Editing Air (classical element) (section)

==Parallels in non-Western traditions==

Air is not one of the traditional five [[Five elements (Chinese philosophy)|Chinese classical elements]].  Nevertheless, the ancient Chinese concept of ''[[Qi]]'' or ''chi'' is believed to be close to that of air. ''Qi'' is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of "[[Vitalism|life force]]" or "[[energy (spirituality)|spiritual energy]]". It is frequently translated as "energy flow", or literally as "air" or "breath". (For example, ''tiānqì'', literally "sky breath", is the Chinese word for "[[weather]]"). The concept of qi is often [[Reification (fallacy)|reified]], however no scientific evidence supports its existence.

The element air also appears as a concept in the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] philosophy which has an ancient history in China.

Some Western modern occultists equate the [[Five elements (Chinese philosophy)|Chinese classical element]] of [[metal (classical element)|metal]] with ''air'',<ref>Donald Michael Kraig, ''Modern Magick'', p. 115.</ref> others with [[Wood (Wu Xing)|wood]] due to the elemental association of wind and wood in the [[bagua]].

[[Enlil]] was the god of air in ancient [[Sumer]]. [[Shu (Egyptian deity)|Shu]] was the [[ancient Egypt]]ian [[ancient Egyptian deities|deity]] of air and the husband of [[Tefnut]], goddess of moisture. He became an emblem of strength by virtue of his role in separating [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]] from [[Geb]]. Shu played a primary role in the [[Coffin Texts]], which were [[spell (paranormal)|spells]] intended to help the deceased reach the realm of the afterlife safely. On the way to the sky, the spirit had to travel through the air as one spell indicates: "I have gone up in Shu, I have climbed on the sunbeams."<ref>Bob Brier, ''Ancient Egyptian Magic'', p.128.</ref>

According to [[Jainism|Jain]] beliefs, the element air is inhabited by one-sensed beings or spirits called vāyukāya [[ekendriya]], sometimes said to inhabit various kinds of winds such as whirlwinds, cyclones, monsoons, west winds and trade winds. Prior to [[reincarnation|reincarnating]] into another lifeform, spirits can remain as vāyukāya ekendriya from anywhere between one instant to up to three-thousand years, depending on the [[Karma in Jainism|karma]] of the spirits.<ref>{{cite web|first=Mark|last=Webb|title=Jain Philosophy|url= https://iep.utm.edu/jain/|publisher=[[Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Journal of the Department of Letters|volume=5|journal=Journal of the Department of Letters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BDxQAQAAMAAJ&dq=Ekendriya&pg=PA352|author=University of Calcutta: Department of Letters|page=352|date=1921|publisher=Calcutta University Press, originally from [[University of Chicago]]}}</ref>