Sylphs, Gnomes, and Salamanders: A Brief Summary

A fairy tale is usually classified as fiction. It may, however, involve legends or historical events. Generally a fairy tale takes place “once upon a time” rather than in reference to a particular historical date.

Fairy tales often involve characters such as elves, trolls, goblins, dwarves, dragons, giants, and some form of magic. As such, the stories do not reflect reality as we know it. Instead, they are folktales and part of oral traditions belonging to specific locales and ethnic traditions. It would seem that children more easily than adults understand the enchantment these stories offer.

It goes without staying that most people would consider my writings to be fiction and fantasy. So I try to write in a way that is entertaining. Let us say, the author treats “imaginary” beings as if they are real just to see what follows.

However, if we wished to modernize this literary genre so that it relates to our world, we might want to upgrade our fairies. After all, our scientists study the entire planet. Why not have fairies whose range of magical power interacts with the entire biosphere?

Consequently, for a good story we might want a sylph who knows more than any meteorologist about weather and the atmosphere. We would want his opinion on global warming and the possible onset of an ice age. We might like to hear what a salamander has to say who controls the eruption of super volcanoes. What would such a salamander tell us about the increasing number of earthquakes under Yellowstone National Park? How about a gnome who can heal any disease? Does he have anything to say about delaying the onset of aging?

We can treat fairies, then, as intelligent beings who are masters of the energies underlying nature. In this way, we also upgrade our imagination. We keep our sense of wonder as well as our critical thinking in line with the political and moral choices we need to make concerning our survival as a race.

But from my point of view as a psychic with an ability or two that have no historical precedent, I notice that many politicians already employ telepathy and magical empathy. Consciously or not, they use their abilities to further their careers and to retain power. For me, enchantment is as active in our world as it ever was in any prior time. Similarly, those who are psychic like me can easily perceive these elemental beings who exist just slightly outside the range of normal perception.

This book has been about undines. These are nature spirits who are composed of one element--water. The four undine queens I describe in this book are among the most powerful undines on earth.

In a similar manner, there are other nature spirits belonging to the elements of air, earth, and fire. The sylphs are composed of air, the gnomes of earth, and the salamanders of fire. In this essay, I focus on some of these other elemental beings.

In brief, sylphs oversee the functioning of weather and the atmosphere. The gnomes focus is on minerals, vegetation, the philosopher’s stone, and the transformations of matter. And the salamanders specialize in volcanoes, pyrotechnics, the movement of tectonic plates, and all aspects of heat and fire at the center of the earth.

There are things that history does not record, literature does not describe, psychology can not comprehend, and religion can not fathom. I will now present a few of these things for you to consider as entertainment or information according to your imagination.

Sylphs

The Sylph Cargoste

All winds fall within the scope of Cargoste’s mastery--the trade winds, the storm winds, the tornado, and the hurricane--he has absolute command over them.

When Cargoste is over the Pacific Ocean, he senses the winds of the North and South poles. He is aware of the remnants of a hurricane off Baja, the effects caused by El Nino, the jet stream, and the ozone layer. He is aware of the temperature, humidity, and pressure in the clouds for thousands of miles.

He can sense the arrangement of electrical charges in clouds anywhere over the Pacific or the Atlantic. He is aware of the weather patterns on the other side of the planet since the atmosphere, for him, is one fabric and one matrix. And these many aspects of the atmosphere he is aware of all at once without relying on thought or having to change his mental focus from one thing to another.

I ask Cargoste, “From where do you come and what is your commission?”

Cargoste replies, “The voice that would create must have breath to speak; the heart that would soar free must have wings to fly; the mind that would be enlightened must be as clear as the sky.

“You ask what it is like to be me. I will tell you. I am the movement of winds without beginning or end. When I lay my head down to sleep, the total configuration of the earth’s atmosphere is in my dreams--the waves of the sea and the clouds that roam free, winters cold breath and summer’s heat, spring’s newness and fall’s release--I keep them all in harmony.

“But I rarely think about my self. Though the name Cargoste refers to me you will have a hard time defining my identity. I have no more personality than frost when it coats a leaf with white or rain changing into tiny crystals of snow. Is there excitement in the heat released as ice forms on ponds? Is there desire in the gust that carries the Milkweed seeds above the ground?

“My longing is to sail beneath the stars at night at eighty thousand feet. The bubble of air locked inside ice as countless ages roll by, the calm eye of the hurricane so still the leaves of trees are undisturbed, and the eyes of a bird searching the reaches of eternity for the cords of forgotten songs--all of these are within my mind.

“I am my work. The tides in the sky and the streams of wind, the weather conditions, and the cloud formations--these capture my imagination. The sky of the earth is the circumference of my passion.

“Do I recall my beginning and how I came into being? The sky was not always blue. It was more red with a purplish hue and great fiery wastes were the earth’s face. I was placed here to clear the sky so the stars could shine. My task is obvious. My commission is to preserve light and life and to maintain balance between fire and ice. What makes me different from other sylphs, as you can see, is that the entire planet and every living being, every wind, every season, and every weather condition flow through my dreams.”

The Sylph Parahim

Parahim is a sylph of high rank who dwells in the sky above the clouds. She is not only beautiful. She has a profound sense of harmony. For Parahim, music and tones are magical. Being in her presence is like sitting beside a harpist whose songs are of passion and peace.

Parahim also has an unusual empathy for certain kinds of human beings. Sylphs by nature are aloof and distant from humanity. They desire neither to possess nor to be possessed. They cherish independence and freedom above the need to conform or to connect.

But Parahim has a sensitivity that extends beyond atmospheric conditions. She is acutely aware of those whose minds are like the sky. This interest of hers is unmistakable. When you concentrate on her, she notices and turns her attention on you. She immediately scrutinizes the strength of your brain waves. Because the air element fosters telepathy, it is easy for sylphs to attune themselves to the vibration of others’ thoughts. This is something Parahim does very well.

Parahim enters my room. Walls, windows, and doors do not limit her freedom of movement. She smiles at me in a way no woman has ever done. Her smile reflects the willingness of her soul to stand naked so nothing is hidden. Her openness is part of her creativity--she has many magical songs that penetrate the heart. They are more subtly than wind, breath, or a lover’s caress.

The gaze of her eyes is most remarkable. She can see the haunting desire that arises in an unknown place within your soul. And in the same moment she can sing a note of freedom and release so that you let go into a serenity that satisfies every need. I see clearly how these qualities and abilities exist within her as I touch her aura with my mind.

My mind enters her body. I am astonished and amazed as I enter the astral realm of the sylph. It is like leaping from a high diving board but there is no pool in which to fall, no movement at all. Perhaps this is what the astronauts feel when they are outside the space shuttle--just drifting weightless with the vastness of the earth suspended in space beneath them. But to be in this sylph’s body is to be completely still, silent, and quiet. There is no drifting. The weightlessness is a relaxation so great it is beyond the power of mind to define or of imagination to forge an image.

I am aware of Parahim’s mind as well. For her, the forces shaping and determining the course of our lives seem like images appearing in a mirror. We cling to them or flee from them, delighting in them one moment and then hating them the next as if they have the power to shape our feelings and to bless or curse our lives. But for Parahim the mind is both the mirror and the light appearing within it. The mind of a sylph does not lose its spacious openness though storms appear and whirlwinds rage nearby.

The Sylph Capisi

Sylphs have an extraordinary hypersensitivity. The airy substance that composes their bodies makes it most uncomfortable for them to drop down to the earth for anything more than a few moments. Normally, they would feel uneasy and put off being near to the ground--well, that is to say, unless they have a very good reason for their visit.

Capisi’s aura, for example, here, I can feel it with my hands: She is buoyant, weightless, and floating. Her body exudes subtle rays of whitish blue light that connect her to wind currents and to the thunderstorms far in the distance over the horizon.

She is very aloof, but it is easy to see why. She is vulnerable and sensitive. Yet freedom and harmony are her essence. She strives to balance the natural elements while she herself remains completely at ease. She blends contrary impulses, mutually exclusive desires, and the whole hierarchy of purposes striving to gain an edge one over the other.

I have seen her set a cloud rolling upon itself like a mouse on a treadmill running round and round but remaining in one place. I have seen her raise her hands with her palms facing each other, wave her fingers, and then a cloud dissolves before her in moments.

With a gesture of one hand, she can change air pressure and temperature over the Grand Canyon so clouds drop down within it while the sky is clear overhead. And with her other hand guiding a gust of wind she can knock the hat off a state trooper hundreds of miles away in Albuquerque. And this she can do without even rustling a leaf in a tree nearby. Such is her command and ability.

Today Capisi is wearing a transparent cape with a ribbon of a scarf fluttering around her neck. Her body too is almost transparent. It appears to be made out of pure light though I dare say you would not want to offend her. I should also mention that in a gesture with the back of her hand she can knock the roof off a house a hundred miles away.

Though her capacity for rapport is profound, Capisi resists forming bonds. Yet in spite of being aloof, she knows an entire spectrum of pleasures! To the human who can see her, to the one who is acquainted with how to enter her domain, her touch is pure bliss. Her touch suspends another within a sweetness so vast it banishes everything that burdens or weighs the soul down.

I glance at her hair and see images of tornadoes whirling and storm clouds forming. When her hair swings about her neck, I see lovers stealing away into groves of pine and birch trees to have their bliss. Somewhere on earth perhaps there is a harpist with fingers so nimble, so magical, her songs could echo the play of Capisi’s hair in the wind--each hair is a separate song about a place where the heart has found true happiness.

But she is also serious. Her aptitude is for air pressure--for perceiving where there are highs and lows and where air currents collide and disappear. She senses the shifts between moving fronts. Adjusting them just so, she creates a harmonious pattern within the atmosphere, setting boundaries in which weather patterns move.

Gnomes

There are gnomes who specialize in raising the vibration of matter. Not too long ago we called this alchemy. There are gnomes who work with gemstones. It would appear they actually cut stones but they are engaged in what we could describe as a spiritual endeavor. They invest the stones with magical powers. Diamonds, rubies, amethysts, and so forth not only take and break light into beautiful reflections. They serve to preserve and amplify consciousness. A gnome can place some of his own spirit into a stone which then can be used to benefit others.

Some gnomes work with trees and forests, with topsoil, herbs, healing, and fertility. They know about roots, bark, leaves, and seeds and the active chemical ingredients within these. For gnomes, trees have consciousness. Gnomes play a role in observing and increasing this.

Some gnomes are interested in mineral deposits, rock formations, and mountains. For a gnome, matter is not void of spirit. Everything physical has an inner secret and mana present within it.

The Gnome Mentifil

Mentifil’s aura shines with a brownish black light. It is as if silence has taken on a color that glows in the air. This light embodies endurance and patience. When you look at Mentifil’s face, he looks academic like a scholar. He looks shrewd and clever like an inventor. He is detached and questioning like a scientist engaged in an endless series of experiments. But still, the aura remains.

It is as if you could take the essence of a mountain chain and boil it down, distill, and refine it so that the result is a silence enduring through the ages. Mentifil’s aura is a magical space. If you get close enough you see the events of thousands of years

flickering before your eyes, passing by in a few moments of time.

Franz Bardon says that Mentifil is a powerful gnome with many qualities and powers. These include a knowledge of medicinal herbs and the secrets of alchemy. Mentifil can change the molecular structure of an element and control natural processes within the mineral kingdom.

Though there is a timeless quality about him, Mentifil is also robust, friendly, and entertaining. Meeting him is like encountering the soul of a forest walking down the road toward you. You smell the trees. You see leaves on the ground, branches rustling in the breeze, the roots, the soil, and the ages through which the trees have been growing. Mentifil has a deep sense of peace and an animating zest.

I imagine a gnome like this never gets lonely. His interest and curiosity never die. Sights and sounds from eons before are still fresh in his memory as if ancient events happened a few hours before.

But Mentifil does not mourn or feel attached to the past. And though he is very busy, you can see it in the way he stands--he looks like he has a lot to attend to and is ready to get back to it the instant we are through. Still, he is, always was, and always will be captivated by what is happening in the present moment. His concentration is that complete.

Mentifil is an embodiment of the great treasures and mysteries of the earth. As I sit here next to Mentifil, his aura begins to blend with mine. In a strange way, I feel at home.

And like certain stone circles that have visions hidden within them, Mentifil is waiting for that time when a race of beings on this planet will come forth. And saying the right words, comprehending his mind, and seeing through his eyes, ancient and unknown wisdom shall be released and celebrated throughout the world.

The Gnome Muscar

Franz Bardon says of Muscar, “In the kingdom of the element earth, Muscar is one of the most respected of spirits. He may be called a genuine magician of the earth.” As a specialist in the magic of the earth, Muscar studies the electro-magnetic drifts moving through the ground. These energy movements are caused by storms, geologic formations, and the orbiting moon. Muscar knows how to attune himself to these energies and to direct them to practical ends.

Muscar feels that the fault lines and mountains talk to him and answer his questions about their origins. He perceives the history of a mountain, its internal stresses, its erosion patterns, and the forces that have shaped it and which will wear it down. Muscar can dip his finger into a subterranean stream and instantly identify the minerals’ present, their concentration, and the sources of the stream. He senses forests and the evolution of trees and plants and how they affect the earth. You could say that Muscar is a master of Feng Sui, the Chinese art of understanding how space and energy interrelate.

Muscar’s hearing is as sensitive as high tech equipment. Analogous to a bat or dolphin, Muscar emits something like a sonar pulse. But no echo is reflected back. Rather Muscar feels vibrations in the far distance as though his aura is capable of scanning and determining what exists many miles away. What he senses translates into visual images that define for him the structure, quality, and composition of geologic formations.

Muscar can sit watching the stars moving through the sky from dust to dawn and feel no more than a moment of time has gone. He can gaze into past ages and epochs of time and not feel in the least old or weary. For Muscar, everything that has shape, form, and weight is fascinating and full of wonder.

Unlike a mountain or a plateau, Muscar never grows old. He is constantly full of enthusiasm. For Muscar, there is no need to hurry; there is no need to worry--each moment is satisfying; each moment is a treasure of the heart. The silence in which he dwells is a magic well from which he sips and drinks the beauty of the earth.

I ask Muscar to appear. Muscar stands in my room six feet in front of me. He looks like a middle aged man who is robust and active. He is about five feet tall, sturdy, and strong. His muscles seem to be made of steel though they are not at all bulky.

There is also something about Muscar’s presence that is reminiscent of a Nordic king. His poise is that of royalty. You can sense a power present that is hard to identify. He is one of those gnomes who can be absolutely still as well as completely engaging. His personality is warm and friendly yet he radiates dignity and virtue.

Muscar's voice is deep and resonate as if the rocks of a mountain were given a voice with which to speak. I have the distinct feeling that Muscar spends a great deal of time walking down ancient pathways on the inner planes or through subterranean caverns. When Muscar speaks it is like he has a speech already prepared--a speech he has developed and delivered to other magicians with whom he has spoken in other ages.

Muscar explains that he has studied human societies since their beginning. He likes to form close ties to humans who like to experiment. Human beings are fascinating to him though he has not yet figured them out. They keep redefining what they are and what they want.

Whenever I meet with Muscar, he continues telling me a long tale about an ancient kingdom that existed after the end of Lemuria and before the beginning of Atlantis. His themes we familiar. He talks about when true love first appeared on earth. He talks about love as being the highest magic. And he talks about the human heart--of the mystery of desire that takes hold, makes new, and also knows how to let go.

The Gnome Erami

Franz Bardon says of Erami that he is a “powerful gnome-magician.” Erami teaches the magic of sympathy and how to prepare a magic mirror. He teaches practical applications of earth magic and how to gain protection from various dangers.

Similar to Muscar, Erami is aware of the energy within the earth over a wide area. Erami perceives earth energies as having a fluid quality. When we look at ice, we have no difficulty thinking of it as frozen water. We realize the same substance falls as rain and flows as rivers into seas.

For Erami, physical matter has a light glowing within it. This light or vibration can be released and move about. It is freed by gravity waves, by magnetic tides, by thunderstorms, and changes in temperature. The way we can feel a static charge of electricity when we place our hand in front of a computer monitor, Erami can feel the energy or electronic vibrations being emitted by physical matter.

When you work with gnomes you get used to the incredible persistence and endurance they bring to anything they do. They place their minds within something physical and then slowly, very slowly, raise its vibration. Since many gnomes exist for countless eons and they love precious stones, it is natural for them to spend thousands of hours or days meditating inside of a gemstone or whatever captures their attention.

Erami says, “Transformation and change are everywhere in nature. It is natural to ask, ‘From what source do these transformations arise and what is their perfected course? And in what way can they all be brought into harmony and unity?’ I have asked and pursued these questions for many long eons and countless centuries. I am free to share the knowledge I have found with humanity.”

Salamanders

The Salamander Itumo

Franz Bardon says of Itumo that he is a male spirit of fire who likes to be near the surface of the earth. His specialty is creating and controlling thunderstorms. He has knowledge of all aspects of thunderstorms. He is able to control lightning and electricity at will both as forces of nature and as more subtle energies on the inner planes.

Itumo appears in my room. He is not here in a physical form. I do not think anyone else would see him except a psychic or clairvoyant. But his presence is a brilliant, sparkling light. As a result his presence, I feel an immense increase of energy in my throat.

Itumo’s aura is a declaration in and of itself. It says, “If there is something you need to get done, I am the conviction and the power to manifest it.” As I mediate on his presence a few moments more, it becomes clear what he is all about. He says, “You can find anything if it is what you require to accomplish your work in life. To do this, you only need to comprehend my mind.”

I spend a few more moments attuning my mind to his. Itumo’s presence stimulates the imagination. His aura reflects thunderstorms and lightning within it. Itumo says, “What you see around you--the flashes and explosions of lightning--all this power is found within you. When you join yourself to a stillness so complete opposites are united within you then you shall attain all that you seek. Make no mistake--I exist to remind the human race that there are will and power enough to alter any fate and to attain any destiny.”

Meditating with Itumo it is easy to see how the most difficult problems can be solved and the greatest obstacles overcome. To bring this insight into the physical world so it actually changes something takes a lot of work. It requires you learn how to amplify and sustain electric and magnetic energies within yourself.

The Salamander Pyrhum

Pyrhum 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.

Pyrhum says to me, “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.

“If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can sense all the seas, lakes, and streams of magma that 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 world. But it is useless. Their minds are too narrow. Their hearts are too closed.

“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.”

“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, and throbbing with an implacable hunger, burning with an unquenchable thirst, I have mastered fires as old as the earth. They 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 have shaped the earth before continuing on their journey.”

“Consider 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 calculations, tolerance of alloys, coolants and turbines to convert fire into electrical power.

“But my approach is more experiential. I become the pleasure the vision 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 that are hidden within radiation. I say this because the power the atom conceals is one of the wands of power I wield.

“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 who will not be satisfied until he has captured on his canvass the mysterious beauty of the woman whom he gazes upon. 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.

“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 led me to fathom the secret desires that move nature from within.

“When you have existed for countless ages as I have and studied every natural phenomenon in which fire plays a hand, you master what you study. 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.

“But I tell you fire, in its essence, is neither selfish, jealous, nor self-possessed. And the dream of destruction is not found within it. 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.

“There is a wonder so great, a bliss so magnificent, and a love so mysterious that the physical universe has been created to cloak and shroud its existence. Were we to enter 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 secret treasure hidden in the core of the earth is a song that 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 are ready to explode--because we discover within our hearts there is no separation or limitation or 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.”

The Salamander Tapeth

The salamander Tapheth has a remarkable affinity for the explosive, raw force of fire in nature. If he could, he would master the plasma exploding from the surface of the sun. He loves electricity and magma breaking free.

If you lit a candle and asked Pyrhum and Tapheth to expound on the magic of that flame, you would get a different emphasis from each one. The basics would be the same but at a certain point their perspectives would diverge. Working with Pyrhum results in discovering the power hidden deep within you. With Tapheth, your enthusiasm and your desire to act and change the world are vastly expanded.

I pursue the relation of the external world to the internal--to what extent fire, which symbolizes light and will, is an actual energy we possess and can develop within ourselves. I ask about how matter and spirit interact and how desire can be transformed into the power of spirit.

Tapheth says to me, “I can see from your aura that you were once an alchemist before, you are now, and you will be evermore. Every fiber of your being hungers and thirsts for the power to create something from out of nothing and to celebrate the birth of light that shines forever. In this way you are like me. There is no end to your curiosity or your tenacity in searching out the mystery of matter and energy transforming.

“Fire is used to shape and refine matter into the forms and substances that you need. But if you are after power, then fire itself becomes the object of your investigation. We can search for the highest essence within fire.

“I seek the one fire so pure and refined in its power that matter and spirit are joined in its presence. I would master this fire within myself so that my will is freed of all limitations. This desire is in the hearts of salamanders the way the thirst for wisdom and love are in the hearts of human beings.

“The power to purify, to heal, to rejuvenate, and to transform are part of this art. There is a fire that takes matter and refines it so that its substance and outer form shine with its inner spirit. This fire is so original and commanding it makes all things new by the quality of its light and by the intensity of the spirit it exudes--this I pursue the same as you.”

The Salamander Orudu

Orudu is also a king among salamanders. He has many other salamanders who are his subjects. He controls the eruptions of volcanoes. He can cause eruptions to happen and also stop them from happening.

His work encompasses the planet. He is coordinator, mediator, and architect of shifting continents. He acts on his own initiative according to his own insight. He builds according to his own designs. He strives to perfect his work and to accomplish all that he plans.

There is no fire on the surface of the earth or under the earth that can not be influenced by Orudu’s will. And though his plans are his own, he is neither arbitrary nor capricious. He has a profound and intricate understanding of how his actions influence the rest of the planet.

Orudu adds this about himself: “A blacksmith heats metal, hammers it on an anvil, and shapes it according to his needs. A master fashions a sword intricately weaving the metal into a more perfect form. A steel mill blasts molten iron with oxygen to burn up the carbon so the metal can be hard and endure. Even so I lay hold of the world, bending mountains and moving continents to comply with my will.

“I take into account the erosion of winds and rains. I consider the cooling effect of water as my volcanoes rise from the seas. I take into account gravity, ice ages, and the shifting poles.

“I study the resiliency of rocks, their cracks, and fault lines. I foresee and initiate earthquakes with my mind. Vegetation, rivers, water tables, and deserts--these too I overview. I am a craftsman and my work encompasses both the depths and the surface of this planet.”

Orudu is nearly seven feet tall and of massive build. Red colors radiate about him like lakes of fire alongside a lava flow. He has a very strong forehead and a square chin. His back contains incredible power. There is a sea of fire within his strength. There is a terrible and fierce will present, a will that both destroys and creates.

When Orudu speaks, his voice echoes in loud and thunderous words. I imagine I could hear him easily twenty miles away. His very breath carries a force like magma under great pressure breaking free.

His eyes are a cross between a blow torch and a welding torch. They are dazzling and their power is a great reminder, as if you needed any, that this is a being from another realm--looking into his eyes is like looking into the mind and heart of a volcano.

It is easy enough to imagine that if someone, in a dream or

vision, ran into Orudu, he might be afraid. He might feel he was

facing the mouth of chaos opening to reveal an abyss of flames.

But there is no need for us to overreact or to be melodramatic.

Orudu renders a service to the Earth. He is one of Her assistants. He is responsible for a small part of the biosphere.

Summary

When I watch the weather report and see the satellite radar and computer generated animation of weather systems, I think to myself that this is an approximation of the knowledge sylphs possess of the atmosphere. The images on TV show three dimensional real time and accelerated movements of weather systems. They show images in color and infrared. Computer models look into the future with real ingenuity. Our knowledge of meteorology is invading the sylphs’ realms of fairy and the sylphs’ knowledge of what moves the winds.

In a similar way, when it comes to salamanders, I watch numerous documentaries on volcanoes. Some of the scientists are not just seeking a better understanding of tectonic plate movement and volcanic activity with the intent of warning others about eruptions. There are a few scientists whose fascination with fire borders on obsession. They enter craters to gather samples of lava in tin cans while hot lava is splashing down upon the ground around them. One volcanologist, before he was killed in an eruption, spoke of his plan one day to ride a metal canoe down a stream of molten lava. These men act like they are apprenticed to salamanders like Pyrhum or Tapheth.

In regard to gnomes, there is an overlap between our science and a gnome’s approach to chemistry and physics. Clearly, it is our intent to know all there is to know about physical matter and its components. We know more than gnomes about the origins of the universe and the subatomic particles that originated with the Big Bang.

I do not think gnomes are aware that a trillion neutrinos pass through their bodies in every second. We set up procedures for measuring these things. The physicist Steven Hawkin, for example, has a holographic picture of the universe inside his mind. He probes the inside of black holes and quasars with his imagination. His mental images resonate with the universe. Gnomes have no advantage over us when it comes to astrophysics.

But of the four elemental beings we are perhaps weakest when it comes to undines. When you touch the body of an undine, you can sense all the oceans of the earth, the silent calmness of the ocean trench, and the thrilling trill of ice cracking inside a glacier at the North Pole. But this is not all. The undine’s love is an introduction to divine omnipresence.

Their love reveals the longings of our hearts and visions of how our deepest needs may be fulfilled. Though oceanography has become a major scientific endeavor, the study of the empathy and sensitivity that undines possess is still in its infancy. Undines barely have a presence in the literatures and mythologies of our world.

And yet the question remains: Is the human race ready for a full disclosure of the magical wisdom possessed by elemental beings? This question is no longer irrelevant. The entire biosphere of the earth is now within our power to study and to influence, to protect or to destroy. Our fate depends on the extent to which we take responsibility for our actions.

My stories are not an attempt to turn us away from the choices we must make. To survive, we must guard and manage the planet earth not only with science and ecology, but with love. My purpose, therefore, is not only to create a new psychology of nature and to infuse ecology with a spiritual dimension. My goal is the responsibility that leads to the enlightenment of the world.

If the beauty of the sky, the oceans, the mountains, and volcanoes can be reflected within our hearts, then we can understand any human being on earth. If we can taste the ecstasy of the four elements in nature, then we will seek to be of service to humanity. If we can find in ourselves the powers of creation which have shaped and which sustain life on our planet, then we will also create works of beauty, wonder, and art. Every society has the task of unfolding its own vision of the union of nature, man, and spirit. This book is my contribution.