Chapter Six

The Eight Elements of Experiential Reality

An observer of reality becomes aware that there are elements relating to experience in addition to the four basic elements which describe the environmental world. The cycles of day and night and the seasons form patterns which can be anticipated and described. A reality consisting of changes required additional elements which could interface an observer with the outer changing physical world.

As mankind became agrarian and a tiller of the soil, it became relatively critical to resolve elements or units of time such as seeding time and harvesting time. It was no doubt found that the menses of the women provided an accurate counting system and that there was a correlation of 13 months (same root as menses) to the yearly cycle. This was the time when women gods ruled the earth and feminism was dominant. With the 13 month or lunar clock it can be assumed that a particular natural phenomenon was associated with each month much as we today associate a wealth of feelings and associations with a particular period of time, such as "spring". Unfortunately few written records exist to detail this matriarchally controlled period of mankind.

Later the masculine orientation became dominant and the ruling sun became god. Solar time evolved into our present 12 time intervals in the cyclic evolution of nature. It is highly probable that it was during this male dominated transition from 13 to 12 months that the number 13 became unlucky.

Each month was connected with certain qualities, just as "spring" and "fall" conjure up certain feelings and definitions today. The matching of interval or month to astronomical occurrences was systematized into a calendar and symbolized by the 12 signs of the star constellations in the Zodiac. As a time keeping system, the astrological signs furnished symbols for natural events. For instance, Aries symbolized the month beginning on March 21st. This time period connoted a creative period during which nature prepared to produce life. The period of Leo which began on July 22nd was perceived as the month of intense energy, light and radiation. In time Aries and Leo became symbols for the attributes of creation and energy respectively. The harvesting time become equated with the constellation Virgo or conversely, Virgo was perceived to be symbolic of the harvest.

The period of time from Aries to Libra or from March to October was the period of growth or life on earth and these symbols were considered to be the basic astrological signs. Scorpio in October was a transition month between life and the death of winter. The remainder of the months or signs of the zodiac were considered to be the periods of inner hidden change related to the nether world. These periods or symbols also became associated with the concept of the heavens below. One could not observe any changes in nature during the serving period, but was aware of hidden transformations taking place.

It was perhaps natural that the ancients would attempt to find correlations between changes in nature and in themselves. There certainly was a correlation between the life cycle of a plant and man. They both started supple and pliant and ended brittle and fragile. They reached maximum activity in the middle of their lives and had an early formative period and a later productive stage. In observing the battles for sunlight and water between plants, the ancients could not help but compare this battle to their own struggle for survival. Plants had to compete with an outer chaotic world as did mankind.

The sages of the times were no doubt curious and attempted to describe all of life with simple models and terms. It seemed obvious to find discrete stages for growth as well as the factors which affected them. Such factors were known as 'stoicheia' (elements) to the early Greeks or "stoicheia tou kosmou' (elements of the universe). These elements included the four elements of earth, air, fire and water as discussed earlier, but also included the forces acting upon people as well as their characteristics.

If the plant kingdom was used for the initial model, it would seem likely that the periods of plant growth would be refined and related to the months and the calendar of the night sky, the zodiac. No doubt the observances of man's behavior and characteristics also played a role in the defining of the various monthly periods of plant growth such that later the same terms could be applied to an individual human's growth or stages of development. For instance, plants demonstrated their most energetic growth during late July under the zodiac sign of Leo which related to the activity or Vitality of maturing individuals. This Vitality was different from the initial growth as an infant or young shoot in early spring which was directed more from the nurturing aspects of the outer world (Trust) rather than from some inner energy to survive and dominate the nearby world.

However, when man attempted to equate the activities of his fellow man to the signs of the zodiac, he found that individuals did indeed have traits that were analogous to the attributes of the zodiac signs, but they appeared random in their appearance. For instance under the sign of Aries, everyone did not sit in contemplation as nature was doing, but rather one could find individuals contemplating and quiet during July. The nature of individuals did not change to coincide with changes in nature.

Just as each element in nature rose, matured and faded, so an individual required the development of the corresponding attributes in order to mature and evolve. However, an individual differed from nature in that there appeared to be a direction in one's evolution whereas nature remained bound in a cycle. An individual also appeared to require the simultaneous attainment of all of the attributes to fully mature where nature progressed through the signs one at a time.

Later man became aware of 7 celestial bodies which were much different from the stars in the background and included the moon, sun and five of the sun's satellite planets. These seven bodies moved independently of the uniform rotation of the stars and seemed to have minds of their own as they wandered at will through the zodiac. Some of them even appeared to reverse the direction of their motion at times. The moon was very unpredictable, always showing a different amount of its face in a different part of the sky. The sun likewise varied in its energy, one day pouring forth lots of heat and on others sending little warmth. These 7 bodies were called the ruling planets (sic) (wanderers) and appeared to be representative of the nature of man or vice versa.

In order to expand and refine his system, man equated seven basic elements to the wandering 7 planets and ascribed the same elemental forces to them that he did to the basic 7 constellations of the zodiac. Later each element was further refined and will be discussed in separate chapters devoted to each element.

The model so far expounded describes the faces of nature and the attributes of man with symbols/signs of the zodiac and the rule of changing "heavenly bodies". Our chief concern will be with the nature of the characteristics of the elements represented by these symbols and how they can be used, but another aspect of these elements needs to be briefly discussed since it has greatly influenced the world.

The discovery of a similarity between the changing basic elements in human behavior and the changing positions and motions of the 7 heavenly bodies, led to obvious attempts to use the latter to predict the former. This also gave rise to an elite in some societies who professed to have mastered the art of prediction. There have also been attempts to use the symbolism to conform the behavior of people to that which those in power believed to be beneficial. Social leaders observed that the 7 elements represented by the zodiac and heavenly bodies were weak in most people. Judging that these elements were essential to growth and evolution in man, just as in nature, it was believed that these elements needed to be strengthened in individual lives. This gave rise to institutional religions and the symbols of the desireable characteristics became gods.

With the rise of organized religions, societal judgement and control was assigned to the churches or priests, but rather than emphasizing the basic elements of man's goodness or capabilities, religions reversed the concepts and stressed the lack of the elements or man's Sins. The basic elements of perfection were also replaced with "Virtues". The Catholic church listed "Prudence", "Fortitude", "Justice" and "Temperance" as the four cardinal virtues and "Faith", "Hope" and "Charity" were listed as the three theological virtues. A little consideration of these seven virtues will show the correspondence to Faith, Discipline and a controlled amount of Vitality which are the basic elements for control and education. Gradually most of the sins became less serious and finally in the 20th century some were actually accepted as beneficial. In today's world of concern over the Gross National Product and the efforts of Madison Ave advertising agencies, anyone who does not exhibit avarice or envy of others is considered to be un-American and non-progressive.

The following table lists the first seven basic signs of the zodiac which were the elements related to the "living", open, or real world of life. The transitional sign of Scorpio related to the interface between the real and hidden worlds, or in nature, between the open changing world of life in the growing season and the dead hidden world of winter. The remaining 4 elements of Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces are the signs of the nether world and are listed as the "serving" signs.

The table includes the starting dates of the monthly periods, the qualities observed for that time of the year as related to nature, the element which relates to the corresponding nature in man and then the characteristics which can be attributed to the absence of the elements in man, the opposing forces or sins.

Sign	Start date	Characteristic	Element	Sin
Aries	Mar 21	Creative/Resurrection	Stillness	Anger
Taurus	Apr 19	Patient, firm	Trust	Envy
Gemini	May 20	Duality, inversion	Chaos	Lust
Cancer	Jun 21	Gate, mediator	Discipline	Pride
Leo	Jul 22	Energy, light	Vitality	Sloth
Virgo	Aug 22	Maturing, harvest	Serving	Avarice
Libra	Sep 23	Equilibrium	Evolving	Gluttony
Scorpio	Oct 23	Transition	Grace/God	Desires/Satan
Sagittarius	Nov 22	Integration	Nether world
Capricorn	Dec 21	Inner organization	Nether world
Aquarius	Jan 20	Dissolution	Nether world
Pisces	Feb 19	Fusion	Nether world

Another interesting aspect of this table is the placing of "Desires" opposite to Grace. Both are symbols of guiding or controlling power over man with Grace from God above and Desires from Satan below. The early alchemists noted this inversion and equated Satan with the Inverted God observing also that God was the inverse of Satan. This meaning has been lost in intervening centuries. The churches equated the "good" qualities of man to the influence of God as conveyed by the "Spirits" of God.

The astrological signs and elemental attributes evolved into the fortune telling astrology of today, yet within the extant writings can be found the original seasonal characteristics of mother nature and the start of man's attempt to define himself in terms of nature. A serious mistake is made when one attempts to relate modern fortune telling astrology to the methodology our ancestors used for time keeping and symbolizing the elements. It is perhaps the strong Christian reaction against Astrology that resulted in the loss of appreciation or understanding of this earlier system. As a result of the degradation of the symbols, the underlying structure of the elements has faded from our societal awareness.

We are still exposed to the ancient elements each day, but we have forgotten how to name them. In our Western culture for instance, we are characterized by a fundamental element we call Discipline which is manifested in our education, high technical skills and individuality. It is a fundamental building block of our culture and we expose infants to it as soon as possible. The old Eastern societies are characterized by the dominance of Trust which is reflected in their conformity and subservience to higher social structures.

Stillness is the beginning of consciousness, it is the state of being an observer of the outer world. There is a separation between the inner self and objects. One becomes an observer to the play of life, not lost in sleep but aware of any activity within or around the outer self. Intense activity or emotions can also encompass a high degree of Stillness. (The term meditation is sometimes substituted for Stillness but meditation has too many erroneous connotations in modern usage ranging from "thinking about something" to a method of controlling stress). Stillness allows one to be an observer of the activity of the world without thought or concern for the future or past. It is the quiet center around which everything else is occurring.

Trust is more than faith, it is that state of mind which allows one to step into the unknown without hesitation. It is also that space in which one relies upon and interrelates with others without question or concern. A child playing with or being taught by parents is heavily into the element of Trust. Mastery of Trust begins with awareness of some single activity or object and the concentration on it until it becomes real and imminent or immediately relative. Trust is the relationship with single objects or thought, concepts etc. that makes them important and remembered. In modern psychology, Trust is that state of being "outer-directed" which involves active awareness of the outer world. Trust is used to limit consciousness by forcing an identification to some outside institution, cause or activity.

Discipline is a term with which the Western person is well acquainted and includes all of our training to think, respond to demands, observe social etiquette etc. It is used to limit consciousness by forcing individuals into a definition that has evolved as "being yourself". Children are taught at an early age to take on certain characteristics defined by their parents. Discipline is a nearly constant element in most Western lives as we are busy "doing what we should do". Our religious expressions are usually disciplined as we "believe what we should" and express religion in set rituals.

Chaos is the worldly state, the market place, traffic jams, a state wherein one is aware of uncontrolled and seemingly random forces. Chaos is sometimes defined as the dance of life or the chaos of human interactions and the temptations and challenges of our physical world. Chaos is the warehouse for all of the ingredients of man's inventions and creations as well as for all of his failures and sufferings. Chaos forces the extension of consciousness.

Vitality is that quality which makes the moment alive. It comes from deep within oneself and requires more than Will to activate. Vitality enhances any of the other elements and is generally present when the elements are strong. Vitality is recognized as involving methods of breathing, concentration, posture, exercise, sex and diet. Man can control this element perhaps more than any of the others and it can in turn assist in the control of the other elements.

Serving expresses the truly altruistic nature of man. It is not "doing good" and is generally spontaneous and unplanned. It may be an act which is not be considered "good", such as refraining from helping a person. Service is generally not a conscious attempt to benefit others. A chance word at the right time may change someone's life more than a planned social reform program. Service is that element which gives importance to others rather than self and assists self and world to evolve.

Evolution is that element of change which comes from "trying" or "coping". It is experiencing changes, and dangers, overwhelming opposition, or success. It differs from Stillness in that one is both in the stillness of the present moment, but also reaching into the immediate future. With Evolution, one bridges the immediate with the future. One is fully responsive to the present moment, yet not without direction or purpose. It is the active/intuitive space from which seeds of change take place.

Our religions have kept the mystical element of Grace alive as that state of mind and body which is controlled and guided by some higher power far beyond the conscious mind. Modern terminology might call it the "creative source" and many ancient cultures related it to a connection with Heaven.

Modern man still lives under the old Greek-Roman eight element system as expressed in the days of the week. Each day was believed to honor one of the elements through its ruling god. (If honoring an element rather than the god seems strange, it is because we have shifted importance to an anthropomorphic god and tend to forget the abstract element in our materialistic thinking.) The eighth element is represented by the added attribute of a Sabbath which is superimposed upon one of the other seven and represents an octave or generative principle. Grace can therefore be perceived as Stillness at a higher level or an octave higher.

The octave principle is easily understood in considering the musical scale with its seven notes. Each note is unique and different, however an octave note has very similar properties to the base note. For instance middle C has a counterpart C one octave above and one below. As one goes continuously up scale, with each octave there is a repetition of the basic tones, yet a progression or evolution is also realized. The element of the Sabbath is an expression of this concept in that as one progresses from week to week there is a progression or evolution comparable to stepping sequentially note by note up the musical scale. The Sabbath therefore is symbolic of both an end as well as a new start in another realm. The old celebration of the Sabbath on Saturday is consistent with Grace being an octave above Stillness or the attribute of the old Saturday. When the Sabbath was changed to Sunday, the stress was shifted to Vitality or the energy of the sun as the fundamental element and the Sabbath became an octave of Vitality.

The twelve elements which we are discussing in this book are a combination of the eight elements which ancient philosophers used to describe the activities of man and the four elements of modern science describing the composition of the physical world.

In applying the elements to human behavior, one should remember that a part of human behavior is physical or controlled by physiological processes such as hunger, sex drive, fighting, sleeping etc. These biologically based functions must be equated to "fire" rather than Vitality. They are of course moderated by the eight experiential elements, but the four physical elements must be included in any analysis.

The following table will assist the reader in comparing a few of the major elemental systems. Each element of each system has been placed adjacent to the closest counterpart in the other systems. For instance Vitality in the left column is found to be parallel with Arousing, Effort, Pranayama, and the Spiritual body.

Modern	Chinese	Buddhist	Yoga	Mithraic
Elements	I Ching	Eight- Fold Path	Eight Steps	Hermetic Man
Stillness	Stillness	Concentration	Dhyana	Physical body
Trust	Serenity	Awareness	Dharana	Eternal
Chaos	Abysmal	Communication	Niyama	Astral
Discipline	Radiance	Conduct	Asana	Mental
Vitality	Arousing	Effort	Pranayama	Spiritual
Service	Nurturing	Livelihood	Yama	Divine
Evolving	Flexibility	Perspective	Pratyhara	Spirit
Grace	Creative	Wisdom	Samadhi	Creator

The corresponding terms for the I Ching, Buddhism, or Yoga can be compared and although they do not appear to have direct correspondence in all cases, part of the problem lies in translation and part in the deviation of the usage of the elements as will be discussed.

The philosophy behind the I Ching system was that there is a basic unity in our reality, so that if one could be fully aware and understand one element of one's life, then the entire pattern could be revealed. This can also be expressed in modern scientific terms as the existence of archetypes, which are both relational and transformational. Eight elements (or archetypes) were used and combinations of two of these, with one dominant, then served to interpret any one moment in time. The Westernization of the I Ching made it into a fortune telling device, but it can be turned around to use the elements as a technique to increase our awareness and thus our control of the present moment.

Modern Yoga interpretation seems to stress Samadhi and to treat the other elementals as steps leading to Samadhi rather than parallel elements. This is not unlike most modern religious interpretations of life. In institutions, there must be priests who possess some superior trait which gives them power. Since they do not demonstrate superiority in the common traits, it must be a trait which is not easily measured, yet can be defined as superior to all of the others. In materialistic cultures, Samadhi, Divine Understanding, Enlightenment, or being Saved under Grace are goals to be achieved. Ancient man saw this as only one of eight requirements for living a full life.

In both the Eastern and Western mystical schools there is the concept of seven levels or planes (eight counting the Genitrix or octave principle) which connect physical man to the spiritual heaven above. The seven levels or planes also include special days of the week and special controlling heavenly bodies. In the Chinese system there is also the yin/yang characteristic of each element as expansive or contractive, defined as centering action within the self (yang) or the outer world (yin). These characteristics are listed along with the Levels, Elements and the corresponding Week Day in the following table.

Level	Element	Description	Week Day	Planet	Yin/Yang
8)	Grace	8th Kingdom	Sabbath	Heaven	Yin
7)	Evolving	Spirit, creative/destructive	Mon.	Luna	Yang
6)	Service	Compassion, perception	Wed.	Mercury	Yang
5)	Vitality	Life, vital energy	Sun.	Sol	Yang
4)	Discipline	Intellect, ruling nature	Thur.	Jupiter	Yang
3)	Chaos	Desires, psychic force	Tue.	Mars	Yin
2)	Trust	Consciousness, nurturing	Fri.	Venus	Yin
1)	Stillness	Physical, birth/death	Sat.	Saturn	Yin

The elements are never at equilibrium when one is experiencing life. In order for one to be aware of reality each element must be increasing or decreasing in contrast to the setting being manifested. For instance, Trust is increased when the setting becomes more supportive or contains fewer opposing doubts or fears. When Vitality is increased, one becomes the center of activity and the surrounding world or setting becomes more passive. Similarly, as one becomes less vitalized, one has the sensation of becoming swept up in the activities of the surrounding setting.

When the elements appear to be changing with a flow of energy, life is realized more intensely. In Chapter Eleven, the role of the varying flow of energy in the perception of changing combinations of elements will be further developed.

In summary, this chapter has led us to trace the way we describe reality to ourselves. In the present time we are influenced by the great pressure in our society to conform to institutional norms. The reality which most of us experience is that of well timed motion as we slide in and out of traffic on the way to work or from TV programs to bed. We are well disciplined yet trusting individuals on a treadmill, using just the right amount of vitality to accomplish what is required, yet not so much that we get into trouble. Excitement comes from spectator sports and/or TV, both of which are regulated and profit making enterprises.

Most people living in this modern world are limited chiefly to three attributes or elements, Discipline, Trust and Vitality. In the eyes of government, religion and commercial interests, these three are necessary for keeping people well controlled and society interfacing smoothly, but it is not in their interest to introduce a higher reality to their "clients". In fact the higher consciousness of a more vibrant and exciting reality is suppressed in favor of income producing spectacles.

Religions are responsible for the demise of the eight experiential elements and their replacement by "opposites" or sins. This simple shift from positive attributes to negative sins gave religions the power to judge and control. Christianity produced the seven deadly sins (and desires as an eighth) and projected the power of guilt through them. Guilt forces people to develop and rely upon Trust in authority which is necessary in compelling people to conform.

Whether one draws upon the 7 deadly sins of the Christians, the 8 fold path of the Buddhists, the 7 limbs of yoga, the 7 spiritual planes of the mystics, the 12 signs of the zodiac, the 7 ruling planets, the 7 Spirits of God or the 12 Gods of Olympus, they are all built upon the same fundamental elements. These elements were first discovered in the changing seasons of nature.

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