Editing Air (classical element)

{{Short description|One of four primary substances in antiquity}}
{{classic element}}
{{about|the classical element|other uses of the term|Air (disambiguation)}}
'''Air''' or '''Wind''' is one of the four [[classical element]]s along with [[water (classical element)|water]], [[earth (classical element)|earth]] and [[fire (classical element)|fire]] in ancient [[Greek philosophy]] and in Western [[alchemy]].

==Greek and Roman tradition==
[[File:Humorism.svg|thumb|The four humors and their qualities]]
According to [[Plato]], it is associated with the [[octahedron]]; air is considered to be both hot and wet. The ancient Greeks used two words for air: ''aer'' meant the dim lower atmosphere, and ''[[aether (mythology)|aether]]'' meant the bright upper atmosphere above the clouds.<ref>[[W. K. C. Guthrie]], ''A History of Greek Philosophy'', vol. 1, pp. 466, 470–71.</ref> [[Plato]], for instance writes that "So it is with air: there is the brightest variety which we call ''aether'', the muddiest which we call mist and darkness, and other kinds for which we have no name...."<ref>Plato, ''Timaeus'', ch. 27, p. 83.</ref> Among the early Greek [[Pre-Socratic]] philosophers, [[Anaximenes of Miletus|Anaximenes]] (mid-6th century BCE) named air as the ''[[arche]]''.<ref>Guthrie, ''History of Greek Philosophy'', vol. 1, pp. 115–16, 120–32; Jonathan Barnes, ''Early Greek Philosophy'', pp. 77–80.</ref> A similar belief was attributed by some ancient sources to [[Diogenes Apolloniates]] (late 5th century BCE), who also linked air with intelligence and soul (''psyche''), but other sources claim that his ''arche'' was a substance between air and fire.<ref>Guthrie, vol. 2, pp. 362–81; Barnes, pp. 289–94.</ref> [[Aristophanes]] parodied such teachings in his play ''[[The Clouds]]'' by putting a prayer to air in the mouth of [[Socrates]].

Air was one of many ''archai'' proposed by the Pre-socratics, most of whom tried to reduce all things to a single substance. However, [[Empedocles]] of Acragas (c. 495-c. 435 BCE) selected four ''archai'' for his four roots: air, fire, water, and earth. Ancient and modern opinions differ as to whether he identified air by the divine name [[Hera]], [[Hades|Aidoneus]] or even [[Zeus]]. Empedocles’ roots became the four classical elements of Greek philosophy.<ref>Guthrie, vol. 2, pp. 138–46. Guthrie suggests that Hera is the safest identification for air.</ref> [[Plato]] (427–347 BCE) took over the four elements of Empedocles. In the ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'', his major cosmological dialogue, the [[Platonic solid]] associated with air is the [[octahedron]] which is formed from eight equilateral triangles. This places air between fire and water which Plato regarded as appropriate because it is intermediate in its mobility, sharpness, and ability to penetrate.  He also said of air that its minuscule components are so smooth that one can barely feel them.<ref>Plato, ''Timaeus'', chap. 22–23; Gregory Vlastos, ''Plato’s Universe'', pp. 66–82.</ref>

Plato's student [[Aristotle]] (384–322 BCE) developed a different explanation for the elements based on pairs of qualities. The four elements were arranged concentrically around the center of the universe to form the [[sublunary sphere]]. According to Aristotle, air is both hot and wet and occupies a place between fire and water among the elemental spheres. Aristotle definitively separated air from [[aether (classical element)|aether]]. For him, aether was an unchanging, almost divine substance that was found only in the heavens, where it formed [[celestial spheres]].<ref>[[G. E. R. Lloyd]], ''Aristotle'', chapters 7–8.</ref>

=== Humorism and temperaments ===
{| cellpadding=5 bgcolor="#a8a8a8" style="font-size:small; table-layout: auto; border: 1px; border-color: #000000; border-style: solid;"
|- bgcolor="#EEDDBB"
| '''Humour'''
| '''Season'''
| '''Ages'''
| '''Element'''
| '''Organ'''
| '''Qualities'''
| '''Temperament'''
|- bgcolor="#FFDDCC"
| Blood
| spring
| infancy
| air
| [[liver]]
| moist and warm
| [[Four Temperaments#Sanguine|sanguine]]
|- bgcolor="#DFE36F"
| Yellow bile
| summer
| youth
| [[Fire (classical element)|fire]]
| [[gallbladder]]
| warm and dry
| [[choleric]]
|- bgcolor="#DDFFEE"
| Black bile
| autumn
| adulthood
| [[Earth (classical element)|earth]]
| [[spleen]]
| dry and cold
| [[Melancholia|melancholic]]
|- bgcolor="#61B079"
| Phlegm
| winter
| old age
| [[Water (classical element)|water]]
| [[Human brain|brain]]/[[lungs]]
| cold and moist
| [[phlegmatic]]
|}
In [[Medicine in ancient Greece|ancient Greek medicine]], each of the [[four humours]] became associated with an element. [[Blood]] was the humor identified with air, since both were hot and wet. Other things associated with air and blood in ancient and medieval medicine included the season of [[spring (season)|spring]], since it increased the qualities of heat and moisture; the sanguine temperament (of a person dominated by the blood humour); [[hermaphrodite]] (combining the masculine quality of heat with the feminine quality of moisture); and the northern point of the compass.<ref>Londa Schiebinger, p. 162.</ref>

=== Alchemy ===
[[Image:air symbol (alchemical).svg|thumb|upright=0.4|Alchemical symbol for air]]
The [[alchemical symbol]] for air is an upward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line.

==Modern reception==
The [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], founded in 1888, incorporates air and the other Greek classical elements into its teachings.<ref>Israel Regardie, ''The Golden Dawn'', pp. 154–65.</ref> The [[magical weapon|elemental weapon]] of air is the dagger which must be painted yellow with magical names and sigils written upon it in violet.<ref>Regardie, ''Golden Dawn'', p.322; Kraig, ''Modern Magick'', pp. 149–53.</ref> Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of air is [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]], the angel is Chassan, the ruler is Ariel, the king is Paralda, and the air [[elemental]]s (following [[Paracelsus]]) are called [[sylph]]s.<ref>Regardie, ''Golden Dawn'', p. 80.</ref> Air is considerable and it is referred to the upper left point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.<ref>Regardie, ''Golden Dawn'', pp. 280–286; Kraig, ''Modern Magick'', pp. 206–209.</ref> Many of these associations have since spread throughout the occult community.

In the Golden Dawn and many other magical systems, each element is associated with one of the [[cardinal point]]s and is placed under the care of guardian Watchtowers. The Watchtowers derive from the [[Enochian magic|Enochian system of magic]] founded by Dee. In the Golden Dawn, they are represented by the Enochian elemental tablets.<ref>Doreen Valiente, ''The Rebirth of Witchcraft'', p. 64.</ref> Air is associated with the east, which is guarded by the First Watchtower.<ref>Regardie, ''Golden Dawn'', p. 631.</ref>
 
Air is one of the five elements that appear in most [[Wicca]]n and Pagan traditions. [[Wicca]] in particular was influenced by the Golden Dawn system of magic and [[Aleister Crowley]]'s mysticism.<ref>Hutton, pp. 216–23; Valiente, Witchcraft for Tomorrow, p. 17.</ref>

==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>

==See also==
* [[Atmosphere of Earth]]
* [[Sky deity]]
* [[Wind deity]]
* [[Gemini (astrology)]]
* [[Aquarius (astrology)]]
* [[Libra (astrology)]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* [[Jonathan Barnes|Barnes, Jonathan]]. ''Early Greek Philosophy''. London: Penguin, 1987.
* [[Bob Brier|Brier, Bob]]. ''Ancient Egyptian Magic''. New York: Quill, 1980.
* Guthrie, W. K. C. ''A History of Greek Philosophy''. 6 volumes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1962–81.
* [[Ronald Hutton|Hutton, Ronald]]. ''Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, 2001.
* [[Donald Michael Kraig|Kraig, Donald Michael]]. ''Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts''. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 1994.
* Lloyd, G. E. R. ''Aristotle: The Growth and Structure of His Thought''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968.
* Plato. ''Timaeus and Critias''. Translated by Desmond Lee. Revised edition. London: Penguin, 1977.
* [[Israel Regardie|Regardie, Israel]]. ''The Golden Dawn''. 6th edition. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 1990.
* [[Londa Schiebinger|Schiebinger, Londa]]. ''The Mind Has No Sex? Women in the Origins of Modern Science''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989.
* [[Doreen Valiente|Valiente, Doreen]]. ''Witchcraft for Tomorrow''. Custer, Wash.: Phoenix Publishing, 1978.
* Valiente, Doreen. ''The Rebirth of Witchcraft''. Custer, Wash.: Phoenix Publishing, 1989.
* [[Gregory Vlastos|Vlastos, Gregory]]. ''Plato’s Universe''. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975.

==Further reading==
* [[Scott Cunningham|Cunningham, Scott]]. ''Earth, Air, Fire and Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic''.
* [[Starhawk]]. ''[[The Spiral Dance]]: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess''. 3rd edition. 1999.

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Air}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Air (Classical Element)}}
[[Category:Atmosphere of Earth]]
[[Category:Classical elements]]
[[Category:Esoteric cosmology]]
[[Category:History of astrology]]
[[Category:Technical factors of astrology]]
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[[Category:Concepts in ancient Greek metaphysics]]