Spirit Alchemy

Chapter 5 – Applications of the Elemental Cycle

Broad List of Applications

Now that the basic ‘theoretical’ picture of the elemental mandala has been presented, it will be possible to explore the theory experimentally through its application to a wide variety of topics.  To begin with, a list of such applications is included below.  Many of these applications have generally resulted from a ‘first pass’ with the elemental cycle, and therefore have the overall feeling and depth of the Earth element when presented in list form.  The particular areas represented below are widely diverse in nature, and are meant to show the potential breadth of the elemental mandala’s applicability.  Some examples may seem quite straightforward and obvious, while others may seem either confusing or even incorrect (some examples even have two polar representations), particularly by readers who enjoy advanced familiarity with a specific area.  This possibility is to be expected, and in fact celebrated, as this response can only occur when some basis of understanding of the qualities of the elements has been established.  The examples below are not meant to exhaust the possible ways in which the elemental cycle can apply to the individual phenomena represented, but are given here more as seeds for further reflection by the reader; it is hoped that if one particular example stands out – for its illumination, its implausibility, or its seeming confusion – that you will make an attempt to apply the elemental cycle yourself to the same phenomenon and see what occurs, and whether this provides any new insights into the working of the cycle itself.

Any one of the following examples could be expanded – some might be rounded out in a paragraph while others might require a whole book for proper exploration.  Following this list, a few of the topics will be discussed in more detail to show the kind of thinking at work and to demonstrate the depth of the elemental cycle.

1. The Earth:
1. E – Lithosphere
2. W – Hydrosphere
3. A – Atmosphere
4. F – Ionosphere/Plasmasphere/Magnetosphere
2. The Hero’s Journey (Campbell)
1. E – The Call to adventure
2. W – The Descent into the abyss
3. A – Encounter with the Shadow
4. F – The Return, integration with the Self
3. Jung:
1. E – Sensate
2. W – Feeling
3. A – Thinking
4. F – Intuitive
4. Alchemical stages:
1. E – Nigredo – black (melanosis)
2. W – Albedo – white (leukosis)
3. A – Citrinitas – yellow (xanthosis)
4. F – Rubedo – red (iosis)
5. Dreams (Jung)
1. E – Stage/mood/context
2. W – Build up (plot)
3. A – Climax/encounter
4. F – Resolution
6. Heuristics (Moustakis):
1. E – Initial engagement
2. W – Immersion
3. A – Incubation
4. F – Illumination
5. E – Explication
6. W – Creative synthesis, future directions
7. The Cosmological Background to the Four Elements:
1. E – Earth, Water, Air, Fire (the manifest elements)
2. W – Salt, Sulfur, Mercury (the processes between the elements)
3. A – Center and Periphery (the fundamental polarity)
4. F – The One (the whole)
8. Dream Interpretation:
1. E – Calvin Hall (Content Analysis)
2. W – Freudian (Association)
3. A – Jungian (Compensation)
4. F – Gestalt (Gestalt Completion)
9. Personality layers encountered in moving toward maturity in gestalt therapy:
1. E – the cliché or ‘as-if’ layer
2. W – the role-playing layer
3. A1 – the no-way-out layer, or neurotic layer
4. A2 – the implosive layer, or death layer
5. F – the explosive layer, or life layer
10. The process of Goethean research (Holdrege)
1. E – the Riddle
2. W – Into the Phenomenon
3. A – Exact Picture Building
4. F – Seeing the Whole
11. Protein Folding (e.g., hemoglobin):
1. E – Primary Formation – String of amino acids (acid-C-N, 2 R-groups off the C)
2. W – Secondary Formation – neighbor to neighbor bonding (alpha helices and beta-pleated sheets)
3. A – Tertiary Formation – Hydrophilic (polar – moves to outside) and Hydrophobic (non-polar – moves to inside)
4. F – Quaternary Formation – requires multiple proteins, the whole working together
12. Projective Geometry - Pole and Polar:
1. E – the basic facts – the circle, the point, the line
2. W – the relation itself, embedded in and expressed by the ‘rules’ of the process, the process itself whereby the point and the line are related across the circle
3. A – the inherent duality between the inner space of the circle and the outer space of the circle through the polar movement of the point and the line, the circle as a membrane marking the shift between inner and outer worlds, the skin, the place of reversal
4. F – the entire field of activity itself, the inherent structuring of the entire plane through the form of the membrane (circle), the complete, simultaneous picture
13. Pottery:
1. E – The clay itself
2. W – Sculpting, molding
3. A – Drying
4. F – Firing
14. The derivatives (Arthur Young):
1. E – 0th derivative (position)
2. W – 1st derivative (velocity)
3. A – 2nd derivative (acceleration)
4. F – 3rd derivative (jerk)
15. Human Body (Steiner):
1. E – Skeletal-Muscular
2. W – Blood, Lymph, CSF, Enzymes, Secretions
3. A – O2, CO2, N2, H+
4. F – Warmth
16. Human Organization:
1. E – Physical
2. W – Etheric
3. A – Astral
4. F – I-being
17. Ontological Manifestation:
1. E – Material Existing
2. W – Growing
3. A – Feeling
4. F – Thinking
18. The Four Ethers:
1. E – Life Ether
2. W – Chemical/Tone Ether
3. A – Light Ether
4. F – Warmth Ether
19. Cognition:
1. E – Object Cognition
2. W – Imaginative Cognition
3. A – Inspirative Cognition
4. F – Intuitive Cognition
20. Acid-Base Regulation in the Human Body:
1. E - CO2
2. W – H20
3. A – H2CO3
4. F – H+
5. E – HCO3
21. Goethean Science (Hoffmann)
1. E – Mechanical
2. W – Sculptural
3. A – Musical
4. F – Poetic
22. Interpersonal relationship:
1. E – “This sucks.” / You hurt me.
2. W – “This is my experience.” / I am hurt.
3. A – “What is your experience?” / I recognize that I have hurt you.
4. F – “I experience me from within your soul.” / I directly experience how I have hurt you, as if it were being done to me, and no one is to blame for it.
23. Tests:
1. E – True/False
2. W – Short Answer
3. A – Multiple Choice
4. F – Essay
24. Education:
1. E – High School           Also:    Kindergarten
2. W – Junior High                      Elementary School
3. A – Elementary School            Junior High
4. F – Kindergarten                     High School
25. Communication (Klocek):
1. E – Informational
2. W – Discussional
3. A – Conversational
4. F – Dialogical
26. The Climate Cross (Klocek):
1. E – cold
2. W – wet
3. A – dry
4. F – hot
27. The Mineral Cross (Klocek):
1. E – Lime
2. W – Feldspar
3. A – Quartz
4. F – Phosphorus/Sulfur
28. Evolution:
1. E – Mineral
2. W – Plant
3. A – Animal
4. F – Human
29. Organs:
1. E – Lung
2. W – Liver
3. A – Kidneys
4. F – Heart
30. “Ways to Wisdom” (Angeles Arrien):
1. E – Way of the Teacher
2. W – Way of the Healer
3. A – Way of the Visionary
4. F – Way of the Warrior
31. “Four gifts of knowing” (de Quincey):
1. E – Scientist’s gift of the senses
2. W – Shaman’s gift of feeling
3. A – Philosopher’s gift of reason
4. F – Mystic’s gift of sacred silence
32. Light:
1. E – Particle-nature
2. W – Wave-nature
3. A – Particle/Wave-nature
4. F – Light itself
33. Storytelling:
1. E – Plot/Setting
2. W – Squeeze/Drama
3. A – Crisis
4. F – Resolve
34. Sciences:
1. E – Physics    Also: Material Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, etc.)
2. W – Chemistry       Biology (Literally, the logos of life)
3. A – Biology            Psychology (Literally, the logos of the soul)
4. F – Ecology            Spiritual Science
35. The process of understanding something new:
1. E – Understanding individual facts (knowledge)
2. W – Understanding how the facts are related (knowing)
3. A – Understanding the limitations of the facts, the spaces around the facts (unknowing)
4. F – Understanding the gestalt behind the facts (meaning)
36. Music:
1. E – Rhythm
2. W – Melody
3. A – Harmony
4. F – The whole piece
37. Galen’s Humors:
1. E – Black Bile
2. W – Phlegm
3. A – Blood
4. F – Yellow Bile
38. Temperaments:
1. E – Melancholic
2. W – Phlegmatic
3. A – Sanguine
4. F – Choleric
39. The Life-Cycle of a Star:
1. E – Gas condensation (birth)
2. W – Burning (life)
3. A – Nova, Supernova, etc. (death)
4. F – Nebula, galactic seeding and new star formation (re-birth)
40. Getting to know someone:
1. E – Introductions, basic facts about each other (separateness, self-contained, surface differences)
2. W – Shared experiences (togetherness, investment, sameness, relatedness)
3. A – Realization of non-surface differences (questioning, pulling back, new discoveries, potentials)
4. F – Acceptance of the other (renewed enthusiasm, caring, acceptance, love)
41. Radioactive Decay:
1. E – Original element
2. W – Inner relationships undergo a change (process of decay)
3. A – Emission of various kinds of particles results in a reversal into a new form
4. F – Wholly new properties of the new element manifest, both inside and outside
42. Bockemühl:
1. E – Finished Form and Concept
2. W – Formative Movement / Context of Transformation
3. A – Gesture (Expression)
4. F – Being
43. Dimensionality:
1. E – Volumes – 3D        Also:    Points
2. W – Sheets – 2D                      Lines
3. A – Lines – 1D                         Planes
4. F – Points – 0D                        Volumes
44. Images:
1. E – sign
2. W – cipher
3. A – symbol
4. F – archetype
45. Operational Principle:
1. E – Facts
2. W – Process
3. A – Polarity
4. F – Transformation/Whole
46. Alchemical Form:
1. E – Wrought work
2. W – Ongoing work
3. A – Revelation
4. F – Being
47. Incarnational Process (which proceeds from Fire to Earth):
1. E – Form
2. W – Movement
3. A – Idea
4. F – Will
48. Optical Quality:
1. E – Opaque
2. W – Translucent
3. A – Transparent
4. F – Self-Light
49. Punctuation:
1. E – Period
2. W – Comma
3. A – Question Mark
4. F – Exclamation Point
50. Parts of Speech:
1. E – Nouns
2. W – Adjectives
3. A – Prepositions
4. F – Verbs
51. Syntax:
1. E – statement
2. W – simile
3. A – metaphor
4. F – archetype
52. Grammar:
1. E – Sentences
2. W – Clauses
3. A – Questions
4. F – Imperatives
53. Making a Tough Decision:
1. E – Listing the facts. Identifying pros and cons.  Attention to thoughts.
2. W – Relative weighing of facts. Attention to emotions, desires. 
3. A – Asking “What if?” Expanding the context. Attention to possibilities, release of desires.
4. F – Finding the ‘right’ context.  Making the decision.  Attention to morality, to will.
54. A Committee meeting:
1. E – The agenda
2. W – The discussion
3. A – The tension of unresolved impulses moving in different directions
4. F – The decision for action
55. Combustion Engine:
1. E – The physical components – fuel, air, a container, etc.
2. W – The rhythmic relationship of the components – a mixing of fuel and air
3. A – The continuous oscillation between polarities – high and low pressure, opening and closing of valves, influx and outflux of fuel and exhaust
4. F – The transformation of fuel into the energy of motion and heat, the production of the ash of exhaust
56. Computer Languages:
1. E – The binary language of machine code (first-generation low-level languages)
2. W – Assembly languages (second generation low-level languages)
3. A – General purpose languages (third generation high-level languages)
4. F – Goal-oriented languages (fourth and fifth generation very high-level languages)
57. A House:
1. E – The physical components – planks, nails, drywall
2. W – The ordered relationships – walls, ceilings, floors
3. A – The created spaces and polarities – the rooms, doors, windows
4. F – The whole house – the potential for activity and meaning to unfold through inhabitance
58. Polarities:
1. E – Opposite
2. W – Complement
3. A – Reciprocal
4. F – Enantiodromic
59. Baking:
1. E – The ingredients, the recipe
2. W – The sequential connecting of ingredients, the process
3. A – The balancing of polarities – dry/wet, salty/sugary, hot/cold, etc.  The waiting.
4. F – The transformation into a finished whole
60. Some sentences:
1. E – This sentence is a statement of fact.
2. W – This sentence attempts to relate how sentences facilitate the flow of information through their underlying feeling tone.
3. A – No sentence actually carries information by itself.
4. F – All sentences carry meaning as structuring agents of consciousness.
61. Questions:
1. E – What? / Where? / When?
2. W – How?
3. A – Why?
4. F – Who?
62. Gazes (Ways of ‘seeing’):
1. E – Fixed
2. W – Fluid
3. A – Open
4. F – Inner
63. Human-Computer Interface:
1. E – The physical hardware
2. W – Machine Code
3. A – Programming Languages
4. F – Programs and applications, the User Interface
64. Individual Psychology:
1. E – Self-objectifications, “I am <that>”, Unconscious behavior
2. W – Emotions, “I am feeling <this>”, Habitual behavior
3. A – Thoughts, “What am I?”, Experimental behavior
4. F – Being, “I-AM”, all behavior and no behavior (Wu Wei)
65. Images as:
1. E – Data Bits
2. W – Outer Meaning
3. A –  Inner Meaning
4. F – Universal Meaning
66. Communication:
1. E – Speaking (one’s-self)
2. W – Hearing
3. A – Listening
4. F – Speaking (the other)
67. The Elemental Gifts:
1. E – Objectivity/Clarity
2. W – Flexibility/Adaptability
3. A – Possibility/Openness
4. F – Activity/Transformation
68. Levels of the Will:
1. E – Instinct
2. W – Urge
3. A – Desire
4. F – Motive
69. Asking a Question:
1. E – Initial Facts
2. W – Relations between facts reveal patterns
3. A – Tension of ‘empty’ spaces in the pattern draw need for resolution
4. F – A question arises as a place-holder of and in the shape of the empty space
70. Courtroom Proceedings:
1. E – The ‘issue’
2. W – The presentation of cases and cross-examinations
3. A – The deliberation by judge/jury
4. F – The ruling
71. Scientific Process (with respect to knowledge):
1. E – Initial observation or fact piques interest and attention – a tentative question
2. W – Successive observations form localized patterns and potential ‘threads of meaning’
3. A – A whole ‘field of questions’ arises, with associated possibilities
4. F – Creative generation of hypothesis as a synthesis/outgrowth of Air questions
5. E – Strengthening and refinement of hypothesis into the basis for an experiment
6. W – Research, design of experiment
7. A – Carrying out the experiment, gathering raw data (‘dust’)
8. F – Analysis of results yields evidence for/against hypothesis (‘cooking’)
9. E – Revision of hypothesis, refinement of original question

 

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