The Mirror of the Elements in the Macrocosm and Microcosm

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I. The Principle of Inversion

In the Hermetic tradition, the maxim “Quod est superius est sicut quod est inferius” (“That which is above is like unto that which is below”) reveals the fundamental truth that the cosmos is mirrored across the Veil. But this mirror does not reflect symmetry—it reflects inversion.

What appears as East–Air in the ritual circle below may be East–Fire in the divine heavens above. The magician must know when they are invoking from the Earth upward or from the Divine downward.

The microcosm ascends. The macrocosm descends. The elements, directions, and rituals must follow accordingly.

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II. The Microcosm – Ordo Elementorum Inferiorum

In the Earth-based ritual setting, where the practitioner casts a circle to emulate the temple of nature and self, the elements are aligned with the path of the sun and the human body:

• East – Air: Breath, intellect, dawn, new beginnings

• South – Fire: Will, passion, sun at zenith

• West – Water: Emotion, reflection, the setting sun

• North – Earth: Body, stillness, midnight

This elemental model follows the ascent of the soul and is used in foundational rites: pentagram rituals, protection circles, and elemental balancing. The magician begins at Earth and moves toward Spirit.

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III. The Macrocosm – Ordo Elementorum Superiorum

When invoking from the heavens—from the Tree of Life, planetary magic, or divine descent—the elements and directions invert:

• East – Fire: The divine spark of Chokmah, the flame of origin

• North – Water: Binah, the Great Womb, the abyssal ocean of divine memory

• West – Air: The breath of Logos, the harmonizing voice of the cosmos