A previous essay in this magazine discussed the four masculine elements. This conception is the same as taking the Fundamental Masculine Axis – a spectrum that spans good and evil and everything in between – and dividing it into four distinct levels. There’s a more sophisticated way to do it. This essay discusses a division of the spectrum of good and evil into seven masculine elements.
At the feminine pole of the Fundamental Masculine Axis is the element of lead. This is a dull, heavy and malleable metal, and is therefore the most feminine of them all. The root chakra corresponds to the element of lead, and is represented by Saturn, the planet furthest from the Sun (of the planets known to the ancients).
The mentality that comes with the element of lead is the primary feminine. The lead is the basest of all the seven elements, and therefore it is the ground from which the others spring. The human spirit, in its unworked form, will sit at the level of lead. Such a person will be indistinguishable from another animal, such as a chimpanzee.
One step up from the feminine pole is the element of tin. This metal is brighter and lighter than lead. Metaphysically, tin distinguishes itself from lead by being larger. Tin doesn’t represent strength and muscles so much as size and natural vigour. The sacral chakra corresponds to the element of tin, and is represented by Jupiter, the largest of the planets.
The mentality that comes with tin is joviality. The word ‘jovial’ comes from Jove, another name for the god Jupiter. At this level, one enjoys very base and simple pleasures, such as getting drunk, gambling and rutting with women. It’s for this reason that the adjective ‘tinny’ gets applied to anyone who goes through life with Zeus-like dumb luck.
One step up from the element of tin is the element of iron. The essential aspect of iron is that it is hard. A sword made of iron will carry a much keener edge than a sword made of tin. Therefore, it is a much better tool for imposing order and control. The solar plexus chakra corresponds to the element of iron, and is represented by Mars.
Iron may be a blueish-grey, but in a metaphorical sense it is the red of the blood that it spills. Appropriately, this is the same colour as the red of the planet Mars. It’s from the Roman god named after this planet that we get the adjective ‘martial’, dealing with physical discipline and prowess in combat. People at this level feel a moral imperative towards honour and order.
One step up from the element of iron is the element of copper. The essential aspect of copper is its attractive colourfulness. Copper sits at the centre of the Fundamental Masculine Axis. Therefore, it is the meeting point of the masculine and feminine energies. It’s for this reason that copper represents the heart chakra, a place from where true love can flow in any direction it deems appropriate. It also represents the planet Venus.
Copper represents true romantic love, as opposed to the physical love represented by lead, tin and iron. This is why it has colour, because romance gives colour to life. Love, of course, is whimsical, and it comes and goes. This whimsicality gives us the word ‘capricious’, sharing an etymology with the Latin word cuprious, meaning copper-containing.
One step up from copper is the element of silver. Essential aspects of silver are that it shines, reflects and is bright. Like the word ‘bright’, silver stands for a simple kind of intelligence. While simple, this intelligence represents a higher level of animation than any of lead, tin, iron or copper. Silver is represented by the throat chakra and by the Moon, which itself reflects the light of the Sun at night.
Silver is associated with speech and communication. A person who is glib, verbose and perhaps a bit dishonest is one that might get described as ‘silver-tongued’. Al Pacino’s character in The Devil’s Advocate is an archetypal example, using his linguistic ability to baffle, bluff and beguile. The simple intelligence represented by this element is far from the final stage of spiritual development.
One step up from silver is the element of mercury. The essential aspect of mercury is that it has been quickened. Here the concentration of spirit is so great that it starts to influence behaviour. This quickening represents a complex, deeper kind of intelligence, as opposed to the simple reflection of the element of silver. Mercury is represented by the third eye chakra and by the planet Mercury itself.
Mercury is associated with intuition and imagination, and is why creative people are often described as ‘mercurial’. Someone at the level of silver might be able to hear a lecture or read a book and then repeat the philosophy they heard, but only someone at the level of mercury will be able to produce truly original thought. In doing so, they are beginning to approach the divine action of creation.
One step up from mercury is the element of gold. This is also the masculine pole of the Fundamental Masculine Axis, and as such represents the highest possible good. This point on the axis represents what a Taoist would call the Tao, and what Plato would call the Form of the Good. It is represented by the crown chakra, and by the Sun, whose light brings life and order to the world.
Gold is the most precious of all the elements. In this, it represents the most precious of all things, which is the grace of God. A person who has raised their frequency to the level of gold is someone who is enlightened. From the vantage point at the very top of the Fundamental Masculine Axis, they can see beyond.
These seven elements comprise a hierarchy from the most base to the most precious. Not only does each of them represent both an emotional state and an energy, but they also represent seven stages in the raising of spiritual energy from the animalistic to the godly. Through understanding these elements it is possible to understand how to transform oneself from a place of suffering to a place of absolution.
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