Elements Trance Postures
The following trance postures, freely adapted from Felicitas Goodman, are handy tools for almost any kind of work with the four classical elements. They serve as concentration aids that make contacting, speaking to, invoking into oneself and evoking of the respective energies easier. They are particularly effective if combined with other concentration aids such as mantram, looking into a corresponding point of the compass or visualization.
As the postures are derived from the hexagrams of the elements in Golden Dawn ritualism, mages familiar with that system might find it useful to visualize the corresponding hexagrams within their bodies.
All usual precautions of energy work apply. Anyone about to try out the postures given here should be familiar with these prior to the experience.
Fire Standing, looking ahead. Upper arms point down, forearms are horizontal with the hands grasping each others' wrists. Feet are beside the torso and further from each other than the elbows.
One of the hexagram lines runs through the ground and while assuming the posture, you will probably have a sensation of flames blazing upwards from below.
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Air Standing, looking ahead. The arms, angled, point upwards beside the head, hands grasping each other. The legs are entwined so those sides of the feet that normally face outwards touch each other.
This posture is very unstable and you are going to sway around a little. This is intentional. As soon as a trance of sufficient depth is reached, the swaying becomes more steady and less strong.
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Water Standing, looking upwards. Arms and legs are far astride, hands and feet roughly on top of each other.
The bearing of the arms is rather inconvenient. The posture can be held more easily by visualizing the water within the body absorb energy that flows in from above, strengthening the body.
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Earth Sitting cross-legged or in the lotus pose, facing down. The back is bent, the arms stretched out so the hands meet on the ground.
If this posture is used outdoors and on uncompacted ground, it has the advantage it allows to smell the earth below, which makes attuning to earth energy a lot easier.
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