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6WingDragon — Elements: Wheel
Published: 2006-03-28 00:35:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 53106; Favourites: 684; Downloads: 276
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Redesigned: [link]The revamped version of the first, this one boast a whomping 13 aspects of how elements are used. 4 base elements (Fire, Air, Water, Earth), the least complex, but the least restricted. 4 child elemtents (Thunder, Ice, Wood, Ore), or "schools", used in learned magic. 4 cosmic elements (Light, Dark, Terra, Stratus), the most powerful, and of the more complex to understand. And finally the stand alone "element" (Void), where time, space, balance, and chaos all coexist to form the surrounding elements. I'm so proud of this.
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Comments: 229
Do you have any specific element in mind?
The idea behind the child elements is how the 4 primary elements interact with each other. I'm afraid that this Wheel is incomplete, as I haven't added the 2 elements depicting the interaction between Earth/Air and Fire/Water (While not wholly crucial, still present). Another way to consider the children elements is representing what the 4 primary elements share in common: Fire and Air are both dry (Lightning), Air and Water are both cold (Ice), Water and Earth are both wet (Wood) and Earth and Fire are both hot (Metal); loosely depicted, of course, since air can be wet and earth can be dry, as well as water being hot.
AEther and Terra are were supposed to represent the dynamic and the static (respectively), while Light and Dark are Order and Chaos.
Does that help?
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Kind of. XD I really just need to know because I'm using the elements for a special comic.
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Lemme know if there's any specific quandary you have...and lemme know when you publish the comic!
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Okay! XD Tell me how your elements turn out!
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It's alright, I thought it was cool because I wrote a book, and 4 characters were 'Elements' - Earth, Air, Fire, Water
The picture really helped me understand them more
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I'm glad to hear my li'l wheel continues to help people with their own stories, and such. :3 G'luck with your story!
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check out some of my elemental people on my gallery
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Wow...This actually makes sense! Great work, and cool symbols for the elements!
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Thank you. :3
D'you think it'd be a bit much to add 2 more elements? >..>
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Your findings are very close to mine.
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Help me out really quick: is this Buddhism and Pagan put together? Or all elements from different beliefs or what? I'm very much interested how you put this all together because you have EVERYTHING I want (yay!) but I somehow couldn't find a design like this elsewhere online (no!).
Love this! Will fave! XD
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Why thank ya'! Though I'm afraid it's imperfect and incomplete.
As for the belief...I kinda took a little bit of everything. I kept true to the 4 elements of alchemy, which I suppose is more European, but if you look at the left side of the inner elements, you see the 5 usually associated with Feng Shui. So I suppose it's a collaboration of various ideals.
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I love this, but I can't help thinking it's not perfect. what anoys me is that Water should be covering all three stages of water, being vapor, water and ice, wich means ice shouldn't be one of the secondery elements. but I don't have a selution to my problem yet, maybe you have, since you're so awesome? (this is still going in my favourites!)
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Thank you for your kind words, and I might have a solution:
While I agree that water is covered in its 3 recognizable states, Water, in terms of alchemical recognition, is not just the H2O we associate with the life-necessary substance. Rather, Water is recognized as a level of interaction between energy and matter, in this case, the "Liquid"; Fire, Earth, and Air represent the other states of energy/matter interaction (Plasma, Solid, and Gas, respectively). As for Ice, I reference it as a "Child Element" of Air and Water, along with the 3 others (I've actually rethought this to include 2 more: Vapor and Dust, Fire/Water and Earth/Air, respectively).
Thinking about it now, I could actually represent the transitions of each state with a different child element, as such: Lightning as Ionization/De-ionization; Ice as Melting/Freezing; Sand as Deposition/Sublimation; and Vapor as Vaporization/Condensation. This would bring me back to 4, but I suppose it could be done.
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This is great. I have always thought of 17 elements. The center was the power of element itself (power of everything). Surrounding it are the 8 base elements Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Electric, Sound, Rock, Ice. On the outside are the Elder elements of Shine, Shadow, Nature, Steel, Volcanic, Storm, Light, and Dark. I will post my representations of these when I fix my scanner.
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Hmm, fascinating. I can see how there are definite similarities between yours and mine. Tell me, what's the difference between "elder" and "base"?
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The Base elements all share the same combination of Nature and Steel. These Elements are the ones most people are aware of if they think about it. I did not include Shine and Shadow because I considered them a separate branch. The Elder elements came before the Base elements. If you consider them on levels, the Base Elements are on the lowest level. the Elder elements are all above them. It would look something like this:
Element
Light, Dark
Storm, Steel, Nature, Volcanic
Shine, Shadow
Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Electric, Sound, Rock, Ice
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Ahhh, so the hierarchy is in terms of succession?
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If I may critique from what I've read, I believe Water stands on the west end of the circle opposite Air. Seems to be an upside down interpretation with the feminine base elements out of place. In the Chinese circle Water does go north, though it is associated with winter just as Earth to the north is here. I've always wondered if the separate east-west interpretations of the elements correlates by direction if not by name.
I also believe their would be a "super" standalone element positioned 'on top' of Void representing the harmonious bonding of all surrounding elements which in turn transcend the nothingness from which all matter is born.
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Please do, I don't oft get critiques on my Wheel.
I've constructed this by how elements tend to flow, and am saddened to say that I can only shape this wheel in the 2nd dimension, otherwise I would have no opposing elements, but rather have them in the form of a tetrahedron, as opposed to a square. I've thought over the arrangement and choices of these elements numerous times since I've drawn this, thinking about new ways to represent everything. I've even thought up 2 new child elements for Fire & Water, and Air & Earth, since all 4 cannot oppose so much as compliment.
With concern to the cardinal directions, I find it relative. Fire can be North and Water can be South in the Southern Hemisphere, can it not? Earth has no direction but central, for the Earth is the Earth. And Air is everywhere, flowing every which way.
What would be the "super" standalone element, and what would be its nomenclature? Divine? Holy? Harmony? Balance? Difference? I consider that "Void", the catch-all for everything I might've missed.
Thank you for your input, Misseur Etoile. 
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I constructed my elements into a 2d octagon. Then i connected everything with lines to show unity.
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Ya. It's easier to connect stuff in an octagon than in a square.
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'Specially since a square only has 6 connections, as opposed to an octagon, with 28. Or, in your case, somewhere around 70.
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Well, on the traditional alchemist circle Water is associated with the West, it's season Autumn; Earth the North, its season Winter; Air to the East, rules the Spring; lastly Fire to South, associated with Summer. I've found this established circle in a couple of books. One of them being called Norse Magic, the other was some alchemical encyclopedia I found in the metaphysical section of my bookstore.
You can find the Chinese magical circle in most Chinese astrology books and the representation goes as followed: |Metal - West, Autumn, color White| |Water - North, Winter, color Black| |Wood - East, Spring, color Green| |Fire - South, Summer, color Red| |Earth - the Center, the cusps between the seasons or all seasons, color Yellow. This element is traditionally said to be the source from which all other elements are borne.| Metal is said to represent the half Yin. Water, full-Yin. Wood, half-Yang. Fire, full-Yang. Earth represents the neutrality or balance between the two. In addition other subtle traits are associated with these five including virtue, taste, emotion, age range, and so forth.
If you note the two fore mentioned circles, you should see the correlation between direction and season on this two-dimensional plane. If we were to hold to Jungist theories of a universal subconscious, we'd have to wonder if the metaphysical traits the Chinese attribute to Water actually somehow correlate with Western interpretation of what they see to be the Earth.
Now, there is is an even more elaborate trigram system used in the I Ching, called the Pa Kua. There is no center element, but the compass is broken into eight directions that go as follows.
West - the lesser Metal - known as Tui, represented by a Lake - associated with Joy
Northwest - the greater Metal - Chien, symbolizes heaven - associated with Creativity.
North - Water - Kan, associated with water, often in the form of a Stream - associated with the Abysmal or great difficulty.
Northeast - small Earth - Ken, terra representation in the form of a Mountain - it is said to be the stabilizing force.
East - the greater Wood - Chen, or Thunder - it's mood is Arousal.
Southeast - lesser Wood - Sun, the Wind - the force of Penetration.
South - Fire - Li, the Flame - represents the Clinging force.
Southwest - the large Earth - Kun, said to represent the Earth as a whole - it's energies are Receptive.
In this expanded elemental scheme, we can see both North and West are associated with bodies of water. The West (Lake) represents water in a still, serene form. The North (Stream or just Water)in the form of something tumultuous, perhaps even an ocean. As far as taking these two opposing traits and associated them with the Western conception of the four elements, could you say these two associate with what the Europeans would call Water and Earth? Generally, magic of the Earth is viewed in a wide collective consciousness as being the conjuring force of physical vibration leading to volatile phenomenon of tremors, chasms, and the like. Water, on the other hand is commonly perceived as being the most outwardly gentle of the elements. Could a bridge be drawn perspectively between these two and the Kan and Tui of the Pa Kua?
As for this Super element I conceived to surmount the central force Void. Perhaps taking into whether you are viewing this elemental chain from a western or eastern spiritual or philosophical manner, this Transcendental standalone element could be viewed as several forces. It can be seen as something of the Divine, an essence that can and will end all other forms of worldly matter and being in this plane of existence as we know it once it's energy is invoked. Or, as I tend to the think of it, it can be recognized the essence of Nirvana. When one comes to the point of mastering and harnessing all energies within to the point of perfect harmony and balance, one may fill the inner void which all existence is subject to. It may be represented as the "ultimate" or the "absolute" in juxtaposition to its sub standalone counterpart, which could be viewed "the infinite" or the force of Samsara. This is at least my interpretation.
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I applaud your intellect.
I did not extensive research into the topic of elemental or alchemical understanding, merely observing the workings of others in the forms of interesting stories and videogames. Needless to say, I cannot hold a candle to your range of research.
I do lay claim to a particular study of elementalism, whether Eastern or Western, and so forth, only what I was able to conceive. Your viewpoints and theories are fascinating, good sir, and will - perhaps - look back on your comment as reference.
For the time being, I shall state that this Wheel of mine is a work in project that has reached a point of stasis, as I continue its development.
Thank you for your input.
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You should feel proud of this! It's really creative. I love it!
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Why, thank you, very much.
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that's kinda how i saw elements at first: fire, water, earth, wind, thunder, grass, ice, and metal
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Aye, with the former 4 as basic elements, and the latter 4 branching off.
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I like your visions of the symbols ^^
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And don't get mad, but ice and water are one and the same.
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I know, ice is just water that's been frozen. Metal and crystal is just earth that's been formed by heat and pressure for a long while. That's why I said it's a "child" element.
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