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Anaximander posited that every element had an opposite, or was connected to an opposite (water is cold, fire is hot). Thus, the material world was said to be composed of an infinite, boundless apeiron from which arose the elements (earth, air, fire, water) and pairs of opposites (hot/cold, wet/dry).
Classical elements (astrology) - The classical Greek elements as used in astrology. Other occult uses of the classical elements include their uses in alchemy. Cleromancy; Coco (folklore) Color therapy see Chromotherapy; Cone of power; Conjuration (summoning up a spirit by incantation) Coven (a community of witches) Crossroads (folklore)
The yin and yang symbol (or taijitu) shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section. [ citation needed ] In Taoist metaphysics, distinctions between good and bad, along with other dichotomous moral judgments, are perceptual, not real; so, the duality of yin and yang is an indivisible whole.
The basest element, earth, created using all the other elements, can be perceived by all five senses — (i) hearing, (ii) touch, (iii) sight, (iv) taste, and (v) smell. The next higher element, water, has no odor but can be heard, felt, seen and tasted. Next comes fire, which can be heard, felt and seen. Air can be heard and felt.
In Pythagoreanism, numeric harmony was applied in mathematical, medical, psychological, aesthetic, metaphysical and cosmological problems. For Pythagorean philosophers, the basic property of numbers was expressed in the harmonious interplay of opposite pairs. Harmony assured the balance of opposite forces. [41]
Descartes' metaphysical thought is found in his Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) and Principles of Philosophy (1644). Baruch Spinoza (1632 – 1677) – one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy. He defined "God" as a singular self-subsistent substance, and both matter and thought as attributes of such.
Neoplatonism, which flourished in the 3rd century CE, is a philosophical system that builds upon the teachings of Plato and incorporates metaphysical elements. Plotinus, the founder of Neoplatonism, articulated a vision of reality that centers on a hierarchical structure of existence.
In Hermetic Qabalah, the Tree of Life is a fundamental concept and symbol that represents the structure of the universe and the spiritual and metaphysical path to enlightenment. It is often depicted as a diagram composed of ten interconnected spheres (called sephiroth) and 22 connecting paths, which together form a pattern resembling a tree.