their heels in and refuse to budge with a flare and a passion in their argument.
From a different perspective fire of earth could mean aggressive trading or acquisition of assets to then store up wisely. It might manifest as pre-emptively providing for the needs of others, or giving them what they lack without being asked.
Air of Earth
Air of earth is the Refrigerator William Perry plodding through the defensive line to carry the ball a few yards. He is running, but not the same way Barry Sanders ran. Perry is heavy and unstoppable, crashing steadily from point A to point B like a mountain on wheels.
This nesting could also manifest as dogmatic intellectualism. It might also refer to investing in multiple safe positions at once or a proliferation of stable ideas or massive revival od traditional ideologies.
Spirit of Earth
This one is always the most interesting, for it literally can run the full spectrum and be earth energy in any and all possible phases or manifestations. It might even shift into another element altogether. That’s all I’m going to say about this profound and at times difficult to discuss nesting.
IMPORTANT: We have Officially Scratched the Surface!
And that’s all we’ve done here. There is a mountain, an ocean, a blazing sun, and the vastness of space, not to mention the infinity of spirit, beneath, within, beyond, in addition to, and regardless of all I have herein typed.
Just start considering these internal hierarchies with your elemental work and the process will unfold as it needs to for you.
Variant Perspectives
It must be obvious that elemental considerations are highly subjective at times and can therefore seem to contradict the underlying principle. For example, is earth of earth, or an extreme of earth energy, greedy or is it philanthropic?
How could the same energy apply to either or both of these poles?
Extreme earthiness can manifest as the need to hold on tightly to all one has, which can result in greed. This makes sense considering the still/stubborn/resisting nature of elemental earth.
Extreme earth quality focused on the fertile and abundant nature of the essential energy might very well be the opposite of greed because of an awareness that there is plenty. We could consider this dichotomy the potentially positive and negative manifestations of earth energy, for all elements consist of good and bad possibilities.
It is also likely that in the case of clear paradox or seeming contradictions we are discussing or witnessing the deeper hierarchies in play. Are these apparent contradictions that still fall into the earth category the result of [deeper nested element] of earth of earth?
I don’t know, nor do I need to. The qualitative system of elemental doctrine can be leveraged by the individual per his or her interpretation so long as he or she has sufficient understanding of magical fundamentals and the technical prowess to enact his or her will.
Remember too that nested elements are part of a hierarchy. This means each movement to a higher or lower grade can signify an increase or decrease in quality relative to these grades or levels.
For example if considering a person’s attitude:
- earth of earth could be intolerably unwilling to hear other perspectives
- water of earth could mean very stubborn but able to tolerate different views in certain areas or yielding a tiny bit
- fire of earth might be sudden change of mind then being just as stubborn bout the new opinion or could be someone who is swayed by their emotions and passions but nonetheless is stubbornly resolved once their position settles.
- air of earth could be sticking with an idea regardless of opposition but at the same time exploring the many facets of the singular idea. It could be unshakeable concentration while studying or writing about many topics.
This represents the potentially incremental differences between the nested elements.
Now Go Play
Legendary martial arts master Misaki Hatsumi reportedly says this to his students after arming them with new techniques and strategies. It’s kind of funny because of the brutal nature of the systems he is involved in. While I don’t necessarily mean go beat the shit out of each other, I do suggest you put the wheels of this info on the ground and see what you can get done with it.
Embrace paradox but avoid conundrum by always striving to improve skill and increase power or influence. Just get better so you don’t have to worry about these maddening rabbit-hole considerations. A potent enough wizard can always get the job done regardless of philosophical uncertainties.
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