If we assume that the West is using the classical Greek elements then
Fire is the opposite of Water and Air of Earth...

Why is right the active side? Is it active if one faces the tree or
backs onto it as shown in the Adam Kadmon diagrams?..

Regards,

Morgan Leigh
PhD Candidate
School of Sociology and Social Work
University of Tasmania

On 15/05/2012 6:14 PM, David Mattichak wrote:
> Great answer Morgan!
> 
> One might then choose to maintain the order of the elements as they
> occur in the order of the four worlds, the suits of the Tarot and the
> Cardinal signs of the Zodiac. 
> 
> I have always thought that the elements were assigned to the directions
> so as to be opposite to their most complimentary elements. In my mind
> the anchor to the attributions is that Air is in the East and so the
> complimentary Water is in the West, moving to the right and therefore
> active side, according to Qabalah, takes you to the Fiery South and the
> passive Earth is opposite and complimentary to that in the North.
> Because the temple of most Hermetic magicians is focused on the East as
> a celebration of the rise of the light that they seek the place of the
> decline of the light is then placed symbolically behind them.
> 
> David
> 
> 
>> Date: Tue, 15 May 2012 17:54:25 +1000
>> From: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Is the direction of
> circumambulation affected by hemisphere?
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>
>> Thank you both Khem and Pitch for your detailed replies. This is a
>> really interesting thread.
>>
>> I still don't think we have got to the why of this question. Why should
>> we proceed in the order of the zodiac, the seasons, the Coriolis force
>> or the winds? Why should we follow, or not, the direction of the sun?
>>
>> To answer this I think we need to consider what it is we are doing when
>> erecting a circle. Yes, we are creating a sacred space, but what are the
>> referent/s?
>>
>> Some thoughts on this. If one was working a nature based rite, saw
>> Wiccan, then I can see why one would want to follow the sun, and why the
>> seasons would be important. In such traditions one is describing sacred
>> space as a mirror of the physical shape of the universe. I can also see
>> why one might want to have Fire in the North (for the Southern
>> Hemisphere), but what would be the rationale for placing the other
>> elements on the points of the compass? Some Wiccans who contributed to
>> my research said they would always place Fire where the Sun was, and
>> moreover that they would alter their directional elemental attributions
>> depending on the physical location. e.g. if the sea was to their East
>> they would place Water there. If a landmass was to their West they would
>> place Earth there. Some said they would never alter the directional
>> attributions from those set down in the source material of their
>> tradition, even if it meant that Fire was in the South in the Southern
>> Hemisphere. These people were those who also said they didn't know why
>> the attributions were as they were.
>>
>> If one was working a more Qabbalistic rite I suggest one would be less
>> inclined to adapt one's directional attributions depending on the
>> physical environment. In such traditions one is describing sacred space
>> as a mirror of the spiritual shape of the universe. One might then
>> choose to maintain the order of the elements as they occur in the order
>> of the four worlds, the suits of the Tarot and the Cardinal signs of the
>> Zodiac. i.e. FWAE. Some Ceremonial Magicians who contributed to my
>> research said exactly this. While others simply said they would use
>> what was put down in the source material by, say Regardie.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Morgan Leigh
>> PhD Candidate
>> School of Sociology and Social Work
>> University of Tasmania
>>
>>
>> On 13/05/2012 4:11 AM, Khem Caigan wrote:
>> > Morgan Leigh doth schreibble :
>> >>
>> >> Very interesting. However I have to suggest that there is a problem
> with
>> >> using the seasons rather than the zodiac. That is that there aren't
> four
>> >> seasons everywhere, while the zodiac never changes, except in the
>> >> direction it rises.
>> >>
>> >> Hardly anywhere here in Australia has four seasons. Many Aboriginal
>> >> cultures describe six, or even eight, seasons...
>> >
>> > Hi, Morgan!
>> >
>> >
>> > Once again, when I speak of the Four Seasons, I am
>> > speaking as a practitioner of Ptolemaic / Hellenic /
>> > Hermetic / Mediaeval / Tropical / Daemonic Astrology,
>> > and of Astral Magic.
>> >
>> > The Twelve Signs of the Tropical Zodiac uniformly span
>> > thirty degrees each. Some of the Twelve Constellations,
>> > on the other hand, occupy more or less space on the
>> > three-hundred-and-sixty degrees of the Ecliptic.
>> >
>> > And, as Schmidt and some others have pointed out (see:
>> > Stephen Schmidt, *Astrology 14: Your New Sun Sign*,
>> > Pyramid Books, 1971 <http://tinyurl.com/ygfj5lq>),
>> > there are one or two other Constellations that overlap
>> > the Ecliptic besides the Twelve Constellations whose
>> > names coincide with the Twelve Signs that have been
>> > employed by Tropical Astrologers over the past couple
>> > of millenia (see Jim Tester's *History of Western
>> > Astrology*, page 14 < http://tinyurl.com/cpp3t8x>).
>> >
>> > Similarly, the interval between the two Equinoxes and
>> > the two Solstices is uniformly 90 degrees - for example,
>> > the arc from the Vernal Equinox to Summer Solstice spans
>> > three Signs: Aries, Taurus & Gemini. These are the
>> > three Signs of Spring <in the Northern Hemisphere> that
>> > you will find in the upper right-hand corner of the
>> > Astral Rebis figure at the link below:
>> >
>> > http://tinyurl.com/yjrkbgb
>> >
>> > The interval from Summer Solstice to Autumnal Equinox
>> > covers the three Signs of Summer <in the Northern
>> > Hemisphere>: Cancer, Leo & Virgo.
>> >
>> > The interval from Autumnal Equinox to Winter Solstice
>> > covers the three Signs of Autumn <in the Northern
>> > Hemisphere>: Libra, Scorpio & Sagittarius.
>> >
>> > The interval from Winter Solstice to Vernal Equinox
>> > covers the three Signs of Winter <in the Northern
>> > Hemisphere>: Capricorn, Aquarius & Pisces.
>> >
>> > Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion arising
>> > from my use of the term "Season".
>> >
>> > Cors in Manu Domine,
>> >
>> >
>> > ~ Khem Caigan
>> > <[log in to unmask]>
>> >
>> > "Heat and Moisture are Active to Generation;
>> > Cold and Dryness are Passive, in and to each Thing;
>> > Fire and Air, Active by Elementation;
>> > Water and Earth, Passive to Generation."
>> >
>> > *Of the Division of Chaos*
>> > -Dr. Simon Forman
>>
>> --

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