[1] the Daily Elemental Tides

[2] the Monthly Lunar Tides

[3] the Annual Solar Cycle

The Daily Tides paper included a diagram to which numerous references were made, it has taken a bit of rewriting to make it as clear as I could without a picture.

THE DAILY ELEMENTAL TIDES IN THE TIDES OF TIME. One of my joys is to stand on a high place such as Mount Eden and face towards the East. Soon my inner being becomes aware that I am standing at the bow of a huge ship, the Gaia, which is hurtling through the Ocean of the Spirit. Rushing towards me is a mighty flood-tide of spiritual energies, cleansing, energising and refreshing me and everyone who is willing to be aware of them.

As the Earth spins on its axis, the Ocean of the One Most High Spirit passes over every place on the Earth. Within this flood-tide, there are subtle yet powerful variations, each with its own characteristics and effects.

These are the five elemental forces which we know as Spirit, Air, Water Fire and Earth. The Elemental Tides relate very closely to our human potentials.

There is a Glyph of the Daily Elemental Tides that shows how each Element rises as the previous Elemental Tide is ebbing, reaches its maximum and then itself wanes, being replaced by the next Tide in the cycle. Unfortunately, I cannot reproduce the Glyph in ASCII for distribution on BBS echoes. There is a description of it, at the end of the message, which I hope will be clear enough for anyone interested to be able to draw it for themselves.

THE DURATION OF THE DAILY TIDES

The duration of each daily elemental tide is not based on clock time, but on the actual length of the day and night at any place. During summer, the daylight period from sunrise to sunset will be longer than the period from sunset to sunrise.

During winter, the situation is reversed, with the night hours being longer than the daylight hours.

Although there are quite precise ways of determining the actual flows on any day of the year for any place on earth, anyone can tap into these Tides well enough just by gearing their daily activities around the year to the times of the tides for the Equinoxes, when dawn is at 6 am, and sunset is at 6 pm.

However, it would be a good idea for any magician seriously interested in enhancing the practice of their Art by tapping into the Daily Earth Tides closely to compile a special timetable for the place where they conduct their magical rites. Sufficient information to do this is included at the end of this message.

In the following brief notes, the times with each Elemental Tide give a rough idea of the time of day when each Tide is rising and running pure, that is, while it is the only tide running. This is the period when it is at its most influential. The times approximate most closely those of the equinoxes.

SPIRIT (3.36 AM TO 6.00 AM)

Spirit is the most integrative of all the Tides. It is the time when all the Tides are in equilibrium.

AIR (8.24 AM TO 10.48 AM) The period during which Air is rising is the time to get things started. It is the most actively creative period of the day.

FIRE (1.15 PM TO 3.36 PM) The periods of the Fire Tide are the hottest times of the day. It is a good time to carry out analytical or critical work; to pull things down or cut them up.

WATER (6.00 PM TO 8.24 PM) The rising Water Tide is a time for reflection and quiet, meditative activity.

EARTH (10.48 PM TO 1.12 AM) The Earth Tide is the heaviest of all the periods of the day. It is best spent in rest and sleep.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE DAILY ELEMENTAL TIDES:

1. MEDITATION AND HEALING: During periods when the Spirit tide is rising, it as though the Sun is pushing before it a great tide of ethereal energy which refreshes, energizes and heals. This is the best time of all for integrative meditation techniques, self-healing procedures or healing techniques applied by others. It is often the time of greatest inspiration, both mundane and magical. I have taken advantage of the pre-dawn tide almost every day over several decades, with great success and personal benefit. The Spirit tide ends an hour or so after dawn.

2. WORK: The Air tide is in flood from dawn for about 2/5ths of each day. Most people are unaware of the pre-dawn influx of pure spiritual energy. Therefore, the period immediately after dawn, while Air is rising is the most actively creative period of the day. This is the best time of the day to initiate projects, to get things under way, to seek new ideas. For those people, who do not or cannot take advantage of the earlier Spirit tide, the Air rising tide can be the best time of the day. The Air tide peaks an hour or so before noon, and is over shortly after noon, 3/5ths of the way through the day.

The Fire period is in flood from late morning until mid-afternoon. It is a time when many people tend to drive themselves too hard. It is a good time to carry out analytical or critical work; to pull things down or cut them up. It requires great care to describe accurately the nature of the Fire tide. If you have built something in the morning, it is a good idea to put it to the test during the afternoon, rather than go on to something new. If you have written something in the morning, the afternoon is the time to scrutinise it, revise it and correct it. Such minimal destructive work as is necessary for a human being to do, is best done in the afternoons during the rising Fire tide. Many cultures around the world engage in siesta during the early afternoon, rather than continue with active work. The Fire tide is over by sunset.

The Water period begins in mid-afternoon but is largely concealed by the Fire tide until late afternoon, thus mid to late afternoon is a time for consolidation of all you have been doing. It is the time to bring things to a successful conclusion, if possible. Even if you cannot complete a task, it is always a good idea to complete a section of the whole task. Never leave a sentence of writing incomplete. Try to finish a paragraph, if you can. If you have been doing manual work, the same principle applies. This early Water period is the time to put tools and plans away and to tidy up after the day's work. This period can well be summed up in the old saying: "Never let the sun go down on your wrath."

STUDY: As the sun sets, the Water tide is in full flood and it continues to rise for about a fifth of the night hours. The early evening hours just after sunset are a good time for study and reading, for quiet reflection. While the Water tide is rising is the best time for receptive activities such as study or listening to the wisdom of teachers. Experience shows that the influx of the Water tide is the best time to commit things to memory. The Water tide peaks about a fifth of the way through the night hours and is over by midnight.

Students should work diligently at absorbing knowledge during the early evening. When you wake in the morning, you will find that during the night, your brain will have integrated the material, so that it now makes more sense to you. A quick read through and rehearsal of the material shortly after waking will consolidate it in your memory, but the basic work of first absorbing new material is best done during the rising Water tide.

SLEEP: The best time for sleep is when the Earth Tides predominate. On this principle, but in theory only, we should sleep longer during the winter than during the shorter nights of summer. It also suggests that the maximum time a healthy, mature adult might need for sleep would be around 7 hours, perhaps sometimes as long as 8 or 9 hours during winter and no more than 5 or 6 hours during summer.

In practice, we would do well to go to sleep from about the time that the Earth tide begins to predominate, say, around 10 pm, and get up some time around 4 am, by which time the Earth tide has passed and the Spirit tide is rising.

There is a benefit to be gained by remaining asleep during the early stages of the flow of the Spirit tide. It has been shown that the dreams we have during the latter stages of our sleep are usually more integrative than earlier in the night. If we are asleep while the Spirit tide begins its flow, the integrative activity of our dreaming will be enhanced. The Earth-tide is over by about 3.30 am.

MEALS: The flows of the Daily Elemental Tides suggest that the best time for the main meal of the day is shortly after dawn, during the morning hours. The preliminary work of digestion when the stomach acids are most active, will then be well under way at the beginning of the Fire period. The stomach is ruled by Sagittarius, a fire sign. Eating your major meal of the day during the Air period, will ensure that the principal work of digestion in the intestines and colon [ruled by Scorpio, water and Capricorn, earth] will take place during the Water and Earth tides. Final elimination, which is under the care of Teyth, the Coiled Serpent, ruler of Leo [fire], will then take place during the beginning of the Fire period some time the following morning.

INTEGRATING THE TIDES INTO DAILY LIFE Many people have some difficulty integrating the timetable of the ordinary workaday life they are obliged to lead with their magical and spiritual aspirations. There are two main factors to be balanced one against the other.

1. The first factor is the knowledge that, when we can and do align ourselves with any of the various Tides of Time, planetary, solar, lunar or earthly, all the work we do, whether mundane or magical, flows more smoothly and we proceed more surely towards the achievement of our Quest.

2. The second factor, which has to be balanced against the first, is that we are in the world to learn certain lessons. In the Life between Lives, we ourselves choose into what era and circumstances we are born to maximise our opportunities for growth towards Godhood. Those who withdraw from society and the circumstances in which they find themselves should remember that they are probably rejecting the very circumstances which their True Self or Holy Guardian Angel has chosen to bring them to the Goal of the Quest.

BALANCING PERSONAL AND SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS When we find it impossible to align ourselves closely to the various Tides of Time, we have to make do with whatever we can achieve under the circumstances.

You must decide to what extent you can align yourself with the Tides of Time without compromising your social and family obligations. Do not be too dismayed if you cannot always get in line with a particular tide. The Tides are there to be used, if you can and if you will. If you cannot, remember that the human body-mind-spirit system is very resilient and works wonders even when you are obliged to work against the Tides. Imagine, then, what 'miracles of the One' you might achieve when circumstances do permit you to work closely in alignment with the Tides of Time.

THE GLYPH OF THE DAILY TIDES

A Glyph of the Daily Tides that is reasonably sized consists of two circles with the same centre, the inner circle of radius 3 cm, the outer of radius 4.5 cm. The Circles represent the 24 hour day. A square cross divides the inner circle into quadrants, its extremities labelled sunrise, noon, sunset and midnight, so that Sunrise is at the left of the diagram. Noon is at the top; Sunset is at the right of the diagram; and Midnight is at the bottom. These labels should outside the outer circle of the Glyph.

A regular Pentagram is drawn in the inner circle so that its apex coincides with the Sunrise point of the Square Earth Cross. The points of the Pentagram, reading clockwise, are labelled Spirit [at Sunrise], Air, Fire, Water and Earth. These five points show when each Elemental Tide reaches its peak and the Tide following begins its influx. This means that at the moment when the Spirit Tide peaks, at Sunrise, the Air tide is just beginning.

You can draw curved lines between the inner and outer circles to represent the rise and fall of each Tide. Each Tide begins at the moment when the prior Tide peaks, i.e. at one of the points of the Pentagram. It peaks at the next point clockwise and then declines rather rapidly to fade out a couple of hours after its peak. The Element that had begun as the prior tide peaked now is pure and alone as it waxes towards its peak. At the moment when it peaks, the next Tide begins its initial influx, and so on. To work to best advantage with any particular Elemental energy, the period when that Tide is running pure and alone is the best to use.

The following times, for a 24-hour period with equal night and day, give an idea of the tidal ebbs and flows each day.

6.00 am:...............SUNRISE. The air tide starts at sun rise.

6.00 am:................Air starts as Spirit peaks.

6.00 am to 8.24 am:............Air rising, Spirit ebbing.

8.24 am to 10.48 am:...........AIR TIDE RISING PURE.

10.48 am:.......................Fire starts as Air peaks.

10.48 am to 12.24 pm:..........Fire rising, Air ebbing.

12.24 pm to 1.12 pm:...........FIRE TIDE RISING PURE.

3.36 pm:.....................Water starts as Fire peaks.

3.36 pm to 6.00 pm:..............Water rising, Fire ebbing.

6.00 pm SUNSET.................The Fire tide ends at Sunset.

6.00 pm to 8.24 pm:...........WATER TIDE RISING PURE.

8.24 pm:.....................Earth starts as Water peaks.

8.24 pm to 10.48 pm:..........Earth rising, Water ebbing.

10.48 pm to 1.12 am:............EARTH TIDE RISING PURE.

1.12 am:...................Spirit starts as Earth peaks.

1.12 am to 3.36 am:.............Spirit rising; Earth ebbing.

3.36 am to 6.00 am ..........SPIRIT TIDE RISING PURE.

6.00 am:.......................SUNRISE.

The following table gives at what point of the 12-hour day or night each of the times listed above is, so you can use it to calculate actual times between local sunrise and sunset or local sunset and sunrise on any day of the year. Sunrise and sunset tables are available in public libraries, or from newspaper offices usually.

Sunrise

06.00 am.....00% of the day

08.24 am.....20%

10 48 am.....40%

01.12 pm.....60%

03.36 pm.....80%

Sunset

06.00 pm.....00% of the night

08.24 pm.....20%

00.48 pm.....40%

01.12 am.....60%

03.36 am.....80%

Sunrise

The Pentagram in the Glyph is actually a Pentagram of Opening to Spirit, in the Guardians systemm, oriented to the East Point [Sunrise]. Reading its points clockwise, gives you the order of the elemental Tides. If you read the points of the Pentagram in anti-clockwise direction [Spirit, Earth, Water, Fire, Air], it gives the order of the five Elements as they correspond to the five final letters of the Hebrew alphabet [Kaf, Meyim, Nun, Peh, Tsaddi].

I hope you find this information useful in both your esoteric and your exoteric work.