Elemental magick invoking “Fire”
Before you begin with this training, the astral equipoise of the elements in the soul has to be established by introspection and self- control. Just to make sure that none of the elements is prevailing, you should work on the refinement of your character during the course of the development, as well as on the elements in astral body.
This steps aims to acquire the basic qualities of the elements, producing and dissolving them in the body at will. Being familiar with the theory of the action of the elements, let us now move on with the practice:
Fire has the specific quality of heat with its ability to expand or extend in all directions, hence it is spherical. It is imperative then to acquire this quality and produce it in both body and soul at will. In body-control we chose an attitude allowing us to remain in a comfortable position, free of any disturbance; Indians call this position asana.
For ease in understanding, from now on we shall use this term. Make an asana position and imagine you are in the center of the fiery element which encloses the universe like the shape of a ball. Further imagine the entire universe around you being fiery.
Now inhale the fire element with your nose, and simultaneously with your whole body (pore-breathing). Regularly draw in deep breaths without straining your lungs. The material and the astral body should resemble an empty vessel wherein the element is being sucked in as you inhale. As you are inhaling fire, the heat should become more intense with every breath.
The heat and the expansion-power should grow stronger, as the fiery pressure becomes more elevated until you feel extremely red hot. Since this whole process of inhaling the fiery element through the body is a purely imaginary occurrence, then you should exercise with the utmost plastic imagination of the element. Begin by inhaling the fire element, and gradually increase exercise by one more breath. You should be able to average 20 to 30 breaths.
Only physically strong pupils of great willpower are allowed to exceed his number at his own discretion.
Now get your string of beads and use this in counting the breath, moving one bead with each inhalation. At first, the imaginary heat is superficial only, but with constant practice, it becomes more perceptible.
With elevated temperature (outbreak of perspiration) it actually increases to a fever. Once the scholar has managed to establish the balance of the elements in the soul, like an accumulation of elements in his body, it can do him no harm.
Having completed the exercise of imaginary accumulation of the fiery element in which you felt the heat and expansion of fire through visualization, you are then ready to proceed to the next exercise on opposite succession.
First, normally inhale the fire element through the mouth and exhale it to the universe through both mouth and body (pore-breathing.) Be sure that the number of inhale is equivalent with exhale. For example, if you start with seven inhalations of the fire element, you should also exhale the elements seven times.
This is very important because after completing the exercise, the scholar should have the intuition that not a smallest particle of this element has remained in him, and the sensation of heat being produced in him should vanish. Hence, the use of string of beads is highly recommended for breathing in and out.
Do the exercise first with closed eyes, followed by open eyes. Alexandra David, a Tibetan explorer and traveller, mentioned in his book a similar experiment practiced by the lamas under the name of Tumo.
However, such practice was imperfect and not suitable for European students of magic.
There are also adepts in the Orient who are well experienced in performing this exercise that such concentration on the fire elements enabled them to walk on winter, naked and in barefoot without being affected by cold. And after a few minutes, they can dry wet sheets which they wrap around their bodies.
By accumulating the fire element, they can influence the environment, which means they can melt the snow or ice not only around them, but even at a far distance. Such phenomena can also be done by a European as long as they have enough time necessary for this exercise. From the standpoint of magic, it takes all the elements in order to progress in magic. That would be all for this exercise as we shall move on to the next.
Elemental magick invoking “Air”
The next exercise deals with the air element. Everything about the fire element is more or less similar with the air element except for a different use of senses in the concentration practices.
Using the same comfortable position, close your eyes and imagine yourself to be on the center of a mass of air that is filling the whole universe. Nothing about the surroundings should be perceived as nothing else should exist but the air-filled space embracing the whole universe.
You are inhaling the air element towards the empty vessel of your soul and the material body, through the lungs and the whole body (pore-breathing.) Every breath filled the whole body to an increasing degree with more air.
You should be able to hold on fast to this imagination of your body being filled with air with each breath, just like a balloon being blown bigger with each pump of air. Then merge this imagination of your body becoming lighter, as light as air itself.
The feeling of lightness should be so intense that you no longer feel your body. Similar your exercise with the fire elements, begin with seven inhalations and exhalations. Just ensure that not a smallest particle of the element remains in your body by the end of this exercise. Furthermore, you should also feel the same normal condition as before. Make use of the string of beads to avoid counting.
Increase the number of breaths (inspirations and expirations) from one exercise to the next, but do not go beyond forty.
With constant practice of this experiment, the adept should be able to produce levitation phenomena such as walking on the surface of water, float in air, displacement of the body and much more especially when concentrating on one element only. Magicians should not be contented with one-sided phenomena as this is in contrast with his aims.
The magician should be able to penetrate deeper into cognition and mastery in order to have more achievements.
Elemental magick invoking “Water”
Now, follow the procedures of the practice concerning the water element. Position yourself to your accustomed posture, then close your eyes, and don’t mind everything around you.
Imagine that the vast ocean is the whole universe and you are right on the centre of it. Your body becomes filled with this element every time you make a whole body breath. You should be able to feel the coldness of the water in your whole body.
Once your body is filled with this element in seven breaths, start emptying it with exhalations. Use again the strings of beads as a guide. Increase on more breath with each exercise. The more practice, the more distinctly you will feel the coldness of the water element.
You should feel it as if it is a block of ice. Each exercise should not go beyond 20 minutes. As you practice more often, you should be able to keep your body as cold as ice even during the hottest season.
Oriental adepts are able to master this element to a certain level that they can instantly perform the most astonishing phenomena. For example, they can induce rain during summer, and then stop it at will.
They can stop thunderstorms, calms down the roaring ocean, have control over the animals in the ocean, and so on. Such phenomena are no miracles for a real magician who understands them perfectly.
Elemental magick invoking “Earth”
We are now down to the last description of the last element which is the earth. Take your accustomed position, and then imagine earth as the center of the whole universe and you are sitting right in the middle of it. Do not just visualize earth merely as a lump of clay but as a dense of earthy material.
The specific property of this earthy material is density and gravity. Now you should fill your body with this heavy material. Start again with seven breaths increasing one more breath with each new exercise.
You should be able to concentrate a lot of earthy material into yourself to the extent that your body seems as heavy as a lump of lead that paralyzed you by its weight. Breathing should also be done the same manner as the previous exercises. By the end of this exercise, you should feel normal as the way you did before. You should not go beyond 20 minutes.
This exercise (sadhana) is most often practiced by the Tibetan lamas in such a way that they begin meditating on a lump of clay, dissecting it apart and then meditate on it again.
The genuine magician knows the best way to approach this element in a much easier method, and to master it with ease in doing the meditation exercise.
The elements were assigned with colors for ease in visualization: fire is red, air is blue, water is greenish blue, and earth is yellow, gray or black. Color vision or sensation is quite individual, but not absolutely necessary. It this works favorable to you, you may use it at the start; what is important in our exercises is the sensory imagination.
After a series of exercises, you should be able to produce heat using the fire element to a certain level that it registers a fever using the thermometer. This preliminary exercise of element mastery is of great importance that should be given proper attention.
The adept should be able to generate various kinds of phenomena; for example, by controlling the earth element, it’s up to you to meditate on this problem.
Mastery of the elements is the uppermost chapter of Magic because the greatest Arcanum is hidden in it; little has been said about this to date. On the other hand, it is the most important magical domain. Anyone practicing magic without this element will barely move on to the magical science.
The scholar who has achieved this phase of his magic development should already observe a general transformation of his individuality, having increased all his magic power in all fields.
With regards to the mental sphere, he should have a strong willpower with greater resistance, and improved memory; having a keen observation and a clear intellect.
In the astral sphere, he should be more tranquil and more stable; depending on his aptitude, he will further improve some aspects which show signs of weakness.
In the material world, he should be convinced of being healthier, more active, and invigorated. His vital force will outshine other people, and he will have more success in his life through his emissive power.
For example, we will have the power to free any room he occupies from undesirable influences. He should also possess the power to heal the sick, event at distant places because he can emit his ray for miles. Aside from that, his emissive force allows him to charge objects with his desires.
The scholar will discover for himself the appropriate time to use his magical powers. He should never forget that magic powers can be used for both good and bad alike. Remember the passage: “Thou shall not reap what thou hast sown.” Just make sure that your ultimate goal is to do noble things and make mankind better.
