The lists of attributes of each of the twelve channels that follows
is only a 'snapshot' of each of them, bearing in mind that the more
we evolve any of them the more attributes we shall discover. They
are designed to arouse the interest and co-operation of those
desiring to go farther with a subject upon which our life depends.
This is a subject that must invite as many souls and minds as it
can to contribute towards its completion. Each individual will be
able to contribute to some aspect of a channel that others have
not seen. Consciousness is like a shattered jigsaw puzzle at present
and all are likely to have at least one small piece. It is a game
that makes us very aware of our 'blind spots' and narrow self-
interest.
As will be noted from the diagram, each channel is associated
with a month of the year; with Air and Fire starting the cycle
at the top on the 21st December, the date of the birth of the Sun
into the new year. (Christmas festival, the joy of welcoming more
light upon the Earth and into our minds.) In other parts of the
world where the seasons occur at different times, one would adjust
the dates accordingly.
Instead of listing the attributes of the channels in the order
they appear on the circle it may be more effective to list them
in pairs of opposites as follows:
Analysis, mental agility,
intellectual. A quick detached form of
thinking that can interpret facts
any way he wishes. Inventive-
ness, insight. To be blinded by
science, self-deceit. Often de-
ceives young men. Artificial and
facile when not integrated with
instinct and intuition, so is often
mere clever manipulation. It
sees only what it can identify,
and is interested in brilliance
rather than truth. A clever
advocate who thinks he can out-
wit everyone but can do little.
Ruling God of this age.
LIGHT
Earth and Water
Mother Nature, Dormant
Fertile Soil
Obscurity
Integration, dullness, selectivity,
growth. To see the wood rather
than the trees, wholeness, to be
natural, digestion mental and
physical, the organic, crafts-
manship, cooking, digging up
old remains in the earth, racial
memory. A mother is activated
by this in times of pregnancy,
and it is, as with most feminine
channels, largely submerged in
us. Governs many instinctive
movements of the body. The
consciousness that put mouldy
cheese on flesh wounds long
before the discovery of peni-
cillin. Techniques like witchcraft
for evolving it are outlawed in
our time.
HEAVY
This pair need each other as do all opposites, but if they do
not love each other enough to allow the other, they cannot integrate
and their quarrels tend to run thus: He 'You're so dull and slow,
why don't you wake up? Always pondering over everything, why
can't you answer quickly? You take so much into consideration
you never know your own opinion. Trying to do everything by
hand, don't you know we have machines now? Why can't you
change with the times? Always waiting for something to happen,
so muddle headed, leaving it all to God and nature.' She replies
'You're so bright and intellectual, always changing your mind
and wanting to alter everything. You don't understand anything.
None of your ideas are down to earth. Nature means nothing to
you, all you want to do is destroy it.'
Her great qualities are craftsmanship, understanding and
integrity. His, a quick defining analytical mind. When they come
together, mind and instinct are harmonized, revealing many secrets
of life.
All conflicts can be reconciled by one of the four open states.
These are The Child, The Slave, The Fool and The Observer.
In this case Fire and Water the Fool would be the most effective
reconciler. This means that if the conflicting parties could genuinely
switch into Fire and Water, their conflict would be dispelled. Also
if a third party joined them who was habitually in Fire and Water
he or she would have a harmonious effect, just by virtue of the way
he or she is, not by anything he or she might voluntarily try to do.
Superficiality, quick wit, deceit,
trickery, joking, teasing, resili-
ence, chatter. It is uplifting and
prevents stultifying seriousness.
Wilde said 'Life is much too
important to be taken seriously'.
Cynicism, seeing how far you
can go with people, taking the
rise out of them. We call talk
'hot air' when it is nonsensical
or bluffing. We also refer to a
great chatterer as a windbag.
Insensitive, with a real sense of
the ridiculous.
SHALLOW, EMPTY
(rising)
Water and Earth
The Enchantress
Rivers, Seas
Profundity
Depth, enchantment, taste,
magnetism, sincerity, appreciation,
telepathy, visions. It is a longing
for more light and life,
sirens drew sailors to their
doom in their desire for the
light and fire that the male
should give. Large portions of
this consciousness are
submerged in us at present. The
poet, dreamer and artist have
access to some of it. Intuitive
sensing, fortune telling, and the
magic in witchcraft are activated
by it.
DEEP, FULL
(falling)
Allowing is the beginning of loving. When one tries to suppress
the other, little real love is manifesting, and their bickering runs
something like this: He 'You're always down in the dumps.
Everything that happens to you is another chance to be sad. You're
so mysterious and prevaricating. Why do you always sit and wait
for me to move? Why do you take everything to heart? You and
your superstitions and intuitions, why don't you liven up and take
no notice of them? I'm tired of you and your blues.' She replies
'You're nothing but an empty headed cynic who thinks he can
quip his way through life. You cannot feel for me or anyone else.
If you touched your own feelings you'd scare yourself to death,
but you are too superficial to try. My intuition has stopped you
making many a mistake.'
As with the previous pair one of the open states could reconcile
them, if they could get into the Observer, or be in the presence of a
person using it, harmony could ensue.
When living in harmony she supplies information from the depth
of her intuitive knowledge which comes to her in pictorial form,
and he lightens the material with his wit. Continual dullness
destroys any subject. Together they can harmonize the presentation
of intuitive knowledge.
These four are equally well opposed by putting Air and Fire
with Water and Earth and Fire and Air with Earth and Water.
Successful marriages are made by these channels exchanging their
consciousness and integrating them. This is an aspect of magical
lovemaking. Business partnerships are also more effective by
opposites complimenting each other.
Reflection, purity, stillness,
silence, precision, rigidity,
preservation, accumulated
knowledge, crystallized conviction,
dogma, making up one's mind,
hygiene, writing, interpreting
signs, deadness, historians and
priests. It is a storehouse of
inert knowledge without the
warm, practical application of
its opposite. Formal, cold,
conceited. critical, intolerant. Often
hypocritical in our time. Without
it one cannot make up one's
mind.
HIGH
Earth and Fire
The Slave
The planet itself with fire in
the centre. A Forge
Acceptance
Labour (a woman in labour is
a good representation), farming,
mining, building, crudity, tolerance,
matiness, informality,
practicality, herd conformity.
To be moulded and conditioned
by existing situations, to put up
with them, submission, giving
in, resignation, sociable, clubs,
unions. Not as submerged as the
watery channels except in its
desire for physical contact and
erotic dancing.
LOW
For either to expand they need each other. If they do not
appreciate each other's qualities this kind of conflict arises: He
'You're so easygoing. You have no sense of occasion. Always
chatting to the neighbours. You never present anything well. You
have no clear opinions. So untidy and rude. I can't take you
anywhere.' She responds 'You're so stuck up you can't listen to
anyone. You think what you know is fact, and what others know
is only theory. It's all a world of ideas you have, nothing down
to earth. You can't even mend a fuse, might get your hands dirty.
You're so cold you can't make friends with anyone. If it wasn't
for me you'd be alone in an ivory tower. I keep you in touch with
the world.' The Fool could reconcile these two.
In co-operation he can form true clear precise ideas that she can
put into practice, and her warmth prevent his opinions becoming
dogmatic, thus allowing new ones.
Fire and Earth
The Warrior
A Volcano
Force of Will
Aggression, destruction and
creation, fights and struggles,
brutality, self-assertion. Persons
possessed by these elements find
it almost impossible not to try
to dominate every situation they
are in and all others around
them if they can. They often
will not go to places or parties
in case they cannot impress
others there. Hardness, effectiveness,
impatience, intolerance,
inability to listen. It is impressive,
egotistical. Fire always
strengthens the ego; militarism,
enforcement of law, competition.
When properly controlled,
excellent for getting things done.
In its most positive aspect it is
the pioneer. One cannot be truly
male without it.
HARD, BIG
Water and Air
The Child
Mist
Total Receptivity
Passivity, impressionability, love,
surrender, softness, wonder,
innocence, imagination, vagueness,
sweetness. These elements
in isolation take no action, they
are to do with atmosphere,
impressions about places, pretty
things, flowers, animals, children's
stories, fairyland. This
open non-reactive state carries
much power and is a perfect
state for learning. Loss of ego
as one's awareness blends with
the surroundings. This consciousness
quickly atrophies in
us because we fail to take the
advice 'Be as little children'.
When the child dies in us we
can no longer really experience
anything and the metaphysical
world is closed to our vision
and we no longer believe it
exists. This is one of our most
serious losses.
SOFT, SMALL
When stuck in their roles unable to love enough to fuse, we hear
the following: He 'You're so spineless and wishy washy, can't
stand up for yourself. So precious, always listening to everyone, have
you no will of your own? You think a butterfly is as important
as a motor car. You're soft, never know where you are going,
or what to do for best, so lazy and vague about everything. The
way you listened to that fool so and so last night made me mad.'
She retorts 'You're a brute, you don't care about anyone. You
ride rough shod over everyone. You think there's no one like you.
Nobody can negotiate about anything with you, always your way.
You're always so definite about everything, yet you don't really
know anything, and most of what you do know you got from me,
though you'd never admit it because of your ego.'
When these two co-operate it allows him to receive information
before he takes action, otherwise he acts with blind force. Without
him she is a mere ineffectual dreamer.
The Observer would reconcile this conflict. Bear in mind that
many of us are composed of two conflicting archetypes (see next page) and often the performance we habitually use is that of a
reconciler between our inner conflict. If for any reason a person
is prevented from using his reconciling behaviour he would be in
danger of becoming neurotic.
Observation, an open mind.
objectivity, non-commitment, in-
difference. A lifeless type of
consciousness that knows the
components of everything, but
the spirit of nothing. (This type
of consciousness is too much
encouraged in our time.) Patience,
calmness, serenity, concentration,
systems, independence.
Those constantly using these
elements develop dried up faces
where one can almost see the
bone structure of the skull. Its
positive aspect is an ability to
see anything as it really is,
freed from negative or positive
emotion, like or dislike, or any
kind of moral judgment.
DISTANT
Water and Fire
The Actress
Steam
Attachment
Exploitation of the emotions,
warm or strong feelings about
a person, place, ideas, things,
occupations: Enthusiasm, a
'worked up state', gives vent to
feelings, lets off steam, tempers,
moods, loves, hates, jealousies.
The elements with which we
become attached to anything
and therefore dependent, hopes,
drama, passion, very much
alive: Little intelligence goes
with these elements on their
own, intelligence always goes
with the amount of Air in any
channel. One of the less
suppressed feminine channels,
although tends to be known by
hysteria in our time, instead of
by its valuable enlivening qualities
and self-expression.
CLOSE
With insufficient integration their complaints run somewhat as
follows: He 'You're always so worked up you can never quietly
tell me anything. Always exaggerating everything, your experience
is larger than life. I can never get a true picture about anything
that happens to you. You shout about injustices to coloureds and
starving in India and so on, yet you don't know anything about
the true situation. I'm worn out with your constant dramatics.'
She replies 'I'm sick of your lack of feeling, you're so callous. No
enthusiasm for anything. You know nothing about how I feel.
You say you love me, but are incapable of showing it in any way.
You might as well be dead for all the reaction I get out of you.
So you see it all clearly, yet have not the spirit to do anything
about what you see.'
The Slave, practical application and acceptance would reconcile
these. The true marriage of these two would lead to enlightened
and compassionate action in the world of human affairs. They
could bring mind and emotion into harmony.
Letting one's self go, abandon,
exuberance, carelessness, liveliness,
unconcerned, mime,
amusing actions and reactions,
storminess, movement, dancing,
joy, forgetting one's self and
joining the fun, turbulence. To
be stimulated by whatever
strikes us as stimulating or
entertaining. A state of giving
off lively energy and being
colourful, eccentric, irregular,
flamboyant. Inspiration can take
place in this state. This is a
much suppressed consciousness
in many parts of the modern
world, due to the preponderance
of its opposite.
FAST
Earth and Air
The Old Woman
Dust laden air. A Desert
Sobriety
A consciousness that exploits
people and world resources. It
has indeed created deserts by
over-exploitation. The elements
of industry and commerce.
Gathering in, accumulation,
banking, miserly greed, taking
care. It is to do with making
use, the useful, a beehive type
of consciousness, a one track
mind, a collector. It gives a
feeling of independence, self-
sufficiency. (This is totally false
as there is no such thing.) All
twelve channels carry their
particular way of deceiving us. A
good consciousness for planning
and taking care of things.
The only encouraged feminine
channel.
SLOW
These obviously cannot live without each other. Without him
there would be no life, without her there would be nothing to live
on. They are usually found at loggerheads and their rows run
thus: He 'You're always counting the cost and watching every
little thing. (Note when a man does this we call him an old woman.)
You're so dull, why can't you let yourself go? Always the same
old routine every day. Even an unexpected visitor shakes you.
Everything has to be planned. Can't you let things happen? How
can the gods do anything for you when you don't allow anything
to happen? Can't we have a change? The house is full of old
junk, can't we throw it out? She answers 'You can't take care of
anything. If it wasn't for me we would have nothing. You're always
jumping around making a fool of yourself, knocking things over.
You're so irresponsible. Always upsetting the routine of the house.
You just don't care about anything or anyone.'
The Child, Water and Air which brings grace can reconcile
these two. In true co-operation they can bring about that delicate
balance between holding and releasing which applies to all life's
functions.
The negative effects of all channels arise through them gaining
dominance over the amount of other modifying elements in a
person.
A marriage where one channel wins outright over the other is
a tragedy, turning the partnership into a tyranny of meaningless
constricted existence.
Arachnophilia