In her book Eco-Spirit, Levanah Bdolak recalls other ages in which humanity was much more connected to Nature than in the present day. This connection was not just to natural settings and animals, but to the elements as well. Then she introduces the elementals, which are the guardians of the elements, such that Gnomes are the guardians of the Earth, Faeries or Sylphs are the guardians of the Air, Mermaids or Undines are the guardians of the Water, and Salamanders are the guardians of Fire. She goes on to say these representatives still exist, but because of human destructiveness, pollution and overpopulation, they have become shy and harder to communicate with. These are followed by some excellent grounding and centering techniques, which in this context are designed not only to heal ourselves but this beautiful planet as well.
Being thoroughly steeped in the modern age and higher levels of education, I appreciate the symbolism of the elementals, and even think I can communicate with the elements themselves, but seeing gnomes, mermaids and fairies is a bit of a stretch for me. If I were to stretch at all, it would be from the standpoint of Jeremy Jaynes’s work “The Origin of Consciousness and the breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.” He proposed that back in the Middle Ages, the left and right hemispheres of the human brain were more closely fused, and therefore people were able to perceive things in a way far different than we can today. As we see from what remains from that era, there was much belief in dragons, wizards, leprechauns, faeries, witches and the like.
Has anyone seen elementals? Is it possible that brain hemispheres are beginning to fuse again?
Being thoroughly steeped in the modern age and higher levels of education, I appreciate the symbolism of the elementals, and even think I can communicate with the elements themselves, but seeing gnomes, mermaids and fairies is a bit of a stretch for me. If I were to stretch at all, it would be from the standpoint of Jeremy Jaynes’s work “The Origin of Consciousness and the breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.” He proposed that back in the Middle Ages, the left and right hemispheres of the human brain were more closely fused, and therefore people were able to perceive things in a way far different than we can today. As we see from what remains from that era, there was much belief in dragons, wizards, leprechauns, faeries, witches and the like.
Has anyone seen elementals? Is it possible that brain hemispheres are beginning to fuse again?
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Canada
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Tue, May 1, 2007 - 9:04 PMWell I've been told.
My partner says she was in the woods near Port Renfrew with a friend of hers. They sat down to rest from their hike when a tiny winged person flew up to them and then disappeared in a cloud of fairy dust. She thought she was seeing things until he said, "did you see that?" That would have been a sylph. -
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Wed, May 2, 2007 - 5:44 PMindeed, the actual truth is that the mind comes up with a symbolic image which is then
superimposed into the occipital lobes. People see what they individually would use as a
dream symbol to represent the "Nagual" side of reality when they are exposed to it.
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Wed, May 2, 2007 - 9:51 PMInteresting and welcome, Prometheus.
So 'Nagual', in the Aztec sense or the Castaneda sense? The former, according to Wikipedia, is "a word used in the study of the religion, mythology, folklore and anthropology of Mesoamerican peoples and which is used with different definitions" (so curious as to which definition, or whether you're using the term generically). The latter 'Castaneda' sense states:
"There are three definitions of the word: 1) to describe a person [1] who is able to lead people to new areas of consciousness. Carlos Castaneda's guide “Don Juan Matus” often referred to himself as the Nagual for his "party of warriors". Also, Nagual is considered by Castaneda's followers to be related to Eastern concepts of Tao, meditation, or infinity. 2) It's a part of the totality of the self (in Don Juan's words), a part of the human consciousness that's beyond syntax and linear thinking; it's the counterpart of the tonal. 3) The word Nagual sometimes replaces the word spirit understood as an entity in the universe to which sorcerers learn to relate."
Not familiar with this term so thanks for bringing it forth. I'm sure it will crop up when I get to shape shifting in my readings. -
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Mon, May 7, 2007 - 8:24 PMthe nagual side of reality ie everything other than what most people think of as the whole universe
according to science.
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Thu, May 10, 2007 - 3:47 PMHi Alan,
I've got both an open mind and a curiosity as regards this question. One thing i'm sure of is that witches and wizzards quite definatly existed as they still do in many cultures around the world under different names. I've not yet seen anything of the faery folk or elementals but am curious about their existence and wonder also if they would be more easily apprehended with the use of entheogens, especialy as (in the case of the faery folk)they are often depicted with toadstools (fly agarics) and circles of mushrooms (fairy rings). The dryads (tree spirits) must exist i'm sure since i have discovered experientialy that trees are not only sentient but telepathic. I would love to learn more about this. Some people apprehend their messages in a visual way, and others through feeling or direct thought communication. I wonder though about the seperation of the spirit from the element itself, i.e. a dryad dwells within a tree in the same way that that our own spirit dwells within our bodies, and is said to die if the tree is cut. Some say that their spirits are able to wander and move outside of their physical self in the same way that some people are able to experience or practise out of body traveling.
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Sun, May 13, 2007 - 6:41 PMinteresting! You and prometheus have taught me some new things. I didn't know the words dryad or entheogens, and i like to be up on that stuff. My partner did mention that she was under the influence of cannabis when she saw the Sylph, and Castaneda spoke about the spirits of organisms, including entheogens themselves. The definition I found on Wikipedia considered dryads to be the female elementals of trees. From what you said I consider that all organisms have a spirit about them that animates the body. I wonder what the human elemental would look like. Could the dream state merely be the spirits of different species interacting in another dimension? If I dream of climbing a tree, does the tree dream of being climbed by me? (Assuming both are asleep, of course...) -
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Mon, May 14, 2007 - 12:26 AMCould the dream state merely be the spirits of different species interacting in another dimension?
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your talking about the collective unconscious,. or gaia mind.
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If I dream of climbing a tree, does the tree dream of being climbed by me?
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assuming that the tree is not a dream symbol. maybe.
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(Assuming both are asleep, of course...)
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trees participate in the collective dream in their waking condition. -
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Mon, May 14, 2007 - 4:13 PMThe natives had a practice that i read about in the wonderful book "The Secret Life of Plants". Apparently when plants are threatened, they 'faint'. Knowing this, when natives went to cut down a tree to make a totem pole, they would approach the tree and pay their respects, apologiizing for having to cut it down, and vowing to create something of great beauty. Then they would rush to another tree nearby and cut it down. Perhaps it was their way of providing a painless demise for the tree. -
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Mon, May 14, 2007 - 5:59 PMyes, when in shamanic type head spaces, its easy to see this behavior with plants. Since they cannot escape
physically,. they check out to avoid the pain and suffering.
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Re: Elementals...What Gives?
Thu, May 17, 2007 - 3:00 PM'If i dream of climbing a tree, does the tree dream of being climbed by me (assuming both are asleep of course.)'
I think it's a very real possibility, especialy if the dream is lucid. In lucid dreaming people can meet, talk, travel together and both remember upon wakening exactly where they were and what they saw and experienced. I,ve never experienced this type of dreaming personaly
yet, despite some efforts towards it. Still waiting for the elusive lucid. But there is plenty of documented evidence for it.
I recently bought 'The secret life of plants' and am reading it at the moment, after recomendations from yourself and others. I'm finding it a very absorbing read.
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