The ancients to the early moderns appear never to have considered the 4 elements in the 3 dimensions in which matter in fact exists. Here, then, are the 4 elements arranged as the 4 points of the 1st Pythagorean solid, a tetrahedron.
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§ In the Tarot, Water is represented by cups, signifying enjoyment & matters of the heart;
Fire by wands, signifying building & concerns of power;
Earth by pentacles, signifying wealth, both material & emotional, the fruits of labor;
Air by swords, signifying adversity & doom.
§ The 5 points of the pentacle signify the 5 planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, like the earth all bodies.
§ The 2 blades of the sword signify the 2 fires: Moon & Sun.
§ The 1 circle of the cup's rim signifies the all-encompassing ocean.
§ The 4 directions of the wand's power signify the 4 winds: north, south, east, west.
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1:
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water
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2:
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fire
3:
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fire & water
4:
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air
5:
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earth; air & water
6:
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earth & water; air & fire
7:
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earth & fire; fire & air
8:
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earth & water & fire
9:
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earth & air
10:
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earth & air & water
11:
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earth & air & fire
12:
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earth & air & fire & water
(i.e., wholeness)
96:
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the sum of combinations
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