Three Books of Occult Philosophy

III.

[Water] having evaporated passes into air, and air being overheated passes into fire; and this fire, once extinguished, returns to air. However, once cooled after being burnt up, it becomes earth, stone, or sulfur, just as is made manifest by the effects of a lightning bolt. original: "fulmine" Plato, however, believes that earth is entirely unchangeable, but that the other elements are transmuted both into earth and into each other. Therefore, earth is divided by subtler elements—not changed into them, but dissolved or mixed into those things which dissolve it, eventually returning into itself again. Note Furthermore, each of the elements has two specific qualities, the first of which it retains as its own, while the second serves as a middle ground to connect it with the following element. For Fire is hot and dry; Earth is dry and cold; Water is cold and moist; and Air is moist and hot. In this way, according to these two contrary qualities, the elements are opposed to each other: as Fire is to Water, and Earth to Air. There is yet another way the elements are opposed: for some are heavy, such as Earth and Water, and others are light, such as Air and Fire. For this reason, the Stoics The Stoics were a school of Hellenistic philosophers who taught that the universe is governed by divine reason; here Agrippa references their physical theories of active and passive principles. called the former "passive" and the latter "active." Furthermore, Plato distinguishes them in another way, assigning three qualities to each: to Fire, he assigns sharpness, rarity In this context, "rarity" refers to being thin or less dense, the opposite of "density.", and motion; to Earth, however, he assigns bluntness, density, and rest. According to these qualities, the elements of Fire and Earth are contraries. The remaining elements borrow their qualities from these two, so that Air receives two qualities from Fire—rarity and motion—and one from Earth, which is bluntness. Conversely, Water receives two from Earth—obscurity original: "obscuritatem" and density—and one from Fire, namely motion. But Fire is twice as rare as air, three times more mobile, and four times sharper. Air is twice as sharp as water, three times rarer, and four times more mobile. Likewise, Water is twice as sharp as earth, three times rarer, and four times more mobile. Therefore, as Fire is to Air, so is Air to Water, and Water to Earth; and again, as Earth is to Water, so is Water to Air, and Air to Fire. And this is the root and foundation of all bodies, natures, virtues, and wonderful works: whoever knows these qualities of the elements and their mixtures will easily perform marvelous and stupendous works, and will be perfected in Natural Magic. Natural Magic refers to the study and manipulation of the physical world’s hidden properties without resorting to demonic aid.

On the threefold nature of the elements to be considered. Chapter IV.

Decorative woodcut initial 'Q'. Inside the circular frame of the letter, a figure (likely a philosopher) is depicted sitting at a desk, appearing to study or point toward a globe or celestial sphere. There are, then, the four elements we have spoken of, without a perfect knowledge of which we can produce no effect in Magic. However, each element is threefold, so that the fourfold original: "quaternarius" completes the twelvefold; and progressing through the sevenfold to the tenfold, one reaches the supreme unity, upon which every virtue and marvelous operation depends. In the first order, the elements are pure; they are neither composed nor changed, nor do they undergo mixing. Instead, they are incorruptible. It is not from them, but through them that the virtues of all natural things are brought into effect. Their powers original: "virtutes" cannot be explained by anyone, because they can do all things in all things. He who is ignorant of these can reach no result in the operation of wonders. The elements of the second order are compound, manifold, various, and impure, yet they can be reduced by art to a state of pure simplicity; once they are...