On Secret Sciences, Initiations, and Modern Societies

On the Magic of the Ancients.

dry, the earth cold and dry, water cold and moist, and air warm and moist. Therefore, the elements, according to their contrary qualities, are opposed to one another—just as water is to fire, and earth to air. Furthermore, they are opposed to one another in regard to their weight: water and earth, as the heavier ones, are opposed to air and fire, as the lighter ones. Therefore, the former are called passiveFrom the Latin patiens, these are the elements that are acted upon or receive influence., and the latter are called activeFrom the Latin agens, these elements provide the force or heat that initiates change.. Moreover, Plato assigns three kinds of properties to each element: to fire, penetrability, fineness, and motion; but to earth, density, darkness, and rest. By virtue of these properties, fire is the opposite of earth. The remaining two elements take on some of these properties: air, for example, takes on two properties of fire—fineness and motion—and one from earth, namely darkness; conversely, water receives two properties from earth—darkness and density—and one from fire, namely motion. Fire is twice as fine, three times more mobile, and four times more penetrating than air; air, on the other hand, is twice as penetrating, three times finer, and four times more mobile than water; and water is twice as penetrating, three times finer, and four times more mobile than earth. Fire thus relates to air as air relates to water, and water to earth, and vice versa. This is the foundation of all corporeality, of all natures, powers, and wonderful properties. The ancients further divided the elements generally into three classes.