h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In my Neopagan Tradition Fire is viewed as a transformative Element. It isn't about power, or destruction, it's about the change from one state to another. Burning wood, for example, results in the destruction of the wood and the creation of heat, light and ashes. (Yes I know, it's more complicated than that)

According to My Tradition nothing is,or can be, destroyed, only transformed.

That's physics

Yes I know, I wonder if the tradition's founder was aware of that little fact.

Well, science and religion (particularly of this sort) have always had a more intimate relationship than they're willing to believe. Many aspects of science were once believed to be magic (There's a good Carl Sagan quote which pertains to that) and many elements of magic(k) may turn out to be more scientific than they're currently believed to be, I have no doubt.

The five elements in the Chinese tradition include fully this "transformation" aspect of the Universe (and so does the Yi-Qing a.k.a. "Book of Transformations").


If I remember well :

Earth turns to Metal (this is where the ore comes from)
Metal turns to Water (becomes liquide when it melts)
Water turns to Wood (nourishes the vegetal world)
Wood turns to Fire (burns)
Fire turns to Earth (when ashes are left)

At the same time :

Earth destroys Water (it "drinks" it)
Water destroys Fire
Fire destroys Metal (it melts it)
Metal destroys Wood (the axe cuts the trees)
Wood destroys Earth (growing from it)

The relationships in those two cycles can actually be drawns by putting the elements at the 5 corners of a pentagram, follwing the external lines for one cycle, and the star's lines for the other.

Those Five Elements can't be matched onto the Wiccan ones, but I find them quite interesting to study and understand too : they are yet another way to look at the same things, another angle if you wish.

Connie L.
that was just a note for whoever would read this...