Elemental Attributions of the Four Powers of the Sphinx
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@Uni_Verse said
"Though I wonder if that could have been a personal message to "dare to keep silent.""
It was certainly personal and individual, though I was curious if anyone had arrived at the same. LOL, it occurs to me that I may have violated that by starting up this thread. Silence is definitely a personal challenge, both mundanely (as in keeping my mouth shut) and in silencing my inner dialogue during certain practices. For years thinking seemed like the highest and noblest human activity, so it does take some daring to actually attempt to silence or at least slow that down when part of me is still getting upset about actively countering the one worthwhile activity. I hadn't looked at it quite that way before, thanks.
" The notion of "keeping silence" being associated with Earth to me seems to indicate a person should not allow the material arrangement of things to provide momentum. Whether the material arrangement manifests as a sensation from the body or in the urgings of something outside of our self.Once these influences are silent, then are we able to come to know the workings of our inner self, being.
Then can we 'dare' to 'keep silent' ; the still waters reflecting the silence we have surrounded our core with."
Nicely put.@IAO131 said
"While it is nice to have attributions of the 4 Powers to the 4 Elements, I actually find it is useful to see how each of the 4 Powers of the Sphinx express themselves in the 4 Elements. For example, "To Know" in terms of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Earth can be 'awareness/knowledge of capabilities and limitations'; Air can be 'intelligence illuminated by study (especially Qabalah)'; Water can be 'attentiveness'; Fire can be 'knowledge of infinite Will, the realization of the True Self.' This is just an example to potentially help along some meditations of your own."
That's great. I was conceptualizing it as a system of permutation, where the object was to discover which arrangement was right to get you up the next step in the path, but that's completely compatible with what you've just said."What is really crucial is to understand what the 4 Powers are and to integrate them into one's life because they are the primary virtues of all Magicians along with Equilibrium (balance between the 4 Powers and balance between things in general)."
Yup, this is defintely becoming clear to me, and I think I'm slowly learning how to actually do it. Are there any particular practices/excercises/training methods you (or anyone else) have used in integrating these into your life and work? -
@Iamus said
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@IAO131 said
"While it is nice to have attributions of the 4 Powers to the 4 Elements, I actually find it is useful to see how each of the 4 Powers of the Sphinx express themselves in the 4 Elements. For example, "To Know" in terms of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Earth can be 'awareness/knowledge of capabilities and limitations'; Air can be 'intelligence illuminated by study (especially Qabalah)'; Water can be 'attentiveness'; Fire can be 'knowledge of infinite Will, the realization of the True Self.' This is just an example to potentially help along some meditations of your own."
That's great. I was conceptualizing it as a system of permutation, where the object was to discover which arrangement was right to get you up the next step in the path, but that's completely compatible with what you've just said."What is really crucial is to understand what the 4 Powers are and to integrate them into one's life because they are the primary virtues of all Magicians along with Equilibrium (balance between the 4 Powers and balance between things in general)."
Yup, this is defintely becoming clear to me, and I think I'm slowly learning how to actually do it. Are there any particular practices/excercises/training methods you (or anyone else) have used in integrating these into your life and work?"93,
The most powerful practice I have found is to write in my record:
"Knowledge:
Will:
Daring:
Silence:"At the end of each day, try to think of where you most powerfully exhibited these qualities and in what circumstances you lacked them (for example, you couldn't figure out how to fix your stereo, you lacked Knowledge. You went to a new bar, you had Daring. You were blabbing about your magical results, you lacked Silence. You sat down after being lazy and meditated for a while, you had Will).
Do that for 30 days and you'll have a much better understanding of the 4 Powers and your relationship to them. Hope that's helpful - Good luck!
93 93/93
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@IAO131 said
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The most powerful practice I have found is to write in my record:
"Knowledge:
Will:
Daring:
Silence:"
At the end of each day, try to think of where you most powerfully exhibited these qualities and in what circumstances you lacked them (for example, you couldn't figure out how to fix your stereo, you lacked Knowledge. You went to a new bar, you had Daring. You were blabbing about your magical results, you lacked Silence. You sat down after being lazy and meditated for a while, you had Will).
Do that for 30 days and you'll have a much better understanding of the 4 Powers and your relationship to them. Hope that's helpful - Good luck!
93 93/93"I would think that would be a greater practice if one included all Five Powers of the Sphinx.
Some times, for some people , just getting up out of bed and getting out the door can be a big achievemnt.
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@IAO131 said
"The most powerful practice I have found is to write in my record:
"Knowledge:
Will:
Daring:
Silence:"At the end of each day, try to think of where you most powerfully exhibited these qualities and in what circumstances you lacked them (for example, you couldn't figure out how to fix your stereo, you lacked Knowledge. You went to a new bar, you had Daring. You were blabbing about your magical results, you lacked Silence. You sat down after being lazy and meditated for a while, you had Will).
Do that for 30 days and you'll have a much better understanding of the 4 Powers and your relationship to them. Hope that's helpful - Good luck!"
Thanks, that's a great idea! I'll give it a shot for sure. -
@Dara Allarah said
"It's best not to emasculate yourself with your own words. If you espouse a value arbitrarily, letting the sword hold sway over the creative fire, that effect is often achieved.
Is your holy grail a division between what is personally relevant and what you judge is relative to others now?"
Emascualting myself? Espousing a value arbitrarily? My Holy Grail? What are you talking about?"Why on earth would you restrict yourself like that? There may be times when you have to hold your water and wait to go pee but you don't tie a permanent knot in your penis, do you?"
Restrict myself like what?Emasculating myself? Tying my penis in a knot? I feel like you've put an awful lot of focus on my genitals and masculinity lately, Dara--mostly in the long debate on your thread--and I don't really like it, especially now that it's migrating into other threads. Please stop.
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@Iamus said
"Emasculating myself? Tying my penis in a knot? I feel like you've put an awful lot of focus on my genitals and masculinity lately, Dara--mostly in the long debate on your thread--and I don't really like it, especially now that it's migrating into other threads. Please stop."
Iamus, I think you'll probably find that you'll just need to grow thicker skin, and not react. To use a metaphor, when you pee, you don't get mad at your vagina because it can't control it's stream, and tends to just dribble all over the place. You just dab it with a few squares of toilet paper (front to back, always!) and wash your hands.
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@Avshalom Binyamin said
"Iamus, I think you'll probably find that you'll just need to grow thicker skin, and not react. ."
Yeah, you're right. I'm definitely feeling a little sensitive to her comments. The metaphor wouldn't have been an issue in other circumstances. I just couldn't see it as anything other than a continuation of her insults and threats from the other thread.
I'd still like to know what you were actually talking about in your first post here, Dara. I don't know what you're referring to when you talk about restricting and emasculating myself. And I don't even see what that metaphor had to do with the actual topic at hand. But I am interested in what you have to say, could you please explain?
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@Iamus said
"It was certainly personal and individual, though I was curious if anyone had arrived at the same. LOL, it occurs to me that I may have violated that by starting up this thread. Silence is definitely a personal challenge, both mundanely (as in keeping my mouth shut) and in silencing my inner dialogue during certain practices. For years thinking seemed like the highest and noblest human activity, so it does take some daring to actually attempt to silence or at least slow that down when part of me is still getting upset about actively countering the one worthwhile activity. I hadn't looked at it quite that way before, thanks. "
I can certainly relate!
Having originally come to magick and mysticism through philosophy, thought was held as the ideal tool 'beyond the limitations of the flesh.' While initially silencing the mind seemed counter intuitive what interested me most (at first) was the clarity of thought which resulted.
I find it is useful to recall that we arrive at the power of Earth by beginning at Fire or with a Will, intent. In times past, one came to this path solely through a physical teacher. It is much easier to hold the ideal of 'keeping silent' when you have AT LEAST once person to talk to. This day an age it is far easier to fall into things in a solitary fashion, where the nearest practitioner is hundred of miles away and can only be contacted via a forum such as this.
Moving back to Fire, one should formulate an intent as to when and where it is fine to speak of such things and keep to that Word. I may speak rather openly here, but I have been coming to this forum and interacting with some of the participants for years. In my private life, I rarely bring it up unless with people I have known for some time. Even then, it is rarely me who brings it up.
@Veronica said
"I would think that would be a greater practice if one included all Five Powers of the Sphinx.
"I have often considered consciousness of the Powers and how they interact to compose the fifth and is thus included in what ever way you decide to manipulate them.
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"I have often considered consciousness of the Powers and how they interact to compose the fifth and is thus included in what ever way you decide to manipulate them."
I agree. i was mearly asserting my opinion that in the daily journal keeping, I would think it would be highly relevent and beneficial to journal about all Five. maybe it is the nature of my own personal work, but I think that the Fifth is one that is not always apparent, and seems to be deemphazized, and one that I personally have found the most helpful when I have brought light to it in my day to day.
What I think you are saying is that the fifth is integrated allready into the others, and does not need seperate exploration. I think that humanity has for too long assumed this integration, so much so that as a whole we are, many of us, comp,etely cut off from expierencing and valuing the spiritual nature. journalling about how this neglected aspect has been brought out in day to day, or neglected is very helpful for balancing and harmonizing with ones mundane life, and ones magickal or spiritual life.
i hope that I did not misunderstand what you were getting.
I thought the suggestion was absolutley Fabulous, but for me, I would tweek it to encompass a personal exploration of all Five.Too many people from what I see on the net and IRL think that the Sphinx has only four powers, and that makes me stand up and say, Hey wait a minute!
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I'm glad you brought it up in this thread, Veronica.
From MWT:
"Spirit is the Origin, the Essence, and the Sum of the other four, so is to Go in relation to those powers."
Starting, continuing, and finishing with the fifth power sounds like a good way to tackle it.
From OP:
"I've begun to keep notes on how I interpret the four powers and how I attempt to put them into action. It's already been quite revealing. In just five months my understanding of 3 out of 4 has been completely overhauled, and since my scying experience a few weeks ago, it's only accelerated further. The remaining power that's undergone little change is, I think, an indication of an area that needs attention--another valuable result!
Spirit is so far off the map for me at this point, that I've yet to really deal with it, except in the most intellectual way."
I would say that the final sentence is the intellectualizing. Look at your paragraph before. "Action", "accelerated", "change", "result". Sounds like you're incorporating the fifth power.
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@Iamus said
"Yes, that would be the "default scheme" I was referring to."
Fine, then how about this: Ultimately, there is no 100%-correct-for-all-time attribution.
For instance, Taurus is also associated with the Hierophant card, which might be viewed as indicative of the search for (occult) knowledge. Also, all four of the kerubs appear on that card in the Thoth deck.
Taurus is also associated with Venus, and by this an association could be made with Netzach.
Really, you could make the argument for any of the 4 Powers being associated with any of the 4 signs in certain contexts. I feel the system was likely intended to allow for this type of flexible contemplation.
If you, wherever you may be in your personal development, feel that water better aligns with the value of silence, then so be it.
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@Veronica said
"I agree. i was mearly asserting my opinion that in the daily journal keeping, I would think it would be highly relevent and beneficial to journal about all Five. maybe it is the nature of my own personal work, but I think that the Fifth is one that is not always apparent, and seems to be deemphazized, and one that I personally have found the most helpful when I have brought light to it in my day to day.
"I can understand where you are coming from in that I am the other way around
Though I agree that it is de-emphasied, I see that as a reflection of the very nature of Spirit.@Veronica said
"What I think you are saying is that the fifth is integrated allready into the others, and does not need seperate exploration. I think that humanity has for too long assumed this integration, so much so that as a whole we are, many of us, comp,etely cut off from expierencing and valuing the spiritual nature. journalling about how this neglected aspect has been brought out in day to day, or neglected is very helpful for balancing and harmonizing with ones mundane life, and ones magical or spiritual life."
Personally, I have difficulty detaching from the idea that writing anything about Spirit is self defeating.
This is not to say that our attention or awareness can not be directed towards it.@Veronica said
"i hope that I did not misunderstand what you were getting.
I thought the suggestion was absolutley Fabulous, but for me, I would tweek it to encompass a personal exploration of all Five.
"No, I believe you got a hold of what I was trying to say.
My own suggestion is to not write anything necessarily about Spirit.
Instead make a note, gathering the elements together, perhaps in an Egg.
Showing you that while the elements perpetually change, the Spirit is Eternal and ever the same.Better yet, you might go deeper into an exploration of the elements and study the Court Cards
