Note: The elemental beings I write about are well-acquainted with magicians. Some, like Isaphil, claim to guard treasures of spirit and hidden destinies which world teachers did not find a way to share with mankind. Some elemental beings have incarnated as a human being. This happens primarily because the elemental has temporarily taken a human lover. Even in the twentieth century, there are reports of this occurring. In other cases, elementals and magicians have formed extremely close ties. They have shared and learned from each other. For some individuals, this has been beneficial and for others the connection to faery realm has been their undoing.
My only point is that when I write about elementals they often discuss with me their relations with mages, poets, and sages from historical and forgotten civilizations. This is the case with Pyrhum. He once knew a great Atlantean mage. And though this mage was known by many names, for our purposes, we shall call him He'adra.
He'adra was one of the great high priests of that mythical civilization called Atlantis. Morning, noon, or night, He'adra could summon any spirit within our solar system to appear within his private temple. And this he did for decades. Often, late into the night, He'adra held conversations with beings from different evolutionary paths. He compared experiences and asked them to reveal the secrets of their wisdom and their innermost dreams. In the history of evocation, perhaps no magician has been the equal of Hea'dra.
He'adra's story I recount in greater detail elsewhere. (See the Fall of Atlantis). But in review God had granted He'adra a divine power of will. And since will derives from the element of fire, He'adra naturally, early on in his career, sought out the most powerful salamanders existing within the sphere of our planet earth. One such salamander is named Pyrhum
The means for evoking a salamander such as Pyrhum are well- documendted. In the late fifties, a modern sage said of Pyrhum that he is a powerful salamander, extremely dynamic, and quite difficult to engage in conversation. Within the sphere of the element of fire, Pyrhum has the rank of a mighty sovereign with innumerable fire spirits under his control. Pyrhum can teach about every aspect of fire as it exists within nature or as it relates to magical practices.
Of course, for many salamanders, djinn, and the like are pure fantasy. But the skeptic fails to take into consideration that the magical powers of salamanders are not beyond the reach of human nature. These powers lie dorment within us.
Consciousness naturally seeks to test and expand itself through mastering the environment in which it dwells. And the human soul is not just a place, like a garden, which nourishes aspirations and in which vices such as anger, lust, and greed grow like weeds. The soul can reflect within itself all that exists within the universe.
When our mind is clear, powerful, and sensitive enough, it can reproduce the electro-magnetic spectrum, light oscillation, the auric vibration, the sources of inspiration, and even the biochemical energies of other forms of matter and life. It can, in effect, contain and embrace all the beauty within nature as well as the perceptions and wisdom of all gods and goddesses which have or which ever shall exist. Yet it is few comprehend this empathic aspect of human nature. And religions also have been most jealous and committed to keeping individuals from direct contact with the sources of inspiration.
But for a magician who has trained his consciousness, the mind can penetrate and comprehend the essence of anything he focuses upon. If a magician sought to comprehend the nature of fire, at some point he might pass beyond meditating on candles and bonfires, the fire of the blacksmith as well as volcanos. He might send his mind downward into the ground and discover that at the center of the earth is a vast sea of fiery heat and magma under immense pressure.
If indeed a supernatural being did exist within that sea of flames at the center of the earth and if it had sufficient desire, after a billion years or so, it might come to identify its own consciousness with that abyss of fire. And if it refined its will and expanded its power so it could command the depths, the currents, the tides, and the heat within that sea, then we would be speaking precisely of the salamander named Pyrhum.
A magician could, of course, like Pyrhum himself, study the fire at the center of the earth, sharpening his perception, exerting and strengthening his will, and developing an affinity for fire. But a magician is not limited, as is a scientist, to external observations. A magician can consult freely with those intelligences who dwell within and rule over the elements of nature.
And so one fine autumn afternoon, when the birds were singing and occasionally butterflies were still fluttering upon the winds, He'adra entered his meditation room. He sat down in an oak chair in front of his magic mirror with its silver rim. And then he began to ponder the mystery of fire. Gathering his will, he sent his spirit downward into the depths of the earth into that vast sea of magma.
Now this step He'adra just took--sending his mind into the earth-- might elude most readers' understanding. Some might say, "You have lost me. You are moving too fast. People do not send their minds or spirits anywhere but into dreams or fantasy."
But consider: in the submarine the sonar operator sits in shifts for six hours watching his screen which registers and interprets the sounds near and far beneath the sea. And the technician in the AWAC's plane during a twelve hour shift uses instruments and radar to track all aircraft for hundreds of miles in all directions and at all altitudes. And the volcanologist, besides scooping samples of lava into a tin can, also uses a seismograph to record vibrations and try to predict earthquakes and tidal waves before they strike. Yet the human mind, when it is fully trained, is more sensitive by far than all of these instruments and its range is virtually without limit. Such was He'adra's mind.
For several hours He'adra meditated on the radioactivity and the nuclear processes which keep the earth's core so hot. He altered his mind so it was attuned to the immense pressures and forces churning within the earth. And then, sensing consciousness within this realm performing the same task in which he was engaged, He'adra spoke aloud a word of power. This was just one sound actually and it embodied the intensity of heat resulting from atoms breaking down.
And this spoken word created a fiery field of energy within his room. And to this energy field he interlaced a spiritual quality: the inner core essence of the being with whom he sought to speak. He'adra perceived with his clairvoyant vision a consciousness with a will that sought to expand and intensify itself without limit. That is to say, the salamander He'adra perceived was seeking to develop a will that could create fire and power on a cosmic level. The salamander wished to assume a place and work within the larger universe.
Then, with a voice which was barely audible, He'adra spoke aloud the name Pyrhum. From deep in the earth, Pyrhum was forging between his hands a fiery heat and light--a heat as hot as that generated by rods of uranium in a nuclear reactor tempting each other to melt down. And Pyrhum lifted his eyes up and saw in the distance a red glow speaking to him in a soft voice, baiting him with a lure so attractive it was nearly irresistible. It was as if He'adra had just offered a box of Godiva candy to someone addicted to chocolate--the invitation alone was sufficient to gain a response.
Almost without effort, Pyrhum shifted between his world and that of He'adra's--He'adra's voice and the energy field he had created had already opened the gate. Pyrhum only needed to step into that space of blazing red light to perceive He'adra face to face. In turn, He'adra perceived Pyrhum coming toward him in the magic mirror which was at one end of his room. A moment later Pyrhum stepped out of the mirror and into the room--the salamander's body appearing physically in our world by virtue of the energy medium of fire He'adra had created.
He'adra perceived in front of him a being like a man in appearance, but the air around him was blurred as if heat were distorting the image of his body or as if his aura was pulsing within its own internal light. Pyrhum's eyes were like doorways through which could be seen the fires burning inside the earth. And Pyrhum's voice, when he spoke, was grating and impatient like the voice of a commander who has just captured a city to which he has laid seize for months. And there was a resonance in his voice, something altogether subterranean and plutonic, like the deep, dim rumbling of the earth's mantel as it splits and rubs against the edge of a continent.
Now most magicians engaged in an evocation of a salamander like Pyrhum might find it slightly scary the way the outer edge of Pyrhum's aura meets the cooler air in the room. There is a physical sensation of discomfort. It is like the rapid increase in heat as when you get into a car that has been baking too long in the sun or enter a sauna that almost shoves you back through the door because its vapors are too hot to bear.
And there is a brief moment of terror that lingers at the edge of your thoughts--a pressure on your chest, the blood rushing to your head, and an instinctual battle of wills--you feel almost like you are wrapped about by a boa constrictor timing the pulse of its contractions so they synchronize to the beat of your heart. It takes an effort to remain calm and avoid becoming paralyzed. But, on the other hand, for someone trained in the martial arts, this is just the kind of fire you want under your control. It is the type of power you would like to exert should someone try to mug you in an alley or a wild dog try to attack you in the woods.
Of course, we need not enter the world of magick exposed and vulnerable. Even the greatest danger is overcome by mastering its different components step by step over a period of time. One of the tricks used by the great politicians and peace negotiators is to ask your enemy to help you solve your biggest problem. How is this done? It sometimes works if you open your heart to your opponent and point out that he is in a better position than anyone else to understand what you are going through. The other may laugh at this request not just once but twice and then say, "I understand. I have been there myself."
We can try this with Pryhum and see what happens. I ask him,
"How do you learn to generate an energy field of fire in a safe
way?"
Pyrhum replids, "Imagine you are in a place that is very hot.
But it should not be unbearably hot. Rather, learn to distinguish
between what is uncomfortable and what is too much. And now,
within this vivid image created by your mind to which your body
begins to respond, learn to relax so every muscle fiber and nerve
ending is free of tension. Then slowly increase the intensity of the
heat sensation with which you concentrate. But do not be
impatient. Learn to enjoy every physiological sensation and mental
quality that heat generates. And savor the imagery--within it is the
expansion of your will and the skill that leads to mastery over your
spirit."
This is one of those warm-up exercises which help set the mood for our story. Now, back to He'adra.
He'adra answered, "I have called you so that I might comprehend the power you bind with your mind and understand the force behind your will. I will not dwell upon this planet without tasting its beauty and opening my heart to its mystery. In you the secret wisdom of fire and light shine primordial and bright."
It was not the words He'adra spoke which impressed Pyrhum. He had been flattered before. No, it is different with spiritual beings than with humans. When their auras touch they can tell automatically who is superior and whose power rises from greater depths. Pyrhum felt He'adra's aura break upon his own like a set of waves from a distant storm on a sea he had never before seen; Hea'da's presence was like the rippling edge of a whirlpool whose currents are so magnetic they are beginning to reach out and absorb the fire within the hearts of stars.
Pyrhum said, "Less than a handfull of mortals have ever walked by my side and survived. And only one or two were willing like you to enter the domain where I reign without having to disguise their fear and trembling. I oversee all fire on earth and I care not much for your race. I am not arrogant. I just have no respect for human beings because they have not sought to discover the power hidden in their hearts. They think power is external to the self, that it is found in the ability to bind matter or subject other living beings to their will.
"Those who sojourn into my domain are enamored with faith-- they want something for nothing without offering anything in exchange. They attempt to enchant me by pronouncing fearsome and terrible names of gods, goddesses, and dieties from various religions. What nonsense! Do they think they can badger me when I can command a sea of magma to stretch out its hand in a strand rising two thousand miles until it punctures the surface of the world and forms mountains three miles tall? These magicians can not even command their own body to pump blood to the part of their heart muscle which is suffocating because an artery is clogged.
"Do they expect me to get down on my knees and obey their command? They vainly imagine they are united with God as they babble on raising their voices higher in pitch till it breaks into a shriek. They think by speaking the words of God or by pronouncing His name that somehow their voice is magically transformed into His Voice or their authority into His own. Magicians are often more entertaining than jesters or clowns.
"If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can sense all the seas, lakes, and streams of magma which exist within the earth. Oh, I have tried to share my wonder and the inferno of my exuberance with those who dwell on the surface of the earth. But it is useless. Their minds are too narrow. Their hearts are too closed.
"They see the stars at night. The feel the heat of the sun by day. But they are afraid of the fire within the earth. It is too close. They push it out of their minds. They do not allow their feet to reach down like the roots of trees into the silence and the depths lest they discover in the darkness beneath them a passion greater than they can imagine.
"The great bards will not speak of me in a song lest they risk being drowned in an abyss without entrance or exist. And so even at night when your race falls asleep I am unable to appear in your dreams. Even the tongues of flame with which dragons speak in your fairy tales and myths neither hint at nor reveal a trace of my existence. I dwell within a realm well-hidden beyond human reach or belief."
When Pyrhum was done with his harangue, he quietly gazed into He'adra's eyes and then spoke with a casual, familiar voice, yet curt and sharp, like one old drinking buddy, slightly impatient, saying to another, "Tell me what you want."
He'adra replied, "Share with me the essence of your being and this also--the secret treasure hidden within fire at the center of the earth."
Pyrhum replied, "What mortal could comprehend who I am, what mind fathom my mystery? Listen and I will show you my inner essence!
As Pyrhum spoke, He'adra did not hold himself at a distance from the salamander. He'adra attuned his mind to Pyrhum's-- He'adra began to think Pyrhum's thoughts and see through Pyrhum's eyes. He began to feel the different layers of force wrapped around the core of Pyrhum's will. And he began to sense the countless ages which have shaped and given flavor to Pyrhum's outlook.
This transference of one mind into another He'adra could do because he was also a master of the enlightened mind. And no one is enlightened except they are also trained in the arts of omnipresence--that is, their mind like a mirror, they possess the ability to hold another's consciousness within their own without distortion or blurring of vision. There is no fear that makes them flee or feel uneasy with what they see. There is no insecurity causing them to cling to the beauty they perceive lest, should it disappear, the satisfaction offered dissolves and they find themselves left with only emptiness.
Pyrhum went on, "The essence of my being is fire turning within and upon itself, becoming hotter, denser, more intense, growing in power, expanding and reaching out, striving to cross every boundary, seeking to create a flame more refined and pure, more full of might than any other that exists. Shifting, twisting, pulsating, throbbing with an implacable hunger, burning with an unquenchable thirst, I have mastered fires as old as the earth and which contain powers so ancient no god or goddess has ever sought to explore or command them.
"The ancient domes of flame where I dwell and the seas of fire I watch over thrust up mountains and move continents. Yet this fire within the earth also exists to forge the will of those who follow the path of spirit. Those who would explore beyond this planet and taste the mysteries of the cosmos can first sojourn here, take nourishment, and be replenished by the powers that has shaped the earth before continuing on their journey."
And as Pyrhum went on, He'adra saw the vast expanses of fire and heat within the earth as Pyrhum perceived them--as part of his own body--part of his breath and the fabric and fibers of his being. Fire, for a salamander, is a house made out of delight. A sea of magma and molten rock, crushed and pressed upon by gravity and the mantel of the earth-- it is a safe haven, a paradise for the spirit that wishes to refine and purify itself. Here, scorched gasses, hungry for freedom, will one day crack mountains in two as they rise up through great vents and explode. When they finally escape through the mouth of a caldera, they will rise in clouds of ashe fifty thousand feet and enter the jet stream circling the earth.
Even so, Pyrhum's very thoughts and his deepest instincts were clear to He'adra. The magician could decipher Pyrhum's secret knowledge: the magick of fire involves the ability to contain and also to expand, the capacity to hold and also to explode--to burn so hot, to be so intense and focused, all barriers melt, all obstacles fade away when you exert you will upon them.
But let us pause for a moment. The brush strokes of these descriptions are drawn too fast and with such bold movements they can easily escape our grasp. Let us ask, What if He'adra had been a modern magician? What if he did not possess an ability we can only imagine within fable and myth--to join his mind to a spirit so there is no separation? What if instead of being so empathic, he were more analytic, rational, and, let us say, more of a scholar? Yes, that is the word--a modern scholar who likes to feel cozy with his theorys which offer protection when he opens himself to the experience. Such a scholar would ask Pyrhum for a clear and concise explanation of the methodology the salamander employs to study fire and the resulting skills which are acquired in relation to each area of investigation.
Of course, for He'adra, the answer to such questions would be obvious. There would be no need to even ask. Pyrhum loves fire in all its forms and manifestations. And what an individual loves he seeks to know and understand. Over time, his connection to it becomes so great it becomes a part of him.
And, to be quite frank, if we were to say to Pyrhum, "Show us what you can do," why he just might respond like a Tai Chi Chuan master when asked that same question by a bartender. The master offers a demonstration. There is no point in wasting words. He breaks a wooden table in two with his palm in a single stroke. Why, if the right person asked Pyrhum what he could do he just might make a mountain explode so you could take in the view.
Now you may think I exaggerate to make my point or that I am toying with you because, you will tell me, a salamander would never go to all that trouble just to impress a human being. And, in this regard, I would have to agree that what you have said is probably true. But I will tell you a little secret--one of the things individuals with a great deal of power enjoy most of all is being asked the right question in the right way at the right time.
The reason for this is not difficult to understand. Inspite of how aloof or distant they may be from others, those with power long to share what it is that makes them who they are. And a question which resonates with their deepest desire, well, it is just too much to resist. I am sure you have had that same experience when someone once put a certain question to you. It takes you back to when you were young, enthusiastic, and everything in life was new. And such a gift requires that we return something in equal measure in honor of that memory and taste of when wonder held us in its embrace.
So why not indulge ourselves? After all, the task of a bardic
magician is to speak for all ages of the world past, present, and
future. And the modern mind is not a mistake. No, I will not ask
Pyrhum to show us what he can do. Rather, let us imagine that the
love and curiosity of an Atlantean mage such He'adra could be
broken down into components and learned systematically by
proceeding step by step. And let us imagine further that Pyrhum
had overcome his prejudice against humanity for being so timid in
exploring his element. If Pyrhum had taken the trouble to spend a
few lifetimes incarnating as a human being researching explosives or
nuclear physics, he might respond casually to a modern magician's
inquiries into his methodology in the following way:
"I study fire in every form that it exists. It has made me who and
what I am. I am an inferno of desire and craving with one intention
and wish--to absorb into myself the subtle and the complex, the
vastness and the intricacy of burning heat, integrating all aspects,
refining it until my will is so great I possess the power to shape and
recreate the world.
"But the will I possess requires no effort to fathom. It is all around you easy enough to see. Consider the modern witch who caresses the candle infusing the wax with the desire she seeks to manifest. She pours out her sensuality with such art and intensity it becomes a living thing. As the wick burns I enter that tiny flame and I feel the passion in her soul to take hold of the world.
"The air and wax combine changing into heat and light. Yet the flame is a chamber where her will seeks to expand--alluring and enticing, first it arouses and then it invites the world to be satisfied with a drink from her cup of pleasure and happiness. See her mastery--how she has bound a thought to the element of fire. Her intention acts like a lover who would seduce another as though her touch meets the secret needs of his skin, as though the image transferred into his mind were as appealing as her belly pressed against his. With such subliminal power of suggestion, who would not be willing to do her a favor? All of this I ascertain just by studying the candle flame and the way it burns.
"Or take the reactor in a nuclear submarine. With the same ease as in contemplating a candle, I stand within that invisible intensity flaring between the rods of uranium or plutonium. But here is the distinction. The physicist and engineer use mathematical calculation, tolerance of alloys, coolants and circulation for the sake of converting fire into electrical power.
"But my approach is more experiential. I become the pleasure and the vision the pleasure contains as I taste the naked flames--for here is the heat that causes atoms to split and to break. Gathering itself, the fire builds a will capable of melting steel and any molecular bonds man or nature can fashion. When your desire for power as a race is greater and more pure, you will discover far more mysteries which are hidden within radiation. I say this because the power the atom conceals is one of the wands of power I wield.
"And consider lightning, another natural phenomenon as ordinary as rainbows and clouds. The crash of the lightning striking, the thunder echoing, the flash dazzling--your nervous system notes their passing and you may react by saying, `Oh, look at that!' But my response is more artistic. I am as a great painter discontent who will not be satisfied until he has captured on his canvass the mysterious beauty of the woman he holds within his eye. In rapt contemplation, I explore every nuance, quality, and property of this craving electricity reveals as opposites reach to clasp each other's essence in their grasp.
"But a magician such as me can never be gratified with only the taste of beauty which art celebrates in its manifold works. The consummation and degree of intimacy I seek must be complete--not derived, second hand, vicarious, or the reflected image however beautiful and majestic that may be. This is why those who are initiated into the mysteries sound so arrogant when they say, `Art is but an imitation of life.' It is because, like me, they wish to embrace, at the core of their being, the opposites which give birth to all things. The level of will they seek to attain is what you would call godlike. Actually, it only requires that you be one with what you would command.
"And so as one entranced, my mind within both the earth and the sky, I concentrate until my own body is magnetized and electrified. The valleys and ravines, the trees and streams, the electrical charges flowing through hills become part of my being. And the cloud--soft, yielding, flowing, whirling--particles of charged energy full of yearning passion respond to the earth until it is ready to burst and its voice speaks with the lightning's flame. My soul is the home of the thunder storm. Passion has lead me to fathom the secret desires which move nature from within.
"It may well be beyond your power to comprehend but when you have existed for countless ages as I have and studied every natural phenomenon in which fire plays a hand, you gain, shall I say, a certain mastery? You can take it any way you want but I tell you I can point my finger on a clear day and cause lightning to strike where I command. Such is the power of those who hear the call of love and hold nothing back when they respond.
"I realize, of course, that for mankind fire has always been threatening and dangerous. With its many uses there is always the temptation of horrible abuse. Those gods who have offered its gifts to mankind are punished or else they are tricksters or malicious and violent warriors. And, to add to that the fact that some imagine fire to be the place which holds those who are damned forever because no other element can contain the evil will nor is any other element willing to stain its beauty by minds possessed by chaos and annihilation.
"But I tell you fire, in its essence, is neither selfish, jealous, nor self-possessed. And the dream of destruction is not found within its heart. Quite the contrary. Fire testifies to the power of spirit to give birth to light, to create without limit, and to make the world beautiful--this is the source of its inspiration and the will it conceals within it.
"But now our discussion leads us to the place which separates
those who walk the path of spirit from those who are content with
the knowledge known within their own civilization and evolution.
Here it shall be the ability of your ears to listen which determines if
you will seek the creative power of a magician. The five senses are
gates and it is by their taste you decide which path of life you shall
embrace:
"There is a wonder so great, a bliss so intense, and a love so
mysterious that matter and the physical universe have been created
to cloak and shroud its existence. Were we to pass through this gate
too soon we would find ourselves consumed by a presence and a
light unimaginably bright. Nonetheless, I am free to speak of what I
have witnessed--the treasure hidden in the core of the earth is a song
which resonates in harmony with the universe.
"For each of us there comes a time when we are invited to give breath and voice to this song: When all fear is gone; when power means nothing at all--merely a cloak we put on or take off like the mantel a king wears who has no cares of his own, no desire for a throne. We are ready when our will has tested itself by striving to cross every boundary separating nature and spirit.
"And when the joy within us is so great we ready to explode-- because we have entered that place within our hearts where we discover there is no separation nor limitation nor enclosure which can contain or shape who we are. Then this song is free to sound its cords within us. And we, in turn, become part of the power unfolding the universe."
And then Pyrhum sang this sang in homage to that note in the bardic language which is named "SH"--and which is the original source of all fire in the universe: With the voice of a tenor-- haunting, passionate, melodic, and incredibly solitary--he sings:
I hear this song It has been with me all along It calls out my name And I burn with its flames My hunger and this light are one and the same: In me you find the place Where matter and spirit embrace In me you find the will That annihilates darkness, fear, and hate I am the power that heals I am the power of fate to reshape the world Even as the shadows of night Dissolve at the touch of the first light.
I am reminded of the words of Joseph Campbell who tried to formulate what is at the heart of any religion, mystery, wisdom, or magical tradition. The first condition it must meet if it is to be of any value to us is this: it must open "the doors of perception to the wonder, at once terrible and fascinating, of ourselves and the universe of which we are the ears and the eyes and the mind." That is, it must generate within us awe and a sense of the unfathomable wonder, beauty, and mystery which it is to alive.
In this regard, I can only share with you the taste and feel of my own experience. There is a great deal more I wish to ask of Pyrhum. I wish to know his innermost dreams. And I wish to sit and meditate with him for many hours and days on his greatest magical power: the fire that burns without consuming--the fire that vitalizes, rejuvenates, heals and transforms without disturbing the nature of what it touches. But this will have to wait for another day.
See my forthcoming book on elemental beings for the second half of this essay/dialogue.