Contrast between gunas and elements
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I was thinking about the Fortune card and the wheel of the gunas. While I have a feeling I'm forgetting something here, I don't feel comfortable with concept of the gunas (and for that matter: alchemical qualities, three pillars, three rays and other "3 lists"). A lot of this has to do with my temptation to relate them to the elements, ie fire=sulphur, air=mercury, water=salt.
I'd appreciate some input on how the gunas interrelate with the elements, and how they differ; how a model dealing with 3 qualities is similar/different to another dealing with 4. It's a basic concept I'm trying to better understand.
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The relationship between the 3 and the 4 is rich with symbolism and meaning.
But in one respect, you can think of the zodiac to help. 4 elements, and each element in one of 3 states:a fixed, mutable, or cardinal. Fixed is solid, not prone to change, and might remind us of aspects of earth, but if we ponder them we can come up with many inherent differences. Similarly, mutable might remind us of water, with its changeability.
Jung has much to say about the relationship. You can just search his writings for the word "quaternity".
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we could say that Gunas represent all the 3-fold principles: the Male, the Fimale and the Neutral, or Active, Passive and Harmonious.
and Elements as a principle represent a quaternity, as AvshalomBinyamin, together with Jung, said. a Cross.to put that on the Tree of Life:
Gunas as a principle of Trinity are connected to Binah. and Elements as a principle of Quaternity to Hesed. so we can deduce that the idea of Gunas is more universal and abstract than that of the Elements.
how are they essentialy interconnected? well, there is no Path from Binah to Hesed and vice versa... I guess everyone has to cross ''their own'' Abyss to gain that Understanding
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There's a great little book by Paul Foster Case called The Esoteric Keys of Alchemy.
That's what has helped me the most so far.